Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: Gardener1 on April 09, 2012, 20:55
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Hi
I have posted here before and in adtrader and freecycle but only one reply. I hope someone will help.
My cultivator was in the workshop when it burned down. The engine melted as did the idler pulley and the reverse pulley; also the handle bar melted out of shape. I have bought a suitable engine. I still need to source replacements for the small idler pulley and the reverse gear with friction disk but have no originals so cannot quote the dimensions! Catch22
There must be someone out there who still uses this model so I hope they will be willing to put a pair of calipers on the pulleys and email the dimensions. PLEASE!
I have attached a pic showing the idler pulley (mid bottom) and the reverse pulley (next to the large vee drive pulley on the right).
These haven't been supported for over 20 years so there is no company to approach. If anyone has an unused or faulty Qualcast Cultimatic De Luxe they would like to donate I will be pleased to collect it.
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welcome to the site gardener 1
for what its worth looking at the photo the reverse pulley appears the same size and unless it slows down the cultivator it will be the same size. the idler pulley doesnt have to be a set size as its not driving anything its just tensioning the belt.
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Hi Daveyllamp
Thanks. I don't think it is critical anyway as you mostly use reverse to manouvre and it wouldn't matter if it was slower. The main problem is the friction disk which engages with the big vee pulley. The diameter of this isn't critical either but the composition and shaping is as it has to engage with the vee pulley. It is a pretty crude but quite effective design. Do you or another member know what it is made of as I have a hole cutter I could use. Not sure how it is fixed to the pulley which is why I was hoping a reader might have one they could look at:)
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Hi,
I noticed your postings regarding your deluxe cultimatic. I've got one and have been on a quest similar to the lord of the rings in an attempt to get the reverse pulley friction disk replaced. Basically, it can't be done. There may be some genuine parts languishing around somewhere, but not not on the internet. I narrowed it down to 3 likely places in the UK which keep old stuff like ours, but they didn't have any.
My friction disk was worn out and the V pulley was starting to eat through the pulley shaft.
I got some replacement discs from Chester Hudson in Sussex. They are not made for this operation, but should be do the job if you can machine a larger central hole and then file some flats on to it. You'll find Chester on his web site "Tillerparts.com" His phone number is also posted. He will supply 2 disks and post them for £11.
I've not finished getting my discs ready for fitting yet so I can't say if they work or not. However, they are made from brake lining substances so should do the job, and as far as I can tell by eye, they seem to be about the right diameter to fit straight in.
A word of caution: Neither Mr Hudson nor myself can tell if his discs contain asbestos or not, so if you go down this route, take all necessary precautions when machining them.
The disk is retained on the shaft with a circlip. As they are steel, your shaft and circlip should have survived a fire, at least enough to give you the dimensions to replace them if they need it. The shaft should have a grease nipple on the end to allow lubrication of the shaft which runs directly on a steel rod
The pulleys are all alloy as you have found out the hard way. I don't have the dimensions to hand as I've never measured them, and I'm not doing it just now as it's belting down with rain. But if you like, I can give you some measurements later if you want them. Let me know.
You can still buy both drive belts as a set on e-bay, believe it or not. If I remember correctly, the outside length of the main belt is 40". I can't remember the reverse belt length.
By the way, my machine is from 1977. Yours won't be too far either way from it. I do still have the owners manual which came with it somewhere, but I don't think it gives all the specifications of the parts - just a list of them, which is not much good now nobody has any.
Let me know if you want any more information. You can e-mail me direct on: mc31@york.ac.uk
All the best,
Mike Chadwick
North Yorkshire
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Thanks Mike
You are a star - if you can measure the pulleys it will be great. I am one step ahead of you in that a kind person is going to send me some brake lining material from a World War 2 which I thought I could cut to size using a hole saw and araldite to a vee pulley if I could but find one! Your contact would be good too. How were the originals fixed to the pulley? Both having melted has been a pain with nothing to measure! Are the idler and reverse pulleys running on the shaft with a greased bush or were there bearings?
