Anglo Traction

Wrispin is correct. Clean the area highlighted in your copied image below back to metal or at least until you can clearly read all the numbers and tell us what they are- The dark red paint is not original. The remnants of the Decal next to that area should look like this example- Provisionally, The Briggs Diamond shaped decal on the Shroud is a design used between 1946 and 1959. The pressing detail in the Cowling (shroud) consisting of lines and the 'B' over an 'S' separated by a diamond with line, also indicates that era. My estimate is a late 50's or very early 60s (possible import lag with the styles). As for engine type/size...... no idea without the numbers. Also depends if it's Cast Iron Crankcase or Aluminium. Your engine look's like it has the 'Air Vane' Governor System. Adjustable by Spring tension. The Vane needs to be clean and free to move, so best to pull the Shroud and clean it out. Lots of different Carbs fitted. Ignition system varies, internal or exterior Breaker system........could be 'Magna- Matic'. .........Apart from that I know nothing about it !. Your resident expert will be Matt (Bowtiebutler956) on here. I do have a full Service Manual covering early Briggs, probably along with several others on here who know these engines. And everything you ever need to know about these engines can be found online. If you need any more help, just ask.

I'll certainly make every effort to get kitted out this year and bring something along as it may be in a good cause. Does the Children's Village benefit from this at all Chris?.

Nice machine Charlie, is it a 60's model?. Can't quite make out the Briggs Engine Decal style to get a date period. For some reason, my eyes are drawn to the solid tyres .......and think of my Mower

You shouldn't feel that way, most of us learn about what we're restoring as we go along. The good thing is that much of the old/vintage or classic American made machinery has loads of databases, parts lists and manuals still available to learn from. That's why I like them. Sadly there isn't so much of that now, or it's hard to track down in the UK. The Decals really finish it off and do the Engine justice. Also like the woven sheathing on the HT Lead.

Lovely shine on that Matt (no contradiction intended ). And I spot an unpainted screwdriver on the bench . I'll probably be up all night again Matt....trying to work out what insomnia means?.....Question time again... Is this a Gasoline/Kerosene model?. What is the Tank made from i.e. Brass or Steel.

That's right Norm, C-120, C-121, C-125s were all 12hp. The Engine Spec numbers changed. 77 C-120s had a k301s (47421) with a Flat Oil Pan. 78 C-121s went over to the K301AS Cradle (47648) and 80-82 C-125s K301AS (47723- 47742). Never easy dating Tractors/Engines when they've been molested. Especially when they replace the Tins (Shroud) on an original Engine and not transfer the old numbers.

'80' C-120 !!!. That would have been unique, even for the Belgian factory. The C-120 Decals on yours (if original) were last (should have been)used on '77' models. So I can understand them (Belgium) putting surplus stock decals onto the '78' Models, but not '80'. They were C-125s (12hp) in 80. Never mind, glad you sorted it in time. ..............A rose by any other name will look as sweet !.

Just looking at your picture again, Were you draining it from the Fill level on the side of the Tranny?. Did you also remove the Hex Plug on the bottom as well (if fitted?. that's where all the sludgy stuff would lay.

The 2 main causes of milky Transmission Oil are- Keeping the Tractor outside uncovered and the rubber Gearshift Boot perished. Rain water runs down the gearshift lever and into the tranny. If the Tranny is 6 or 8 speed model, the Hi Lo Lever entry point is also susceptible to water ingress (good amount of grease around the base will stop that). Did you jack up the front of the Tractor before draining it Charlie?. Reason is that the water settles to the bottom and will be trapped in between the internal recesses. It's best to give it a flush with a bit of Diesel or Kerosene if the Oil is milky, but I suspect you've added the new Oil anyway. As for the Whining Gear, I would not worry too much. It is probably down to having spent most of it's previous owned life mowing grass in 2nd Gear and is more worn than the others. Add this to using a modern 90 wt Oil as opposed to the old recommended 140 wt and the Straight Cut gears will tend to make a bit more noise.

Good work on the Valve Cover Matt. great finish....... obviously you have a surfeit of old screwdrivers for using as spacers/standoffs . Had a read of the Manual for that (LB) engine from the oldengine forum. Very interesting that there is a specific Piston for use in engines located 8000ft above sea level !!!!.....must have a compression ratio difference . Also see there is a complete Cylinder head/valves for sale (in Canada), so surprisingly, there are bits still out there for them. Hope you finish this Thread up with a short Vid of it running.

