DFB's Garage

[Big Dave]

What is it I keep reading online. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Word of mouth gets around a lot faster these days, and with pictures in full colour.

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[DFB]

The new machine is now earning its keep.....................



Apart from a quick run over my front lawns, this was the first mow. In this case, I didn't catch, hence the grass sitting on the deck.

The engine turns over much easier than either the Honda GXV 160, and especially the Krohler. That's one of the things that has always annoyed me about the Krohler, its unusually hard to pull over, like there's no compression release.

I really need to tweak the governor now. The engine is superbly torquey out of the box, but it just feels stilted. I haven't put the tacho on it yet, but its sounding like around 2800 rpm, which is just too low. Upping that to around 3600 - 3800 rpm is completely safe, makes for superior cutting and speeds up the self-propel too. I've heard you are supposed to let the engine run in first, but I've also read you can just do it out of the box. I might split the difference and get it up above 3000 rpm to get it in the ballpark and go from there.

Tweaking the governor is not as easy as the earlier versions of this engine with the metal carb. Briggs have hidden the adjustment tab behind the air filter housing, but its easy when you know where to look.

[DFB]

Cashing in a couple of gift vouchers for a Milwaukee M18 Surge Impact Driver..............a belated Christmas present.





With most of the Milwaukee M18 impact range being out of stock for over a month now, I had to place an order for it two weeks ago. This particular model has a hydraulic powertrain to reduce metal on metal contact, which allows for quieter and smoother operation. It also allows four speed and torque settings. In both cases, I'm told these elements deliver a smoother and more finessed action, rather than smashing the guts out of whatever you are working on.

I have also added some additional garage lighting above the sink. There is nothing special about these, other than they are ultra slim and easily expanded.

Rigid LED Strip Lights - Altronics
Genlamp Natural White Linkable LED Strip Light 300mm - Altronics

I mounted the lights to wall using adhesive velco, so no mess or holes to drill. Each light comes with a male/male daisy chain cord, which I only used to bridge from the cabinet to the wall. The three wall mounted units are joined using a male/male joiner piece. You then connect a 12V power adapter. They also offer a dimming switch and motion sensor if so desired.

Genlamp LED Strip Joiner For X3271 - Altronics
https://www.altronics.com.au/p/m8936...ance-plugpack/





Despite how the images present, the light output is actually quite good, helping make this somewhat dark spot in the garage so much better.

[DFB]

This mower got put to the ultimate test today, dealing with two weeks of summer Kikuyu growth. I wasn't sure how the new unit would travel, so I took the old Rover with me as well.

After starting the run with the Victa C21, I then switched to the Rover at the next stop which is notoriously thick and tall after two weeks. Annoyingly, the Rover was not driving properly, I got through the job but it will warrant investigation. That sort of meant the C21 was thrown into the deep end!

It's at this point I decided it was all or nothing! The shipped governor position yielded about 2800 - 2900 rpm................



Two small adjustments to the spring tab had it running above the 3600 sweet spot. I will have a separate post on how to do this later on.



Now, before this adjustment, the engine would grunt through thicker stuff, but it wasn't powering through, and the walking speed was a touch too slow for my liking. After the adjustment, now we are in the ballpark!

The engine is now powering through thicker grass, which improves catching ability, which in turn clears grass from the deck and prevents the engine bogging down. The walking speed is now much better, not running speed but a decent brisk walk.

Now, just because I have the full throttle revs set at 3600 rpm, that doesn't mean I need to run the machine at that all the time. But the good thing is, I now have options. On lighter growth, run it at half throttle. On thicker grass, go full throttle and get on with it!

What I love about the Briggs 850 engine is that while it has the power, about 6.0 - 6.5 hp, the larger 190cc capacity means it has torque too. That means it doesn't bog down under load in the same way the smaller 163cc Honda and 173cc Krohler do. Both of those engines can make power and spin hard, but they just don't have the same grunt to get through thicker stuff. The 850's slight mark against it is the fuel consumption, but I would rather deal with that over an engine that doesn't cut the mustard............or grass as it were.

That doesn't mean I hate the Honda, I'm a big fan of the GXV 160, its built like a tank, is ultra smooth and is fuel efficient. It's easy to work on too and feels like a high-quality product............... yes, there is some jank to the Briggs.

The Krohler? I've pounded that thing for years now and it's been extremely reliable................but I've always hated it! As mentioned earlier, its always been hard to pull over, often needed a second pull to fire. The thing has used oil from the beginning, never in a smokey way, but it just seems to consume it. The muffler is too small and makes it very noisy at full tilt. The dipstick is hard to read and made from nasty plastic. Overall, it just looks and feels cheaply made. But to be brutally honest, I'm surprised its lasted this long.

Anyway, here is a shot of the Victa Commercial 21 tackling one of my most challenging lawns. And the half chute? No blockages! :dance



It's very early days, but I'm very pleased with how things have started out with this mower.

