Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Another way of getting bearings that I have done many times is to get one from one of the large online suppliers. I have used Bearing Boys and Simply Bearings. If the bearing has a manufacturer and a reference number on it. You can cross reference it with the company’s lists. If not, measure the OD, ID and width and put that in the company…[Read more]

If originality or you get the understandable satisfaction from doing a repair to the existing tap. Then you can carry on doing it with the care you have taken to date.

Personally I would replace it even it just to save the time and the trouble of fixing the old one. I am more interested in functionality that originality. Expect the thread into…[Read more]

David,

Hugely impressed with the machining you can do. Have a mate who is very elderly who can do similar. Know it takes a massive amount of skill, experience and time to produce such items.

Grahame

Dear Charlie,

A big thank you for this. Have no idea if Clifford copied the Simar design, would be interested to know. But expect they would have used typical 1930’s engineering methods that would have included leather and felt oil seals. From the parts diagram and list can see the Simar has both. Once removed from the machine, would be a s…[Read more]

Dear Charlie,

That would be great. Have a Clifford Mk IV and a manual which I think has an exploded view of the machine. But the Mk 1a is a very much cruder piece of engineering. Believe the Clifford factory made parts for the MoD in the war and probably rushed to get a roteo on the market soon afterwards. The Jap 5 engine was made in 1948.…[Read more]

Hi Norman,

You may be able to help me. I bought my Clifford 40 years ago and got a Trusty at the same time. A chap was giving up his ground and wanted to clear his sheds. Used both for a few years, the Trusty had the better engine, but the transmission was knackered. The Clifford was hard to start, but the hooked tines did a really good job…[Read more]

Hi,

I have the same machine in its original colour. Have taken the engine off, so some non faded paint is now exposed. Will take a photo so you can colour match if you wish. But this may take a few days, the machine is buried at the back of a shed. Some experts in the club may be able to help with the exact colour from a previous…[Read more]

Dear Roy,

There is not much to them, so expect you will be able to work out what goes where quite easily. But if you do get stuck, send a photo and I will try to help. Can dig my machine out and take some pictures of a particular part if you wish. The throttle linkage is a bit crude, the chains are very slack and the gearbox is full of false…[Read more]

Dear Roy,

I have the same machine in original condition that I still use for row cropping. I do not have a manual, but can take some photos of any individual parts of the machine that you are unsure of, if this helps. Think you will find the engine is a JAP 2a, not 1a.

Find the Colwood a joy to use, much easier than a Planet type push hoe that…[Read more]

Hi Paulr,

Its a bean seed planter, used for sowing larger seeds individually. Do not know the make though. Have little experience of them as I have never used or worked on one. Hope this helps.

Best wishes,

Grahame

Had a similar problem with a Kohler K181 engine after inspection when I took it apart. Got a rebuild kit from the USA with an oversize piston and struggled to find an engine reconditioner that would do the rebore. They had the machines set up for large engine blocks and one said just breaking it down and setting it up for a small block would…[Read more]

Brilliant advice, especially about water getting into gearboxes. Have a Toyota Hiace and have to have the gearbox oil changed every year because it has water in it. No one who has looked at it could understand the reason why, but now David has explained it. As air cools it becomes denser and reduces in volume. Its why the float contracted then…[Read more]

When I have recovered carb’s that have been left outside for years, found the opposite affect to expansion on the float. Some have crumpled due to the action of contraction in extreme cold. Put one into a cup of boiled water to see if it would recover its shape, but bubbles came out instead.

The ultrasonic cleaning did improve the Zenith’s per…[Read more]

Think before I use something I am not sure about on a carb I will trial it with some scrap material. Some carbs are made from different alloys, so need to be careful.

Just done a quick google search about things to use for removing corrosion from ali. What ever you use, its got to be acidic, not alkaline. So caustic soda if definately a ‘no no’. Will be getting an ultrasonic cleaner at some point. Its good to know what cleaning fluids I can use with it. Have some brick cleaning acid, so may give that a go…[Read more]

An update, the adjustable tapered screw does work very well with Zenith 24T2 carb that has a fixed jet. The Jap 6 in my newly acquired Trusty was obviously running rich. Had to take the head a barrel off as part of the re-commissioning and there was a lot of sooty type deposits. It was not hard baked on carbon, which I would have expected if it…[Read more]

Many thanks for the replies. My old Trusty Jap 5 has now done its time, the transmission is worn out. Had rebuilt the engine and it was working very well before the transmission system broke. Have a Clifford Mk1a, so am going to put the engine on that and scrap the Trusty. The Jap 6 Trusty has a graunching sound from the very slack primary…[Read more]

There were a couple of errors on the original post. The Villiers engine was a VIIIC and the top ring gap ½” up from the bottom of the cylinder 0.063”, the second ring in the same position 0.054”. Also should have said the Hastings recommended clearance between the axial height of the ring AND THE GROOVE should be between 0.001” – 0.003”. A…[Read more]