Resend my activation email : Register : Log in 
BCF: Bike Chat Forums


old lawnmowers?

Reply to topic
Bike Chat Forums Index -> Dear Auntie BCF... Goto page 1, 2  Next
View previous topic : View next topic  
Author Message

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:15 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: old lawnmowers? Reply with quote

anyone ever tinkered with one?

just bought my self a "Suffolk Punch" mower, guy said it runs but needs "some attention" which considering its from the mid 60's could mean anything...

having a look at diagrams of them, they seem to have loads of chains, sprockets an scary looking blades

pictures to follow
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

duhawkz
World Chat Champion



Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:30 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dont weld the sprockets and you should be fine
____________________
"The guy is a worthless cunt and I honestly believe I would be a slightly happier person if he died." - Chris-Red
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

CHR15
Turbo nutter bastard



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:30 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

piece of piss sidevalve motor, has about 3 moving parts.

first engine i ever rebuilt aged about 12.
____________________
Turbocharged drag thing / project death weapon / GK73A
Ste: I'm not entirely sure how you'd go about verbally abusing someone with a potato but I'm sure it's possible.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:34 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

duhawkz wrote:
Dont weld the sprockets and you should be fine


what if it flings me into a wall?
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stevo as b4
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:37 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pics asap!

Erm, it might be autistic of me to admit it, but yes I have played with old lawn mowers. The first one was a 1950's Atco cylinder mower with a Villiers 4stroke engine. My dad and I did a resto on it together as a joint winter project a few years back.

The second one I still have, its an Atco B16 hover mower, I guess it's from around late 70's/early 80's.

I did a full re-build and budget resto on this one, as it was all pretty solid and having a plastic deck it didn't need a lot of work.

The main expense and time spent was initially on an engine re-build. I cracked the crankcase top cover trying to remove a stuck main bearing. But I gave up on the original motor when I found out it was the same Tecumseh 2stroke engine as the flymo machines.

This allowed me to re-build a later MV100S engine that had CDI ignition and better crank bearings and oil seals. I got carried away though as I was bike less at the time.
It ended up with a 1mm re-bore, new piston&rings, all new bearings gaskets and oil seals. I had 0.5mm skimmed off the block deck face, I ported the reedblock and polished the intake/transfer passages, as well as squaring off the edges of the exhaust ports and filing down the throttle spindle in the carb, and knife edging the butterfly.

I went back together and ran, but the compression was so high I broke the rope on the re-coil start, and it had about a 2000rpm idle due to me taking too much material off the throttle plate.

I have no lawn now, and no need for it, but having spent £120 on parts for a £20 lawn mower I can't really sell it lol! Maybe I could put the motor in a Kart chassis if anyone threw one at me?

The Qualcast Suffolk punch is a solid old school mower, the engine's (especially the troublesome zenith carb) were never great, but it could be an interesting project.

The bottom blade and the rotating cylinder drum are the two critical components that have to be in decent condition, to make a restoring it worthwhile. Everything else is easy to fix, but a cracked bottom blade or mangled cylinder drum would be show stoppers really.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:44 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

awesome!!

i dunno what it is about old mowers, i had a briggs an stratton (classic 35) that i had a fiddle with an got working but i fancied something really old school

im picking the old girl up on tuesday so pics to definitely follow

the guy im buying it off said he started it up an cut a stripe of grass, but it has a fuel leak an odd n sods

pics from the seller

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/_57_zps6f3af29a.jpg

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/roller_zps67d3c408.jpg

https://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c81/mudcow007/stamp_zps47c3a16d.jpg

looks a bit of a mess.....
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stevo as b4
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:51 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

That looks to be all there, and with a strip down, clean up and re-paint could look bloody good if you ask me. You might need to replace a few generic bearings, and have the blade re-ground etc. I don't know if they are belt or chain drive on those, I've only had a Webb's cylinder mower to work on.

I have had one of those Suffolk punch engines, with the tank on the flywheel cowl though, and it made a water pump with it. That little Zenith carb is a nightmare for stuck needle valves, flooding, leaking fuel from every join, and just causing grief!

I bet it would run much nicer with a little Mikuni from a bike/moped engine instead! Thumbs Up
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

duhawkz
World Chat Champion



Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Karma :

PostPosted: 21:53 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

mudcow007 wrote:
duhawkz wrote:
Dont weld the sprockets and you should be fine


what if it flings me into a wall?


