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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

isolation b30 restoration

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good morning all,

i have been working from home and having to self isolate for 6 weeks now, in that time i have spent a lot of time on my garden as it was embarrassing with 90% weeds.

the garden is not far off the size of a football pitch i think, i have in two half treated the weeds, scarified and i have levelled the first half of the garden which took 8 tons of topsoil alone, this has been re seeded also.

i have now been told that i will probably be working from home and self isolation for at least another two months,........ this led me to wanting a project to do up and a new lawnmower was decided upon.

 

originally i didn't know what i wanted except that it was to be a cylinder mower at least 17 inches wide. so the ebay search began,

 

after a few weeks of looking i have in fact ended up with two mowers

one is a atco b30 with a tecumseh 4 stroke, started on the second pull when i collected it but after the drive home i think i have an electrical issue as there are a few wires that don't really go anywhere. believe around 1983... this is just from a tiny bit of research and is also the year i was born! it did come with the seat and roller but they are not in the pictures below.

and the other is a atco b14 commodore, i bought this simply as it was in my village and listed as a non runner but £10. i would like to in the long term do this up and gift it to my dad as his garden is a lot smaller.

 

i have managed to find a exploded parts diagram for both and printed out which is fantastic and i think most parts for the b30 i should be able to find on ransom spares.

attached are some pictures of the b30 which is one my first to do list.

 

 

thanks for looking and any advice of informatiuon is greatly appreciated.

steve 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forums

wristpin Wed, 06/05/2020

Unless the 30 has a handle bar mounted ignition switch there is no reason for any external wires - the engine is “ self- contained”. So a bit more explanation or an image or two will help.

I’ m slightly puzzled by  cable that appears to go through the cover above the main clutch - can’t remember that as being original.

 

 

Clive1962 Wed, 06/05/2020

Difficult to see but there is a stop switch on the handlebar in one of the photos, so is the "cable" on top of the clutch cover actually the free detached end of a stop wire cable.?

Older ones had a stop contact on the spark plug. I see this doesn't have the head steady bracket so wonder if it is a couple years older that thought to be.?

 Intersting to see an HD30...they must be rarer than 24", in this area anyway, as can only recall seeing one during my last 8 yrs in mower world.

 

C.

stevep197 Wed, 06/05/2020

hi wristpin , thanks for the reply, yes you are right the cable that is above the clutch cover is in fact a two core that goes to a kill switch but is not like to anything. it appears to have been cut and left. i couldn't find the other end that it was cut off either  after spending a bit of time on it this afternoon.

 

i managed to get it started on second pull once i opened the fuel switch on the tank and it ran and shook like an old world war two tank but sounded relatively smooth.

 

below are pictures of the what i believe to be a cut of switch and the end of the cable i will remove these tomorrow. how are they originally stopped then as this i just starved it on the choke.

 

i have quite the petrol leak from the bottom of the carb too so i couldn't let it run long. i have a short video but wont upload it

 

stevep197 Wed, 06/05/2020

hi clive, as i am very new to old mowers this was a nice supprise, i was drawn to it mainly due to the 30" width cut,

 

i currently have been using a honda izy rotary for the last ten years and its a great little thing but due to the lockdown for me potentially lasting another two months ive got quite a bit of time to hopefully make this one new again.

stevep197 Wed, 06/05/2020

 

these are the wires i was referring too, are they earths for the motor? it ran fine without them connected..

wristpin Wed, 06/05/2020

That is a typical after market stop switch. One of your images shows the curved shroud at the front of the engine. There is a small insulated terminal which would have had ( May still, can’t see) a single wire coming from the ignition coil . Touching that terminal to earth stops the engine, so what the previous owner did was to connect one leg of twin cable to that terminal and the other to earth. Run that cable up to the handle bar and connect to a switch and you have on/off.

Originally  that that terminal would have been vacant as there was probably a wire from the ignition coil  to a switch on the throttle linkage ( near the carburettor) which would earth the coil when the throttle lever was pushed past slow. Your machine has the remains of the original semi rigid piano wire pattern throttle control that would have given that facility but it has been replaced with a flexible Bowden cable control which does not.