Regards
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Hi Mike
When I do to the www.Tillerparts.com all I get is "This domain is for sale' . www.Tillerparts.co.uk doesn't give anything. Did you do a typo!
Regards
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Brake linings from that era are definitely going to contain asbestos.
smud6ie
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Hi
Got it!
http://www.mdr.co.uk/tillerparts/tillerparts.html
I expected it to be asbestos type. Have in mind to contact Ferodo or go to a truck brake repair company
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I'll have a look at the pulleys tomorrow if I can get into the shed without drowning.
My reverse assembly is with an engineering friend of mine at work, so off the top of my head I can't say about the presence of bearings, so leave that with me for later as well.
If you are using WW2 brake linings, you will have a high percentage of asbestos present, so be very, very careful. To be honest, I wouldn't have thought that araldite would hold against the forces needed to reverse this machine through the earth, but you may prove me wrong.
The original friction disc has a central hole of course, but it has flats coming out from the hole and it fits snugly over the shaft which has the same shape - this stops it being a round hole shape and enables the disc to be gripped strongly by the shaft.
And then the circlip goes alongside the disc to retain it sideways. Do you have the shaft? If so, you should be able to see the shape that the inside of the disc has to be.
Here's a thought for you - when I spoke to Chester Hudson, I was only trying to source the disc. So I never asked about the actual pulleys - he may have some. After all, these things never wear out.
On the same tack, see if the following have pulleys:
Bartram mowers (2 branches - Norwich & Ipswich). 01603 458916 & 01473 716335
I know they have some old spares. If they haven't got what you need, ask if they know of anyone else you can try because there is a really good old place up in Gateshead who keep all sorts of stuff. Unfortunately their name escapes me for now. They'll tell you what it is.
I'll be in touch about the pulley fixings when I can.
Mike
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This may be the place to try in Gateshead..
Gateshead Lawnmower Centre
01914 692020
To be honest, I can't really remember. Well, I am nearly 50.
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Hi Mike
Thanks
I will email Mr Hudson after you get back to me. I have the shaft for both pulleys but nothing else, not even the grease nipple. I am guessing that the vee pulley for the reverse will be same dimns as the belts on ebay but I don't know the diameter of the pulley. I can't follow your description of the friction pulley, but if you can spare the time when it comes back could you put up some pics?
I had already tried Bartrams as they are local to me - no spares.
Were any other cultivators fitted with this type of reverse?
Thanks
Vic
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From what I can gather, reverse on a machine of this type is very rare. There have been one or two, but generally the answer is no until you get to the big heavyweight stuff.
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I'm not going to get the reverse pulley back for a little while. When I do, I'll try to post a couple of photos for you.
In the meantime, here are the other pulley dimensions for you:
Firstly, the main drive pulley.
This is a double V pulley and runs both the forward & main drives permanently. It is one lump of alloy. It is 2.5" diameter. The inboard V for the forward drive is 0.5" deep. The outboard V for reverse is 3/4" deep. Frankly, I don't think these depths matter too much.
On the inboard shank of the pulley is a small threaded hole. I imagine this has a small grub screw in just for locating the pulley in the correct place for belt allignment on the drive shaft - it is no way butch enough to transmit the driving forces.
On the outboard end of the pulley there is a square notch in the internal bore - so I'm assuming there is a woodruff key or similar which goes down into this slot and into a similar slot on the drive shaft. This will transmit the power from the drive shaft to the pulley.
If I'm right, you would probably need a bearing puller to drag the pulley off the shaft once the grub screw (if it exists) has been removed.
If your drive shaft survived your fire you may see both an indent or hole for a grub screw, and a notch on the shaft for a woodruff key.
There is no bearing required with this pulley as it permanently turns with the drive shaft.
Now the idle pulley:
This is 2 & 5/8" diameter with a 3/8" deep V. I see no evidence of bearings at all and it simply runs on a protruding metal rod. It is retained on the rod with a circlip and washer. The circlip sits in a groove machined around the end of the rod.
