www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

Hi,

Here's the Bulldog doing what it does well in spite of being almost as old as I am.

[urlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr54uqLuyjk&t=50s][/url]

Kind regards, Col.

Hi,

I'm planning to convert the rod controls to handlebar lever & cable for my safety whilst rotavating on our steep garden. I have very little spare time due to many demands upon me but yesterday decided to make a start. I'd already dismantled the Howard into sections I could move around and used a sack cart to take these down to the workshop; I'd tried in the garden but the steep slope and prevailing breeze were a real nuisance so the workshop it had to be; it's also getting dark early.

When I first restored this Howard I quickly found a broken casting; four 5/16 UNC set screws were involved; only three were in place due to a corner of the casting having broken and disappeared; this was possibly the reason it was put up for sale; just tighten the three remaining set screws and let someone else sort it out. I'm forever short of time but in this instance I decided to try using Milliput Epoxy Putty having heard good things about it. having cleaned the break with acetone I decided to embed an 8mm dia stud which I did using the Milliput then continued with the restoration thinking all would be well.

I was amazed when I started work on the Howard in the workshop; this casting was not only loose it had destroyed the Milliput completely with the stud hanging loose with nut and washer; also one of the other set screws had disappeared the remaining set screws were also very loose; the trail of gear oil told me something wasn't right; in the garden the loss of oil hadn't been noticed. Why does everything I touch bites me; nothing for it now but to do what I should have done at the restoration; sort it out once and for all. A simple modification was now a much bigger job involving more dismantling to get at the broken casting.

I spent all yesterday building up the casting with cast iron welding rods but this was a very slow process; I had to keep breaking off in order to ensure Bron was OK and to make meals; do the dishes; visit the pharmacy etc so I could only work in very short sessions but I managed to complete the welding; fettle the weld with an angle grinder and hand files then drill and tap to accept the correct 5/16 UNC set screw in fact I installed four new set screws for good measure.

Early this morning immediately after breakfast; doing the dishes and preparing things for dinner; I got Bron comfortable on the sofa with a mug of tea and YouTube video then I could wander down to the workshop in pouring rain; it is Yorkshire after all. Today I've cleaned everything up; made new gaskets but I've also used Hermatite on the joint; this time the castings are tightly secured with a full complement of set screws and washers; I added extra weld just to make sure the weld would stand up to any abuse.
The welded corner with new set screw & washer; I applied lots of pressure to the spanner thinking you just dare to break this time. I hand filed the weld at the joint face.
My welder set up; industrial Pickhill Bantam; single or three phase running on single phase supplied with a 32A "C" type MCB. It's a lovely welder and will weld all day and all night all week without tripping out. The two items above the welder are "Third hands" I made and these are excellent aids for simply holding items in position.
Not pretty but I applied lots of weld building it up slowly to avoid excessive heat.
A lot of dismantling just to access the broken casting joint.
I believe this is the reason the Howard was destined to the scrap yard but it was advertised on eBay instead as complete.
Disappointing to find this Milliput repair had completely failed; here it is as I found it; I'm surprised I rotavated two wildflower meadows unknowing the condition it was in; poor Howard; I'm sorry; I tried to get you restored and into service as quickly as possible but hopefully you'll now forgive me and we can be good friends for years to come. I've taken more pictures but if I get spare time I'll add them later.

I can now look at the cable modification I wanted to carry out; everything is taking forever these days but I'll stick with it; Bron will always come first.

Kind regards, Col.

Hi,

I've completed the rod control to lever control and am happy it's going to prove a lot safer.
New handlebar lever fully installed; ideally I'd have liked to mount it under the grip but in fact I think having tried it over the grip is better. The lever is an eBay item bought cheaply; at £5.51 delivered; it's 7/8" to suit the tubing. Note the lever clamp position; longer screws were needed.
I have a lathe and like excuses to use it whenever possible; here are the components; this modification I'm sure could be done without a lathe with a bit of imagination. The bearing I had to hand it's metal shielded 6202Z although the original smaller bearing could have been used. The original bearing arm couldn't be used because the fulcrum pin was located too low so cable adjustment wouldn't be possible; a new steel bush was turned then welded to the new shorter arm as seen. The bush was drilled out a larger size to ensure many years of service it having a larger bearing surface than just using the 8mm dia bolt. The longer bolt has since been reduced to correct length.
The nipples supplied with the cable were a bit short so I made a new nipple from a bit of 8mm steel bar stock drilling and tapping for a 5mm dia locking screw.
Here is the lower cable end; the petrol engine tilts on a hinge to control drive belt adjustment; I removed the engine mounting plate end flange it being in the way I also removed the welded on pivot. Two 8mm dia bolts are used for the new set up; the arm needs to be short otherwise the handlebar lever won't have enough travel; this is critical; the original "A" belt was too long but at the moment works OK; I tried a new A24 belt but this is too short so I've got an A25 belt on the way; playing around with adjustments was fun. In order to adjust the cable length allowing the handlebar lever to close onto the grip I locked the lever down with a spring clamp; the engine was tilted until the drive belt was tight and supported with a tight fitting piece of wood packing then I used a pair of pliers to to pull the cable tight locking it off at this with the bottom bearing lever in full contact under the engine mounting plate; letting go of the handlebar lever drops the engine hence disables the belt drive to the gearbox; this is an excellent safety feature in case the cable should break. Surprisingly little pressure is required at the handlebar lever similar to what is needed on a 750cc bike so it shouldn't be tiring to use.

The new drive belt should arrive in the next few days then I can try it for better fit and make any readjustments necessary. I'm looking forward to completing the rest of the rotavator reassembly then keen to try it out in anger.

Kind regards, Col.

Hi,

Thanks big-all; The late Fred Dibnah was of the old school having a good grasp of not only basic skills but much more advanced skills; I think he sadly died at the age of 62 never to be replaced.

Things have moved on a bit since last posting. The new cable control worked very well indeed; however I wondered how long in service such a thin cable would last so over the last week or so with bits of time and dire weather permitting I've kept popping into the workshop to further modify the drive belt control
New cam arrangement.
Installed with double stops; one stop adjusts engine height from frame the other stop prevents the cam dropping down.
Fully working and a great deal stronger in line with the rotavator robust build.
Another view.
Rod connector/adjuster; 6mm diameter mild steel rod used; the adjuster is 12mm dia.
Handlebar end now having a link installed; the lever travel wasn't enough; the front end of the lever mount was removed using an hacksaw; now it's got lots of travel.

Since taking the pictures I've tidied up the weld and removed excess screw length also I replaced an hex head set screw with a socket countersink set screw to prevent fouling.
These are the pair of 6mm ball joints used.

The handlebar lever is very easy to operate; there is a lot of slack due to the drive belt needing to be loose enough not to provide drive; I'll adjust this more once the monsoon passes and I have a bit of rare spare time. I enjoy tinkering around with old machinery; it's nice now to disconnect the engine drive from the gearbox using the handlebar lever; the lever sits tight to the handlebar making it comfortable to use and it's certainly a lot safer working on our steep garden.

Kind regards, Col.