Cub Cadet

Progress has been slow on this of late as I am trying to sort out my Cortina so it is back on the road for summer.
 
I had a go at annealing the sealing ring, not sure if I got it hot enough with my little blowtorch but fingers crossed.
 
I split the air filter/choke by grinding away the folded-over edge and drilling out the centre rivet, then straightened it out as best I could. I then welded a new lever on the inner piece. welding it back together was a pain, it kept catching the inner so I had to grind the weld off and start again. It ended up looking a bit dog-eared so I wrapped some metal pipe insulation tape around it.

 
I did manage to have a couple of hours on it this afternoon, it now looks like this. next job is to clean out the fuel tank and then it will be a case of seeing if it will actually run.
 

 
I now seem to be sharing my limited workshop space with one of my O/Hs projects...

 

Park bench is now finished and back in it's place on the green.
 
 

 
  It could do with three more slats in the seat, but that was all the wood I had. One day it may get some if I come across some suitable wood. 

We have been using PIX Kevlar belts recently with good results. A couple of sellers on the usual auction site

Hi Ewan,
               Depending on whether SPA type belts are ok to use with Clutching/Idler pulleys which may be a cause of belt deterioration?,
the SPA 732 belt (732mm) is sold as the INSIDE dimension (28.82 inches).
Wheel Horse belts are/were measured around the Outer circumference, so a 732 will be greater than 29 inches.
Presuming your replacement Pulleys are the same (Pitch) size as originals, and the distance apart is the same, then the belt should be ok.
Snatched this off the Web as an example-

 
Regards

Ah!, forgot you'd fitted other pulleys. I suspect you had better stick to SPA Section Belts. The Section is different to 'V' (13mm x 8mm) SPA is 13mm x 10mm.
Which means you may have to stick to 732mm. No experience with that type. 
 

In the back of the workshop I've had some iron garden seat ends, that I painted a few years ago. Finally decided to do something with them. So some beech beams from a ship I've also had lying around, (The beams not the ship), found their way to a neighbours who's a joiner. There they were cut into strips to make seat slats. I then gave them three coats of yacht varnish. Today I put everything to gether.
 

 
 Carol is well pleased as she likes a variety of places to sit.
 
  Next on the list was the bench we have out on the green. It was an old park bench that was given to us some years back. About 20 I think. I'd done it up then, but the years have taken their toll.
 

 
That soon ended up like below with the aid of the chainsaw.
 
So it looked like this.
 

 
After a couple of hours it is now ready for some paint.
 

  
    To be continued. 
 
 

Hi Ewan, I suspect that belt (spa732) is only a conventional duty belt. 732 is just under 29 inches.
Being of the ilk that prefers to use OEM in these circumstances, I would suggest treating the machine to what Toro calls a genuine belt.
The original spec is for your RJ is part number 1567. 4L x 29" . They had 3 grades then (extract from Tor manual) -

 
Modern  (metricated) European spec Belts are mainly general use types and have tiny dimensional differences.
Quality is probably inconsistent as well. So 60 years later, the only place you'll find a correct belt, is to look West.
Search using  Toro/Wheel Horse 1567 part number and you'll get several choices.
Toro belts have all the modern fabrics etc incorporated and some are cotton wrapped for quiet running. Depends what you are prepared to pay.
 
Only other option is to go for something like this and see how it behaves-       - A29-.
I'll admit to buying these types for the mower deck and they seem ok,  but haven't had a good try out yet. They have all the qualities you mention.
You can get at least 2 of them for one OEM, so it's your call really.  
Regards
 
         

It's for forming the square on the end of speedo cables.

thanks guys,
 
here's a video
 
 

Made up another exhaust stack for the C-125 this morning. The one on was an old BSA motorcycle silencer. The outlet pipe was rather holey, with a cut up tin can wrapped round and held by jubilee clips. So cut off the bad bit off the BSA one and the tail end off a tractor one.
 
The result.

 

 
   
 
 
 

seen on the A1 heading to Scotland one and a half Martin-Markham colt deluxe

Bingo!
 

Trial fit.
 
Chainsaw, fuel, chain oil, toolbox and hard hat.

 
All done and dusted.
 
For some reason I can't upload the final photo. But it's on Red Square if anyone wants to see it.
 

Having been given some trees nearby that have been ripped out with a digger,  I decided to make a tote for chainsaw etc. This will fit on the front of the Sears GT16 which I use for towing my Saxon trailer. Better than having to carry things back balanced on a load of wood
 
First I made this out of scrap wood.

 
The hitch pin has to be removed to fit it and when replaced stops the frame from sliding out.

 
 Next a made a box out of wood salvaged from a disused dog kennel.

 
 The box has yet to be finished, but has been tested for strength. Takes my 12-1/2 stone easily.
 
 
 
 

I am inclined to agree about it's appearance Norm. I feel it has that simple 'Bolty' look about it. Plus the combination of the colours and bright parts.
I've been struggling with progress, as I hit a wall trying to obtain some drive chain which is only used on a few vintage machines and motorcycles.
Zero response from two attempts over the last week, then tried another this afternoon where I got an almost immediate and positive reply.
 
So I'm over my last hurdle of finding parts hopefully, but I think I will have to make another obsolete part for the engine, not happy yet?.
 
