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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Mk1 Ransomes Fourteen

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Well I have got my mower working with the hour or two a week I have had, it now runs almost as good as new! I started it up today on the second pull after a week of sitting in the shed. The only trouble I seem to be having is getting it to tick over slow enough not to engage the centrifugal clutch, and to have it running slowly enough to turn the blades whilst the clutch lever is pulled up and locked in place. Also, my starting mechanism is not working, so I am using the tried and tested method of the end of my brush handle and a length of string wrapped around the cup the pull start locks into. The blades seem to be a little stiff too as they don't turn when the mower is at low revs until I release the clutch handle, until then the belt stays still whilst the pulley turns. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and after much consideration, I've decided to not respray the mower and have removed the matt black paint, for anyone who read my last post.

redfernmowers Tue, 29/05/2012

I might be able to help you here.

Assuming the engine is a villiers, there should be a fuel mix screw on the carb set at an angle with a bit of clearance. If the engine starts, run it at idle, with a screw driver, adjust the flow and the idle speed should drop to stop the flywheel grabbing the shaft. it's a fine adjust thing and easily done.

I've just been working on my BSA sloper F12 for a ransomes AutoCertes which is undergoing a serious restoration job. so it's one of those things. 

do you still have the original recoil starter? if so, what is the problem with it? if you can describe the problem further, I can best advise on a starter rebuild. If the recoil start uses 2 sets of leaf plates to grab the starter clutch which feels like it's ribbed on the inside of the clutch, you will need to remove the pins and also the top washer which holds the component in place.

if you're struggling, I'm sure I can help with some notes, etc or give some help where I can.

Lew

Chris Huxley Sat, 02/06/2012

Thanks Lew, the spring has snapped on the starter, the first few times it failed, the last 10mm straightened out and I had to bend it back, inevitable end result is, it has now snapped. I imagine I'll be able to get a more modern one of the same size relatively easily, it's just getting round to doing it. I've had to file off the edges from the leaf plates to get a good purchase, I'm not in any rush to get the starter back on, as the string does a decent enough job for now. I shall add some pictures of the engine to my photo bucket album, as it would be very helpful if I knew the size/name/info of it. :-)