I'm sure the reverse pulley is the same - no bearings - and it is retained on a tube (not a rod) in exactly the same way.
The difference with the reverse pulley is the grease nipple which sits at the end of the tube (not on the pulley shaft as I stated yesterday). This allow grease to go down the tube which has a small slot in it about half way down. This slot allows the grease to come out and sit between the tube and the pulley shaft. That is it for lubrication, and pretty basic it is too, but obviously it works as these machines are now 35 years old.
I hope this trip to pedants' corner has been of some use to you.
All the best,
Mike
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Given that these idlers are spinning under some load when drive is engaged, I am surprised they are not running on some form of bearing.
smud6ie
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Hi
Thanks for the info. Fortunately the double drive pulley survived the fire as it is cast iron. I am sure I can fit this on my replacement engine. Thanks for the dimensions. I too am surprised that there were no bearings as there are on most pulleys on ebay. That was why I wondered about the possibility of the pulleys having oilite bushes. The grease nipple on the reverse shaft is a simple solution but it seems to have worked for many years. I bought mine new in 1978 but it has only had intermittent seasonal use except at the start when I had to cultivate a virgin 3/4 acre plot with elephant nettles and brambles and lots of cow's (or is it sheep's) parsley:)
Look forward to the picks etc when you get your reverse back. I see some of the BS engines have a reverse gear built in.
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It's not that surprising about the lack of bearings when you think about it:
The main drive pulley runs attached to the drive shaft so doesn't need one. The drive shaft itself will have one of course. The same goes for the large final drive V disc.
The idler pulley doesn't come up against much force - it merely pushes a belt up from being very loose to being a bit less loose. Greasing its' shaft must suffice.
The reverse pulley shaft is kept greased by the use of the grrease nipple, but this pulley only runs under load for short periods when manouvering.
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Hi again Vic,
I've had my idle pulley off today and can definitely confirm it has no bearing.
The pulley internal bore is lined with a copper sleeve which runs directly on to the steel rod.
Interesting as this pulley is not equipped with any means of lubrication either.
I gave it a clean and a grease while I was at it, but there were no distinct signs of wear on it, so it works somehow.
I presume it is simply running a soft metal onto a hard one in the same way that a cars engine runs soft white metal for a shell bearing on the big end of its' pistons. If it fails, the soft metal goes west before it takes the main components of the engine out.
By the way, I'm impressed that you've had this thing from new. Can you remember what it cost back then (just out of interest)?
Mike
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Hi Mike
Thanks for the info. That confirms it then. It is just an oilite type bush in the alloy pulley. The grease will help. I am still hoping to find an alloy flat face pulley though. There are lots of plastic ones with bearings and of different sizes on ebay. I may have to buy one and find an oilite bush of the right bore! I see a visit to my local bearings company coming up...
I can't remember what I paid but a figure of £175 comes to mind. If I find my manual I think I still have the receipt!
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What you have discovered is just another form of bearing and probably similar to one these and explains the absence of aditional means of lubrication: http://www.bearingboys.co.uk/Oilite_Bearings-21-a
Edit: we were taught not to grease oilite bushing as it could block the flow of oil to the shaft.
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Hi Smud6ie
Thanks for the link. I knew about oilite bearings as they were made locally. I will check out availability for a pulley if I find one without a bearing,though I could have a belts and braces oilite in the centre of a bearing! They seem to have only replacement plastic ones, expecting alloy ones to last. Trouble with alloy is they are easy to cast but melt in a fire:)
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Personally I would not consider a proper form of bearing as "belt and braces",the idler could be spinning at around 3k Rpm in a harsh envirement so would not see plastic as up to the job.
smud6ie
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Hi
I think you missed my point. The plastic ones aren't up to the job and the alloy ones are like hens teeth. I was proposing to use an oilite bearing as a liner to a real bearing in a metal pulley when I find one as they are unlikely to be in the size required
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AHH I see.
