[vhgmcbuddy]

Bonjour

Enfin de retour! Charlie as-tu des nouvelles pour ce T100 qui serait en Ecosse?

A plus

Marc

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Peter

Have you tried:

http://www.villiersparts.co.uk ?

Good Luck!

Diggybob

[vhgmcbuddy]

Might be an obvious and therefore already tried route for you but have you asked the same question at:

https://www.hayter.co.uk/contact-us

[vhgmcbuddy]

7 years ago, still not done anything to this. maybe its time to pass it on

[vhgmcbuddy]

Ok, at the date your mower is, the engine may well look like a Sturmey Archer, but infact Ransomes had purchased the rights to make Sturmey Archers, and knowing Ransomes had also modified the engine somewhat.
Though what you are finding on the engine are known problems that have appeared on all Sturmeys, the carbs were always a big issue, OK to tick over all day but try and accelerate.
You should be able to replace the blades easily from Garfitts in Sheffield.
I wont even enter into how gardeners were paid! Only to say in the States the mower gangs are called the “Mow and Blow brigade”
Regards
Andrew

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi David
The Hall & Duck trust owns the register for all Ransomes mowers,
Just had a look for you.
The 16 inch Mk 13 started production in January 1950 and ended production in August 1955, your machine number was made in June 1955.
I suspect you have found no markings to say what the engine is. The Mk12 used a Villiers Mk25C which carried over into the Mk 13 the engine size is 147cc.
You are quiet correct to thinking it was 1930’s as the earlier Marks were made then and not much changed in general parts. Most of Ransomes mowers ceased production in early 1940 then re started in late 1946 using a lot of pre war parts.
However gang mowers were continued to be built through out the war years as they were needed to cut airfields.
You should be able to get some parts via L & S Engineers, though Ransomes made all spares obsolete for this machine by March 1st 1968.
Hope this helps Andrew Hall

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Dave
Look well but fence posts will split in a very short time, as most are made of soft wood. You really need to use ash, as its resilient, and will last even in a damp environment. Your oak handle will also split, but even worse the oak will react with the bare metal and make it brittle, that’s why on oak ships they use to use copper nails.
Kind regards
Andrew

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks Urbanalfa, useful advice!

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks for the feedback urbanalfa, I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow if the weather cooperates!

Can you see any problems if I tip the rotator at 45 degrees against my shed and fit the inner tube by levering the tyre off the rim while the wheel still bolted to the axle or would it be easier to take the wheels off to do it?

[vhgmcbuddy]

Very nice example, not seen so often these days, they were sold in 3 different sizes and were mostly used for rolling footpaths. I think Beamish Museum have examples if that helps.
Regards Andrew

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi yes very sorry that is what I was told I re red the message. That is fantastic to find this out. I can also see it says its fitted with a dynastart. Do we know how this was fitted. From what I can see with what I have it was belt driven and I have a small shaft with a 2 blade fan and its also belt driven. I would assume it would haveto be mounted behind the engine? Because there would be very little space in front?

[vhgmcbuddy]

Further to this. Ive just looked on the steed register on this forum ( probs should have done this before but….) it says it was sold on the 13/04/1965 i dont know who is correct on the date. This forum or mr jackson on FB but the year is still correct and the selling agent to

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Charlie,

Indeed the written word does not covey nuance unless time is taken to compile the text. The forum is not the primary reason I have decided to not renew my membership.

The committee rejected all suggestions of how to cut club costs and voted for the status quo with an across the board rise in membership fees of 50%. They did this in full knowledge that the only rational result would be decreases to both renewals and new members joining. The only question is by how many. It must be presumed the committee thought this would only be a handful and the increase in the membership fee was calculated to offset this. This irritated me, I want the club to expand it’s membership, to help and encourage others in keeping vintage horticultural machines and mowers going. Yet the committee voted for a known method of reducing the membership numbers. From the figures shown in The Cultivator, there was clearly a huge scope to reduce costs. The financial support offered to showmen and to a lesser extent ploughmen, along with the insistence of an expensive printed magazine posted to every member has a vastly disproportionate affect on outgoings. If the membership falls by more than the committee anticipated, the club will enter a doom loop scenario and at some point will have to address expenditure with more rigour. I felt I could not continue to support a club with such an approach from it’s most senior division.

The club could compete with the likes of Facebook, it offers so much more. But it needs to keep up with the rapidly changing times. It requires in my view a complete revision of strategy. I am not sure if the committee, or those who have a large influence upon it, would be prepared for the radical necessary changes required.

Best wishes,

Grahame

[vhgmcbuddy]

I had a Howard 700 rotavator back in the mid 90s and it came with a finger mower attachment that was approximately 3ft wide but unfortunately I have no pictures of it now.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Charlie,

Sadly, I have tried to use the forum in the way it is intended. But have been met with either apathy, or at times a degree of negativity. It is one of several reasons that has formed the decision of not to renew my membership next year.

You are correct, a condenser and a capacitor are different words for the same component. Condenser was what they were called in the early days, the electrons are concentrated or condensed on the plate and not allowed to pass to ground. They are ‘held’ there until the moment of discharge. So the component has ‘capacity’. For some reason the word condenser stuck to this name in ignition systems, capacitor with other electrical circuits. The material inside the capacitor is call a dielectric, there are several forms, the one most commonly used in condensers is a roll of very fine wax paper, some have a tin foil between each layer. Both the dielectric and the solder can suffer from corrosion with age, they then become ‘leaky’. The result is a reduced voltage in the primary when the magnetic field collapses, the voltage is then correspondingly reduced at the plug. The condenser is often overlooked when a poor of no spark is obtained. I replace the condenser with a 630VDC 220nF/0.22 µF polyester film capacitor in the first instance unless a mag can give out a 6mm spark at cranking speed.

No more such detailed explanations in the forum from me in the New Year. Think a lot of it falls on stoney ground anyway, so will not missed. I get a lot of positive interaction if I post such a comment in a relevant Facebook group. I enjoy to two-way conversations.

Best wishes,

Grahame

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