This page is dedicated to the complete restoration of a Ransomes Mk 4b.
Specification:
350 cc Blackburn Single Cylinder.
20" Cut
Built 1929. Machine Number B1209.
When I bought the Mower, it was almost totally complete but had not run for many years. The only parts that were missing were the front wooden rollers and the exhaust centre section.
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The first job on any of my restorations is to have a good look around the machine accompanied by a good pipe-full of tobacco ! Mental notes are always made at this stage as to the way I might tackle certain areas, then the oh-so important pre- restoration photographs are taken to act as a Do-it-yourself Haynes Manual for later on as illustrated below! These take all the guess work out of the final reconstruction.
With more simple machines such as push mowers, the putting back together bit is a relatively straight forward procedure, however with a mower as complex as this it is only too easy to have a pile of nuts, bolts and springs left over at the end!
I take particular care over exactly where certain components go, such as spacers and supports. (This is where the photos help).
Having taken the necessary photos the strip down began. First to come off was the fuel tank and supports followed by the handles and cross braces. Next followed the cooling fan together with it's housing. This dramatically reduced the size of the mower giving me more space to work.
By removing the "upper assemblies" I gained access to the engine and Clutch. These came off without any excitement except for the weight!
With most of the parts removed, I loosened the roller and cutting cylinder and removed one of the side plates. I could now apply the necessary pulling power to remove the roller and cylinder from their bearings. The mower was now in component state for the first time since it's days at Ipswich in 1929.
As you can see by the photos, the mower was dirt and grease encrusted with a fair helping of surface rust. Every component was now systematically de-greased, de-rusted and whatever else was needed in the quest for cleanliness. This is always the worst part of any restoration but rewarding once completed. The fuel tank was very rusty inside, so the usual swilling out with nuts and bolts ensued before a good coating of Petseal.
The cutting cylinder was sand blasted which saved me about a weeks work cleaning --well worth ten quid!
Once all was nice and clean, the painting began. Every component received two coats of Red Oxide primer before two grey undercoats. I mixed the top coat myself to achieve the correct shade of green. I think that it is commonly believed that these mowers were a slightly darker shade of Green, however I always look very carefully for some original paint that has not been exposed to the elements, i.e. behind castings etc., and I have nearly always found a fairly grassy Green colour. Anyway, there is no no one left living who would have remembered accurately the colour when new so I believe it is up to individual interpretation and too bad for those who profess to know better!! Three top coats were applied, rubbing down between the first two then it was all left to harden for a week whilst I got on with cleaning up all the miscellaneous items. The gold lettering on the handles, scraper plate and chain cover was painted on with gold leaf sign writers paint.
The photo above shows the early stages of reconstruction including the Gold lettering on the outside chain case.
The reconstruction began with the back roller. Once it was attached to one of the side plates, the cutting cylinder and bearing housing was located back into it's housing followed by one side of the bottom blade. The opposite side plate was then attached (Leaving all the bolts nice and loose at this stage).
After the throw plate brackets had been put back and the throw plate inserted, it was time to start replacing the clutch and engine. I had previously re-assembled the clutch on the bench so it slid back quite well. The mounting bars with the spacers ( which I had been very careful to keep in the correct sequence) were slid through the side plate and through the fan housing and engine assembly (which again had been pre-assembled on the bench). After plenty of tugging and twisting, both bars eventually made their way through to the opposite holes -- always a very satisfying moment!
At this point, the bolts for the roller and cutting cylinder were tightened up together with the large nuts at each end of the cross members. The handles and their related crossmembers were the next to go on together with the clutch lever. The fuel tank and brackets were the final parts to go back. Apart from the final bits and pieces it is finished.
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