Wristpin

Havn't got any collets handy but these give the general idea . Very useful when working within the confines of an L head valve chest.

Some Dellorto stuff
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4e5bvilavixv3iv/Dellorto0001.pdf?dl=0
 
Emulsion tube removal
 

Certainly most Asperas of a certain age will repay a proper valve job - refaced valves and skimmed seats, BUT be careful to have the cam correctly positioned when checking / setting the valve clearances . The piston needs to be a quarter of an inch down the bore on the power stroke. Get it wrong and gap the valve when it is still on the decompressor and it will BITE!!

Looks the same as the Sealey one and at a great price. I've made several mods to mine, extra internal light, dust extraction for better visibility, finer mesh floor to prevent small parts falling through or getting tangled, lengthening the pickup hose and anchoring the pickup better. On the minus side the blasting medium does not flow to the pickup and every so often one has to tip the cabinet to get it to where it's needed
It makes the compressor work quite hard but with glass bead blasting medium it is excellent for carburettors and starter housings etc. Not tried it with any more aggressive blasting material.

Conyers alternator coupled to a ten horsepower Tecumseh . Gen set assembled by the old Godfreys of Brenchley (Kent)  company in the late 70s just before they went into liquidation - allegedly due to an ill advised venture into genset production involving Nigeria!
This one is for sale. PM me if interested.

When I was at school in darkest Sussex in the 1950s the school was "off grid" and had a single? cylinder Lister generator (start-o-matic?) . Presumably it was DC as there was a room full of glass tank accumulators - no recollection of the voltage. I seem to remember that it stood quite tall and had twin flywheels and a thermo-syphon cooling system that just lost heat from a 45 gallon sized drum mounted above it . This tank was a good source of hot water for melting "scotch glue" in the woodwork shop next door!

Similar issues to the Osprey, front end rot and terminal damage to the right angle drive transmission if run dry .
Still can't get my head round the price being asked for that Osprey - could be a long time waiting for the right customer at that price.
There's been a Ransomes Antelope on ebay for £400  - reduced from £500 with no takers. Not surprising when I've just bought one in similar condition for £37.50  and another far better one for £75.

Similar issues to the Osprey, front end rot and terminal damage to the right angle drive transmission if run dry .
Still can't get my head round the price being asked for that Osprey - could be a long time waiting for the right customer at that price.
There's been a Ransomes Antelope on ebay for £400  - reduced from £500 with no takers. Not surprising when I've just bought one in similar condition for £37.50  and another far better one for £75.

Yes, those ones that exited through the deck have been obsolete for ages but the Briggs small "cigar" will do the job . A pattern one is available from Central Spares ; who also do a sponge air filter.
http://www.centralspares.co.uk/product/muffler_23.aspx
 
You may be able to recognise your air filter element from this, but beware that  some have minor dimensional variations that are not obvious to a casual glance. The safest way is to key your model, type and code into a parts look-up site.
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tbnlvw6qyw6qy94/Briggs%20sponge%20air%20filter%20elements0001.pdf?dl=0

Time for a word - or was it too long ago?

Assuming that it has its original Briggs and Stratton engine the engine code number stamped into the blower housing / cylinder shroud will give a rough indication ie 830905** 1983, September the fifth. The last two digits are for the plant/shift of manufacture. If the engine is original the date of the machine is likely to be within six months later.
No Glass's Guide for used mowers, it's what someone is prepared to pay on the day. Unless the paint/rust is really bad it can be worth more in original condition commensurate with its age rather than repainted.

Some thoughts on the belt issue. Possibly try using a cogged (not toothed) wedge belt, machining up a pair of deeper profile pulleys to retain the belt within the flanges when it twists and making up two raking fingers pointing into the open side of the pulleys to continuously remove debris before it builds up.

Worth checking that in air the spark is going from the centre electrode to the plug body and not the other what around due to polarity problems. Seen that with a coil ignition set up but not sure if it can happen with a mag.

Can you observe the mag while its being cranked in the dark to see if there are any stray sparks around the points etc ?

We had a customer living about quarter of a mile from the sea who parked his MTD ride-on in an open sided shed , always pointing in the same direction. The side exposed to the sea spray completely rusted away while the other side was more or less untouched . Fortunately MTD were able to supply a complete new chassis section which saved a lot of cutting and shutting.

We had a customer living about quarter of a mile from the sea who parked his MTD ride-on in an open sided shed , always pointing in the same direction. The side exposed to the sea spray completely rusted away while the other side was more or less untouched . Fortunately MTD were able to supply a complete new chassis section which saved a lot of cutting and shutting.

R Tech have a really good reputation for customer service too.

Just watching a repeat of a repeat of Salvage Squad and they have a stuck four cylinder lump from a Tiger Moth and the old chap supervising them heats up a pan of oil until it smokes and then pours some into each bore . Apparently the heat helps penetration and expands the bore a fraction to aid freeing the pistons. - allegedly !!  Any way it worked for them   !
So get the chip pan out!

"the engine isn't the original, it looks like a 16HP Briggs but im not sure haven't had time to really look at it, so will have a better look soon! "
 
Not sure about it being a Briggs with that vertical oil filter - possibly a touch of Kohler - but it's been a while!

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

Just watching a repeat of a repeat of Salvage Squad and they have a stuck four cylinder lump from a Tiger Moth and the old chap supervising them heats up a pan of oil until it smokes and then pours some into each bore . Apparently the heat helps penetration and expands the bore a fraction to aid freeing the pistons. - allegedly !!  Any way it worked for them   !
So get the chip pan out!

Patience will be rewarded! I'd be inclined to give it a couple of weeks before resorting to the block of wood and lump hammer! Probably marginal but at this stage its penetration thats needed more than lubrication . Plus Gas  or a mix of acetone and brake or AT fluid maybe.

Eliminate the possibility of an ignition or safety switch problem. With the switch turned to off/stop take a fly lead from the battery positive and touch it to the small ( thin wire) terminal of the solenoid. If the solenoid clicks and the starter kicks in the problem lies in the switch or the safety circuit.
No result from that, you can by-pass the solenoid but this is a bit brutal and only for the brave or foolish!. Take a decent sized bit of iron (not you best screwdriver!) and bring it down squarely across the two heavy terminals on top of the solenoid but be prepared to whip it off a bit smartish!  . If the starter kicks the problem is with the solenoid.

Often solenoids fail as the result of over tightening of the terminal securing nuts or failure to hold the back nuts ( if fitted) while tightening the terminal nuts. This pulls the internal contacts slightly out of line so that when the magnet pulls the contractor disc up it doesn't sit squarely against the contacts . The resulting arcing either welds it into permanent contact or the " slag" created prevents further contact.
One brand of solenoid that we used had a little sticker on each one specifying a maximum torque for the terminal nuts - which of course we observed religiously ! However it was noticeable that we experienced far fewer early failures on solenoids fitted in our workshop than with those sold over the counter.

Often solenoids fail as the result of over tightening of the terminal securing nuts or failure to hold the back nuts ( if fitted) while tightening the terminal nuts. This pulls the internal contacts slightly out of line so that when the magnet pulls the contractor disc up it doesn't sit squarely against the contacts . The resulting arcing either welds it into permanent contact or the " slag" created prevents further contact.
One brand of solenoid that we used had a little sticker on each one specifying a maximum torque for the terminal nuts - which of course we observed religiously ! However it was noticeable that we experienced far fewer early failures on solenoids fitted in our workshop than with those sold over the counter.