I don't know if you want to keep your machine original or just get it going but thinking outside the box,take a look at this idler I replaced when i changed the cam belt on a VW 1.9 TDI. 68mm Dia and eccentric centre bearing.
smud6ie
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I understand your comment about not greasing an oilite bearing as it could block the flow of oil to the shaft, but:
1. It's from 1977 and more likely to be just a copper sleeve (bush) without any impregnation of oil in it.
2. If it was impregnated with oil when fitted, then it will be long gone by now - 35 years ago.
3. There is no other flow of oil or other means of lubrication except by hand as a service job.
4. For all I know, lubing it was listed as a service requirement at a given number of hours running.
It will be interesting to see how you get on with replacement parts - keep us posted.
Out of interest - did you consider replacing the engine with another B&S unit?
Mike
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Hi
I will have to look around if I can't find a pulley for a cultivator or lawnmower. I don't think an eccentric one would do! Oilite bearing have been around for decades, If I fit one it will be new but you could always lub yours with a squirt of engine oil. I don't think grease would be a problem.
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Perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough about the pulley,The bearing is running central to the circumference of the pulley,it is the centre shaft that is eccentric relative to its fixing bolt so although the pulley spins true the outer surface distance can be varied from the fixing bolt which gives more adjustment whch has the effect of having a pulley of varying diameters..It is difficult to explain but I know what I mean ;) :)
smud6ie
Out of interest MrC, your pulley may well have a copper bush but oilite bushes have been around since the 1930's and were good for use in areas where it was difficult to relube them. I have tractors from the 1950's that have such bushes and are subject to much more wear than,in your words: "The idler pulley doesn't come up against much force - it merely pushes a belt up from being very loose to being a bit less loose. Greasing its' shaft must suffice"
So over 35 years oilite should last better than copper given all that extra grease ;) :)
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There are a couple of non reverse models for aution if near you,there are also some idlers but are from thailand.
smud6ie
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there are also some idlers but are from thailand.
Do yoiu have item numbers as all I saw didn't have a flange
smud6ie
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Perhaps I didn't explain clearly enough about the pulley,The bearing is running central to the circumference of the pulley,it is the centre shaft that is eccentric relative to its fixing bolt so although the pulley spins true the outer surface distance can be varied from the fixing bolt which gives more adjustment whch has the effect of having a pulley of varying diameters..It is difficult to explain but I know what I mean ;) :)
smud6ie
Sorry missed this part of your message. Thats a possibility too
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there are also some idlers but are from thailand.
Do yoiu have item numbers as all I saw didn't have a flange
smud6ie
The ones I saw didn't have a flange .I don't know how necessary a flange is as i have repaired several different makes that don't have them,Merry tiller titan is one.
smud6ie
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Hi
On the cultimatic the idler can slide along the steel rod so without a flange I think it would soon disengage
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If the the idler can slide then it may self line with the two other pullies on its shaft rather than come of it, friction between belt and idler keeping it in place.
smud6ie
edit: you could even pack either side so it can't slide even using washers large enough to act as a flange,if it can slide then there should be space to do this.
Of course these suggestions are a get out jail card in case you can't
find the proper job.
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I'm sure the last post is right for the idle pulley. It doesn't have a flange and can move about
on the rod around 1/2" or so once the belt is off. As the pulley never disengages from the main drive belt, I reckon that's what keeps it in allignment.
It has a washer and a circlip at the end to keep it on, but it shows no sign of ever running up to the circlip.
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See how this particular model of merry tiller keep the belt on the idler? http://www.groovycart.co.uk/cart.php?c=1460&p=62652&buy=MERRY+TILLER%2C+MAJOR%2CSUPER%2CPRO+IDLER+ARM+ASSEMBLY
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Hi
I think Mr C may have misunderstood about the flange. This is on the pulley and means the back of the belt does not leave the slot and so doesn't leave the pulley. There are lots of flat flanged idler pulleys that tension the belt from the outside on ebay but only in plastic. Thanks smud6ie for the illustration. I can see how it works because the two jaws act as the flange. Might be possible to modify the cultimatic in this way but as designed the idler pulley is on a rod which swivels when the handlever is operated.