Edit. Should have said that the wire to that insulated terminal is possibly still there, hidden behind the shield.

hortimech Wed, 06/05/2020

They are the other end of the wire that Wristpin thought was a cable. The one going to the terminal fastened to the cover around the cylinder is also connected to the ignition system. The switch fitted to the handles is incorrect, it should be a 'flick' switch inside a small metal box clamped to the handle.

stevep197 Wed, 06/05/2020

thanks for that great bit of information, i will remove the engine cover in the morning and have a look to see what i have got,

 

thanks very much 

steve

stevep197 Thu, 07/05/2020

had a spare hour late this afternoon on the b30

 

managed to get the engine cover off. the twin core that was mentioned above did go to the spark plug and an earth as a after market kill switch so that will be removed.

 

the handle when i got it would not adjust up or down so that was soaked in wd40 and worked free. 

 

primer and ral 6020 was ordered along with few other paint bits.

 

the carb while working fine with the engine with a big leak out the bottom  of the bowl which i now know is a fibre washer. could it be replaced with https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/2118749194.

all the seals would need replacing in the current one anyway, so might just be simpler to get a new carb?

does anyone have any info where i can get a new air filter for it as this one has clearly come to the end of its life. the tube that goes into the back of the air filter, which i assume is a engine breather has broken but does not look like it attaches to the engine in any easy way or are they simply a bit of rubber hose pushed into the hole with a bit of an interference fit?

 

the below image i found this evening on an old ebay auction showing what i believe to be a way to kill the engine by grounding the spark, was this an original part if so i would prefer this over the current kill switch i have.

.

 

took the small breather panel off for a look inside and was pleasantly surprised, also the tube shown below, i assume that is to drain the oil, is this a period correct part or a handy modification to stop getting oil everywhere??

 

thanks steve

wristpin Thu, 07/05/2020

Answers!

Oil drain is original. You need to get the oil hot and tip the machine back to get rid of the sludge of ages.

Cut out strip. A readily available after market part.

Air filter. Both the sponge and rigid paper mesh ones are available from the likes of Garden Hire Spares.

Carburettor. Needs a thorough clean. That bowl nut/ jet has one tiny drilling that controls the slow running. So small that you may not even see it. I’ve got a good image on the PC which I will post later.

Edit

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eygiii5rjdal9qm/Tecumseh%20H50%20H60%20carb00…

breather tube. They go hard and break up. They push through the holes in the air filter backplate and valve chest cover and are expanded by a small push in furrel  at each end. One can be seen in your image.

Clive1962 Fri, 08/05/2020

As you are going to be using this as a regular use mower, I think I would retain a stop switch on the handlebar to give safe quick engine stop ability.  

  My ref to older ones having a stop contact on the plug was with ref pondering on machine age/history.  I recalled older ones having a stop contact that clipped on the spark plug spanner hexagon and once deployed by moving onto plug top to stop it stayed earthed whilst the one you pictured relies on the operator being in a position to be able to keep it pressed onto the plug until engine has fully stopped...

 C. 

 

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

wristpin

you seem to be a bible of knowledge, thankyou very much for the replies.

 

the pdf of the carb does it have any more pages? i would really like to keep the original one but i need a re build kit with all the washers and o rings as this one leaks all over. im going to go have a look for that hole in the bottom adjuster this afternoon.

 

i will just replace the breather tube with a bit of hose that i already have

 

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

good afternoon clive.

i get where you are coming from but unless i can find a neat solution as mine has fallen to bits then i will just get the clip on the top of the spark plug as i quite like that. i also need to get a new clutch cable as this one has wore through at the ends and the handle is floppy

 

thanks steve 

wristpin Fri, 08/05/2020

One can “ revive” the clutch levers by removing the pivot bolt , spreading the “ ears” on the moving lever so that they are a snug fit into the fixed part and refitting the pivot bolt with s several washers between the “ ears”  to stop them closing and allowing the floppy lever syndrome !

If memory serves me correctly , at some point Atco beefed up the clutch cable and increased the diameter of the nipple at the lever end.  

