Thought I would share my current project, I am building/rebuilding a HD8! I say building as I am making 1 out of 2 that I have found, plus the engine I found at a scrap metal Yard (for scrap value $12!!)
So I found 1 frame almost complete (didn't photograph) had no bonnet, steering wheel was wrong and had been oddly modified to left pedal drive (it was weird) anyhow, never really did anything with it. Along came #2 with all panels but no deck and a little tecumseh motor. I think someone had done it up as a buggy of sorts, had the wrong wheels too. But the frame, panels and steering bits were good. however the front end was completely seized; wheels kingpins the lot! (Oxy/acetelyene made short work of it though)
After it siting in a corner for about a year I had the motivation to do something with it, so I stripped it down. The frame was pretty well painted, but the wrong colour! So I cheated and got it blasted, will be throwing some yellow on it today.
I noticed when I pulled the rear wheels off they are Cox! How could anyone put that rubbish on a Greenfield!! Lucky #1 that I got had a good set of rims/tyres.
I pulled the engine down as it was lacking compression, turns out it was just a carbon buildup, it would seem to have come from some worn rings and a very blocked crankcase breather, otherwise it even had spark! I will source a ringset and rebuild the little gem.
The only thing I am missing is the tool box that goes under the bonnet - if anyone has one please contact me! Also Decals, has anyone had some done? I see silensmessor on ebay has the early green ones, not the later red ones for this version
If it ends up as good as the Rancher, it'll be perfect!
The old girl I'm doing at the moment, I wish I had got it blasted! I did it the hard way myself. Never again.
I only have one tool box myself! Seems everyone took them off and threw them away. If you're very keen I can send detail photos and dimensions of this one and you can fold one up?
Also, if it helps I can send you detail photos of the decals off the red 8's I have here so you can get some made. Silensmessor made the ones for the earlier machines from detail photos for gml's machine. The only problem is, my side stickers all say 'greenfield honda', when other engines were fitted they said 'greenfield tractor'. The diamond decal on the front is the same, I think. The later HD8's had different stickers altogether but I think that was pretty much when they went to the forward swept mudguards.
Hope so, just hope this one is done quicker, I started the rancher resto almost 10 years ago..
Yeah, I dont mind doing the little parts, got myself a little blasting cabinet which is bloody brilliant! Was only $120 to do the frame, they even primered it for me!
That would certainly be a great help, should be pretty straight forward to fabricate
I have a copy of an original parts book thats pretty clear, but the more info the better, especially dimensions. As far as i can tell this is a pretty standard HD8
I found the G65 at a nearby scrap metal dealer, a set of rings and it will be like new! I suspect it actually came off a HD, It still had the short throttle cable on it and the crankshaft looks suspiciously like it had a greenfield clutch on it!
Thought I would share this too, My original condition Catcher!
Only thing is I am missing the mounting brackets. Has anyone ever seen what they might look like? I am thinking there would have been some sort of chute at the front and a linkage to the rear tow hitch at the back. I am sure i can make something to work but something to copy would be even better..
I think that might be the first HD8 catcher I've ever seen! That's to say not a photo of one from a sales brochure. A rare find indeed!
I've got no idea what the brackets would look like. I've got a fair photo library of machines previously offered for sale etc. I'll have a look through and see what I can find.
Dont start me on slow, that rancher was last seen together in 2010...
Thanks! Greenies are really kind of easy to restore, compared to a rancher where everything has a lot of paint!
I'll finish it off one day, pretty much only the big panels are left, and the old paint is bloody stubborn, hence them still waiting to be done. The rear wheels only went back on over the weekend, I wanted the stands the frame was on for this project.
They are very fiddly to paint! You dodged a bullet though by getting it blasted and primed. Some of us aren't that smart and did it the hard way. Never again!
Few more bits painted, new bearings, finally found some bonnet latches, a steal at $2.50 each!
Started putting some bits together today and discovered an issue, It would seem the rear axle isn't greenfield! It had cox rims on it, which seemed odd but I thought nothing more of it, until i just went to put the wheels on, it would seem the early rims fitted a 7/8 shaft, same as a rover, but the shaft I have is 1" all the way across. In the pics it appears to be turned town at the ends for the wheels.
Can anyone confirm the width and tooth count on a genuine one? Mine is 630mm wide and has a 65 tooth sprocket.
If it is the same I think i will just get the ends turned down to suit the rims, unless someone has a genuine spare lying around...