Had money on you keeping it black Norm. Missed the decal situ, I've got spare black and chrome (custom) starter decals and black and silver Air filter, starter & 15 amp Alternator decals I would part with.I admire your restraint and not pull the head to check it out. I have to do them irrspectively. Like you,I need some warm weather. Keep up the good work on the Black 'orse.

Nice find, I remember the celebration year where most of the US Airline Carriers that flew into London Gatwick Airport had restyled their Aircraft Logo graphics to commemorate the bicentenery. Are you planning to keep the decals as they are (unused) as a collector item?.

Yeah, would look cool fitted in a tractor with that blue paint cleaned off the Crankcase and polish it up shiny

Yeah, What Matt says. Good project machine there Koen. Like the Engine Drawings/Prints. I'll be watching your progress assuming you plan to get it back to A1 'Juice Generating' condition .

I can't predict any balance/vibration issues on your engine size, but my fully rebuilt K301 with the b/gears out, has only a brief, minimal vibration period at 1900 rpm and disappears at 2100. I presume you obtained the rebuild kit from the same guy in US (Kevin, bat4kids). Good service and endorsed by many in US. My reasons for leaving them out we're based on the considerable US opinion and experience with these engines over many years of this practice. Other than to mention that several lower hp size engines did not have them installed. Yes, cost to reinstall the gears is also a consideration, especially if you do it properly and/or have to replace the gear shafts as well as bearings etc. If it makes you feel any better Mark, I put 350 quid into my engine!. So far it is still singing like a brand new engine, but after only a few hours running. I'm sure you'll be happy with it when it fires up.

Great project/subject Engine Matt, good to see more of your restoration skills on here . It will certainly stand out amongst your many Black, Green & Silver Briggs Engines . I like the 'Lock Bolt' design in the Piston for the Wristpin (Gudgeon Pin UK), does away with the iffy Spring Rings. Now tell me, are you going to mount this one on a Block of White Oak on a Plinth, or make a Truck with some Cast Iron Wheels?. You describe it's weight in terms of pretty heavy, but I'm trying to gauge the size of it. What is the Output Shaft diameter?. Look forward to see/hearing this one running on a Vid if you can.

My mistake Wristpin, wrong use of words. So yes , disregard my reference to Copper Grease. The stuff I have is an old Paste from Aviation industry (expired life date) that is a mix of Graphite and Copper, Graphite being the greater proportion as there is only a tint of copper. It is almost in crumb form so has little grease as a binder. If it is spread onto paper, it looks like HB pencil marks with a hint of copper/bronze and no grease soak in. Copper/Graphite mixes are used for Plain Bearings in areas of heat and pressure like Roller Beds in/out of Ovens etc, so I deemed this substance useful to fill the worn void in between the old and additional Thrust Washer- There is also no Flammable grease in it. Kohler Manual does not mention any internal lubrication of the 2 types of Starter Motor (note the Induction Starter Motor version has both a Spacer Washer and a Thrust Washer fitted, where the Permanent Magnet version like this one has one Thrust washer as standard). I don't use any of the mentioned Automotive brands from places like Halfords for brakes or Thread lube like Kopr Kote, too many issues with compatibility. I have however put a small amount of Teflon Dry Lube on the Bendix end bearing faces of the Armature shaft and End Plate, as well as the Bendix Helix. This does not attract/absorb Dirt or moisture very easily and works well for me. The Bearings and Bendix Teeth on this Motor are in very good condition. The other Armature end (rear) has a Dry Oilite Bearing where there is a risk of spark igniton or contamination of the Brushes if grease was applied. The Motor has now been reassembled after prepping, painting and decals fitted where it received a coat of Fuel proof Lacquer and now ready for fitting- So just one thing to bear in mind and that is ...these motors are not Continuous Rated, so if your engine won't start/run after a max of 10 seconds cranking, leave it to cool for 1 minute before trying again or you'll burn the Starter out. ............ I may well be parting with my spare one now Neil, I'll bear you in mind. Regards

I was surprised how easy and quick it was Chris. I scraped/chipped much of the old Black paint off, then used Paint stripper, found very little rust pitting. I had to get it smooth in order to tap out the Hammer damage to the Starter Blister and other dents/distortion. I just used p240 and P400 grade paper by hand............ Was going to Lacquer it, but had too many blemishes............. It's painted Red. Rest assured Norm there are visible Flaws in my paintwork.....sorry to interrupt your thread . I'm sure it will look good when your done. Would Pam allow it Chris ?........you'd probably get roped in to clean and polish all the Brassware etc as well.

