Oz's travels.

Phil and I was waiting to load outside EMR metals Smethwick. Phil was out the cab talking to Alan, another driver at Holloways, I noticed a Transit recovery vehicle turn into EMR with this tractor sat on the back. I banged the window an pointed. Phil looked where I was pointing an shot off in hot pursuit. I watched him in discussion with driver an next minute they was lifting it off the back an Phil was pushing it round by the weighbridge. I looked at Alan an he was laughing his head off. Phil then shot back to the lorry all excited an Said "Guess how much I bought it for?" I said Pass, Phil then Shouted "£20". I was amazed.

But then I thought.... WHO'S GERNER BE WORKING ON IT?

A big thank you go's to Matt Holloway who very kindly lent us the works pickup to collect it an bring it back to the yard.

This is one of the original tyres that was on the tractor when we bought it, it was flat and had perished. So a shufty on ebay found a better pair.

The cutting deck works but looks a bit ropy, so to have a proper look I decided to take it off. Moving the belt guide and the belt, then a removel of the two bolts on the front and the cutting deck drops down. A gentle slide forward off the rear mount an then the hole thing can slide out.

It dose look a bit a bit ropy but it is complete and works. You can by a repro deck that is made slightly better then the original, so I will be looking it to that.

Next job is to fit a new drive belt.

The back axle needs to be removed to fit the belt over the rear pulley. I first took off the grass deflector that hangs under the back axle. Then undo the 4 bolts holding the back axle. Oh yer plus the four bolts of the two front brackets. Two of the bolt on the front brackets were holding the grass deflector on, so I already had removed them. Oh having a Brummie screw driver (A hammer)nearby is always handy.

Once nuts are removed the tractor was lowered, I then got a small bottle jack under the backend and lifted the body of the tractor off the rear axle enough to lift the PTO shaft out of the back end and enough clearance to remove the belt.

Two jockey pulleys removed an the old belt was ripped out.

Then the careful job feeding the new belt back in.

There you go belt into place. the jockey pulleys (top right of the photo) also put in.

Bolts cleaned up an placed in, then the body was lowered. Nuts on and tightened, job done. I wont be fitting the grass deflector yet, I want to replace the rubber deflector, so I will be taking that home an do it in the shed.

Ahh a comfy seat to relax after all that work I have done.

Another close inspection of the cutting deck, topside.

And underneath, it don't look good.

Two Jobs that was done after Phil bought it was a new bit of rubber fuel pipe between the tank an the carburettor, cuz the old one was like a tea bag...

"IT LET THE PETROL FLOOD OUT!"

I also had to buy a new battery, the original one the plates had broken up inside.

A Briggs and Stratton 11hp four stroke air-cooled petrol engine.

Righty ho, now I've got the grass deflector back to the shed, the bolts were seized so I nipped them off with the Dremel.

That's it off.

Phil has allsorts of stuff he collected over the years, he had bangon the right size bit of rubber.

I placed the old bit on top an marked it out.

Now here is a fantastic tip on cutting rubber, this was told to me by Steve Knight and James Yardley while I was down at the Great Dorset Steam Fair (2016). When cutting rubber have a sharp knife and a pot of water. Dip the blade in the water an start cutting. Don't let the blade dry out, cut a bit, dip in the water and cut a bit more, dip in the water, so on an so forth....... easy peasy, you will be surprised.

With help from a screw driver to open the channel an a hammer to tap down the rubber, I slid in the new deflector.

Drilled out the bolts holes.

Bolts pushed through an nuts/washers on and tightened up.

Another job knocked off the list.

When I replaced the drive belt, I noticed the plastic Jockey pulley had a nasty grove in it. I bought a replacement pulley to replace it.

Tightening up the brakes.

A quick replacement was the spark plug cap. The other one looked ruff so I bunged one that is waterproof.

James Yardley's tractor puller Noise Pollution has a petrol V8 engine. the exhaust pipes are short bits of pipe straight off the manifold.

I wondered what my tractor would sound like if I did the same. I found a bit of exhaust pipe on ebay with the same mounting, slight cut and shut, and a bit of dodgy welding by Phil and I bolted it on.

We filmed it. Not too bad.

Another part arrived, A powered sweeper grass box. Purchased off ebay but it has a problem, its slightly seized.

The fold over clips that hold it to the back of the tractor were seized up number one. A dose of penetrating fluid an my small prise bar loosened a bit.

Start of the strip down. The belt guard surprised me, the bolt snapped when I tried to undo it and when I lifted the guard off a load of dirt an rust fell out.

A few more rusty bolts later I had striped it down to the serious problems.

The main sweeper bearing is a non turner.

Aswell as the idler pulleys.

Ok then, a slight tap, well it became a few hard wallops with a my size sledge hammer an a bar to knock it out.

You are meant to be able to remove the bearing off the shaft, this one is a no no. Looks like it'll be buy a new one then, "Phil get yer wallet out mate!"

This one turns ok so we will leave this one alone for now.

Next is the idler pulleys.

Yep just the same, seized solid. We have all ready got the bearings, but the shaft in the middle is knackered...... "Phil guess what?"

Removal of the safety cover of the pto input was also rusted up.

The bar might do, but I'm sure that Phil has the right bit of metal in his shed to make another one.

Removal off the e clip an I can inspect the driver pulley.

That ok, a good clean up with a sander an a dash of hammerite back in the shed, it'll be as good as a second hand pulley bought off a person that has already refurbished it!

Allways put the bits you take off in something so you don't lose them, the belt guard came in useful.

The idler pulleys bearing removal was as every job with two of the same, one bearing comes out fine an the other is a bugger. The centre of the bearing came out, but left the outer casing. I trapped it in a vice, then added a little heat.