[Bigbadfrankie]

I have a vague plan to make some wheels for mine, since used sets go for a bomb on Ebay. If it's of interest, I've bought a workshop service manual from the states, if I can get it scanned I'll add it to the collection on here. There are one or two detail differences between the Euro and American-spec models but nothing drastic.

A manual would be great. I have bought a F610 in a moment of extreme madness.

[Browser]

A manual would be great.

I'll have to wait until I'm back at work before I get access to a scanner so it'll be a week or two.

I have bought a F610 in a moment of extreme madness.

And she-who-must-be-obeyed said what to that exactly? Nice, and F610, playing with the big boys now. Did that come from Ebay perchance?

[Bigbadfrankie]

oh yes from ebay but the guy has not answered yet so its not in the bag. And her indoors was delighted

[Bigbadfrankie]

I have just today discovered that youtube thing. Have a look at the F400 here and it has the big wheel set the same as the bigger machines. When I recently tryed to get the wheel extensions I thought they looked like the ones on the F80. This explaines it.
kIIGPDq4USs

[Browser]

I had seen that one, nice set of wheel weights he's got there as well. They lug well don't they, the F400's

[Bigbadfrankie]

see the wheels on this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-F400-ROTAVATOR-CULTIVATOR_W0QQitemZ230365597635QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_GardenPowerTools_CA?hash=item35a2dc0fc3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Browser]

I did clock that one, I think he thinks its a Bigfoot!

[Browser]

Well, time for a progress report.
Bigbadfrankie has been a recipient of correspondance recently regarding this machine, as he has one himself and has been a fantastic source of help and support.
I bought this machine off Ebay knowing it needed some 'work', the ad said a new fuel tank was needed, with the idea that I'd get the work done end of last year and puit it to work over the winter. It lacked the drive wheels which normally come with an F400 which made moving it diffcult since they don't usually have transport wheels fitted. I made the fatal mistake of storing behind my shed with a view to fettling it when I got round to it, and there it stayed 'til about 2 weeks ago when I suddenly realised I needed it, urgently!!

Anyhoo, this was it as bought:



Rather unloved as you can see. As I have now found, the total catalogue of damage was the aforementioned leaking fuel tank (cracked & rusty), leaking axle oil seals (sort of knew that but thougth I might get away with them), missing belt cover knob, worn-beyond-repair carburettor, damaged clutch lever, frayed-almost-through clutch cable, 1 missing M12 x 1.25 nut (fine pitch metric thread, had to buy one!  ) and a maintenance shcedule from the previous owner which seemed to consist of putting petrol in it..............and that seems to have been about it really.
You may well be asking "why the hell did he buy it?!?!?!". Believe me, I've asked myself that very question a few times lately!! It boils down to it being very cheap to buy, pointless I know when it's going to cost so much to repair, and there were none to be had nearer than about 150 mile away. Typically, as karma dictates, just as I've got myself around to getting it running again and managed to find & buy a set of drive wheels from Ebay, two pop up for sale quite close to me. Just goes to show, when I thought I was being patient and waiting for the bits to come at the right price, I should have just waited some more.
Anyway, some more pics:
BEFORE
The 'interestingly' modified tines (two of the outer ones should turn outwards, not all four inwards)



The engine, complete with knacked fuel tank and carb & dirty air filter housing:



The leaky axle oil seals with unique tine pin (bent 6" nail!!!)



The 'sports' exhaust, so called 'cos it would have been ruddy noisy!


AFTER
Grafted on petrol tank from dead Honda GX120 engine, fitted using a home-made adaptor plate.



Grafted on silencer, also from GX120. This may change soon as I don't think my welds will hold.



Knackered carb body. Note the hole the butterfly spindle fits into is now oval.



Carb butterfly, nicely burred at the edges due to chatter in the previously pictured carb body caused by the loose butterfly spindle.



Inlet port, with what looks horribly like rusand or/red-brown dirt in it 



I'll hopefully be posting some more 'after' pics soon

[Bigbadfrankie]

its amazing that it remained running to do its self so much damage
But not long now, before a coat of paint and off too the lottie.
I used my 400 today and it beet the pants off the 610
Its just so easy to use. And it just purs away. The 80 and the 400 are realy good the 610 is too light to plough and very big as a tiller.

[Browser]

I think 'running' could be seen as a euphamism Frankie, I saw the guy pull-start it and it coughed up and ran for about five seconds before he killed it and said something like "see, s'OK innit". I treat everything in life like this as a learning experience and will now insist on seeing power equipment like this run for a decent length of time before handing readies over.
I think it's testament to the toughness of old Honda's that they will put up with this level of abuse and come back for more.

[Browser]

Oil seal time today, i.e. removing old ones, fitting new ones.

Here's the bit of kit I hope will make the job easier, a bearing separator. Combined with the bridge from the steering wheel puller I already own it should let me pull the old seals out fairly easily  



Transmission casing shields. I think it's fair to say they've seen better days!!



New seal on the left, old seal on the right. I think it's obvious why the old ones were leaking. And no, it didn't end up like that because of me removing it, it came out and fell apart!



I'd cleaned up the casing before removeing the seals, with it out you can see there was a horrendous amount of galvanic corrosion of the seal housings. These was still a fair amount of metal left to seat the seal on. Nevertheless, I shall be keeping an eye on Ebay to see if I can find a better-condition used transmission casing for it.



The other side looked much the same before I started, wondering what horros lurked underneath this lot.



The answer was, much the same.
I've installed the new seals, this is as far as they'd go in. Fair old gap between them and the casing, isn't there!



I am now going to keep my fingers crossed that the seals don't leak too much (if at all) and that when I try it, the engine runs!!

[smud6ie]

Is there any play in the bearrings?any play there will dictate as much as anything whether or not the seals will leak.The leak would mostly rear it ugly head once the rotors were back on, the shaft could move upwards under the weight of the machine resulting in the lower section of the seal from not sealing.  You were fortunate with just corrosion on the transmison case, I had an oil leak on an F410,when I removed the outer sheilds to investigate the transmision case was broken in half
Have you thought about  building yours up with a metal putty?
smud6ie

[Bigbadfrankie]

Nice job on the seals, shame about the gaurds and corrosion . you must nearly ready to use it.

[Browser]

Is there any play in the bearrings?any play there will dictate as much as anything whether or not the seals will leak.The leak would mostly rear it ugly head once the rotors were back on, the shaft could move upwards under the weight of the machine resulting in the lower section of the seal from not sealing.  You were fortunate with just corrosion on the transmison case, I had an oil leak on an F410,when I removed the outer sheilds to investigate the transmision case was broken in half
Have you thought about  building yours up with a metal putty?
smud6ie

Negligble play in the bearings, or more correctly, no more than you'd expect from a machine of this age & general condition. All I can think to do is try it out.
I may well give the chemical metal approach a go, several other folks have advised this route already!

[Browser]

Progress to date. I chemical metalled the seal housings and re-fitted the re-painted transmission casing shields. Neither look pretty but hopefully they'll work.



I've video'd the first startup, edited as it took a few pulls and was blummin' awkward due to the 'vator being up on a workbench!

Firing it up revealed a destroyer-like smokescreen, a jammed transmission selecter (still got to look at that) and a seemingly jammed engine speed governor rod (circled in red in the pic below), anyone ever suffered this with a Honda engine?