Jacobsen 9" Edge-R-Trim

[OverKnight]

I just acquired a Jacobsen 9" Edge-R-Trim with the 321 engine. All I needed to do to get it running was to clean and adjust the points and shoot some cleaner through all of the orifices of the Walbro LMB-172 carburetor. Are parts such as gaskets, carburetor rebuild kits, crankshaft seals, rings, etc. still available for this engine? My searches did not turn up any of these parts. I was thinking of installing one of those generic ignition modules to replace the points and condenser; does anyone have an opinion of these? Last, the manual states a 32:1 gas:oil mixture should be used. Most of my two-cycle engines use 50:1, and I had heard that with modern two-cycle oils it is safe to run everything with a 50:1 mixture; is this correct?
Thank you.

[KE4AVB]

I don't about the rest of the parts but the carburetor rebuild kit is PN K1LMB. The other may be NLA depending on Jacobsen. I haven't work on any of their products.

Here's a link to a scanned copy of the 321 engine service manual. Jacobsen 321 engine service manual File Size 16+Megs

[RoyM]

Jacobsen consumer products disappeared when Textron sold the Homelite division in the late 80's. Good luck finding any parts. You should be safe running today's oil at 50:1, technology has improved dramatically since that machine was built.

[KE4AVB]

Jacobsen consumer products disappeared when Textron sold the Homelite division in the late 80's. Good luck finding any parts. You should be safe running today's oil at 50:1, technology has improved dramatically since that machine was built.

That would why I haven't seen any then other than on the net.

As the oil I would run a good multi-mix oil like what I sell my customers and use myself which is recommended for 16:1 to 50:1 which actually a 40:1 mix ratio as 3.2oz of oil to 1 gallon of fuel.

[OverKnight]

Thank you, KE4AVM and RoyM, and sorry for the delayed response. I had also found the Jacobsen 321 service manual on line. Thank you for the carburetor rebuild kit number, and for the fuel;oil mixture recommendations. I don't think I need any parts right now, although I should probably do a little more with the carburetor than I did. Given it's age, I'm concerned about the condition of the crankshaft seals, and possibly the rings; at least going forward (in my experience), these are consumable parts on two-cycle engine. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some rings and seals from a Tecumseh that are the same size... yeah, I should be so lucky... I did get lucky with the blade, which is the same size as my Craftsman edger.

I had used one of these edgers in the late 1960s - early 1970s, and was always impressed with how well they were built, and how well they worked. I've gotten about 15 years of good service out of my 4 HP Craftsman edger, but the blade guard has broken off twice, requiring welding, and the frame by the rear wheels bends inward over time. The blade guard and frame on the Jacobsen are both thick cast aluminum, and the wheels are also of better quality; you quickly feel how much more rigid yet lighter the Jacobsen is. An interesting feature on these is the hollow aluminum frame; besides being light and rigid, the exhaust is routed from the exhaust port on the left side of the engine into the frame, going through and out of the frame near the ground on the right side. That said, it's not particularly quiet, but it's an interesting feature. I wonder what it would cost to make a frame like this in 2016?