Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Grahame
I agree get pleasure in getting scraped bits of machinery working and used for years, and keeping mine in top order. That SA engine ticks over near to 120rpm so not flustered at all. I will be at Stradsett with my ride on mower, silent, few revs and uses less fuel, today we burn more fuel for low emissions that makes masses of heat to be…[Read more]

Engine runs fine better than some clocks, with the impulse mag from cold I gently pulled it over on the flywheel and was away. I am a bit of a perfectionist and when I hear people saying they all ran like that or when they just put and put every few seconds eight stroking afraid its not good enough for me so will still have ago with the carb and…[Read more]

I will see if I can find a small motorcycle early carb as they work fine before I try to gets spare parts, as looking at the design it doesn’t hold water in my view and was the demise of its piston. I can just remember being sat on my grandfathers MG6 it had all its tools of tiny discs, cultivator and plough. My father never had a good word about…[Read more]

Even if you get a spark it maybe not good enough. I have had engines running quite well but if you hadn’t been using them at the time or had in the past you wouldn’t have known something wasn’t quite as it should be, i had a engine suddenly go flat running hot with reduced power, it started just fine and even just altering the mixture helped. Took…[Read more]

Grahame
Think I am going to try and find a small motorcycle carb, the design of how the float tries to shut the fuel off just doesn’t, I must have spent 4hrs carefully taking apart removing dents, cleaning and back together. I had just fitted it and was interrupted for an hour, came back and hurrah still dry, started and within less than a minute…[Read more]

Andy
I used to use Knights engineers in Norwich, I can remember John Knights saying leave it with me and will try and find something and he did, I believe he was looking through old Hepolite books, maybe one of those old books would be a start.

I used to use JP pistons Australia with some still in use today without issues and were very…[Read more]

Andy
Yes many pistons were changed without balancing and often they got it wrong to start with and comes down to a good bit of guessing and if you get it right its so satisfying. I restored a 1905 Rover 780cc 6HP single cylinder car engine the balance was was a bit lucky with a new rod of different design and lighter piston, however taking masses…[Read more]

Never knew the bicycle three speed makers made engines. And yes the float isn’t good but the worst bits are inboard of the float needle, the tickler goes through at an angle. I was hoping they used a engine from a well known motorcycle manufacturer. so might have found a piston, not a problem making one but then would have to balance the crank as…[Read more]

Those little Briggs have that odd way of a compression release by a bump on the back of the inlet cam thats a horrible idea, thats why the odd valve clearance 2-5, so you must not get the cam in the wrong place when going to adjust. I once just ground that bump off, this made the engine run like any normal engine, however it could snatch a bit on…[Read more]

The Villiers engined pumps were the 2” inch JAP’s 1.5 inch and I just had a bit of seamed stainless pipe, don’t think the engine shaft was more than 4 inches, so a reamer took the bumps out, the new ceramic seal worked similar to the very simple carbon disc, bit of rubber with a spring to push those bit up against the brass bit the pump body, it…[Read more]

Yes they are very easy starting but these two really do take some bit to get over compression and best way is to turn them over by hand until at TDC then rap the rope and go for it, if you don’t they bite back, There was nothing of any governors on the one.
One was running last year when it was getting dry so just incase soaked round my bonfire,…[Read more]

The one on the right that did have governors just has the one small brass plug carburettor side, I found you had to hold the governors open to be able to prime in a reasonable time and when it did the governors just opened the carb to full throttle so they were of really no use so did away with them. However the engine started to knock in only two…[Read more]

When we had one never gave it a thought and fitted the free swinging blades the other way up so like all rotary mowers.

The air chisel is a very good idea, I still have a old CP9 with some tin weevil chisels thats ideal peeling spot welded tin off things, although powerful struggles at a 1/8 inch tinwork will throttle back and split a pencil line in thinner tin. With things on a taper a straight gentle pull may not work. A friend had a Alvis car wheel hub well…[Read more]

I have an idea I once welded a fine threaded nut on the existing nut end as was still captive in the flywheel, but you must use a very tough ended draw stud or you will damage the crankshaft, tighten and warm with a hot air gun and leave, do this several times before giving the draw bolt a sharp tap, small hammer only as many small taps better…[Read more]

Looks a early engine, as it has the separate valve caps, twenties to early thirties. A bit odd seems to have a air filter snorkel and pipework, but carb not for having one, I had a similar thing with I think Villiers engine and Albion gearbox with reverse.It had a small plow and cultivator, as completely worn out apart from the gearbox that was…[Read more]

Bolens used stock bearings but to gain a few £s they had the ODs taken down so a standard one wouldn’t fit without the housings altered. Bearings are usually all good, think in the 80s there was some Russian ones and for some reason we had a shortage and had what was available, they were so soft if heavily loaded stationary after fitting just…[Read more]