Adoom

Or dogs?

I found a manual. The cut height should be between 1.5" (40mm) and 4" (100mm). "The average lawn should be cut to 2.5" during the cool season and to over 3" during hot months". You could lose and elephant in that length of grass!!!? I've also got the tyre pressure way too high, should be only 12psi.

No test mow today. Couldn't find anywhere open that had the right oil filter. I got the oil though. The minimum cut height looks like it's about 50-60mm. Does that sound right? Or is that just my custom made deck?

So I worked on the deck today. I think I found the reason why it ate belts. The deck is not standard. There is a HUGE bolt that the clutch swing arm pivots on and it has two nuts locked together, they were on the top and getting in the way of the belt, I flipped the bolt around so the nuts are underneath after checking there was ample clearance from the blade. I also had to weld a handle on the bolt holding one of the blades on cause it was rounded. I sharpened the best one and put the other new one on. Then one of the deck hanging brackets broke. I didn't have any suitable steel to make a new one, so I just welded it. But it's all together! I tried engaging the blades. It sounds like it wants to take off! It was a bit late, so I'll do a test mow tomorrow if it's not raining. Oh yeh, I also drained the old black oil out, so I'll need to get some more oil when the shops open.

I had planned on working on the mower deck today... I got some R-clips to replace the split pins in the clevis pins that hold the deck on. I also got some replacement fuel hose and replaced the old perished hose. Then, for some reason I decided to remove the steering linkage from the left kingpin. I assumed there was a plastic bush that was worn down to nothing.... But it turned out, it was a metal bush. It was super loose because the two halves of the front crossmember had separated making the hole far too big. I couldn't clamp it closed while it was on the mower. So I took it off to put it in the vice. Then welded the shit out of it. The steering is better now. The top of the kingpin no longer rocks back and forth when you try turn.

95% sure it is not hydrostatic. It looks, on the outside, like all the geared gearboxes I have seen on youtube.

Nah. One large pulley on the gearbox input. All the gears live in the gearbox. I can't think of why it would not be engaged right away, unless there are a bunch of gear teeth missing?

Had a test ride just up the drive before it got dark. Initially there was no drive.... no matter the gear. Slipping belt???? So I lifted it back up, belt seemed fairly tight. I loosened the belt and tried turning the gearbox input pulley with it in gear. Pulley turns and wheels don't......!?!?!? How does this gearbox work?? I put it back down and tried again. Now it works. It starts with a jerk then slowwwwww. Is that normal?

My belts arrived today. I had time to install the drive belt tonight. Greased some of the dry rusty pivot joint bits and the steering. Adjusted the brake/clutch pushrod. Brakes seem to work with a little bit of pushing in the garage. I should have time tomorrow night for a test drive and a proper brake test.

So I got that replacement bearing. I knocked the old bearing out of its ring thing... it was in a ring thing. Noticed that the ring was "shimmed" with spots of braze.... Hmmmm. Oh well, knocked the ring onto the new bearing. Started putting the adjuster thing back together and thought "how can this work....? There is nothing to stop the bearing from spinning on this bush." Hmmm, the bush is a bit cracked... those aren't cracks! That's grain! It's made from WOOD?! And the bolt is a coachbolt. Sigh. I think I will make a new bush that can actually clamp the bearing center.

Can anyone recommend the cheapest place for kevlar belts? Prices I have found are $60 to $70 each.

Did some work. Took the Mower deck off. Jacked the front end up intending to put some axle stands under it. But then this happened. FYI: It has a tow bar that's stopping it going any further back. I used a ratchet tie down to pull the cracks in the frame closed. It took hardly any effort at all. Welded the outside of the crack and plated the rear with some flat bar I had lying around. Chucked some paint on there that was left over from the mini bike. The underside and brakes were coated in loads of grass and muck. Most of it came off with the hose. Also welded a broken bracket here. Forgot to paint it.... Took the brake off to clean. One of the pins was totally seized, I had to press it out with the vice. But seems to work now. Needs some adjustment though. The drive belt is super fucked. Definitely need to replace it. There is an idler/guide pulley that does not look factory. They have used an UNSEALED?! bearing that's totally seized and missing some balls. You can see where the belt had been rubbing on it.