You should transcend consciousness and enter a different dimension full of instinct. So that won't happen
____________________
"The guy is a worthless cunt and I honestly believe I would be a slightly happier person if he died." - Chris-Red
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:02 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

going on what i have found so far, i think they are chain driven (deck contains 3 chains?)

i have been warned about getting the blades sharpened can cost quite a bit...i don't know how true that is though

looking forward to it, sad init
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

Stephenniall
Two Stroke Sniffer



Joined: 21 May 2014
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:09 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

My dad bought me one of those when I was about 7, to teach me how engines work.

Very very simple engine to rebuild.

They come with an very basic carb, that should be your first point.

Take it apart and clean it, follow any basic guide on carb cleaning online.

Mixture screw should be all the way in, then 2 and 1/4 turns out.

There will be a few sprockets and a clutch on the side of the mower, to be honest if there isn't any damage I doubt there will be much that needs doing, apart from having the blades sharpened, these old mowers live forever.

For your fuel leak, I'd take the fuel tap off and clean it. The little cork gasket shrinks in them if left without petrol, soak it in petrol and it will expand and seal better. Replace the fuel lines, and if it's leaking from your carb, take the carb off, clean it and make sure your float isn't sticking.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

andys675
World Chat Champion



Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 22:59 - 10 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

the ex royal marine twat that used to live next door to me had one of those

one day in the garden he turns road and says "seeing as you know about engines, how much 2 stroke oil should I be mixing in the petrol on this mower?"

yes, he had been putting it in for years...........
____________________
Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

Baffler186
World Chat Champion



Joined: 31 May 2013
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:38 - 12 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

mudcow007 wrote:
duhawkz wrote:
Dont weld the sprockets and you should be fine


what if it flings me into a wall?


Get Mower recovered, pump neighbour with your super unleaded Thumbs Up
____________________
Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

STONEY!
Brolly Dolly



Joined: 14 Sep 2005
Karma :

PostPosted: 11:36 - 12 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Got asked if I could clear an old workshop a couple of years ago when scrap prices where high.

Sure no problem, turned up at the job and the place was so overgrown you couldnt even see the workshop, turns out it hadnt been touched in 20 years!

Went home got brush cutters and chainsaws, hacked away and found 40 or so of these mowers under the weeds and brambles, along with a tractor and some bicycles.

Finally got to the workshop and found it as overgrown inside as everything was outside, there was another 10-15 mowers in there including some big dennis ones, a few chainsaws and various other garden machinery.

Tried selling some of the better stuff on ebay but got messed around, had no space to keep it at the time so sadly most of it got weighed in Sad
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stevo as b4
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Karma :

PostPosted: 20:34 - 12 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shame as very good high end old Cylinder mowers are rare and hard to get hold of now. Things like Dennis, Ransomes, Webb, and Atco etc.

You can buy some shockingly cheap and nasty Chinese lawnmowers these days, that look very cheap and flimsy. I'd happily put a few £££ into a proper heavy and well built metal mower especially something very well made and solid like a Ransomes mower instead of buying modern cheap and nasty machinery more often.

It's like the old school rotorvators and garden tractors. The really good ones are still working very well today with a bit of maintenance, but some modern cheap lawn tractors look very much like 'my first lawnmower' by fisherprice!
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

smegballs
World Chat Champion



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 00:13 - 13 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

A project I want to do at some point with my many old mowers with various briggs 3.5s in.

1. Get one mower engine, leave as is.
2. Get another mower engine (with reasonable compression), make an adaptor for the spark plug hole with one way check valve. Remove carb throttle plate.
3. Fab a steel deck (can add wheels at later date) with both engines next to each other.
4. Couple both engines with belt drive.
5. ????
6. Now haz portable-ish petrol powered air compressor


The full plans I drew up include, propane bottle reservoir, blow-off valves for safety etc (Altho it can't get beyond the 120 psi or so of the piston anyway really). You could potentially go pretty far with the design as well if you wanted. Add a centrifugal clutch to the engine before the belts and make up some kind of pressure sensitive linkage from the reservoir to the engines throttle: When the bottle is full, the engine goes to idle and stops driving the compressor, when the pressure falls the engine will rev up, engage the clutch and start driving the compressor again.


Similar thing with a custom head (just remove the valve followers) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDonfQPgR8Y
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

metalangel
World Chat Champion



Joined: 27 Feb 2009
Karma :

PostPosted: 00:58 - 13 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

smegballs wrote:

1. Get one mower engine, leave as is.
2. Get another mower engine (with reasonable compression), make an adaptor for the spark plug hole with one way check valve. Remove carb throttle plate.
3. Fab a steel deck (can add wheels at later date) with both engines next to each other.
4. Couple both engines with belt drive.
5. Now haz portable-ish petrol powered air compressor
6. ???


