Is anyone else being driven insane by mowers that don't cut ?

[catshamlet]

Thongs over there and thongs over 'ere are two completely different things. For the sake of harmony, please don't let Shane wear the English version.

But if anyone's got some sly photos it'd be entertainin'



Mike.

 

[alexander]

way, and replacing them with suitably shortened inner parts of bike brake cables; the thin steel cable stuff. Fancied doing the same to the strimmer (whipper snipper in your pants?) but never got round to it.

Mike.

i dont fancy the idea of a whipper snipper in my pants, but if it involved something in my pants, i would call that 'strumming' rather than 'strimming'.

 

[catshamlet]

Bollocks. I've never owned a guitar.



ike.

 

[pugrambo]

either way the missus does the mowing

i even went and bought her a wheel barrow yesterday, she was delighted

now all i have to do is get her into the aviaries and see if she can dig some dirt out and lay concrete. I mat be pushing things a little far though on that one :roflmao:

 

[craigos]

Toetal graphic warning

I had a fight with a lawnmower a couple of years ago. Chinese safety boot fail! I wonder if my Volleys would have saved me the trouble?

The biggest problem that I have with my Victa is the float filling up with fuel and draining all the fuel out of the primer bulb. I have replaced the float 4 times in 2 years.

The thing must be 20 years old and has been passed through many hands before landing on my step. Cuts a mean blade of grass but you need a sense of humour to put up with its constant carry on!

 

[DoubleChevron]

Well I got tired of repairing the mower all the time. the paddock is quite rough, to the point where I'm fatigue cracking the mower chassis and breaking the front wheel spindals I'd often have the front wheels bounce completely off the ground...

I thought the answer was obviously a tractor. If I could find a cheap tired tractor, I wouldn't need to be fixing the mower all the time. It sure did work well. I haven't needed to fix the mower since the tractor has been here.

fixing tractors is easier and cheaper than fixing mowers right :roflmao: I'm great at buying stuff right

 

[Roger Wilkinson]

Hey Shane,

I have an IH AD-154 engine service manual you can copy if you need one. Those engines are pretty tough.

Roger

 

[DoubleChevron]

Hey Shane,

I have an IH AD-154 engine service manual you can copy if you need one. Those engines are pretty tough.

Roger

Thanks Roger,

If you can get the damn thing running, it still runs nicely with no smoke at all when warm running under load (eg: 5foot slasher). What has happened is it's just crawled around a vineyard for the last few decades at idle ... dragging blades, digging holes etc... with no thermostat in it. I've taken it home, and found it doesn't get over 50degrees even running a slasher in heavy grass .... So I fitted a thermostat... And it's become harder and start to the point where I couldn't get it to run. What's happened is it's run at normal operating speed and normal running temperature for the first time in probably 20years .... And when I whipped the head off I found the compression rings broken on 3 of the cylinders. No doubt they smacked the lips at the top of the liners and broke. There is 2 other compression rings and 2 oil scraper rings, so *if* you could get it to start, it still ran really well and still didn't blow any smoke(weird right ).

It's not a huge drama... checkout the price of a rebuild kit. It's cheaper than rebuilding a B&S motor on a ride on mower (bizarre or what).

IFK4444 In Frame Rebuild Kit IH A414 B414 434 Tractor International BD154 Engine | eBay

So I'll just throw an "in frame" kit into the motor. And cross my fingers and hope the bottom end is ok. Given it still runs fine if you can start it, I figure it'll be ok.

The internet sure has made this stuff easy. The service manual don't include any of the detailed knowledge and nothing on the motor, it says "see the motor manual". here they are here. It looks like have purchased all of these manuals already though

International B-275 Diesel Tractor

The internet makes this stuff simpler still



seeya,
Shane L.

 

[Roger Wilkinson]

That manual you linked to is for the 144 engine, which is similar but not identical to the 154 engine in your tractor.

A top end rebuild is certainly worth a try.

Those engines are indirect injection and take a lot of glow plug heating before they will start cold. If you want an easy starting diesel you have to pay the extra for a Massey Ferguson with a Perkins engine.

Roger

 

[jaahn]

Hmmm !

Hi Shane
Broken top rings ?? not the ridge as they accomodated that as they wore in together. IMHO probably the last operator using excessive starting fluid to get it going instead of the correct procedure with heaters :nownow: Be warned when you get your new Kit in and running. Get the heaters working properly.

The kit seems well priced and if you drop the sump then you can fit the big ends too. Not so easy on a tractor sump. I would probably just hone the bores and fit new rings but I am a tight arse. Valve grind and get the injectors done. Not worth doing more unless there is a specific problem. Would work OK and see you out.