Does the oil or fuel not leak out when you have it on such an angle?

Yarp, got that foot pedal. Internet and parts explosion says it has brakes. I guess they are worn/seized/not connected. Will investigate tomorrow.

Nah, it's just a plain V belt. Haven't lifted it up high enough to see the blades yet.

I'm not sure if this is worthy of a project thread. I got this mower for $250 buy now. Seemed cheap. Picked it up this morning. It had been sitting in a farm shed for ages. All the tyres were flat. I pumped them up and they seem to be holding air, they are full of cracks. Had to remove this wheel to fit it on the trailer. I JUST fit it in the garage. Both sides of the frame are cracked just behind the engine. V-TWIN! No idea how old it is. I think they made this model from 1990 to 2003. The Bonnet thing is missing. It has a big steel bumper now. The battery is stuffed, need a new one. I fucked around for ages trying to jump it off the racecar, but my shitty supercheap jumper cables just started melting. I could only get the engine do do part of a rotation.... So I connected the battery directly and discovered that the problem was that the ignition cuts out when you turn the key too far?! I chucked some gas in it. Still no go. Checked fuel was coming out of the pump. Drained the float bowl. SUCCESS!! It's alive!!! No smoke. It has drive. Doesn't seem to have brakes... The pedal only seems to disengage the drive by taking tension off the drive belt. WTF am I supposed to do on a hill????? Things to do: Replace the fucked fuel hose. Use the big ratchet ties to try close up those cracks and weld some plates over them. New battery(racecar battery is too tall). Replace the front left kingpin bush, it's totally shagged and making the steering have massive amounts of play. Tighten all the loose bolts. Find out why it shreds the belt(according to seller). I think he's just put it on wrong maybe?

I got mine done there. It was a breeze. Nothing to remedy.

Why not find a radiator that fits?

I do not have an odometer. My speedo is actually a rev counter, with a speedo face, driven by the Link ecu. I have had a number of wofs like that at one place. and have since got a new cert + wof at a different place. The lack of odometer was never mentioned.

I pulled the springs and shocks out the back with the car on axle stands and the diff head supported by the jack with some rags on it to reduce noise from there. After bouncing it around a bit and using the mechanics stethoscope/screwdriver I decided that the noise was from the lower left rod end. I already cleaned and greased the rod end and bolt on the top left. I did the lower one too and it didn't fix it. I think the cause might have been the lower arm was adjusted a few mm too long so when it moved it got way more force on it. I slacked off the adjusters on that arm and adjusted it until it was in the middle of the loose area. I also thought about putting some of the friction modifier I had into the LSD to try shut up the chatter, but it was already at overflowing and the oil looked milky so I want to change the diff oil soon as. I'm not sure how the diff oil gets water in it.... it's been sitting in the garage for 2 years. It very rarely gets wet... Where does the water come from????? Well, I took it for a test drive up to Kaitoke and the noise appears to be gone... for now.

Yep, I know that one. I think it's in the Haynes.... But afaik it's for the bonded rubber bushes since they cannot rotate in their housings.

I had a similar thought last night. But it should last some time without having to be regreased I think...

Easier to hammer in the nail jobbies?

Just dropped it back at STM for the road tune. I wonder if there will be a noticeable difference between the "ignition retarded for safety, to get it legal" and after the road tune. And OH GAAAAAAAD!!!, the SQUEAKING RATTLE!!!!! My new theory is that the trailing link urethane bush is dry and it's making all the noise.... maybe

Picked up the Starvia this morning from the certifier in Carterton. Test drove/ran in the engine driving back to Upper Hutt via Pahiatua -> Palmerston North. The twisty bits were good fun, but the loooooooonnnng straights not so much. By around 150km I'd had enough of the road noise and had to put on the ear defenders that I brought with me for exactly this reason. By about 200km my eyeballs were starting to melt and the ear defenders were crushing my skull. 250km, I was a couple of minutes from home, I removed my ear defenders and it was an EXPLOSION OF LOUDNESS!!!! And I thought I could do all of the ~500km run in on one day. LOL. Next job is to try find the annoying loud rattle. There is not much it could be, I think it's the muffler touching the spare wheel well as there is only half a gnats nut clearance.