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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

ransomes 16" update

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well as today ha been my only free day in ages i decided to see if my mower would run and cut grass!!. seeing as the engine had not been run for years so first off was a good dose of wd40 down the plug hole then a quick check of the points on the mag and i had a good spark some new fuel line and a quick carb strip and clean some fuel and hay presto! second swing she fired third swing she ran!!!!! on disapearing in a cloud of oil smoke! which cleared after a few mins then settled down to a lovely tic over.The oil return pumped oil so what next grass cutting.................result....one very nice cut lawn but my good do my arms ache! lol one thing i have noticed on cutting the grass box is only getting half full then the cut grass just falls back onto the cutting cylinder is there any way of directing it????have i got the cutting cylinder out of adjustment? again any help would be good

wristpin Fri, 26/04/2013

Most machines have some sort of adjustable throw plate (concave) behind the cylinder so fiddling with this may help but possibly the cylinder has been sharpened so many times that its reduced diameter is simply not throwing the cut grass far enough.

As for arm ache, try my 30" Dennis in a garden more suited to a 19" Hayter Harrier!! 

Dengiebob Tue, 30/04/2013

you were right on the plate wristpin thank you again it now fills the grass box to the top!.to day saw the first major grass cutting and learnt a little at the same time!!!. i had by mistake been runnnig it with the choke full on! result of which was an engine which would cut out after 5 mins run time and  a very black plug!! once plug had been cleaned and throtle adjusted it was a different machine!!. It ran for over an hour! and now starts on a quarter turn of the starting handle and now i have what i wanted stripes in the grass on my rifle range and grass so short you could play snooker on it.....! and there is one BIG plus to all of this........Mr bunny loves short grass now the only short grass on the whole farm is the air rifle range which should encourage Mr bunny to come dine in range of my rifle! which means more bunny pie for me!...... who would have ever know that collecting and running old mowers puts a dinner on the table as well!!!! oh and one last thing could not resist in taking the top engine cover off and painting it so i have made a start on the running restoration more pics to follow........Im olc and i have a problem!!! haha