[vhgmcbuddy]

We actually use aspen, there, i said it. They supply 2 stroke with synthetic oil at 50:1 and also straight petrol. I get ours from lister-wilder, most good garden machinery suppliers should stock it or could get it. Thinking about it, if you used a small amount of 2 stroke on a 4 stroke engine it will leave a noce bit of oil around the bore, piston, valves etc.

[vhgmcbuddy]

If you ring Keith Beasley at standen engineering in Ely Cambridgeshire he will have them on the shelf.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Not sure if this is relevant or of any use but when we used to lay our saws up for the winter, 2 stroke I know but same principal, with normal “pump petrol” and oil, even v power, optimax, nitro etc the saws would suffer poor starting, poor response, lack of power and just not sound right when we pulled them out again several months later. I’m convinced it was the ethanol in the petrol going off. Now we have changed to an alkrylated petrol, which is basically synthetic fuel with much less nasties like benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons in, they always fire first pull and run on the second. I’m not suggesting running old machines on this (it is about £3 a litre) but maybe draining the tank, putting a splash in, running machine again before storage. Eddie the rep told me it has a shelf life of over two years.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Regardless of how dry the shed is I’d buy a few of the disposable dehumidifier tots you can get for less than a quid and surround the machine. I tried a couple to shut our witch of a landlady up this year, ( she reckons that the mold in the house had nothing what so ever to do with the rotten/ missing fascia and instead was me causing it!). It really is amazing though how much moisture they will suck up. My shed this winter is going to be filled with them.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Hopefully it’ll be along side darmic1’s(Darren’s) gem, to show how much the machine changed in only a couple of years.Aparently mine is from only the second batch ever produced,but Darren’s is still a very early example, yet the differences are quite a few.

Here’s a nearly finished photo, I’ll take some better ones soon. Sorry for the poor quality and maybe being upside down, blame the iPad.

The one item I’m still searching for is any advertising or sales sheets prior to series 2 gems. I’ve been looking for over 10 years and still haven’t turned anything up. Can anyone help please?

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[vhgmcbuddy]

This gem is now all but finished if anyone is interested it’ll be at tractor world in a couple of weeks time.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Further missing items were the plates bolted to both sides of the engine fan cowling (Simar 0129). Peter Roat was able to supply dimensions and photo’s of those fitted to his machine, allowing me to make suitable replacements. The rear fuel tank support (Simar 0130) is bolted to the steering column by two M8 x 16 long set screws. The fuel tank is strapped down to the top of the rear support and to the underside of the front engine cowling (Simar 0131). Both fuel tank straps had to be remanufactured as the originals were beyond repair. I placed a thin strip of Neoprene rubber between each strap and the tank. The fuel sediment trap, which also includes the fuel shut off tap, was screwed into the 1/4″ BSP fitting on the underside of the tank (Simar 0132). For the cast air intake elbow which is attached to the underside of the fuel tank, it was Charlie Moore to the rescue again with a replacement (Simar 0133). My machine had at some point been fitted with a different carburettor, which included a choke mechanism. The correct specification Amal 244/544 carburettor now fitted has no choke, this instead being housed inside the air intake elbow (Simar 0134). When the carb was changed, the original intake elbow had been modified by removing the choke butterfly and the cross shaft holes threaded so they could be blanked off by screwing in bolts. The elbow is attached to the tank via a collar (Simar 0135), which also required repairing as one of the M6 studs was broken.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks for confirming my fears Peter. At least it isn’t too difficult a job to swap them around!

[vhgmcbuddy]

Good to hear the new springs are performing well Peter.

While working on the 56 this weekend, I suspect that I may have fitted the Red pawls on the wheel hubs the wrong way around. If you look at picture Simar 0108 or Simar 0115, which show the left hand hub, the pawls will engage drive when in reverse and freewheel when in forward gear. Can any SIMAR owners confirm that it should be the other way around? I originally fitted them as shown on page 14 of the operators manual, but I assumed that Figure 11 showed the LH hub, but have now had that sinking feeling that it could actually show the RH hub!!

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi Alan
The themed section in run by Jim and Mel Wakefield

[vhgmcbuddy]

Stew, yes that is the same as my plough, looks a nice thing to use. Has anyone ever used one? Any hints or tips? I am currently looking for an mg6 or 40 with probably a ts42 plough to use and play with and get some experience with while the mg2 is in pieces.
Frank, from experience of ploughs and ploughing (mounted) ransomes did produce a variety of boards, I have used a ts 59 with ley boards and does a cracking job on grass with its long slow board but rubbish on stubble where a shorter quicker board would be more appropriate.
A “general purpose” board does the job but always will be a compromise.

[vhgmcbuddy]

sorry stew, i cant answer that one as the biddenden tractorfest and newby tractorfest have no connection with each other

[vhgmcbuddy]

Very keen but a little to far for me I think. Do you know why there isn’t any themes at newby tractor fest? I feel the horticultural section in Yorkshire isn’t as pushed as down south.

[vhgmcbuddy]

yes camping from friday to monday morning. the horticultural section normally has a few bbq’s lit on saturday eve for all to use

[vhgmcbuddy]

My machine was missing the mud scraper assembly which is sandwiched between the miller PTO drive shaft housing and miller cover. Fortunately the Charlie Moore Emporium of SIMAR Spares came to the rescue with a suitable replacement (Simar 0121). I made replacement springs (Simar 0122) for the scraper assembly. Even though the originals were perfectly usable, I decided to keep these for use as patterns should I ever need replacements. The scraper is held in place by a U-bolt (Simar 0123 & 4). I could not source an ‘off the shelf’ U-bolt of the correct size, so had a Blacksmith make it. The miller cover has a hinged casting at the front (Simar 0125), which sits on top of the scraper (Simar 0126). At the rear of the miller cover is the height adjustment bar (Simar 0127). Immediately below this is the depth regulating bar. Both retaining pins were Blacksmith made to dimensions supplied by Charlie taken from the drawing archive held at the Museum of English Rural Life, Reading. The rear dust boards were then hung from the miller cover (Simar 0128). The miller cover and both dust boards were also missing from my machine. The miller cover and upper dust board came from our very own club shop keeper, Steve Woollas. The lower dust cover was manufactured to dimensions once again supplied by Charlie from the MERL archives. I did have to compromise on the half round swage which was pressed into the outer edge of the original, similar to that which can be seen on the upper dust board. To have this panel pressed would have cost in the region of £350. The panel minus the swages cost £10!!!

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