Hi all, I'm new to the forum. Here is my new project: It is an Austral Villiers cylinder mower and based on a bit of previous research I believe it is a "De-Luxe" model circa 1955. Model: 2M14 Serial: 747
It was in use in the 80's, but has sat unused in the rain for 30 years. It had some restoration work done on it in the early 80's (including the green paint job, but it is VIlliers red underneath).
The engine is stamped "131X" which I believe makes it an Australian spec 98cc Mk2 Midget 2 stroke engine.
It is pretty complete (some parts I have but are not shown here).
I have lots of close up shots of individual components now, so I can provide some detailed intell for anyone who needs it.
I have a couple of questions myself though, about parts that may have been modified.
1. Is there a service manual/workshop manual for the Mark 2 Midget engine? (I have the ops manual and parts list thanks to Jack's postings) 2. Is there a service manual/workshop manual for the mower as a whole? 3. In the absence of those, does anyone have accurate information about the sprocket configuration (under the left hand external cover). I'm not sure the idler sprocket I have is original. If anyone has the actual tooth count of the sprockets it would be helpful. 4. Does anyone know if the main clutch (the assembly with the cork clutch plate and the belt pulley) "pulls" off the crankshaft?
1. Is there a service manual/workshop manual for the Mark 2 Midget engine? (I have the ops manual and parts list thanks to Jack's postings)
Hello Cylon There is a service manual, but I have never seen one for sale in Australia. The manual's focus was on the motor- cycle variant: - see gallery below.
I have never come across a service manual for the mower itself.
I can't help with question 3 about sprocket configuration. I don't even have a chaincase image.
I can't help with question 4 either. My best guess is - in the absence of a nut (or key-way) that this is a LH thread.
Here is a picture of sprocket setup, as it was during teardown.
Notes: 1. The "chain adjuster" for the "blade" chain has slipped out of place, it should be up the other way I think. (above the chain pressing down) 2. The dog clutch fork is not correctly mounted on its pivot here. 3. The idler sprocket is missing here. You can see the elongated mounting hole just below the exhaust outlet. 4. There are 2 chains missing here, one from the small cog on the blade sprocket -> the idler sprocket, and one from the idler sprocket to the dog clutch sprocket. 5. Dog clutch "collar" not shown here.
With the engine running, engaging the main clutch causes the main drive sprocket (small one at the top) to turn, this immediately starts the blades spinning. This also starts the idler sprocket set to spin and in turn causes the dog sprocket to spin. The dog sprocket spins freely on the roller shaft though, the rollers only turn when the dog clutch is released (hand lever on the right handle), engaging the dog sprocket with the dog "collar" on the same shaft.
Hi all, I can now answer at least one of my own previous questions. The main clutchplate and belt pulley assembly does indeed thread onto the crankshaft, and it is a standard right hand thread. The direction of rotation of the engine tends to continually tighten the assembly onto the crankshaft, so no woodruff key is needed on this end.
Hi all, well rather a lot has happened since my last post, in the world in general and certainly with this mower. It is pretty much dismantled to its last bolt now but it has fought me tooth and nail every step of the way, 30 years of sitting idle rusting had its way. I have gathered a lot of intel along the way on construction, bearing sizes, thread sizes etc.
If there are any specific parts that people want to see dismantled, I probably have a photo of it now.
My biggest problem at the moment is the magneto flywheel. As many other people have experienced, the flywheel was an utter nightmare to get off (I'd have to say that the captive nut removal system was just a bad idea from day one, especially on a soft bronze flywheel that really doesn't have much structural rigidity). Anyway, the eccentric cam collar that holds the flywheel on the crankshaft got badly damaged during removal and is no longer serviceable.
So, does anyone know of a serviceable R67 flywheel anywhere??? (or even just the cam collar?)
I certainly understood the concept of the captive nut and its function, it was just one of those situations where the theory didn't reflect the reality.
I loosened the captive nut OK, but trying to wind it off to withdraw the flywheel just distorted the flywheel (as others have found).
I figured that if I positioned the nut halfway through its "free travel" (between where it is pushing down on the cam collar, and pulling up on the flywheel) that I could use a puller to break the seal of the cam collar on the crankshaft taper, but it wouldn't budge. I built a series of heavy steel jigs to fit into my shop press, but none worked.
Eventually I resorted to drilling out the rivets that hold the bronze flywheel to the steel cam collar, which left me with the following....
I then built another series of heavy steel jigs to pull the collar off the crankshaft taper (after removing the captive nut of course), and even with the 20 TON SHOP PRESS on the job, the collar would not budge.
Eventually I lost patience and cut the collar off. Which in hindsight was a mistake.
I wouldn't let that stop you Mystyler! These mowers aren't really that complicated, they're just a little stiff from time. There are plenty of people on the forum who will help you with advice on how to do things, and hey, what better way to improve your mechanical expertise Just get used to working in imperial instead of metric. Anyway, if you mess it up, it isn't a Ferrari 250 GT!
Here are some more random photos.
This shows the drive end of the blade with the bearing and bearing carrier still attached. These bearings were also pretty difficult to remove. The second photo shows the bearing removed from the carrier. The bearings on the blade are a bit of a puzzle! While the bearings on the drive hub are imperial, The bearings on the blade seem to be metric, they measure out as being 6203-Z bearings, but to add even more oddity to the mix, the bearing on the drive side of the blades has a snap ring groove.
Someone out there may have more knowledge of Villiers practices in the 50's, I'm not sure if they used whatever bearings they had at hand, or if someone has fiddled with them down the track.
Indeed, I'll probably get around to expanding my cylinder mower horizons once I've finished off my second Scott Bonnar. I seem to be going through a rotary phase at the moment, however!
I think CyberJack just recently posted something regarding the fixings and such that Villiers used. Can't remember which thread it was in though?
I don't collect mowers. I just require Multiple Mowing Solutions™.
I just removed my drive rollers today - my roller has no pins like yours does. I am guessing they are worn or snapped off. Thanks for the pics, I thought something was misding.
