Would possibly question the use of a "copper grease" . The old maxim was "use grease for stuff that moves and copper for stuff that doesn't (shouldn't!)" still holds good. Copperslip and its equivalents are not a grease but an anti seize compound and perhaps a high melting point moly or graphite grease would be more appropriate in that application.
In the early 80s I used to look after one badged Howard Bolens that was in a light grey - as far as I know, it was original paint , and was quite old even then.
Seem to have acquired another Ransomes Marquis for £10.50 today! Good grass box but no engine however I do have one or two suitable suitable ones at the ready!
Anyone got Amal 379 carb complete with oil bath air cleaner that they would like to cash in ?
From memory a Bug's chassis numbers was on a tin foil sticker so possibly not much chance of it having survived. The engine is a Tecumseh, possibly a V70. Tecumseh engines of that era had their engine details either stamped into a small metal tag often secured by one of the screws retaining the valve chest cover, or stamped into the blower housing. Tecumseh used two sets of numbers , the first giving the spec of the engine , such as the crank orientation, horse power and application and the second showing the build year and the day of build ( the day being shown as a numer between 1 and 364.
In another life we used to get clutches and brakes re-lined by a company called Express Auto Services. Not sure whether they were a national company or just local to where we were in SE London but possibly long gone now. I know that there are companies serving the classic bike fraternity who reline cork clutches so possibly they will also do more modern friction materials as well.
What is the correct way to apply self adhesive vinyl decals to a painted surface such as a mower chain case cover.
Painted a couple of months ago so it should be fully cured. Just apply them dry or with soapy water and a squeegee - or is that a different type of decal?
My "barn find" Lambretta had been dry stored foe 12/15 years before I acquired it and the inside of the fuel tank while not gummed or heavily rusted does shed fine rust particles that manage to pass through the outlet filter, an in-line one and the carb's gauze and then cause the carb to flood!
Pulled the tank out this afternoon and would like to hear from anyone who has actually used a sealant such as Por from Frost with any advice on the does and don'ts and any on what product to buy or avoid.
It does sound wrong using engine oil, but times have moved on. Things have improved and engine oil on modern cars is used for the gearbox/diff as well....
My C101 has 10w40 in the transmission too for the last 4 years. Only downside is it leaks out faster
Not just the modern ones! Remember the original 850cc Mini with 20/50 for everything!
I am interested in George's (The Fife Ploorman) use of Stihl petrol and Wristpin's use of Briggs Fuel Fresh. As part of my business I also service my customers' lawn mowers and I have put fuel stabiliser in the petrol tanks after the service. I encouraged my customers to fill up their 5l fuel cans halfway and then they can again top it up with fresh fuel a few months later so as to reduce the use of stale fuel.
Just to clarify, the Briggs product should be mixed with "pump fresh" and not added to existing fuel. I add it to my cans before going to the garage to fill up.
You are fortunate in having a quality customer base where you can get the rate for the job . Many of my former contractor customers seemed to struggle to get a decent rate but perhaps that's what they wanted me to think!
With modern grinders it doesn't seem to matter whether one buys expensive or cheap it's luck of the draw how long they last but I've got a Wolf Grinderette that is over 40 years old and still going strong. However in fairness to all the Bosch, Hitachi etc etc that have bitten the dust at work the Wolf has never left my home workshop.
I dose all the fuel that I buy for my garden machinery with Briggs Fuel Fresh (aka Fuel Fit) and that looks after the gumming and starting issues. When I had the business all our workshop fuel was dosed with it. In the autumn we would start to "double dose" as a precaution against winter serviced machines "going bad on us" . However I know of one brave buininess that made the decision to use only Aspen in all two stroke machines going through their workshop and returned all machines with a full tank but this gave rise to some machines then not running properly when refueled with customers' own mix and being returned under complaint!
That said, if I were using hand held two or four stroke machinery "for a living" I would give serious consideration to using an Alkylate fuel on health grounds. The problem for someone in that situation is recovering the cost from the customer in a cost conscious competitive market place. Possibly the conditions surrounding its use will be similar to when car seat belts were made available; first as an accessory, then as an option on new vehicles, then standard on all vehicles and finally legislation stepped in.
