Tom C

Have you guys come across this tiny mini bike called a BIG ELEPhANT? It was built in Japan and uses a Tas P7 engine or have seen one with a Tas S22? Here is a photo of the original sales brochure and it has a Big Elephant sitting on the seat of a 1969/70 Honda CB750 which probably dates it pretty well!

Hi papawinner, your engine looks to be the earlier type, if you look at your top photo look at the lower right side crankcase screw and there is a small v cast recess in the crankcase near Thea screw which is the same as my earlier engines, also I have noticed the two screws that hold the carb manifold are the smaller type as with the early engines I have, so I suggest you have an early type engine? Same as the the one on the right in my pic. I think your engine would have had a diaphragm carb and would have been a P72? Parts are very hard to come by. Good luck with your project. I am in Australia and do have some spare engines that I would sell, but postage overseas is expensive. Cheers Tom

Brandon, the Tas P72 engine can be operated in different orientations, it is different to the other P7 engines in as far as it uses a diaphragm carb, some contraptions like the P7 generator also have engine speed governing with that carb too. from my owners handbook there appears to be 4 main versions of those engines that were sold. P7 = utility engine with regular carby. P72= utility engine with all position carby. Can also be fitted with a governor. P73=Utility engine with regular carby and single reduction gearbox. P74= utility engine with regular carby and double reduction gearbox. Like used on the little Petro. It looks a nice clean engine you have there, nice pickup.

Same thing . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crutching#:~:text=Crutching refers to the removal of wool from,rear legs of a sheep for hygiene purposes.

Yes Paul thanks, in Oz at the Sunny Gold Coast. Cheers. Tom

I am still looking for a gearbox for a P7, and am happy to trade a good engine for one. Either a single reduction type P73 or a double reduction P74 is good thanks regards Tom

Some engine parts from the Tas P7 owners handbook Here is a Tas P7 sheering machine. It’s missing the sheers and flexable cable, I believe they were standard to most machines.

I got this in a job lot of Tas P7 engines purchase, a Sharpcut portable sheep crutching sheering machine. Anybody ever seen anything like this?

I posted a while back that I had bought a job lot of Tas P7 engines, I have found some things different between the early type and the later type. Early type : O.R type pull handle, roller guide for pull cord, starter cover screwed from the back, short intake manifold, serial numbers P7- 2xxxx Later type : Tas T pull handle, T Through pull cord guide, starter cover screwed from front, long intake manifold better balance factor crank, serial numbers I have P7- 4xxxx.

Hi I am in Australia, I have recently purchased some Tas P-7 engines, I am in need of a gearbox to build a mini bike, I would be interested to trade a good engine for a complete gearbox with clutch, please get in touch thanks regards Tom