This is interesting. I just looked up the parts list for the yellow and yes, the 25" model had a 7/8" axle and the 28" had a 1" axle! I never knew that! I would have sworn on a stack of bibles that they would both have been 7/8" given that the Tractor series were all 7/8".
I wonder if someone has modified a 28" axle to suit your machine?
I did go and have a look in the shed and all my machines have 7/8" axles - but they are all 25". I measured the only axle I've got out (which is out of the very early machine and measured it roughly at about 645mm. I didn't measure the sprocket or count the teeth because it is different to all the others. It has a beefier chain so is a different pitch, I think. I'll drag one of the others out and count it but that'll have to be tonight.
I can pull the axle off the Red donor and send it if you wish. It's a different part number (GT154 vs GT916 ) but I'm not sure we can overthink that as the Red catalogue uses the same axle part number for both 25" and 28" with the footnote to state whether it's 25 or 28 inch.
I'm guessing you didn't get a useable axle with the second machine.
Thanks for the info, I did a more accurate measure last night, the one I have is 640mm wide, if you have a yellow one you could confirm the sprocket teeth I would probably see what it would cost to have this one turned down at the ends, (have a helpful machining shop locally)
If I were to change to a standard 7/8 I would need a brake disc as well. I suspect this is actually a Cox axle, as all the Greenfield wheels I've seen have the same 7/8 bore, and it had Cox rims on the back.
I did bloody have an axle in the second machine, but the sprocket was pretty worn, and thinking I had a good one in this one I cut it to rescue the rims...
Unfortunately I don't have a yellow here that I can look at. My only yellow is still at my parents place 700 km's away! . I'll bring it home one day.
I didn't get to look at the sprocket teeth of the later Red machines that I have here. I'll do that in the morning if I get a chance. I can't see why the axle out of my Red donor would be different to the one originally fitted to your machine - but I've been wrong before If you want it it's yours. It'll just be the cost of the freight but that shouldn't be too bad as we have freight accounts. All I ask is your patience as I want to save the wheels that are on it and plan to make up a puller to remove them safely.
Also, I'll compare the sprocket with the Tractor models. If the sprocket is the same this might give you another option - modify a Tractor axle to suit.?
Thanks for the offer, I've been out of town the last couple days, but I'll take my axle in tomorrow, see what it would cost to machine down to fit the rims. I have an axle out of a rancher for a pattern as the rims use the same centre. If it's reasonable I'll just run with this one.
Basically that was my next option, either shorten a tractor axle, or put a sprocket on an old rover axle I have here, it's only 10mm wider which shouldn't be a problem.
I'm well accustomed to removing rims, done quite a few now, only lost one; which was on the donor machine I had for this one. The main trick I've found is heat, using a 3 leg puller gently and a fair bit of acetelyene generally pops them off.
On a slightly related topic, I'm not sure who was copying who, but the rear rim for a hd8 is very suspiciously similar to a rancher 2, to the untrained eye you wouldn't pick the difference. Rover used 5 bolts, Greenfield 6!
Took the axle in, around $200 he quoted me to do it, so I figure why not. By the time we organise postage etc, plus potentially bearings etc depending on differences, I'm just going to use this one. Should have it by Friday, and hopefully now the heatwave has passed i should get a bit done this coming weekend!
Have some panel work to do unfortunately, I had a closer look at the bonnet; it needs some rust repair in the front, the centre panel needs some holes filled, and the rear panel is pretty rusty, so I am thinking i will use the panel from my donor, but someone in their wisdom cut a big chunk away at the front, so some work to do there...
I've come across quite a few similarities between the early rovers now, another good one is the steering gears, they are the same gear as rover used, just rubbish alloy, I have in the past actually swapped them, with great success. Since I broke one of the rears on the donor (tried everything it was proper frozen on the old shaft) I am using a spare Rancher rim, cant tell the difference unless you look at both at the same time!
200 bucks is not bad. Having a good old fashioned engineering place that is happy to do little jobs like yours must be great. Those sorts of places have all but disappeared round here. Engineering places here don't want to know you unless you're job has a 4 figure value.
There must be a bit of a back story here. Theo working for Rover before he started Greenfield, both Brisbane based firms, almost certainly both using the same foundry.
I'll remember that one about the Rover steering shaft. Might come in handy one day. Also, a bloke posted here once that he'd used Holden differential gears?
Cheers,
P.S. May I ask where did you get your bonnet latches? I think gml got his from Bunnings but I can't find them in our shop here.
