Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

A update, So a just encase mice had carted nuts up the silencer and blocking that, I dropped it off and found it was quite clean inside, but end was rotted so fixed that, and ran it up for few minutes and what is failing got much worse and even turning it over by hand makes a good thot sound. so some part of cam lobe has gone or the follower,…[Read more]

I have just found the paperwork from 53 through to 62 when it was stopped being used regally it says cast iron head without seat inserts, one fault with old oil was the oil restrictor supplying oil to the valve gear used to clog and nearly stop, now with high detergent oil it hasn’t slowed in years in-fact its quite wet up top and very clean.

We had a large version that looked like a very large fire extinguisher 1930-40s, no idea of make but held getting on for three gallons brimmed, had a carrying strap but a bit on the heavy side. My grandfather and my father used it quite a bit and in the 1963 winter was used to thaw water pipes out to get water for the animals, I never used it for…[Read more]

Grahame, I have had severals things to make conversions for and with parallel inner up to a shoulder and tapered outer and split to work, that could be to save a nasty accident. if working in opposite with tapered inner and keyed the outer but if you split the bush it works even better as long as the driven part has a good strong boss. On some…[Read more]

About what year, engine looks like a Rotor scythe. Looks less Heath Robinson than what my neighbour put together in late fifties always wondered where he got the idea from, using a plough disc powered by a very early Mk 12 Villiers, two pram wheels, can’t remember what he made the frame out of but was very impressed being open consumed little…[Read more]

I tried leather as had it at hand but wrongly used the crocodile fasteners, soon found out they only like going round to bend in one direction over pulleys so the tensioner soon destroyed fastener and belt, I did get it right as have laminated and glued leather for large cone clutches and worked, one hadn’t needed attention in 60 years use so work…[Read more]

My Grand father used one for years and then got a Ransoms that wasn’t ideal late 50’s got a David Brown 2D that ran rings around the crawler, I resurrected the plough Mate in the 60s it was easier to use than most and soon put a wheel up front so if need be going anywhere went in reverse. Belt got bad and Fenner just glued one it worked for a…[Read more]

Grahame, I wouldn’t worry about reinstating how you took it apart, I look at it as some idiot of an idea to cause other issues when in standard form it would be impossible to get. I have seen this before like a lad on the shop floor knew what he was doing wasn’t quite the ticket but expressing his opinion gets told off from above. A certain…[Read more]

Grahame, I would restore to original spec so wouldn’t cause other issues, not a modern? bodge up of an idea, flywheel, locktite and fail safe? key with a nut locked with a roll pin as couldn’t see that saving damage as with speed comes inertia. crank with its assisted flywheel with locktite and safety shear key don’t think parts would survive. I…[Read more]

Grahame, I have an idea what someone has done, the flywheel nut should be done up quite tight without the need of locktite, and with it being held in position with the roll pin and flywheel locktited sort of sends shivers down my back. and it could be penny has dropped. Right the crankshaft should be pulled up tight against that mag sides bearing,…[Read more]

Andy In Grahame’s photo just visible I recon can see hole in the thread towards its end, I have seen all these sort of things bodges get up to, like a nut coming loose so they found one with a tighter thread being a different thread rate. Going back many years the one of the engines I had was a bit flat for some time but always started and checked…[Read more]

Andy Yes reckon the roll pin come the bodge it it up brigade as never seen a flywheel nut come loose had alloy break a few times where the rope hooks onto so fitted a new one and found the alloy is just a tight push fit so skimmed a bit off the steel and welded a nut and pressed the alloy back on this makes it so much easier to fit and all that I…[Read more]

Yes to everything, A for sale and wanted section bit on here think would be good.
David

What you need is a small two stage fire pump so pressure not volume, I was always at Knights engineers for anything from re-bores to any type of shaft grinding, they had a small splined shaft that had been hard chromed in places and was set up for grinding it back. They said here you are guess what sort of engine and hp drives onto that shaft,…[Read more]

Andy
It isn’t yellow paint and for some reason with the LED light ether over exposed bits and changed material colour, its 60 years of crud from evaporated petrol, some places it was on very thick but did blow off a bit. that carb in my infancy I fitted for my father, as originals with the ball floats being dented looking like golf balls often…[Read more]

Andy
On both pumps there are non-return flap valves just inside the threaded suction hose connection, so not really foot valves but do same thing not on the pipe, and both pumps are sort of the same, the faster priming one has a smaller water re-circling jet and different housing where the ball fits. I did take it into Panks and they said never…[Read more]

Grahame
Both pumps seals might be ok, the old faithful has the just rubber washer and carbon ring running on a brass bush and is very quick to prime other has real good suction but takes ages to do so, the others carbon bush was robbed so thats got modern Alcon seal ceramic buts looks more to fail, never seen more than just over 20psi with those…[Read more]

If any bit of equipment is not going to be used in the next few months I get the fuel out and if its a steel tank suck it completely dry, spray bit of oil in helps and same with the water side but you must not get oil near any part of the rubber seal. Just after the much used Alcon primed and with two engines running didn’t twig which of one of…[Read more]

Grshame, daughter has done a video of the two Alcons today it might be a time before i see how it came out, I can tell how long the one pump was in work to as stamped date in 2002 as that was when I resurrected the donor parts pump back into working order and used that, So stood twenty two years. Bit disappointed as had to give it two pulls before…[Read more]