Suffolk Colt Mower.

Hi,

I've just enjoyed a session in the workshop making progress reassembling the mower. I placed an old folded up bedsheet on the bench top to protect the mowers new paintwork. I've never stripped or worked on one of these mowers previously so I'm making it up as I go along. I'm used to this kind of machine work though and I wondered the best way to start assembly; I was in for a fight whichever way so to make life a whole lot easier I placed the non drive side of the mower outer side down on the sheet; working on my own I really needed lots more hands; drum; cylinder; four frame rods and bottom blade all to align at once boy this was going to be fun; by trial and error I found that if I loosely installed the drum; cylinder and bottom blade then drop in the four frame rods I could gently position the drive side casting; to save endless frustration in alignment I pulled up each rod in turn adding a washer then nut only screwing the nut on a couple of turns to hold the rod; now I could just shuffle the casting around until it went as far as it could aided by gravity; this located everything correctly so now to tip the mower as a unit onto it's drum doing this gently so as not to let anything pop out of position because the other four rod washers and nuts still needed installing.

With all the rod washers and nuts in position I could take my time tightening the nuts but only a bit at a time whilst I kept checking both the cylinder and drum where freely rotating; to simply go ahead and nip the nuts down randomly there is always a very high risk of breaking castings.

I had cleaned and oiled the bearings also I had reinstalled the cylinder adjusters with their springs and adjusting machine screws before starting the main assembly; it's worth noting the drum has a spacer at each end on its shaft; these spacers must not be forgotten and they are installed with the "cup" towards the drum; the cup covers the drum weld; to place this incorrectly could jam the drum and quite possible fracture the casting as the frame rod nuts are tightened; impatience must be avoided during reassembly because to rush the job could render it only as scrap; I've had a lifetime's practice working on machinery.

Kind regards, Colin.


I've never attempted reassembly of one of these mowers so here's how I did it; bedsheet on bench to protect the new paint then use gravity rather than fighting gravity; cylinder; bottom blade and four frame rods dropped into position; the rods not having washers or nuts. now the drum was also dropped into position; don't forget to install the cylinder bearings or it will all have to come apart again; no I didn't find this out the hard way.


Everything very carefully aligned the four rods each in turn were lifted then a washer and nut added to each but the nut only on by a couple of threads; this allowed the other end of each rod to engage its respective hole; the drum; cylinder and blade have to be all installed together as has the four frame rods so I was pleased to get it all together without too much trouble or frustration.



With all the frame rod washers and nuts on I could then gently tighten each a little at a time ensuring everything came together without binding; I kept checking for binding by turning the drum and cylinder; if either of these refuse to turn then it's time to stop and find the reason otherwise a frame casting could easily be broken.


When I went into the workshop this morning I didn't like the idea of installing the rough looking drum and I didn't want to spend another day waiting for green enamel paint to dry so I degreased the drum ends then rubbed the entire drum down with coarse abrasive paper; with the drum dusted off it was then blown over with rattle can primer and the drum placed outside in the rare hot sun to let the primer dry; gloss black was then sprayed on from a rattle can this time I placed the drum in my Graduate lathe tool post whilst the paint dried during dinner time. After dinner reassembly could begin.



Here is the drum supported in the Graduate lathe tool post.

 

It's looking good Retired! It's also beginning to look like a mower again now you're re-building.

 

Hi,

Many thanks Sheal; it's going to be a shame to get it dirty.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

When you've re-built it I think you should have it as your avatar.

 

Hi,

Many thanks Sheal for your suggestion; it would be a fitting avatar indeed.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Hi,

Today I've been on a mission; to move this project foward apace and I've just knocked off feeling pleased. Plenty of lubrication was applied where needed.

Kind regards, Colin.


Chain drives and clutches installed; how strange that two circlips went walk about and I couldn't find them at all; I'm usually very careful with such small components but given the amount of doom and gloom I've worked in I'm not at all surprised. Not a problem though because I've got boxes of assorted circlips.


This is now looking more like it; still a few components to install like carburettor and starting mechanism. All nuts and screw heads will be touched in with paint. I didn't repaint the engine because it's been difficult enough painting in poor light conditions with shadows everywhere.


Doing a bit of cylinder sharpening using my cordless drill to spin the cylinder.



Very posh; I splashed out on a pair of new decals bought from Australia through eBay. The clutch will be painted shortly.


I've got a few spare circlips these just being a few.



A method I use at times to drive sockets or anything with an 1/2" square drive; I cut the socket end off a short square drive extension so now I can mount it in a drill.



Front view; wooden rollers still to sort out.

 

Hi,

I've enjoyed another session on the mower this morning. When I bought the mower the starting handle and cord were fully out just hanging; when I stripped the unit out the starter dog was locked solid jammed by the machine screw having become displaced. I've now sorted this out; installing the recoil spring was a lot of fun in the end I had a browse of the web to see which way the spring was wound so to save other's the same frustration here's a picture;



These springs can be dangerous especially to eyes so a lot of care is needed whilst fighting them.