[Big Dave]

I need to mow every 5-6 days at the moment, the lawns going crazy. And I have to empty the catcher about 3.5 - 4 for the front and back, in winter I get away with 2 empties for each

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[DFB]

I need to mow every 5-6 days at the moment, the lawns going crazy. And I have to empty the catcher about 3.5 - 4 for the front and back, in winter I get away with 2 empties for each

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It's been quite dry over the last two weeks, so the grass has thankfully slowed down a bit.

[DFB]

Another week, another attempt at finding Rover spare parts! :conf

This time, I was chasing a set of the rear wheels, which have inner grooves to mesh with the drive gears.



There are two versions of this wheel -

- 8-inch as used on ProCut 50 (634-04751 or A10624)
Rover 8" Self-Propelled Wheel 634-04751
– Power Mowers

- 9-inch as used on ProCut 560 (634-05015 or A10669)
ROVER 22" 560 MOWER REAR DRIVE WHEEL A10669
– Power Mowers

I needed the 9-inch version, which I again scoured the internet with no luck. I then reached out to the company who sold me the NLA dust shields and drive gears, they were listing the smaller version, but perhaps they could help me again. As luck would have it, they had them in stock, but the website link was inactive on their end.

I have since ordered four A10669, along with some new front wheels, A10622.

Actually, I was a bit confused what front wheels I needed. Measuring the old ones, it came in at 7.5-inch, which Rover sell under A10621. But the part number on wheels was indeed A10622. I guess I have lost 0.5-inch of tread in the 10 years I've had this unit.

7.5-inch as used on ProCut 50 (A10621)
Rover 7-1/2" Wheel A10621
– Power Mowers

8-inch as used on ProCut 560 (A10622)
Rover 8" Wheel 634-05032
– Power Mowers



Completely bald! And those are plastic "treads", not rubber. Should look like this...................



While its somewhat frustrating trying to find parts for this relic, I'm also finding it rewarding. Hunting through part diagrams, then the thrill of the chase finding parts for sale!

[DFB]

Michelin Agilis 3 Update

Today was my first experience driving in the wet with these tyres. Where previously I had to be careful not to bring the engine up to boost in first, second, and sometimes third gear, otherwise the rear would be lit up like a Christmas tree. Now, I have traction, even with some provocation! Sadly, I had no wet roundabouts to test lateral traction on the way to work this morning.

In the dry, the Agilis 3 has a softer overall feel, something which is exaggerated by the aged and brittle Dunlop's that went before it. I suspect these Michelin's have a much softer sidewall, which does promote more movement as they flex under lateral load. The Dunlop's I could throw at corners with confidence, but the Michelins move around a bit more, which something I'm getting used to. But they are most certainly providing a softer ride. It's still firm, however there is a layer of cushiness that wasn't there before.

Some of that might sound on the negative side, but that is more me providing feedback on what I'm noticing. At this stage, I would still buy these tyres again, the benefits here are outweighing the slight drawbacks. As much as anything, I didn't realize how bad the previous tyres were in the end.

[Big Dave]

Wet roundabouts are the big test, the previous Yokohama G015s I had on were LT spec, they are the ones that are still on the original alloys. They were hilarious on wet roundabouts, I would get understeer going in, even at slow speeds, then the fronts would grip and I'd transition into oversteer trying to come out, it has ESC but I'd usually catch it before the system could detect it. The new G015s are not LT, I say new but they're 4 years old now, and they still understeer a little bit, but I don't get as much oversteer, it also helps that I fitted Outback Armour adjustable shocks at the rear, softer rear ends produce more grip, or so Jim Richards says.

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[DFB]

Wet roundabouts are the big test, the previous Yokohama G015s I had on were LT spec, they are the ones that are still on the original alloys. They were hilarious on wet roundabouts, I would get understeer going in, even at slow speeds, then the fronts would grip and I'd transition into oversteer trying to come out, it has ESC but I'd usually catch it before the system could detect it. The new G015s are not LT, I say new but they're 4 years old now, and they still understeer a little bit, but I don't get as much oversteer, it also helps that I fitted Outback Armour adjustable shocks at the rear, softer rear ends produce more grip, or so Jim Richards says.

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My PK Ranger I had before my current Ranger was lethal in the wet.



Those PK Ranger's were ancient by the time I bought mine brand new in 2010. The only concession to safety was dual airbags, traction and stability control (and ABS by association) were unheard of on tradie vehicles back then. Combine that with the lightweight alloy tray and tiny 15-inch wheels with 215/70/R15 tyres meant that grip and traction were nonexistent in the wet. With 330 Nm at 1800 rpm, the thing could light them up in 3rd gear exiting a roundabout. Now, at times that could be fun, but only when you knew what you were doing. But get caught out, there was no safety net to chime in and save the day.