OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Rover Ride On Mower TheLawnRover gets another Rover: Foote 3-speed

Bought this off Gumtree not knowing what it was and simply because I liked its lines.(paint job not so much) I did notice the rear fenders and steering wheel bare remarkable similarities to my rover colt. A 5 minute google search lead me back to this forum https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=17178

And so I believe it is a Rover Rancher (feel free to correct me) however the rancher 2 being talked about in that thread has a 5 speed, mine is the earlier 3 speed. Im not sure if this motor is original either, looks a tad small. Havent had a good chance to go over everything closely yet. Compression seems decent, owner said it lost spark but we shall see

Hello TLR

That is a Rancher.
But the motor is hilarious!

I do not believe any manufacturer would put a 3.5 hp engine on a ride-on.
The smallest I have seen has been a 4hp 11 Series - on any ride-on.
These early Ranchers had 7hp and 8hp engines.

The three speed boxes were Foote boxes - I think.
Is there a name on the box?

Let's not mention the paint scheme or that seat!

-------------------
Jack

Thanks CyberJack,

Yes the 3 speed is a Foote. I don't know how to shift it or what its condition is like.

The motor only has 60PSI compression and no spark so I will repower it. Can you recommend any places to buy motors? Im thinking either second hand briggs or Brand new china clones between 8 and 13hp.

Also are these little 4/3.5hp Scott Bonnar engines worth rebuilding or are they pretty well scrap and too hard to find parts for?


EDIT-pic added, Oh boy.

I would not be too concerned about the motor, inside that gearbox looks a bit ugly

Hello TLR and Norm

That's a great photo of how the lube has broken down.

Global Mod Gadge has written some brilliant stuff about
Foote box lubrication:- HERE.

Hope this helps.
-------------------------
Jack

For future reference this gear box is a 2210 or 2010. Here is a link to boxes manufactured prior to 1977 http://www.easymotoculture.com/vues_eclatees/Spicer%20Dana%20Foot/Bo%EEte%20de%20vitesse/TRA-DAF-0000_2210-till%20Nov%201977.pdf

Post 1977 parts lists are available to download too.

Stripped my one down and found a few issues.
The pinion gear being at the bottom of the box suffered the brunt of the corrosion. Word of warning to anyone dissembling these. Be prepared to catch a lot of needle roller bearings when you remove the pinion shaft!
Secondly the Bevel gear is missing 1/2 tooth and finally the drive shaft has 2 cracks in 2 of the keyways.

I think this box might be too far gone guys.

(dont know why pics are being rotated when using the forums uploader)

G'day TLR

A big Thank You for the photos and story.
These Foote boxes have not been well documented.
This is a great example of the need to maintain them.

This one looks a write-off to me.
What's Plan B?

-----------------------
Jack

p.s. Image rotation issues:- Image Rotation

Thanks for the link concerning image rotation.

Currently I am scouring the internet for parts for the foote. They seem to be quite popular in the US. A Peerless 700 is almost identical and much stronger, finding one of these would be ideal. Other then that I am open to suggestions.

Hello TLR

Yes, in fact, Rover changed to Peerless boxes when they introduced the five speeds.
They would go on to use Peerless diffs and transaxles.
Peerless, a Tecumseh company, were clearly courting the ride-on market.

I guess any parts will need to be sourced from the USA.
A good s/hand 500 or 700 series box would be one approach.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

Hi all, I purchased a rancher2 (3speed) about 12months ago and the Foote transmission needed a new crown gear which are almost non existent after ALOT of research I found a shop in Shelby, Ohio called glens surplus he had brand new complete Foote gear boxes that had been sitting around for ALOT of years. I purchased one it was roughly $165.00aus delivered to my door. He said he had few left over so might be worth getting on to them if you need one

As for the peerless 700 I had no luck finding one at all even contacted the manufacturer but they don't make H pattern transmissions anymore hope all that helps you out

Hello Mickey boy

A warm welcome to these forums.
That's a great photo in identifying the Foote 3-speed.

That price seems incredible for a NOS box from Shelby.
Many thanks for sharing that experience.

-----------------------
Jack

It's not a NOS its an original Foote H pattern. The guy that bought the surplus store took over all the old stock and he said he had about 50 of them and only 12 left when I bought one 12 months ago. Only reason I bought it is I plan on restoring it back to its original former glory. which is why I jumped on board the forums here as there is a lot of great info here and everyone seems to have a great amount of passion for the old girls

I'll also add it was either that box for 1�5 or the peerless 700 for around 350

Thank you very much! This helps immensely. Most of my research had been leading to dead ends

G'day Micky boy,
This reference is a term used by vehicle restorers - it stands for 'New, Old Stock' - i.e. a genuine unused original spare part, rather than a reproduction/remanufacture.

Does anyone know the model number of these mowers?
Im also seeking the size of the chain from transmission to "brake axle" and from it to the main axle.

Thanks

You can try this mob for chain, I got one for a Greenfield, not sure if it was a 25H but you can give them the pin centers and the sprocket thickness and see if it fits, then get an extra joiner and just cut the chain to what you need,

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25H-152-...-Rocket-Quad-Dirt-Bike-ATV-/261085878301

Cheers for the heads up Gadge