Note Roger, not all the MF Perkins were direct injection. The early models were not.
Jaahn

 

[DoubleChevron]

That manual you linked to is for the 144 engine, which is similar but not identical to the 154 engine in your tractor.

A top end rebuild is certainly worth a try.

Those engines are indirect injection and take a lot of glow plug heating before they will start cold. If you want an easy starting diesel you have to pay the extra for a Massey Ferguson with a Perkins engine.

Roger

Thanks Roger,

Yes, I found about 1.5minutes on the glow plugs was the magic number. the last owner(s) all just used starting fluid (which is what I reckon has done the weird looking damage/lips at the top of the bores). There is also find cracks in the face of the pre-combustion chambers (which I'm wondering is also from the shock forces of ether starting).

This is what you want if you need to start it in winter....

MONARK Quick start Set for MERCEDES 200 D /8 - OM 615 4x glow plug glow plug | eBay

pencil type plugs 12volt plugs. It'll probably be a 30second glow rather than 3 minutes if it's 5 degrees outside!

seeya
Shane L.

 

[Roger Wilkinson]

That's interesting, John. Those early 3-152 Perkins diesels may have been indirect injection but they still seemed to start more easily than the 4 cylinder Standard diesels they replaced in the 35.

Roger

 

[DoubleChevron]

Hi Shane
Broken top rings ?? not the ridge as they accomodated that as they wore in together. IMHO probably the last operator using excessive starting fluid to get it going instead of the correct procedure with heaters :nownow: Be warned when you get your new Kit in and running. Get the heaters working properly.

The kit seems well priced and if you drop the sump then you can fit the big ends too. Not so easy on a tractor sump. I would probably just hone the bores and fit new rings but I am a tight arse. Valve grind and get the injectors done. Not worth doing more unless there is a specific problem. Would work OK and see you out.

Note Roger, not all the MF Perkins were direct injection. The early models were not.
Jaahn

Good guess... Yes the previous owner was using starting fluid. It has gotten progressively harder to start and had lots of engine blowby I hadn't noticed when I bought it ... So I just reckon it's broken the compression rings over the last couple of months running the slasher.. I think the kit will be cheaper than paying an engineering shop money to bore the liners out (which would then entail buying oversize pistons). There is also "weird" colouring half way down the cylinders. I reckon using ether to start it must also fire the cylinders than aren't on there compression stroke creating this damage.

You can even see the lips on the top of the cylinders in the photos. See the weird colour ? I tried to use "start ya bastard" to move it into the shed to pull it down. Even that wouldn't start it though ( it was trying to start on one cylinder as there it only one without broken compression rings). The glow plug system on it works fine.... The previous owners just didn't use them ( Doh! ) I don't think people that own modern diesel cars understand 5 seconds isn't long enough. It's more like 2->4minutes if it's cold out ( by which time your hand and fingers are aching from holding the key down).

 

[Roger Wilkinson]

Shane, the glow plugs work fine when everything is right. My 444 takes about 30 seconds of glow when it's cold.

Roger

 

[DoubleChevron]

That's interesting, John. Those early 3-152 Perkins diesels may have been indirect injection but they still seemed to start more easily than the 4 cylinder Standard diesels they replaced in the 35.

Roger

I looked around at them. All the forum posts about diesel 35's said get the 3cylinder, not the 4 as it's a horrible mongrel thing to start in cold weather They are all certainly worth good money still !

 

[DoubleChevron]

Shane, the glow plugs work fine when everything is right. My 444 takes about 30 seconds of glow when it's cold.

Roger

Interesting, are you running 12volt glow plugs? The owners manual says they need 1minute minimum when new! Yours must have very, very good compression to start that easily

BTW: It's intesesting what Jaahn says about injectors. I said to my grandfather yesterday. "I have an old diesel tractor in bits". His comment was "Best to lap the injectors while it's apart"....... "Er, you mean valves don't you ??" ..... "No, the injectors"....

I'll be damned. I googled it when I got home.

http://vincewaldon.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=28

I'd never have dreamt of touching an injector. My grandfather was a diesel mechanic that worked on pretty much anything and everything, trucks, tractors, cars, etc.... anything with any sort of motor. Most of it would have been in the era of this tractor. He's 90years old now and has no interest in even looking at anything let alone working on it.

seeya,
Shane L.

 

[jaahn]

Shane
I might recommend that you take the injectors to an old style diesel shop and they will do all that. Then check them on their tester for leakage and pressure setting. Be a new motor to start and run after. Make as much difference as the new rings possibly.

