OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions on Greenfield Ride On Mower Frames Greenfield HD8 - PhilipH - c1976

Thanks prd,that makes sense. I already have the fuel hose ready to go. I'm not sure if the muffler is the original apparently they wear out quickly. Another option would be to go under the muffler, although may not gravity feed the last litre or so from the tank.I could live with that.currently where the hose goes past the muffler there is a clamp that looks original so I'm thinking original muffler was further away from the block. Be good to see pics of the original.I'll have a look in this manual I picked up off fleabay.




Also original Honda key.

Greenfield rare transitional model. I worked at Greenfield for a few years. Often a prototype was sold to the bosses mates. A transitional model could easily be one of these. They would not have a had a serial number on the front axle frame pivot. I am considering restoring a super HD8 but have to use some parts of a different model. I put some posts of it in the 1966 Greenfield posts and called it Barnfind.

here's one get on you bloke's it would be in my work shop if it were closer!!


yepoon gumtree

G'day gml and geenhorn,

Thanks for the heads up gml!

It so close to me but l might let it go through to the keeper. Need to focus on what I have, I think.

If anyone else is interested and wants me to pick it up and store it for them, no worries. I can pick it up on the weekend. No pressure geenhorn

geenhorn, your comment about prototypes sneaking out to mates is interesting- especially in light of the 'curiosity' that crumpet showed us a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers,

I would love it but no spare money these days. It gives me lots of information if I restore barnfind. I posted on crumpets greenfield javelin that you thought was a prototype. Javellin was known as Kerr's Fauxpaux or another word starting with F. It finished production by 1979 and only ran for 2 years max.

Note for prd. Fibreglass nose cones were made for one year only and I calculate it as 1980 or 1981 as I worked there during the Fibreglass phase which also included the 5XL motor covers. Aluminium castings ended up cheaper than Fibreglass. The cowel for the 8xl was alloy. The 5xl cover resembled the duck tail of a Suzuki motorcycle on purpose.

The 8XL was due for release at the same time as Whitlams dismissal by GG John Kerr. They were going to nickname the 8XL as Kerr's Kerr.

Greenhorn, what was so bad about the 5XL. I rebuilt one last year and apart from the raising and lowering of the deck, which I completely remade to raise and lower as it should have, I thought it was a good little machine.

G'day geenhorn and folks,

Many Thanks for the info on the fibreglass nose.!!

G'day again geenhorn,

I'm more than a little confused. The patent information and advertising brochure that Jack has posted on this suggests the 5xl is from the very early eighties........'Kerr's cur' was 1975......

Cheers,

PRD
You are right, maybee it is the other way around, Javellin may have been Kerr's Kerr in 1975 hence dating the javellin and xl models might have been the fauxpaux. I am going back more than 30 years so things can get mixed up. Something came up in politics at around the release of 8XL and when it comes to me I will post it. I remember the tool makers shouting Kerr's Kerr at the release of 8XL maybe as a reminder of the javellin. I will stab at 8XL release in 1982.
NormK
The 5xl were the first of the folded box channel out of sheet metal with prepunched holes for the control pedals etc. The first lot of folding had the folds a few millimetres out putting the controlls a little scewed. They were a nightmare going down the production line. Only 20 per day went down the line to begin with whereas about 35 tractor 8's could go down the line in a day. There as strike action as well in its production and some sabotage from some workers. When we sorted a few problems out they ended up a good machine. I did the exploded views for the parts manual and I no longer have a copy. If I ever found one I would restore it.

Bob Hawke was installed as leader on 8 February 1983. I think this was the big political uprising at around release of 8XL and this was considered revenge for Kerr's curr so it all come flooding back. Anyone out there know when the release of Greenfield 8XL was?

G'day geenhorn,

Yup, that sounds more like it - javelin first in the mid seventies and xl in the early eighties. From crumpets photos it seems that the javelin is a welded frame like the tractors and it shares a few basic parts with the little mini tractors

I hadn't realised that the xl was the first of the 'mecano' models! Gotta confess my interest is mainly with the welded tractors and earlier. They just seemed to lose their magic for me when they went 'bolt-together'.

If I come across an xl, I'll let you know.

Sabotage of the xl product during production? Guessing this was perhaps
from welders/boilermakers who were concerned for their job security?

Thanks for sharing your stories of your time at the factory! they add much needed colour to the story of these machines.

Cheers,

Hi Greenhorn I also rebuilt a Stallion a year or so ago and that was a good machine as well and is working away very happily at last report

G'day all
1981 is the patent year and so is the brochure leaflet...
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/80105/GREENFIELD_-_Theo_Reinhold_Pat.html

It is amazing we now have a name and some history on the Javelin.
Many thanks to greenhorn on his valuable recollections, and the
commentary from prd, gml and Norm.

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

1981 was patent year for 8XL but it did not come out until a lot later. John Pizzey was the patent attorney then. I think 1983 was the year they were produced with electric start and no fibreglass components. I left the firm just after the Americas cup was won by Bond. Mr Kerr was head of the design dept from 1974 and past 1984. I thought he was really good at his job but others disagreed. If only I knew what I know now when I was younger.

G'day geenhorn,

I'm surprised that Theo employed a design engineer in those days. I'd assumed (never assume ) that Theo was 100% hands on with the design and engineering.

Colouring in the gaps and doing a bit more 'assuming', I guess Mr Kerr was a key player in developing the Tractor models from the original HD's and the end product couldn't have been better in my view. He and Theo took a sound design and developed it, didn't muck around changing stuff that didn't need changing, and came up with a winner!

So If all the 'assumes' are correct, he must have had some talent! And quite frankly it's hard to imagine someone lasting 10 years in that role if he and Theo weren't well and truly singing from the same hymn book!

Thanks once again for giving us the inside story

Cheers,.

Hi PRD

I totally agree Greenfield tractors are unbeatable and the design lasted years. If you own a company you are always worried someone will come up with something that will outsell you model. Main contenders being rover and Cox. Kerr was a think outside the tractor box man to keep the company up with marketing demands. Always they kept making tractors because people wore them out, traded them in on another tractor. XL models were for the smaller blocks and hope to appeal to the wife and kids. I believe all tractor designs were Theo's and one man cant do everything. The xl models had 4 designers working on it and 2 toolmakers devoted to its tooling and one jig maker in the welding shop. There were around 10 stations all manned for the production line. One tyre fitter was really kept busy and one main storeman. I wonder what the factory looks like now?

One thing that does get up my nose with these is the use of nuts and bolts that have nuts that are so hard to get at, captive nuts in certain positions would have made them so much easier to work on

anyone that has pulled the rear axle out of one will agree with you on that Norm,makes you wonder what they were thinking when they designed it,

Straight looking xl5 has turned up on the fleatree. $200. West of the Gold Coast

.........and another one at Kalbar!