Great bit of info,Thanks, Cords piston rings, takes me back, Mainly to BL 1100-1300 A series, when new used nearly as much oil as petrol, in those happier times when petrol was petrol and two bob a gallon
Wow , two bob a gallon, won't enquire your date of birth! However when I started driving it was four shillings and eleven pence ie four gallons for a pound but my Dad used to talk about when it was one shilling (bob) and three pence a gallon.
As you suggest, Cords rings were known as engine savers for the worn out engines in the forties and fifties but they now seem to have evolved into original equipment suppliers for the likes of Perkins.
I've an AID V twin 4hp s/phase setup,it originally had a Swedish BIAB V twin 25 cfm pump but the bearings failed, I'm trying to find some 100mm oil control rings for it at the mo.I also have a portable 8.5 cfm unit and a Broomwade AC41 pump to fit on a trailer. Just before Christmas I tried to give away an AC10 Broomwade pump to someone on the forum, but we had already loaded his car to the gunnels with other 'goodies' :D
You may find what you need in this catalogue. There's a compressor section near the end.
Assuming that the hobby budget won't run to an axial screw compressor I would look for one with a belt driven iron block reciprocating pump rather than a direct drive and/or alloy block.
As far as output goes there is more to it than the displacement volume of the pump. The critical parameter is Free Air Delivery.
So work backwards from the FAD requirement of the most air hungry tool that you are likely to use. Blasting cabinets and die grinders being examples of kit that need a lot of air.
The Sealey and Machinemart/Clarke kit "is what it is" and probably perfectly adequate for a bit of use with a blow gun or paint spray.
Over the years I've had a number of units from Air Industrial Equipment of Harlow, both for our own workshop and for customers and they are a fair spec for the money with a good backup service.
Sorry been out of the loop for a while. Looks like a Peerless transmission. Slight technical problem since my post, it decided to break a con rod but fortunately with no damage to piston or block. Now replaced and running well albeit the drive pulleys caused major problems with removal and I have to replace the deck pulley at some stage due to over zealous pulling.
Recently had the good fortune to get hold of 2 ride-ons for £75 one Toro 16-38HXLE and an older Countax believed to be C series. The Countax came as a freebie as it was non working. Am still digging out the 1" thick rat poo covering from the barn it was stored in. Electrics seem to be the problem but will post further when this is progressing. I know these are a bit newer than the average post on this site but both have had a hard life!
Another possibility is American Yard Products now part of the Electrolux/Husqvarna stable.
Good if it's broken a rod without damaging the block but have a good look just behind the starter motor . More often than not , after a rod breakage, those single pot BS will have a small bulge or crack in that area . Seen many running quite happily after being repaired with Plastic Padding!
have to say that i have seen the gazelle and the dynamarks before on old sales leaflets etc and had not picked up on the fact that they do indeed have some very similar features
The early Westwoods were just re- badged Dynamarks, hence the resemblance! The next generation had a UK built chassis with a Dynamark deck followed by the complete UK built machines.
The diesel machines were prone to catching fire due to the vibration rupturing fuel lines and chafing wiring looms! Several " lawn tractor" manufacturers of that era tried to meet the perceived need for a diesel by just dropping a single pot oil burner onto an existing chassis without giving much attention to engine mounts etc and without exception they were all pretty horrible.
The last to try it were Stiga with a Hatz lump on a rear engined bendy and this setup, as well as being harsh and crude sent vibrations through the hydrostatic transmissions knocking out the axle bushes sometimes in as little as ten hours!
Used to look after a couple of Ransomes Hahn rear engined riders back in the 80s and also a couple of Ransomes Hahn Triplex greens mowers with the "Helistrand" type flex drive cables to the cutter units.
Kohler K Series Starter Motor issues
in Handy Tips and How To?
Posted
Would possibly question the use of a "copper grease" . The old maxim was "use grease for stuff that moves and copper for stuff that doesn't (shouldn't!)" still holds good. Copperslip and its equivalents are not a grease but an anti seize compound and perhaps a high melting point moly or graphite grease would be more appropriate in that application.