Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

I am still struggling to remove the wheels on this machine. Mine does not seem to have hex grub screws in the hubs. I think I can see the surface of the axle at the bottom of the hole. So either I removed these screws in some previous attempt (and forgot doing it), or it never had them when I got the mower. Does anyone know what the thread of…[Read more]

What is the best thing to do about the spring loaded felt pad, which I suppose is designed to lubricate the contact breaker cam? Can I restore the old one in some way (soak it in petrol, or wash it?)? Or do I need to buy a new one (Villiersparts have them)? Presumably it needs to be soaked in oil? What sort of oil?

Thank you – Rowan

I know this is a very old post and is probably of no interest to anyone, and I know the recommendations to get a proper magneto test done, but for interest, these resistance readings are very similar to the ones I got today from my coil (from an Allen scythe with Villers 25c engine): 0.5 ohms for the primary, and 2.72K for the secondary.

Rowan

One more question:

7. My magneto has no cover over the round compartment containing the contact breaker. I don’t know whether it never had one, or whether a previous owner lost it. The spring clip that is designed to retain the cover in place is there. Do I need to find one or make one? Does any one sell these?

Thank you – Rowan

This is all a bit of an experiment, since I have not done this before. Maybe you are right, and I need a cabinet, and/or a pressure fed gun. But first I’d just like to see what I can achieve with just the hand held gun. If it’s ineffective, or uses too much media, I will consider subcontracting the sand blasting, or buying a cabinet.

Thanks – Rowan

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I understand not to use sand. The parts I’m thinking of blasting are rusty parts of machines, e.g. a mower, a space heater, an air compressor, a power hacksaw, a lathe. I may also have a go at the rusty fence outside my home. I was thinking of not buying a cabinet, just the hand held gun, and doing the work outdoors. I…[Read more]

I have concluded that I need to remove the wheel. The current challenge is to remove the gib key. I am going to try using a wedge under the head of the key, and if that doesn’t work, I’m going to make a special puller. Lots more fun!

Thanks – Rowan

I got the cowl off thank you having removed those three extra bolts, and I got the starter pulley off. I had to buy a puller, and then I had to buy a longer central bolt for the puller, but after that it came off without too much trouble. Still got to get the flywheel off (waiting for delivery of the special Villiers Hammertite spanner). Then…[Read more]

Thank you for that. Does anyone know how to remove the starter pulley, which seems to need to be removed before the cowl can be removed. I have undone the two bolts in the middle of it, but what do I need to do then? I don’t want to put too much force on it, or to hit it with a hammer, since judging by the number of machines that I have seen with…[Read more]

To do that, do I need to remove the wheels? Or can the guards be removed without removing the wheels in some way (without destroying them)?

Thanks – Rowan

Yes, I get that, but can you please explain which bits are inside the gearbox and which outside? Presumably the operating rod must enter the gearbox via some kind of oil seal or gland? Part of my trouble is that my machine is fitted with the axle guards which means that I can’t see any of this.

Thanks – Rowan

Thanks for your reply. I have the manual too, but I find it difficult from the drawings provided to see exactly where the dog clutch is. I will attempt to take the top of the gearbox off, if this proves not too difficult. Does anyone know whether there should be a gasket between the top and bottom of the gearbox? What material should it be made…[Read more]

Can I just remove all the bolts around the gearbox, and lift the top off to clean out any old oil/sludge, and inspect the gears for damage? To do this presumably I have to support the bottom of the gearbox on a pile of bricks or similar, because I think the top of the gearbox supports the whole weight of the machine. I guess one has to take all…[Read more]

That sounds a good plan. I will give it a go. By “bending the individual fingers” do you mean bending the actual finger (which I think is cast, and would break rather than bending), or bending the bar underneath each finger (which sounds a very difficult process, because each bend would affect the whole bar, not just the one finger). I would have…[Read more]