Have made a little progress and assembled the Clutch/cable/lever, but had a problem with the lock screw gripping the cable tight enough in the lever.
Lot of tension in the clutch spring to overcome, so I've made a temporary lockscrew with a socket head to be able to tighten it better-
 
  -
 
 
Decided on the fuel pipe routing, keeping it within the frame and shortest distance. Original route can be seen in the 'as found' pics.
Just the Carb end to fix and solder, as this pic was taken when a trial fit was made, the coil position etc is now tidier -
 

 
As for finding a mower to attach it to, well it did come with the original mower it used to push back in the 1920s and here is a pic of how it attaches-
 

 
One or two examples can be seen around the show circuits affixed to a mower, or like this example (off the Web) where an axle from a different machine has been adapted to fit-
 

 
Would be nice to find a set of similar wheels to make an axle up for this one I'm working on. When it's fitted to a mower, the turning circle is enormous.
Looking forward to chain delivery.
 
    

Fitted and ready to trial plough as soon as I get chance.
 

 

 
 

Made a hitch for the Brinly yesterday. First photo is of some bits. The second one is of it trial mounted. This afternoon I've been setting things up and hoping to go up to the farm with it. Give it a try out and see how it performs.
 

 

Been a while since I posted a project, this has been in my head for years and I did the axles early last year...
 

 
Left over axles make good bogies.
 

 

 
Been stalled for a few months until a few weeks ago a tracked barrow skip turned up on that site.
 

 
So so that set the juices flowing
 

 
Building a frame
 

 

 
Sprung drawbar
 


 
 

 
 

All ready for the Hethersgill Vintage Rally on Sunday. Been helping set up today and more to do tomorrow.
 
 
 
 

Well, those of you who have been watching this have seen glimpses of bits that don't really mean much.
So I have decided to let you know what this thing is, despite having a fair way to go before (if) any mechanical life can be breathed into it.
It's 90% there, but still have the drive chain hurdle to overcome. So bearing in mind that it's nothing really spectacular, it is uncommon. This is what it is -

This ad is from the Tatler Magazine of Aug 1922. I have other images, but are copyrighted and not for public use.
Designed to provide assisted (Ride-on) power to existing, manually pushed lawnmowers at the time.
So it can be called the first known British Ride-on that was available to the average domestic household. Earlier large private Estate/Municiple  ride-ons were available.
They were built by Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies for the MP Co.
At the start of this Topic, I mentioned the condition and it's neglected existence, albeit virtually complete. This is what it looked like-
 
 

 
Not my pics, but shows it was in a bad state.
It's debatable whether to replace some damaged/missing parts like the (left) lower end section of the Fan cover-
 

 
I suppose it is really part of it's existence, hard knocks 'n' all.
What I have found strange, is the varying immunity of certain sections to corrosion. Some very thin metal sheet parts are hardly eroded, but heavier, thicker spring steels
are heavily pitted?. All exposed to the same levels of weather. Suppose it's lucky to be able to save/use most of it.
 
Today, I've made up the Cables for Carb controls. Tricky job and I decided to set it up in a way that would be easier to manage.
Bolted the Carb to my Lathe tail stock barrel and the Levers to a bar in the Chuck-
       
  
 
 The inner cables were different length from a donor source and I had make them both the same length and produce new outer bowden cables.
Lots of careful measuring, as the 1926 Carb manual says never dismantle the Lever and cables !!. I had no choice. 
So with a lot of cleaning to get the solder to take on the shortened inner cable, all the ends soldered up and the bits fitted correctly-
 

 
And relieved to say everything operates/adjusts correctly -
 

 
Most of the control levers were in a bad state as mentioned way back and showed the end result, but here are a few of what they were like-
 
    
 
...... the  Counter shaft -
 

 
So here is what it looked like as assembly progressed-
 


 
And to date-
 

 
 
  
 
If I can get it running, it will be one of only a handful of working examples in collector's hands. Hope to have more updates soon
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
   

The answer is 'Balls' Norm!  ....................................Yes the item is the original, but I have added the dome to it.
 
Back around Xmas, I observed some Kiddies Ball shaped tins that contained chocolate of some kind. Managed to get hold of a couple and found one without any significant damage. Measured pretty close to the radius, so went for cutting a slice off for a test.
First job was to clean off the paint/ink to see what the finish was to the steel (top left).
I then had to polish it and measured the amount needed to slice off for a sample and what method to slice it off with ( bottom left)-
 

 
First go was 3/64"(1.2mm) short, so went for it on the good cleaned off section - 
 

 
Cleaned up and tinned with solder, it was soldered to the original, which was not easy as had to use passive resin flux, but went ok.
Had a good coat of fuel proof lacquer and settled for an old small cafetiere s/s gauze filter cut to fit as a dust collector. All done and will go nicely with the now very tidy Carb.
Regards     

Black Horse and the C-125 basking in the morning sun, after a good wash.
 

 

Not long now Norm. Ailments have now delayed my progress. Only managed a few bits to date.
Cooling Fan was distorted, damaged and pretty corroded (see pic 3 of my very first Topic post). After cleaning and straightening, I balanced it up by filing the outer edges.
Then coats of primer, rubbing down in between them. After the first coat-
 
 
The Throttle controls (and cables) on the machine were beyond saving and scrapped. I had to find a replacement.
Not the best of condition, but initial clean up found it and the damage repairable- 
 

 
Plating was long gone, so had a coat of paint applied. The black bakelite type plastic lever ends were repaired using original Araldite mixed with lamp black.
Final coat of Cellulose lacquer. Other parts were either original plating, or polished lacquered steel and body correctly painted black enamel-
 

 
Machine had a 7/16" whitworth square nut fitted where it should have a hex nut, so I had to find and machine/file one down to similar shape and size-
 
 
 
The finished article and painted fan will show up in the first pics of the refurbed machine in a week or two ............tbc

Thanks for them, Ewan.T'others the trailer tail board.

Today when I returned home I found a small package awaited me. It contained the required stickers for the C-125, from Mark and Ewan of RESTORATIONDECALS.CO.UK.  So it was into the workshop and get stuck in.
 








 
  One last thing to do and that's a new exhaust sometime.