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I may have missunderstood when you were refering to "plastic" i thought you meant plastic bearing.If its a plasic pully for a ride on mower or similar it will have a steel bearing in the centre which will be fine.you just need to ask the seller what size the pivot hole is.
If they are too large they can be made to fit with small bush.
smud6ie
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It was a plastic pulley with a steel bearing, and I was thinking of using an oilite bush to get to the old imperial size used by Qualcast. But I had discounted using a plastic pulley because several sellers said they were not usable to replace an alloy pulley
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Oh I feel such a charlie! I spent the morning getting to the cultivator behind the piles of roof tiles I have collected for an extension, with a view to checking the measurements of the shafts for the idler and reverse pulleys. Much to my embarassment my memory has let me down. The belts weren’t there as I knew and nor was the reverse fibre drive disk. I knew the engine had melted to a very small puddle of alloy with a tiny crankshaft and one valve. But the metal pulleys were in fact still there as they are steel rather than alloy!! Unfortunately the large mild steel vee pulley is quite distorted but might come back into shape in a vice if I can get it off, which I can’t!
OK the reverse pulley flopped around on the shaft and the idler pulley was totally seized on the shaft as was the rotating arm. The circlips and washers for both were there but very rusty, and the grease nipple for the reverse pulley was still there too as was the spring clip to hold the disk on. After an hour of heating with a blowtorch and soaking in WD40 it still wouldn’t budge. Took a while with a hammer and chisel to force it off but the welded pin about which the bracket rotates sheared off. The oilite bush has broken up with some left inside the idler pulley and the rest bonded to the shaft but I can get the dimensions for replacements. There is a puddle of bronze on the shaft for the reverse pulley after the oilite bush melted.
I will upload some pics of the pulleys including the shaped piece for the reverse disk which I am sure I can fabricate from brake lining material. I can now see what Mr C meant about how it was held on! Will be tricky to cut out the shaped hole – I guess I will have to use a fret saw
I am sure I can get this back in working order. Knowing I can reuse the two original pulleys means I can now order replacement belts knowing they will fit.
Does anyone happen to have a spare pair of handlebars and grips? And a pair of plastic wheels??
Sorry to waste people’s time
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Reverse pulley pics
The second one shows the shaped shaft and you can see the spring clip at the step which holds the disk in place on the pulley
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Well, that's excellent really, is it not? You have most of the parts you were after, and even if not servicable, it makes replacements a damn site easier.
I'm not sure exactly which thing you could not get off and took a chisel to. but it's all fairly basic and so should be fixable.
I'm glad you have the shape of the reverse friction piece now - the tricky thing with that one is to make sure the shape you cut is exactly centered or else you will end up with a slight oval rotating instead of a round disc. However, if you clean up the pulley shaft, you can make it bang on by constantly offering the replacement friction disc up to it as you go.
Don't forget that the parts from Chester Hudson are already round discs and have a central hole (albeit too small) to get you going. And you get two of them for £11.
I could not find a way of removing the grease nipple as it has no flats on it, so I think it may be pressed in rather than screwed in. I don't know. But if you put a grease gun on it and grease eventually comes out of the small hole, then I guess you don't need to do anything else.
Have you considered taking the large final drive V pulley to a fabrication shop (if there are any left in the country) and handing them the old one as a template to make you a new one up? I can't see it costing the earth. I do think you're going to need a bearing puller to get it off though as it appears to have a notch in it for a woodruff key of some sort.
I would have thought that any old wheels would do. Try looking at golf trolley wheels, for instance. I'm not sure about handlebars though - I think I'd be off back to the local fabrication shop myself.
Anyway, good luck and let us know how you get on.
Mike C.
