Ancient vibrating roller with Villiers engine

[vhgmcbuddy]

Dear all,

Can anyone recognise this roller and/or the engine attached please? This was left by the previous owner I and have been trying to start it to no avail. I was advised that it did work.

It has petrol, a cut off to the air filter to allow you to stop it, a single spark plug and a hand crank that requires you to wind rope around 4 turns and pull hard. It splutters and cough but without signs yet that it is firing.

It’d be good to know what the models are so I can try and source some manual type documents.

Thank you,

Graham

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[charlie]

Engine looks like a Villiers Mk25. If the air cut off you refer to are the rectangular holes in the air filter that can be closed, that is the choke. Restricting the air flow increases fuel to air ratio. If you close or partly close the choke you may find it will run, then open the choke as engine warms up.
Roller could be a Stothert& Pitt vibroll.

[alan]

I think Charlie may be right that it’s a Stothert & Pitt roller, they did many rollers powered by Villiers Mk12, Mk25 and Mk40 engines. They did make a vibrating self propelled roller and also a 28 inch one too both with Mk25 engines certainly in the early 1960’s onwards. Also, Greens did a Unirol pedestrian roller with a Villiers Mk25 engine.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks to you both – you know your stuff, great.

It certainly looks like the MK25 from a brief bit of research – thanks very much. Looks most likely to be a Stotthert & Pitt too – I shall see if I can hunt down the exact model and details – thanks very much.

Cheers for the advice regarding the choke. Forgive my naivety but once I get it started – how would you normally turn it off? There isn’t an apparent switch in the electrics and so I assumed starving it from air was the answer – it appears not.

Graham

[charlie]

There is usually a stop device on the back plate of the magneto, located by one of the small bolts/screws that hold cowling on. Another way is to short spark plug out with a screwdriver, place end of screwdriver tight against bare metal. then touch shaft of screwdriver against top of plug, whilst keeping end in contact with bare metal. Alternatively switch fuel off and let engine run till it stops.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks Charlie.

I had another look yesterday and found the fuel switch. It’s not sparking so I’ll have to have a closer look later.

Once I get it working – in your experience do you think this machine could be used to go up slight inclines on clay? Obviously I would reverse up the slopes but having not used this sort of equipment I didn’t know whether it was purely for flat work. I’ve dug a large pond and the edges could do with some serious squashing.

Graham

[will-haggle]

It’s fairly easy to get a Villiers Mk25 Book and if you put Stothert & Pitt Vibroll into a search engine you’ll find reprint books on the Vibroll are available too. There’s a video on one at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux-8ZQABS2c this is the ride on version but the back end looks like yours.

[charlie]

First thing to do if there is no spark is try bare end of plug lead against cylinder head to prove it is not the plug. Next if no spark give the points a good clean as they may have corroded with lack of use. If still no spark it may well be worth fitting new coil, points and condenser.
The engine might be a lot easier to work on if it is removed from the roller.

[trac-grip-1954]

Just found this about the roller i have the same, i see there is a can of easy – start on the roller. to help start a engine be it my tractor or car or small engine i use GT85, less chance of blowing the head off,

[wristpin]

Easy-start – the ruin of many an engine !!

[Author]

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