Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Many thanks Andy. Am going to have a go at taking the flywheel off at the weekend and will take a picture of the roll pin. It looks like there is a sleeve or spacer behind the pulley and the roll pin would lock it in place. The first numbers on the crankcase are 2AH, which I think means it’s a 2A manufactured in 1951. But the H is higher t…[Read more]

Agree that if the production of the paper copy of the magazine is the main driver for increasing the membership fees. Then the possibility of a two tier fee should be explored, with the higher amount being paid by those who still wish to get it through the letterbox. The lower sum for an online version that can be downloaded. A cost analysis…[Read more]

Did look at two stage as the optimum pressure required for the Hunter rotators was 40 psi. But had to factor in cost of the pump, cost of the extra fuel to obtain that pressure, the pressure exerted on the existing pipework and connections, would still have the slime problem blocking the filter. Can get second hand single stage petrol pumps for…[Read more]

My pump saga has been an interesting one. My original irrigation system was a bit of a hotchpotch of bits and pieces I had picked up over the years that included the Villiers/Alcon pump. In 2011 I purchased the Hunter MP2000 Rotators and found straight away the Villiers pump would not supply enough pressure. It always took 3+ minutes to pull…[Read more]

Hi David,

Fantastic video. The seal I took out of the Villiers/Alcon pump was all covered in crud and breaking up. Vulcan Seals asked if I could send it to them so a replacement could be identified and also they would have a record of it on their database. Just looked it up and it was in 2011 when I got the new seal. I cannot recall what the…[Read more]

Hi David,

Took a couple of pictures of the one I got at the auction. Also my old original Villiers pump to add context. The JAP pump has a nameplate on the cowling with the first number being 1943. Do not know if that is the date it was put together, or if it is a coincidence. Also do not know if Alcon purchased the engines unpainted, then…[Read more]

An update the Alcon 1½” pump. Went to an auction on Wednesday, there were two pumps there in one lot. One attached to a JAP 2a, the other to a 3 phase electric motor. The latter had an embossed ali label on it stating the pump had a head of 66’, so around 20m. This compares very poorly to even the cheapest Chinese modern equivalents if it is t…[Read more]

Hi Ruben,

You may try this supplier https://howard-rotavator-spares.com/shop/ But I purchased an expensive clutch friction plate from them for a MkV Gem and the holes did not align with the drive plate. Got back to them, the reply was to tap the pins to fit as they were most probably bent. That was wrong, the pins were fine, it was the…[Read more]

Hi Mark,

Glad I can assist and hope the testing identifies the problem. Am unfamiliar with the machine or engine, but from the photos it looks like it has a Kettering ignition system where the ignition is run from the battery. The black wire goes from the ‘hot’ side of the points to the coil. You can test this with the multimeter and for tes…[Read more]

Hi, below is my standard advice for ignition testing for those who want to try to fix a machine themselves:

If you have not done it already, firstly I would remove the points, hone any pitting out from the contact surfaces, refit and set the gap to 0.015”, also clean all terminal connections. With the plug cap removed, hold the end of the HT l…[Read more]

This old dog leant a new trick. The problem with the Kohler ignition timing was twofold. Firstly, the manual’s instruction was incorrect. It stated that the points should start to open when the flywheel timing mark S was next to the armature plate mark and AFTER that, adjust the points gap to 0.020”. Yet this action altered the ignition tim…[Read more]

Hi Andy,

I do not know the model the armature plate and flywheel came from. I purchased a Clifford roteo with a Mk25c engine about 15 years ago. The vendor was honest and said he thought the coil had packed up and suggested an external coil from a Honda C50 could be rigged up as a fix. Did try, but through lack of knowledge I think I omitted…[Read more]

I had the opposite problem with a Barrowmix mixer that had a small Briggs and Stratton engine on it. I bought the mixer for the drum, as mine had started to rot away (tip, if you are going to store a mixer, do not leave any water in it). Thought I would get the engine going as it seemed like it had not had much work. Could get it to pop and…[Read more]

That is very interesting. Have a Hayter Condor mower fitted with a Kohler K181 engine that’s always been a pig to start. The automatic compression release does not operate on every pull of the cord. Or it kicks back. It used to burn oil for fun, so I took the engine apart and then got a pattern re-build kit from the USA. After a rebore I p…[Read more]

Great you have a spark. The screeching sound is from the loose ball bearings inside the retractable starter. The fix is to take it apart, clean the dirt out and reassemble DRY. You may have done this already though. The dirt in one of mine has worn the aluminium tracks and balls. Cleaning did help a lot, but it still screeches sometimes and…[Read more]

Concur with Andy, get a good spark first, then clean the carb thoroughly and fit a new diaphragm. Have fitted pattern ones and have had no problem with them. If the ignition is a points type, its not the best design. I get to them by using an air chisel with a point fitted and put it on the crankshaft end. A put a prybar behind the flywheel,…[Read more]

Bonjour Marc,

Une restauration fantastique, bien faite.

Meilleurs vœux,

Grahame

Hi John,

It looks like you have fixed it. This is my experience of them.

Over the years have had several leaking Ewarts fuel taps. Did once get some replacement corks, but they were poor quality, still got leaks. Have tried PTFE tape, nitrile cord, soaking the original corks in an oil/paraffin mix. Nothing really worked. Have had a couple…[Read more]

‘You pays your money and takes your choice’ with mag testing. A ‘Proper’ test rig would be one that can rotate a magneto, be able to measure the voltage and current output of both the primary and secondary coils. Ideally be able to view the sine waves on an oscilloscope and check the spark gap in air with a 3 probe adjustable tester. For fly…[Read more]