With the starter unit rebuilt and well lubricated it was installed; I can now spin the engine using the starter but on the bench the engine takes some pulling over due to plenty of compression which is a good thing showing the decoke and valve job sorting out the initial lack of compression. I used abrasive pad; wire brush then Solvol Autosol for the final polish on the aluminium housing of the starter unit;


The starter unit showing corrosion.


I've been using this excellent polish for over 50 years. A little goes a long way.



It must be many years since this mower was pulled over using the starting handle; I've also filled the engine with good quality oil.



I don't think I'll be reinstalling these without doing a bit of work; the shaft is very rusty indeed and not just on its surface. Just another little job to sort out.

 

Hi,

Yesterday I chucked the wooden rollers in the Graduate lathe and used coarse 60g abrasive paper to tidy them up then I gave then a good soaking in linseed oil. The rusty rod is now replaced with a new rod and the rollers installed. The handles were fitted with the control & cable.

With fuel added to the tank and the new fuel tap turned on nothing happened so off with the carburettor and clear the blockage; now fuel reached the carburettor but the carburettor kept flooding it being a needle jet/float problem but undaunted this mower was going to fire up today.

The mower is now running and sounds very well indeed but I had to keep turning the petrol on and off; just a small problem to sort out but also a bigger problem too; the black paint dissolves in petrol so I'll repaint the petrol tank and engine cowl; just an irritation and I never ever suspected this auto paint would be attacked with petrol but another lesson learnt the hard way; I'm very impressed by the mower though given it's very bad condition when I brought it home; it's got a lot of compression and fires up with a hefty tug. The grass box still needs derusting and painting but it's now a nice working mower.

What a wonderful way to pass a bit of time.

Kind regards, Colin.


One of the roller wing nuts was broken but I have plenty of such spares.






The black paint will be replaced by paint which repels petrol also I'll be touching up bits like the clutch and the grass box will take some time and effort it being very rusty indeed; A lovely mower though and built to a higher standard than modern tinny mowers.

 

Hi,

Early this morning I was into the workshop to sort out the flooding carburettor; this didn't at first go to plan; with the carburettor bowl removed I could inspect the float/needle valve unit and the needle seat; I polished the needle until it shone using my cordless drill to spin the needle whilst I applied Solvol Autosol polish with a soft cloth; having sprayed with brake cleaner to remove the Solvol I wasn't amused to find the carburettor was just as bad still flooding.

Out with the needle/float and needle seat once again I really did inspect them and found that the needle tip wasn't making contact at all with its seat so no wonder it was flooding all the time. New needle/float units are available for about £12 but I wasn't going to be beaten after all I've been working on engines for over 50 years. Looking at the needle seat I decided to skim a bit off in my engineering lathe but still couldn't stop it flooding then it suddenly occurred to me has the needle actually moved within the float?

Yes it had so now I had to adjust the needle by using a light hammer and tapping on the needle's blunt end to expose more of the pointed end of the needle; I did this in stages checking until the carburettor stopped flooding then I had the correct height of petrol in the float chamber? what a puzzler this was; I've never handled one of these plastic floats with the needle through it before and it took a while to realize the float had moved axially on the needle. A tip well worth knowing and I bet many new units have been sold because of this fault.

I fired the mower up and although it was running I wondered if the fuel height was correct in the bowl and at first thought of ways of checking but then I found replacement needle/float units very cheap on eBay;

Carburettor Carb Float Fits ZENITH SUFFOLK QUALCAST | eBay

At less than £6 it's just not worth the time and effort to experiment; the fuel height needs to be correct and I can't be bothered browsing the web looking for needle float dimensions.

It's Rufforth Auto Jumble once again this Saturday so I'll be on the lookout for some decent black gloss paint that repels petrol; I still need to restore the grass box which is in terrible condition but most of the works is now completed.

We've suffered a power cut tonight so I can't even sit down to watch the TV in peace.

Kind regards, Colin.


Gently polishing the needle.


Not the easiest of problems to find but I'm very nosy and knew to look for the unexpected; the seat should not abut the float like this because no way could it cut the petrol flow hence the carburettor flooding; at first I thought it would be just a case of removing a bit of metal from the seat using the lathe?


The seat chucked in the lathe.



Now with clearance and the needle seating correctly the carburettor still flooded but I don't quit so I needed to try something else; out of curiosity I placed the float against vice daws and gently tapped the blunt end of the needle; I was amazed to see the needle move so here was the actual problem; the needle had moved axially within the float which I've never ever seen previously; even with the clearance shown between seat and float the carburettor still flooded but by now I was gaining a lot of useful experience; in the bowl there is a very small hole near the top; when petrol reaches this hole it is allowed to vent hence the flooding even with the needle now fully seating; the height of the float on the needle now was the problem; by experimentation I kept lowering the float until the petrol cut off before the carburettor flooded which solved that problem but now the problem is what should be the correct fuel height in the bowl? I know I could resolve this problem but it would take more time and although I'm retired my time is valuable; I love to experiment but this time of the year I need to spend on outdoor jobs so for once I decided to buy a new needle/float unit. Just the black paint to replace and the grass box to sort out then job finished. Nice mower though and a very interesting project; I've gone on at length about the carburettor because the problem of the flooding was so very unusual.