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Hi Mike
Thanks for all the help. I would like to see a pic of your reverse pulley with disk when it comes back. I am taking my pulleys in to Ipswich to see if East Anglian Bearings have the right oilite bushes and will report on the sizes when I know them.
I spent part of the afternoon doing more dismantling. Took an age to get the rotavator slashers off and had to write off the clevis pins and will have to find a stockist. The large vee pulley wont budge, but it should as it has the usual woodruff key - will try again later. There is nothing to attach a bearing puller to and the pulley is far too flimsy. More pressing is the fact that now I have the rotavator slashers off I cant turn the axle or large vee pulley. Have now greased the top axle so maybe that will help.
The fire was very hot as I know from hiding behind a bush holding a half-frozen hosepipe and pointing it at my oil tank! Everything plastic on the qualcast has gone and there is no oil in the casing. It would have been easier to buy one in an auction but I like a challenge:)
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I appreciate you like a challenge - and you're doing exactly what I would because I'm a stubborn b*gger.
Your puller should have a central stem that will sit on the end of the drive shaft, and then the arms go behind the large V disc and drag it forward as you turn the thread down.
I did notice that the main drive shaft from the engine has a cone shaped hole in the centre to take a pullers' central stem and stop it from slipping as well as keeping it centralised.
I presumed the final drive shaft would also have one.
Can you borrow a proper puller from somewhere?
I appreciate that after sitting together for 35 years the woodruff key/shaft/disc may need a lot of persuasion before they part company.
I don't like the sound of you not being able to turn the axle. I've wondered how we are supposed to get in to the chain case - mine appears to be 2 halves welded together. But maybe you need to go in there?
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Hi
The engine shaft does have a dimple but the final big vee pulley doesn't. I can't see how the arms would go behind the big pulley. I couldnt put them on the pulley because if I just pull hard I can distort this. I can't turn the big pulley by hand but not sure I should be able to. The engine rotates at 3000 rpm and even allowing for the gearing down from main engine pulley to vee pulley, perhaps 3:1, there would be a lot of torque to turn the big vee pulley.
I have cleaned out the slasher axle recesses. Just solid flanges of about 50-60mm diameter. I don't know what is behind them, presumably oilite bushes with oil seals. The sump is supposed to hold half a pint of SAE30. I wouldn't expect to be able to turn this axle by hand as the gearing would be very high. What would be nice is if you could check if you can turn your pulley by hand (without a forward belt or slashers!):)
The chaincase is welded so not serviceable. The pity is that when I bought my cultivator the oil leaked out through a small hole in the weld so they send a replacement chaincase. I kept the old one for about 10 years before binning it.....
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I would use a 3 leg puller like this - http://www.screwfix.com/p/laser-reversible-gear-puller-2-3-leg-100mm/48634
but for the sze of the pulley, I have a set of 3 sizes.
you put the puller on, tighten the centre spike, use a penetrating oil on the shaft, then tap the nut at the end of the puller shaft sharply with a hammer - this should shock the two pieces apart, if not tighten a little more then leave overnight, by morning it may well have seperated, otherwise, a little heat on the pully while it is in tension should pop it off, a puller isnt a brute force tool.
Grendel
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Hi again,
Sorry I've been bimbling about with other stuff and haven't checked this site for a week or so.
The advice from Grandel regarding the use of a pulley sounds about spot on to me.
As for the large final drive pulley, the bad news for you is that I can easily turn it by hand.
Even with the drive belt and slashers still on, I can turn it about half a rotation before the slashers want to start to turn over and it gets too hard to do by hand. (There's probably a bit of slop in the final chain drive to take up, and there's also a bit of slop between the slasher drive shafts/clevis pins/slashers to take up). But it turns quite freely.
Off the top of my head, could your final drive chain have welded itself solid with the heat?
Either way, it looks like you're going to have to strip down all drive assemblies to their component parts, if only to ascertain that they are going to be OK to go again.
Mike
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Hi Mike
Thanks for trying it. That is what I feared:( I had expected it to turn....