I understand your difficulties Iain, as I'm a 'Southpaw' (Leftie) as well, but try to use many things as a R/Handed person does. I've also decided to go over to Aspen on the infrequently used and small engine machines like Chainsaws & Brushcutters. The Atco Sidewheel will run on it as well...... Still too expensive to run Garden Tractors on it. Would be good if they treated it as a special case and at least removed the Duty Charge on it to reduce the cost and increase it's use.

Good to see your progress Norm. I was getting worried that you'll spend more than 2 years to finish this like me on my C-120 . Black look's good. Would nice to also see the Motor Black and a bit of Silver perhaps?............or polished steel !- Keep up the good work and piccies for Chris .

Good to see you covering this Magnum build on here Mark. I've only done 'K's, so interested in any differences. I see it has the 'D' style Piston and the same damage I had which necessitated a re bore.............. Hope you don't have that problem. Those Stens rebuild kits are pretty good quality. That is a fair amount of acceptable wear on the Crank Journal on the Mag16 . I had to have my 'K301' Crank re-ground due to being only 0.001" out of round ! (max allowed was 0.0005"). Presume you have a Fixed Jet Carb on those ?. Glad to see your also pulling the Balance Gears . Good luck and I'll follow your progress as much as poss. Regards

I'll bow to Mark's knowledge on the wiring. What confused me is the Engine numbers are for a 12hp 1998 engine and maybe should 284707-1136-e1 ?. Also the B-115 was last built in 1984 I believe (12-11BP02) and had an 11hp 253707 motor. So we assume it was re-engined at some stage. Parts diagram for that Tractor model shows the Red and Black (with connector) coming from the Dual Alternator which possibly supplies lights and Battery charging separately?. Afraid my Briggs Workshop Manual only goes up to about 1982. I'll see if I can find a proper Wiring Diagram for a B-115 and go from there.

Starter on my original 12hp Kohler in my '72' Raider 12 had begun to squeal more and more last year, so having built a spare Starter from 2 really iffy ones, I pulled the squealy one to inspect it and fitted the new spare to test it etc. The spare works beautifully........So last night I got around to tearing into this one to cure the problem and give it a clean up- No sign of broken Magnets this time for a change, just a few loose flakes, Carbon dust and light rust areas from trapped condensate- So generally all in pretty good nick really, note the date stamp on this American Bosch Motor (Dec 20th 1971). The cause of the squeal I suspect was the Thrust washer that had been worn by the hard stop ring which has a gap and sharp edges . This washer takes a lot of pressure when the Motor is energised and combined with the dry Carbon dust and bare metal faces, starts the noises etc. Close up of the Stop Ring, Shaft bearing face and the 0.0205" (0.52mm) thick thrust washer- The 'Cure' I hope will be the addition of another thrust washer of same thickness. I found just the right size/type in my box of bits and the Washer came from my fully rebuilt engine now in my C-120, when I scrapped the Balance Gears in it, I kept the spacers, washers and Snap Rings. All I had to do was increase the bore of it by 0.003" to just fit over the Shaft bearing diameter face with no slack- So the new washer will fit on first followed by the old one and the same original way around. With the bearing plate in place un-lubricated and with hard pressure on it, the shaft rotates with no friction resistance at all, but will apply a small amount of High pressure Copper grease between them. All the Brushes etc cleaned up nice and very little wear- Commutator segments had the usual Carbon Glaze, so cleaned off with the shaft mounted in the Lathe chuck at slow speed, then a final air blast to get the dust out - Body internals all clean now and found the magnets still have makers ink stamp on them- I shall strip the old paint and decals off and give it a repaint and new decals before it goes back on the Engine. So if you haven't been inside one of these before, don't junk it and look for another when it misbehaves........... Give it a Refurb birthday and a new lease of life. Hope this helps.

Impressive example of your work Nigel. Like the creative panel work. The style reminds me of the Old WW2 David Brown Aircraft towing Tractors.

Some Fab Fabbing work from a fine 'Fabber' Ian . Great work and progress .