[charlie]

Send advert to editor contact details are at bottom of page 2 (inside front cover) in The Cultivator.

[charlie]

Publication dates are around mid, Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct and Nov.

[charlie]

They are not common and I know there are several within the club. These machines are generally only of interest to collectors and do not fetch huge amounts, which is good for collectors not so good for sellers. From the photographs yours appears to be a good example and has the added bonus of running. If you want to sell it please send details via the contact form and we can advertise it our club magazine, we do not have adverts on the website.
Alternatively you could try an online auction site that will give you a greater audience.
The Rowtrac was made by Geo Monro of Waltham Cross from the early 1930’s, and the Rowtrac 5 was introduced in 1946. It has a 3.5hp two stroke Villiers engine, this was increased to 5hp in 1951.
I have access to some of the factory records and can date machines from the machine serial number.

[charlie]

Alan, many thanks, information passed on to originator of enquiry.

[charlie]

Link to information page about model 30 which includes a link to parts book in French (Swiss).

[charlie]

Welcome to the forum. There is a very good SIMAR website with a lot of information about the various models of Rototiller.
I will look through my collection of manuals to see what I have.
Parts for the machine, other than bearings,seals and magneto, will have to come from a scrap machine. They are very well built and reliable. Long periods of storage exposed to the weather can result in engine siezure due to rain getting down exhaust and into cylinder.

[charlie]

Alan, many thanks for the link, I did look in galleries and found the advert but didn’t think of using search facility on forum, dohhhh.

[charlie]

I have a feeling the ground in the film clip may be Wembley.
Carb does not have a needle, at least the one on my Rototiller doesn’t. I use 6% oil/petrol mix using some Castrol XL which came with one of the Rototillers, along with a genuine SIMAR measuring can, and get little smoke from the 56, although it does tend to 4 stroke at times.

[charlie]

There is a film clip in the British Pathe online archive showing a SIMAR 10 working (scroll to 4:10 for film of SIMAR), 1925 and that has a faint cloud of smoke coming from exhaust.

[charlie]

Very odd. If it was a 4 stroke then worn rings/bore or valve stem seals would be obvious suspects, but a 2 stroke has no valves and contents of sump (crankcase) go through combustion chamber anyway so rings should not cause smoke.
Is air filter restricted? Not sure if that would cause smoke.

[charlie]

Have you contacted Meetens to see if they can supply an engine?

[charlie]

As Geoff has already said a great weekend, well worth the 5 hour 204 mile drive.

[charlie]

Thanks that was what I was starting to think.

[charlie]

Approved and question posted.

[charlie]

Just registered to use forum, now waiting approval.

[Author]

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