On the subject of clutch cables , be aware that the above modification aside, there were three generations of clutch control and cable. Your machine has the original system which I describe as “ pull to stop” , ie squeezing the lever disengages the clutch.  That was followed by the first generation Operator Presence Control , pull a bale bar to move and continue holding the bale bar to maintain drive. Finally , the two action Operator Presence Control where the bale bar did nothing until a small red trigger known as a cable grab, engaged the cable with the bar.

The point of this history lesson is that each system had a unique clutch cable , so when you go shopping , be careful !

 

Jonson Fri, 08/05/2020

Hi Steve. Nothing like as important as getting your mower working, but RAL 6010 (grass green) is a very close match to the traditional Atco green.

Regards, Jon.

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

 

another afternoon tinkering results in a few more questions, what was the origional finish of the front roller and the rear roller underneath the seat? was it painted of bare metal?

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

good evening jon, ahhhh thanks for this information, i have already ordered ral 6020 after looking at other restorations and it looked a very good colour, guess every one uses slightly different, but thanks very much for the info.

The etch primer turned up today but still waitng for my scotchrbite and other sanding bits.

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

thanks i think a new clutch cable is going to be ordered and hopefully a throttle cable too and this is valuable additional info, 

stevep197 Fri, 08/05/2020

thanks for the link that was really helpful, how do you know the correct part number for the carb as in h50/h60 etc. the only numbers on the carb that i can find are casting marks of what i think is a 26.

 

 

i suspect you know just because of years of experience but i just wondered. thanks steve

 

current part list are

new ht lead

new plug

carb re build kit and air filter

new oil  for engine which i believe is just SAE 30 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Litre-Lawn-Mower-Oil-4-Stroke-SAE-30-10W-30-Briggs-Stratton-Honda-Tecumseh/173141997299?epid=16028613933&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item28501136f3:g:6gAAAOSwMmhejECQ&enc=AQAEAAACYIQvEcHUrT7nmUC3yY5qbPyaBN1nJEDYW8MyypsJPgXKNJpkvJd843sBLRdhZ0zmMKIBkLc3Sn%2Brz5L1jwhO%2Fh6c57qJ7yKl7xr%2Bfc92hH8AWofm8OO%2FBzWDlGYKyfw6gFEtcLdXtrI9FzUIfdK5Egk2b%2FzxyYQsT5gsNAkpLOWMtey8UDVe1Unl%2FI9f7AzlPBmCQjaG9jRSvyRiNtwc3OcplrnVWWhuXrmfgtMVhzBsSOMVIanDZCaw09qlXT9ZWBIws8r6H8TMmh60jHiXmbOpQxsg8GFluIdZve7qatrA%2F57ZQ70HRjF2eSMARGg%2FkThf5EGfQrNIzh8rvvJVzkD%2FYyloC9TRY3eoDynElTm6PzdW%2BqLe1GnHe8qSxeJ1gaL35tGGDcs2qoNzr%2BEgTTyFPFlm%2Bnv%2BmXRsWJzEbAQ0PdyMWcGN26bby4EdwJUDH2eDhSp6ALGaOzv9AvL96YmqhxaGz5TfNIJGfNTVr7XwLHBCQTX51t9jyfL9dGNSLJwmlaPqkF0zsoVAPr42pqv9L0rn0ieI77W9N7CJJYUuHJOEz8OJvC%2F9zJ1SIdqZOjSLJ5KP3GCjVRd0Jh9i4LQ%2FPJ2sLKykiGiltJ86BZH%2FgWv%2F5a2wesHp9y717VEdfWXR8kzBPrx1kHSh9HZXPq%2BE2IbIW436SKQJAwI%2BFvpopwqAUx9dGCWiFM0wh12RQGd0wipz0%2BlO7oaZlQkGC5X6602bMCYunuevazKx%2BpAKqkO%2BdBgHUQA%2BqBCbnDrKAyXsNKaIhvtXIw9s8vKlEVwEQGNITqF33mXHbXhyXMyM&checksum=173141997299f25e40cf066944af89e6c79633b178f2