Hi there, i am keen to venture into the world of restoring an Atco mower but know nothing about them!! I'm a welder/fabricator, have done cars etc.. know how a basic mower works, but not sure about the levers/driving mechanism, or even if this is complete? Cleaned out fuel tank, filled with unleaded. Has an oil dipstick so i guessed 4 stroke. Found fuel on/off lever under tank. Left lever (passenger side) is clutch? Seems to roll better with this in. Right lever unsure, above right lever is accelerator i assume. Re-attached plug lead, wound rope around a home made pull start and yanked. Have compression and sounds good to go... and that's all i done so far.
I guess i'm wanting to know the start routine on something like this. Is there a primer? Naturally i'll check the spark plug next. Any help or suggested websites/ directions to go would be appreciated! I am a novice at this kind of machine but just need to know the correct procedure for starting and i'll probably eliminate/restore any issues as i go Cheers!
Hi Paul, and welcome to Outdoorking. Hopefully people here can help you with this and any future projects. Can you post a picture or two of your mower. As a starting point, if the engine has a dipstick it will be a four stroke: it doesn't have to be that way (there are two stroke engines that don't have crankcase induction) but as far as ATCO mowers are concerned, that rule will hold. The clutch on the left usually connects the engine to the chain case on the left of the mower, so it drives both reel (cutter) and drum (rear roller). The throttle is usually a chrome-plated lever on the right. You referred to another lever on the right, and we need a picture of that. The only ATCOs I've seen rigged that way are big ones and the right side lever (which looks just like the clutch lever on the left) is a second clutch, so one controls the rear roller (drum) and the other the blades (reel), allowing you to engage and disengage the reel and drum separately. I've only seen this on professional-type ATCOs in the 30" or larger class. If you have one of those, that is quite a piece of equipment and should keep you entertained for a long time. I haven't even seen a picture of one of those on this site, but I admire them greatly and would like to see pictures to remind me of my lost youth. Incidentally on the small, single clutch mowers the clutch lever moves laterally and on the big, two clutch mowers the lever moves fore-and-aft.
We need to see a picture of your carburetor to get the starting routine clear. There is no priming bulb, but most of them had a flood button on the lid of the carburetor float bowl for starting enrichment. If it has the button, you just hold it down until fuel squirts out a tiny hole in the side of the lid. If it doesn't have the button, it will have a choke lever.
I recommend that you don't start the engine until you understand the controls. In particular, you have to know how to stop the engine, and how to disengage the drive. There are two usual ways to stop those engines: the throttle can be adjusted so it shuts off completely when pushed fully clockwise, or in the case of some four strokes, there may be a spark plug shorting device that you push down onto the top electrode of the plug. If you have a plug-shorter you would adjust the throttle to give a sensible slow idle when the lever is all the way clockwise. You also need to be sure the engine oil is clean and filled to the correct level.
Hi Paul, and a warm welcome to the forum. We all love to learn new things and tinker here. Congrats on finding an ATCO, they are a fine piece of British engineering and very robust machines. As grumpy has said, photos of your machine will really help, but in the meantime, your mower should have a data plate or sticker affixed with its model number, serial no printed on it. Also the engine may have some numbers or manufacturers name embossed....Could you please post those details here, as it will help in identification of your particular model.
We may be able to track down a user manual and parts list as well, with some luck. Once again Paul,
Please do not PM me asking for support. Please post your questions in the appropriate forums, as the replies it may receive may help all members, not just the individual member. Kindest Regards, Darryl
OK, thankyou for the prompt replies, i have (hopefully) included some photo's, i measure the blade width at 14 inches. I was a little overwhelmed at the complication of procedures but hopefully some pics will help you to see what i see, and no doubt you fellah's could rebuild this in your sleep!! I find this forum a bit complicated compared to my usual forum at my vintage fan site, but endeavor to grow accustom to it...... let me know if you need more info and i'll get it for you.. Cheers!!!
and just to be sure you get pics here's access to my album on photobucket, which i haven't used in years, but should give you all the pics, even the right way round!!
That is a relatively modern ATCO, nothing like the one I was guessing you had. There appears to be a spring-loaded button on top of the float bowl for flooding it, which would be the way you get cold-start enrichment. I suggest you trace the Bowden cables from the two clutch-type controls to see where they connect - most likely one will be an engine clutch (drives everything) and the other a rear roller (drum) clutch. The engine clutch would be under the tin cover over the engine output shaft. A drum clutch (if that is what the other control does) would be inside the left-side chain case, but the cable would probably go into the case from the right side of the mower's side-plate.
If you find out which handle does what, you will know how to disengage the clutch(es). With them disengaged, you start the engine by setting the throttle about mid-way, flooding the float bowl, winding the starting rope around the pulley on the right side of the engine, and pulling. If all is well it should start immediately.
The mower badly needs cleaning. If you do that you will find out more about what goes where and what it does.
Excellent!!!... thankyou for that info, i'll endeavor to give it a cleanup on the weekend, this data plate that should be near/on the motor i presume will give me model/identification?...i haven't seen any i.d. on it yet, unless it's under the covers....... forgot to mention the right lever has a smaller lever inside it with a (not factory, i'm guessing) nut and bolt in it, to act as a locking device? And a friend pointed out that the plate over the spark plug is to earth it, thus turning off the motor?.........makes sense but that's a new one on me!!
Using a flexible spring-steel plate above the spark plug as an engine stop control is a standard technique - Briggs and Stratton were doing it by the beginning of WW2, and perhaps earlier. It just short-circuits the magneto secondary. Unfortunately depending on the quality of the earthing of the spring steel, you tend to get a high-tension electric shock when you use it, which is annoying. Note that it does not prevent the engine from re-starting, so it does not meet modern safety standards.
Not sure yet about that screw and nut on the right side squeeze control. I noticed in the photo. It may be a stop that you adjust, setting how far the handle moves when you squeeze it. It may be original.
I haven't recognized the engine yet. It could be a traditional British one, or even a Briggs & Stratton, though it doesn't look like a B&S. Either way it will have some identification on it somewhere, and you'll find it when you clean it up. Also, ATCO mowers usually have a stamped brass plate on the outside of the right side-plate, giving model number and perhaps serial number.
Hi Paul.E I have a 1954 14 inch cut Atco two stoke mower and i have attached a picture of the ID tag that is attached to the right hand side of my mower as an example. Good luck.
Hi Paul Did you end up identifying the ATCO? It is a Royal 14" of around late 1960's early 1970's I gave Bruce a user manual for it and this should be in the Manual area of the forum if not I can email you one. I have 2 of these mowers but parts are becoming harder to come by now. Eg I am still after a 14" bottom cutting plate.
