Just brought number 3..... (4 if you include the racing one).

[JoeM 8,013]

2 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

they throw too much bloomin heat

I never payed to much mind to that until I got a liquid cooled xi. What a difference, especially on a 85 plus degree day. The liquid cooled is much cooler on the operator and way better on fuel. I ran the 522 xi with a 48 inch deck and the 520 LXI with a 60 and the LXI used 1/3 rd less fuel. It was repeatable. The 522 temp gauge ran nearly at the top of the safe scale while cutting. You could watch the liquid cooled 520 machine temp gauge go up and cycle down below half. In either case the xi machines blow the hot air out the front, I know my old 520 made a lot of heat, and close to the operator. 

I never thought anything much good about the xi machines. They had a bad rap. Now that I have a couple.... I like them.   

That and a buck 64 will get you a medium coffee!

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

https://youtu.be/bmtdXJczt7U

 

Getting it out of the van, the muffler has rusted though so its a bit noisy!

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

Does anybody know the name of that engine?

 

Need to start looking for parts but not sure what its called and Briggs seem to have a lot of similar stuff out there but its V twin Vanguards or whatever.

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

Right, as promised more to the story.

 

We arrived at Pete's house via a dirt track behind some warehouses, past a large fishing pond and over a private railway crossing. The house was nestled into the banks of the Humber river and sits behind the huge flood protection banks in a tranquil little hollow. We were greeted at a security gate by Pete, who let us in to the compound which consisted of a ramshackle collection of sheds and a brick built house that used to be part of a clayworks firing bricks - the pond was originally the clay pit.

 

Pete is one of those genius mechanics, trained as a marine engineer and worked freelance for years helping design oil rigs before semi retiring and taking up steel sculpture work. The place is just surrounded with fantastic structures, both static and kinetic that he builds on spec, or for commission as demand dictates. He was working on a giant stainless steel tree for the local council when we arrived, and some of the stuff in the yard is amazing. His workshop was incredible, chaos but in an orderly way as he knew where everything was. He built his own 7 ton steel press, and I was lucky enough to get a demonstration as we bent a disc of steel into a cup just to see how it all works - I didnt want to leave as he was amazing to chat to.

 

The wheelhorse was sitting next to a digger that he had brough as scrap and rebuilt to landscape the yard and repair the flood protection bank. What a guy, and all this from a small in stature old guy, who had more skill in one finger than I have in my whole body.

 

Marie finally dragged me back to the car after over an hour scratching around through his stuff and talking engineering - what a day!

 

Anyway, go look at his website to see what the guy produces http://www.xceptionaldesigns.moonfruit.com/

 

Now for some more photographs - note what appears to be a hand crank fitted to the flywheel!?

 

The whole underside of the machine is jammed with grass and the engine is just a solid block of oil and dust - I'm not even sure where its leaking but it is losing oil somewhere.

 

Also we passed 3 camels in Northern England - I bet they are wondering how lifes choices led to that happening! See photo for proof.

 

 

[JoeM 8,013]

5 hours ago, Dan.gerous said:

Pete is one of those genius mechanics

I had a co worker at a fab shop that would look at things like Pete. He would take scrap pieces of anything laying around and make art at lunch time. He end up being half nuts but was creative.

 

I seen this on 4 sale on FB the other day. I love it and as they say thinking out of the box!

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

42 minutes ago, TractorJunkie said:

I had a co worker at a fab shop that would look at things like Pete. He would take scrap pieces of anything laying around and make art at lunch time. He end up being half nuts but was creative.

 

I seen this on 4 sale on FB the other day. I love it and as they say thinking out of the box!

I have met a few over the years, often they struggle with the every day but can work miracles

 

 

. That is an awesome setup there!

[ebinmaine 71,256]

That's a forward-mounted version of what my father made up out of angle iron and old push mowers back in the 70s.

 

Slick work there!

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

19 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

That's a forward-mounted version of what my father made up out of angle iron and old push mowers back in the 70s.

 

Slick work there!

It's the sort of thing that @Mickwhitt might like for inspiration.

[Dan.gerous 2,696]

Spent a few minutes on the c161 - named "Pete" after the engineer who owned it last.

 

Removed the seat and rear unit to start cleaning. A lot of debris in there! And the usual coating of oil that has converted this entire vehicle. Every cooling fin on the sunstrand was blocked and the gearbox casing - can't have been doing it any favours. Dipped the hydro, not much oil in there! See the picture ☹️ you can see it down the tube but it didn't register on the dipstick.

 

Had a job getting the tank off as one of the underside bolts just spins. Had to remove the bracket in the end to get it off. He had put that fuel tank up behind the seat due to fuelling issues, but I notice the original pipe was still in place and it was in bad condition - that was probably the issue rather than the fuel pump.

 

Anyway, a little progress is better than none 😊