Slight amendment... what are you planning on doing with your air compressor?
____________________
Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless Sad
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message You must be logged in to rate posts

smegballs
World Chat Champion



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Karma :

PostPosted: 14:21 - 13 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not running air tools, just the odd bit of blowgun use for cleaning parts/dust most likely.

It makes far more sense if I say this for out at my land which does not have mains electric. Obviously in terms of economics a normal 2nd hand mains powered compressor is far better. This is mainly just for funsies as we currently have about 4 running mowers in addition to the "good mower" and the "rough mower".

I also thought about having a DC motor driving compressor as a reasonably useful dump load on the solar for when the batteries are full, it would keep the compressed air topped up rather than just disconnect the panels from the batteries which is what the current charge controller does.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 09:27 - 16 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

picked the old girl up last night, its in a bit of a mess, will get pics up tonight

seems complete, weighs a tonne and its massive
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

stevo as b4
World Chat Champion



Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Karma :

PostPosted: 20:42 - 17 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is it the auto clutch version? The engines on them alone are really heavy for a 98cc, and I think everything on them is cast Iron, and totally the opposite of the Villiers motor on the Atco, with it's nice little alloy castings, and compact monoblock carb.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 08:57 - 18 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

is has a centrifugal clutch - i think?

an yeah i can confirm it weighs a tonne

the collector box is rotten on one seam, but apart from that it looks ok, oh its got woodworm in the front roller

the blades are about as sharp as a brick
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

Richy CB1000
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 06 May 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 18:09 - 18 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone needing a 5 hp Briggs Stratton not started for 3years, van and collect pm. 6 pack required!
____________________
CB1000 Big One, Triumph T3 Trophy 900
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts
Old Thread Alert!

There is a gap of 1 year, 194 days between these two posts...

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:04 - 31 Mar 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

After getting this a few years ago, my current electric mower has died so need this Suffolk to earn its keep.

new spark plug has just arrived, gonna see if i can get the old girl to fire tonight

anyone any ideas if you can sharpen the blades yourself with a grinder, or best to be sent off?
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

MCN
Super Spammer



Joined: 22 Jul 2015
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:20 - 31 Mar 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

mudcow007 wrote:
After getting this a few years ago, my current electric mower has died so need this Suffolk to earn its keep.

new spark plug has just arrived, gonna see if i can get the old girl to fire tonight

anyone any ideas if you can sharpen the blades yourself with a grinder, or best to be sent off?


****FINGERS***

You can clean up the edges of the rotating part using a big bastirt file and float it across the edges as the blade is turned.
They have to be perfectly straight though which is difficult and why it is/can be an expensive jobbie to 'have done'
Not many places able to do this now.

The other half of the blade will also need to be addressed too.

You can normally remove these from classic stuff and sharpen in a bench grinder. But you need to get the proper angle of dangle on the edge or it won't last long. Shallower angles on cutting tools last longer as they are better supported by material behind the 'cutting edge'.

It can be trial and error and will need 'doing' regularly to achieve a polished cut.
Improperly sharpened grass tools tear grass and that let it look shabby.

After you get the edges cleaned up you need to set the blade for a full width cut. The blades work like scissors and should be able to clean cut a sheet of A4 or a newspaper sheet easily. If they don't then the grass will tear when cut and go brown. Sad

There is plenty info on-line if you look.
Do you want me to google that for you?

Then you'll be wanting me to google Lawn Care too I guess. Very Happy

It is worth the effort if you like a labour of love.
____________________
Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts

doggone
World Chat Champion



Joined: 20 May 2004
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:26 - 31 Mar 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

A grinder won't make a fine enough to cut properly, though if really bad you could start with that.
A file is more like it but the final edge should be done with a sharpening stone ideally.
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website You must be logged in to rate posts

mudcow007
World Chat Champion



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Karma :

PostPosted: 10:27 - 31 Mar 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just spoken to a bloke/ lawnwer repair place who have quoted to sharpen both blades £20 unpainted an £35 painted

for all the hassle, i reckon i will just give them to him, will try an get the old girl running tonight

My garden is tiny, 10m x 10m ish a petrol mower seems abit ott but meh
 Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail You must be logged in to rate posts
Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 7 years, 364 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
  Display posts from previous:   
This page may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Bike Chat Forums Index -> Dear Auntie BCF... All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You cannot download files in this forum

Read the Terms of Use! - Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group
 

Debug Mode: ON - Server: birks (www) - Page Generation Time: 0.09 Sec - Server Load: 0.38 - MySQL Queries: 17 - Page Size: 138.98 Kb