 

Very interesting problems Colin! And I find it strange that the auto paint couldn't withstand petrol! Fiddling with carbs these days must be a dying art - everything else is injection . Or electric.

 

Hi,

Thanks CarolineL; I really did get caught out with the UPOL paint; I wrongly assumed it being sold on a car paint stall it would be fine totally unaware petrol would attack it; if anything can go wrong it will certainly go wrong for me and although these problems I regard as learning curves I should have been an expert years ago; I can't let my guard down at all as in this case or I get bitten. The paint is excellent and I use lots of it but this is the first time I've used it where petrol can spill onto it;

Power Can Professional Spray Paint Aerosols

https://www.u-pol.com/files/20198/up0803-TDS-EN

I'm just showing my age playing around with old engines and carburettors etc; younger guys have more sense than to dirty their hands after all they can sit in comfort watching someone kick or knock a ball around on TV? Yes even electric lawnmowers these days and some of these are automatic all that's needed is to lift one's feet out of the way whilst sitting daydreaming in the garden. :rasp:

I'm set in my ways so dirty hands are the way to go for me. It's Rufforth Auto Jumble again this Saturday and I hope the stall holder who sold me this Colt has already sold the second Colt he had on his stall otherwise I'll need to be wearing blinkers; I'll take along my camera just in case he's on site again to show him the mower as it now is.

I finally sat down with Bron last night to watch Police Interceptors on TV at 8 o'clock; a 15 minute power cut stopped this. This morning I went down to the car and a pterodactyl had done a bombing run on the car; only yesterday I washed and dried the car; we set off to The Range in Barnsley and caught 7 out of 7 traffic lights all turning amber then red just as we approached; I even have these on dash cam; with my luck if I tried to shoot myself I'd surely miss.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

That's a fine job you've made of the mower Retired, despite the last minute issues with the carb and the paintwork. When it's finished and if you have any lawn left in your garden, I'd like if possible to see a picture or two of the cut it gives please.

I've noticed it's now installed as your avatar.

 

Colin - isn't that the second power cut you've mentioned in your thread? Are you out in the countryside? We used to get cuts when the farmers turned on the grain dryers - the local substation couldn't handle it

 

Hi,

Thanks Sheal; yes I thought your suggestion very fitting that I use the Colt as my avatar; it's definitely on topic. I think it highly unlikely that I'll be able to post any worthwhile pictures of quality of cut using the Colt; our garden is very steep and uneven; I use petrol rotary mowers and these give a very mixed cut leaving patches of grass at least 2" tall or scalped at ground level; I had initially thought the Colt would be an improvement especially as it is self propelled but now I think the drum should be fitted with chains to give traction or modify it to four wheel drive? It's not at all easy living here with the steepness of our site and how exposed it is to extremes of climate but we love it; it's our home.

Thanks for asking CarolineL; we've been OK for quite a while regarding power cuts; a few years ago the power would go off; flash back on a few times then go off for up to four hours at any time of the year; it used to be infuriating because when it goes off then comes back on I've the clocks and phone to reset then it goes off again; a short while ago the power went off briefly then came back on but this time it went off; flashed a couple of times then off for 15 minutes; it's even more infuriating when I've spent a while composing a post or email only to lose them. Still I can't complain because I'm still here.

I'll be popping into the workshop later and I'll take a picture of the paint on the petrol tank also I'll have a good look at the paint details on the rattle can; I've used this type of paint for years without problem but never exposed it to petrol? "Always read the label" not me I haven't the time being much too busy.

I might just paint the whole mower green because I have lots of the machinery green paint to hand; the only problem of course being colour blind as I am if I let go of the mower on the grass I might lose the mower.

An edit because I've now been into the workshop to take more details of the paint.

The UPOL paint is unusual in that it doesn't state on the can what kind of paint it is; the details though give a clue as to why I've experienced problems using it; "Danger contains acetone; solvent naphtha (petroleum) light arom toluene; n-butyl acetate; ethyl methyl ketone; not friendly stuff at all. It does state clearly Professional use only.

Kind regards, Colin.


All the hard work destroyed so easily just by a simple petrol spill; this having only filled the tank once; just another little wind up but life's like this.



The UPOL paint I used; it's actually excellent paint but definitely not to be used where it's exposed to petrol.



The arcforce machinery gloss enamel the green I used; it was rather cold in the workshop so this enamel took a bit of applying it being thick; I didn't have correct thinners so I applied it as quickly as possible; it does state on the tin it's quick drying and they aren't kidding.

 

It's a shame you can't use the mower on your own ground. With respect after making such a good job of the restoration it would be a shame to spoil it by making it four wheel drive.