I will check the chain when it next stops raining. I went in to Eastern Bearings and they weren't very helpful - the old timer, very knowledgeable and quick - wasn't there and the person who was said they didn't do oilite bushes which surprised me. I know where I can get them but only if I can get it to turn.
I have a 24" stilson on order for something else so maybe that will work!
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If it were me I don't think i would be worrying about finding bearings etc until everything was free and turning.
If the fire was hot enough to melt the PB bearings in the pulley then there may also be others melted inside the chain case which are proventing the shaft from turning.
Another think to consider,has the heat taken the temper out of and softened the high stress/wear parts in the chaincase.?
smud6ie
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Vic,
If you're quick, there's one on ebay. Before you get too excited, it looks to me like a model without reverse and it has a slightly different engine & petrol tank layout. But everything else looks the same and the seller says that it's been standing in a shed for three years. The engine turns but he hasn't tried to start it, so selling for spares or repair. So the starting bid is twenty quid and no bids on it as yet.
It's in Bristol and ends on 13th May, but if you're interested the item number is 200756398726.
It's misspelled on the title as "Qualcast Rotovator"
Good luck,
Mike
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Hi Mike
Thanks foe the heads up. It is the forward only Suffolk engined one. Pity
I received my 24" stilson yesterday. Applied it to the vee pulley boss. It did turn in the end but the slasher shaft doen't turn so I suspect the chain broke!
Mind put my angle grinder to work to cut open the chain case.
Surprised they dont make it easier.....
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I know Bristol is a long way away, but I would have thought that the one for sale would make an ideal chassis & drive system to build up from and convert back into a deluxe?
You'd solve all your chain drive, handlebar and other problens with one fell swoop.
Just a thought.
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Hi Vic,
I've got my reverse pulley back and assembled on the machine. It's still not ready for testing because the reverse drive belt is now too stretched from working the smaller friction disk to work the new bigger one. So I've had to order a new belt.
I've taken a few photos of the assembly which I can post if you want, but you may not need them as I've found you a complete machine (same model) sitting at Gateshead Lawnmower Centre.
The guys there are brilliant and really interested in keeping these old machines going - they took all of ATCO's & Qualcasts' old stock when they were taken over by Bosch.
As far as new parts go, they have only belts and idle pulleys left, but they have taken this old Deluxe model as a job lot of part exchange.
They won't break the machine for parts as then it's no good to anybody. It's been sat outside for a long time and is rusty, but they say it's hardly done any work in its' life and nothing on it is worn - it could do with a shot blast and paint for the rust though.
They reckon the engine is dead as there is no spark plug in it so mother nature has got inside, and there are a few bits of the carb missing.
They will take around £30 for the whole thing and are happy to send you pictures of it so you can see what's what. I reckon it's worth the trip or a courier for you.
They are on 0191 4692020.
Let me know if you decide against it as I might be interested myself for spares at that price.
All the best,
Mike
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Hi Mike
Thats great! I am interested. I found like mine one on ebay starting at 0.99. Asked the seller if they would give me a Buy-It-Now at£30. She agreed but someone got in before me!! I'll be tempted to ask someone to sell off ebay...
I will contact them
I went in to my local Ferodo service agent who said they didn't fit flat linings there but used a firm in Norwich. I went there today and they offered me a piece of Ferodo lining for £5. They confirmed it was asbestos free. The piece was Ferodo 3921 10mm thick I said I would first wait to see if I could get the axle to move!
I know I can machine it OK first using a cirular hole cutter then a morticer to cut the rectangular hole and a fret saw to cut the circular hole. So I will first check out the one you have mentioned. Could you email me their email address as a pm as I am a bit deaf
Thanks
Vic
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Hi Mike
Found it on the net and have emailed them
Thanks
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Hi Mike
They sent me pics. It doesn't look too bad but they have upped the price to £50 and it isn't the DeLuxe model. I will keep looking for one locally
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Hi Gardener 1
Would it be possible for you to add some more photos of the pulley area of your Qualcast. I have one here which has been bodged many times and would like to see how the drive cables/springs attach properly. I am having difficulty like yourself without a handbook.