If you wish to spend your valuable time doing it yourself then be very careful. If you get the grinding paste(flour) in the barrel it will be curtains. Never to come out again.

The pre-combustion chambers always have cracks in them when old. Leave them alone and they will be OK if not visably failing badly. The head gasket holds them in tight. Do not use the heaters and the starter fluid together !

PS I did NOT SAY BORE the sleeves out. Just hone them to get the new rings to bed in and remove the funny marks. I have done an old diesel bus motor that had badly scored bores after a full seisure because of loss of water on the highway. I just honed the bores in situ and new rings. Had to file the ring grooves to get the new rings to fit and be free and working. I did it as I needed to drive it to move it etc, it had done some hundreds of Ks. Great starter after and no smoke etc. Put the heaters on for 30secs and go. I had to convince the new buyer some years later that it was a very second hand motor and should not be considered as good as it looked and sounded.

Jaahn

 

[DoubleChevron]

Shane
I might recommend that you take the injectors to an old style diesel shop and they will do all that. Then check them on their tester for leakage and pressure setting. Be a new motor to start and run after. Make as much difference as the new rings possibly.

If you wish to spend your valuable time doing it yourself then be very careful. If you get the grinding paste(flour) in the barrel it will be curtains. Never to come out again.

The pre-combustion chambers always have cracks in them when old. Leave them alone and they will be OK if not visably failing badly. The head gasket holds them in tight. Do not use the heaters and the starter fluid together !

PS I did NOT SAY BORE the sleeves out. Just hone them to get the new rings to bed in and remove the funny marks. I have done an old diesel bus motor that had badly scored bores after a full seisure because of loss of water on the highway. I just honed the bores in situ and new rings. Had to file the ring grooves to get the new rings to fit and be free and working. I did it as I needed to drive it to move it etc, it had done some hundreds of Ks. Great starter after and no smoke etc. Put the heaters on for 30secs and go. I had to convince the new buyer some years later that it was a very second hand motor and should not be considered as good as it looked and sounded.

Jaahn

Have a look. You don't touch the nozzles ... and don't use grinding paste. Interesting for sure. I can't re-use the sleeves. i'm sure the lip at the top of them would break the compression rings as soon as you started using it again The kit to fit new rings an gaskets is about $250 from memory. it seems crazy to go through all the effort and not put new pistons in there given the modest cost

if you didn't click the ebay link

$440 for the top end rebuild kit.

seeya,
Shaen L.

 

[garyk]

Stuff that doesn't work.... Hmmmm.
Most of it.

Just about anything these days bought from the discount joints, or off the net... or elsewhere.
My list includes:

Scissors.
Phone cables.
Electrical parts.
Jumper leads.
Stuff in tubes that goes off after one use. Ditto many other products in plastic bottles, tubes ...
Glue that doesn't stick.
Sticky tape that isn't ... (unless you mean "to itself" which it does very readily, but not much else).
Sticky tape that always shreds rather than unrolling at full width.
Masking tape that splits and doesn't adhere well.
Self annealing tape that doesn't.
Self adhering anything that doesn't.
Screws ... that break off heads as soon as a modicum of tightness is reached.
(Or the driver bit strips first).
Ditto bolts, nuts, etc.
Nails that bend.
Insect repellant that doesn't.

Pens ! (Every time I get one out the box, it has ceased to write).
Now, you inspect the $2 housing and find that even when new, the ink in the reservoir is 1/15th of the way up even when it was new...

Shavers, or anything much with a blade.
Government bureaucrats that you rely on for anything.
Many tools that fail quickly, or work very poorly right from the outset.
Driver bits that strip under any duress.
Brushes that shed hairs.
Residual insecticides that have no residual effect.
Cleaners that don't clean.
Sewing thread that breaks when pulled tight.

Any organisation that tells you that you are valuable then treats you like abject shit, and keeps you on hold
for 45 mins telling you how great their products/service is.

Automated telephone answering sequences that reads you twelve pages of "info" (including how you can go
to the website, which you have done, to get the phone number you are now ringing) and finally gets to option #100 which should
have been #1 ("to speak to someone...press 99").

Tech drafting pens that constipate after the first drawing.
Most machines that have a couple of cheap plastic bits that govern 99% of the operation and which break
after two uses, rendering the expensive machine useless..

Spray cans:
a) where the nozzle clogs, or:
b) the plastic stem snaps at the slightest sideways look.
c) that give up half way through.

Packets of fresh nuts that aren't.

I'm sure there are many more to be outed.

 

[Peter C]

There could be a whole thread on that subject