[ssorthiek]

When I started this post, I was hoping that there would be some positives that have come out of the Coronavirus. It’s most sad to see the effect that this lockdown has had on the rural community but I do hope that this thread will be part of social history.

Now we are in lockdown, it would be reasonable to assume that everyone should be behind their front doors except for essential journeys, but I am honestly amazed at the number of cars on the road to and from my place of work. I am an essential worker powering the nation. When I discussed this with my colleagues, they reinforced my views that the day after lockdown there seemed to be more cars on the road rather than less. I have tried to provide a rational explanation for this, trying to justify the increased use of cars on the basis people aren’t car sharing at the moment but nothing seems to add up. I do wonder whether anyone else has had similar experiences nationally.

I also wonder whether employers are generally following advice from the government and allowing people to work from home if they can do so effectively. I’m totally convinced that there are many companies out there not following the guidelines including some of the larger shop chains.

[ssorthiek]

I’ve found the same thing with my Colebys. There is very scant information on the internet, but have got quite a few original documents including shares certificates of Coleby Cultivators Ltd. These are probably totally worthless but to me, they mean the world.
The little information available is at best incomplete and some is misguided. I wrote an article for the Cultivator a couple of years back which was published to try and save some of the history as we know it. Even this, a few errors have crept in.

[ssorthiek]

One thing I did during the first lockdown, understanding that this COVID-19 was here to stay, is to hold a mini rally on my drive. The intention really was to sort the garage out, but there were loads of people walking around the estate doing their 1 hours worth of exercise unable to go to the shops, “working” at home and so forth.

The three Colebys took pride of place on the drive which generated quite a bit of interest and I managed to talk to people who stopped keeping the requisite 2 meter (6 foot) distance.

The attached photo shows the setup.

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[ssorthiek]

I find it absolutely incredible how a light hearted and seemingly unimportant post has created such an interesting conversation. I just found a random piece of information and a flurry of associated posts ensued, all of which are interesting in their own right.

I guess this is the point of VHGMC and the forum with so many people with different experiences. I can’t fault it.

[ssorthiek]

Spelling was never my strong point and I did wonder whether the spelling of the trademark Rotavator or Rotovator and I can’t find a definitive answer on the internet.

From the Collins English Dictionary I found both spellings and defined as a noun. Collins also makes reference to it being a trademark, but it’s less clear which spelling this is, however a further search of the internet seems to suggest that Rotavator is a trade mark of CNH INDUSTRIAL DANMARK but there were no results of Rotovater being trademarked.

I would hazard a guess that Rotavator was mis-spelt Rotovator for such a long time that it made it into the English language, who knows?

I started this article as a bit of fun but it turns out to be a little more interesting that I first thought.

[ssorthiek]

I’ve got mine as well with only my address sheet, a really good read and some great articles.

[ssorthiek]

Thanks for that Andy.

I’m not sure about George at Villiersparts. He seems more than a bit abrupt. It’s not the first time I’ve had dealings with him and if he was a little more friendly I would be happy to deal with him. The last order was not right but managed to make the best of a bad job and sort out the issue I had.

Pity really, I love to support the smaller guys even if it costs a bit more.

[ssorthiek]

This is probably a long shot but it looks as if I am missing the fan for my Villiers 25A engine. I wondered whether there is anyone out there who has spares.
I attach a picture of the OEM manual showing what I am missing. I suspect there are going to be many more bits missing so a source of spares, or even a spare engine wouldn’t go a miss.
Any help would be much appreciated.

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[ssorthiek]

This is of interest to me as well. Andy, how do you know all this stuff?

[ssorthiek]

Another bit of advice I would give is coat every thread with some copper grease. This will make taking the thing apart much easier if you need to and believe me you will need to if this is your first attempt. You do need to be mindful that you will be able to exert much more force on the bolt or studs when compared to tightening a dry thread and it will be much easier to over tighten them. Just use common sense in this regard and you should be OK.

Stud lock is very useful and will normally hold studs in place easily so long as the threads are clean.

[ssorthiek]

Charlie, this is nothing compared to the last Coleby gearbox, but the big end bearing is rollers I believe but thankfully it does all move freely so I intend to clean up, apply copious amounts of engine oil and then reassemble The bits I have done have cleaned up surprisingly well.

The big issue is I don’t want to spend huge amounts of cash on an engine that can’t be restored so it will be a case of cleaning and replacing anything that is essential to get it running and then do a proper rebuilt if needed.

[ssorthiek]

I sneaked out to the garage and started to bash away at the drive shaft. The crank case in now apart which is great news. I thought I would share the state of the crank case before I started to split it.
I’m going to try an replace the bearings in the crankcase, but am a little reluctant to attempt changing the big end bearings. I think I’ll change the easy bits and then if the engine rattles too much, take the thing apart again and have another go.

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[ssorthiek]

If you get stuck, I can probably make you one from the drawing. I need to have a look to see what taps I’ve got and will need to sort out a couple of drills, but that’s no big deal.
Let me know if you want one made but remember it will need to take a back seat for a few weeks while I try and sort out my Villiers engine.

I’m not sure you can private message now but Charlie can send you my details if needed.

Keith

[ssorthiek]

Thank you very much to both of you.

Sean, I have the spares and user manual and that has helped hugely. I also scanned it and then coverted it to pdf so I can print it out on a bigger sheet of paper and actually read it. (My eyesight isn’t what it was).

Andy, a very practical summary which makes perfect sense. I was less than keen to bash it around without knowing what I was doing. The wifes computer has broken down which has meant far to much time trying to sort that out rather then getting cold in the garage. Tomorrow is another day.

Keith

[ssorthiek]

Restoration is relatively new to me as well. You will see the results of my Coleby restoration below.
There a a couple of bits of advice I can give. Take plenty of photos is one of the most important things you can do before, during and after disassembly. I’ll be doing quite a bit of that tonight on my new project. The other thing is, when you take something apart, make sure you understand how it works and try and work out why it was designed a particular way. If you do this, when you reassemble you will understand how it works and have more chance of getting it together first time.

Keep your working area reasonably tidy. I’m not sure what your set up is, but I started off with a make shift bench with a very cheap and chearful drill vice, a dark badly lit garage, a bench pillar drill on the floor and so forth, none of which is conducive to a good restoration project. I have now a decent bench, good lighting, a small bench vice and quite a bit of other equipment, lathe, mill and so forth, much more comfortable and easier to work.

You will work out your own methods for releasing seized nuts and bots, but plenty of WD40, PlusGas normally suffices, with a good heat gun for the more difficult to remove fixings.

The other thing you have got to consider is why you are doing this restoration in the first place. I had and have an number of goals, most are family oriented. My intention is to show three working Colebys at some shows next year, I currently have two. You may be able to do quite a bit of research into the UniHorse on the internet, but make sure you print everything that you find and put it in a file. This will help with the interest over the winter months when it is particularly cold, should help the the restoration and will probably be of interest to a potential buyer if and when it is time to sell.

Painting. I’m not sure what finish you are after, but if you are thinking of hand painting, use a good quality enamel paint (try Paragon Paints). Normal metal paint is not good if it comes into contact with petrol (I can say this from bitter experience). If you intend to powder coat, try to get everything done at the same time.

Most importantly of all, enjoy.

Not sure that any of this is any good to you but hopefully there will be a few bits and pieces in there to help you on your way.

[Author]

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