Thanks
Kev
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Hi Kev
See page 1
Vic
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Hi
I can't quite see how the main forward drive cable is attached on that pic, the belt is in the way. I am sure there are bits missing on mine.
Thanks
Kev
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There are 2 models. One has a forward and reverse as in picture. Perhaps yours is the one without the reverse but with 2 speeds. If it is there are two vee pulleys beside each other. You change the position of the belt at front and rear
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I have the delux model with forward and reverse. It is the way the cables attach which is what I am trying to find out. I am pretty sure there is something missing on mine.
Thanks
Kev
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Hi Kev
I do hate this site!
That is the second time I have written a post and attached 2 pics only to be told they are too large. So I reduced them and posted it again and got a message that it was a duplicate yet I have no copy and have received no email. It is not in my list of posts either.:(
Sorry no time to do the commentary again, hope the attached pics help
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If your having problems with the file size when posting pictures try a small application called shrinkpic.if you set it to maximum compression it will automatically resize for you..
http://www.onthegosoft.com/shrink_pic.htm
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Hi
Thanks for the link. The trouble is you think you have it right when it says 128kb but when you send 2 pics it says too large at 194kb! Is there anywhere to get a copy of the post already sent ie without the pics?
Cheers
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Hi
I can't quite see how the main forward drive cable is attached on that pic, the belt is in the way. I am sure there are bits missing on mine.
Thanks
Kev
Hi Kev
I didn't see this post and thought you were having problems with belts.
Sorry. If you click on the picture on page 1 it will enlarge it. True it wont move the belt out of the way, but you can't be missing much! There is a spring one end of which connects through hole in the pivoting bracket and the other goes over what they call a shackle. From memory this is just a circular, annular ring of diameter perhaps 10mm. It is drilled and tapped for a screw which you tighten on the cable inner. The sort of thing you get on some bikes - you pull through the slack before tightening it up. You can improvise this easily perhaps using the metal inner of one section of the largest terminal strip you have
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Hi
Thanks for the link. The trouble is you think you have it right when it says 128kb but when you send 2 pics it says too large at 194kb! Is there anywhere to get a copy of the post already sent ie without the pics?
Cheers
What I always do before sending posts on forums is :select all the text,right click,select copy,then if there is any problem I start the reply again,right click,and paste the text back again.
Also.if your having problems with multple pics,just post one,then edit the post adding another pic.
there are probalely other ways but this is a work around for me which does not tax my poor old brain too much :)
smud6ie
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Hi Smud6ie
I do normally do that, even saying them in Word before posting but not this time. The reason I got caught out was because I still had it on screen with an error message about the pics. I reduced the pics and reloaded them on screen and posted again...
I won't be caught again like that but perhaps the webmaster would look into posting such messages without the pics sd they can always be sent in a follow-up message!
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hi have just bought a qualcast cultimatic de luxe rotorvator i pick i up on sunday so i can measure the bully wheels for you if you want me to im also looking for a exhaust muffler for this machine and im not sure what type fits the briggs and stratton 4hp engine i believe it is the existing engine so it hasnt been changed so if anybody can help to find the right muffler would be very greatful thanks
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Bit of a thread revival, all that was posted in 2012, they should be sorted by now.
With regard to exhausts, there are two different side valve 4hp engines the first one used the 5hp cylinder block, so uses 5hp exhausts, the second used the 3.5hp cylinder block so uses the 2hp/3hp/3.5hp exhausts. How to tell, the engine model stamped on the fan cowl starts with 10 for the 5hp based engine and starts with 11 for the 3.5hp based engine. Take a close look at that 4 sticker on the fan cowl too, it may say 4 cycle which just means 4 stroke in American, and isn't the hp at all.
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Hello have a look at Westwood and Atco they took over production of Qualcast tillers over a period of time jezza