STUART

I believe its a Landmaster “Kestrel” dating from the mid 1950,s.The engine is a 4-stroke Villiers MK25.

Is it the Villiers MK25C 2 stroke engine ?.If so check and set the needle in the brass throttle slide 2 and 3/8″ of an inch out (theres a small screw at the top and in the centre of the brass throttle slide for this purpose).Also drain any residue fuel/oil mixture from the crankcase as if there,s too much in there starting will be a problem.There…[Read more]

The nut may be LH thread ???
Get some heat on the red clutch part and with a decent 3 legged puller it should come of the shaft.Also use diesel (not WD40 as it just vapourizes with the heat) as a penetrating oil to help it of.

If the engine takes a little while to slow down after being revved (and its not just the large / heavy flywheel effect) it points to a lean mixture caused by an air leak.Check cylinder head gasket(s) and carburettor inlet manifold gasket(s).Worth checking valve clearances and ignition timing while you are at it too.
Over fueling (rich mixtures)…[Read more]

I think you need to clean the carburettor more thoroughly,possibly even get it ultrasonically cleaned.What engine is fitted ??

The SB,s were first issued in January 1961 on a monthly basis.The Gems mentioned are the normal models from the series one to the series five.There are no mention of the earlier models with the V-twin JAP engine fitted (which I presume is what those serial numbers you mention are ?).

I have a load of Howard service bulletins that were issued to the dealers.If you need to know anything just let me know as they make for interesting reading.

That’s a great Howard site you have there s1g.Just one small correction though if I may……the Howard 300 and 350 had a 16″ working width as standard (not 18″).This could be extended to 23″ in light soils using the optional blade extensions and a wider rotor shield.

I guess the carburation needs some attention.That particular engine should idle beautifully so strip and clean the carburettor and adjust the throttle stop screw (the one with the lock nut in the pic) to obtain a nice “tick-over” speed.It may also need the ignition system looking at too.

The correct drive belt for the JAP and Villiers engine models has the Howard part number of 20707 which I think is an A25 belt (but check for yourself before you buy one !).

The engine appears to be a Villiers F15.

I had a Howard Bulldog a few years ago and im sure from memory it only had a 4 figure serial number.Yours would be a Bullfinch from the late 1950,s .

Remove the engine cowling first.Then unscrew the bolt that holds the alloy starting pulley on.Then unscrew the captive bolt that holds the flywheel onto the crankshaft.There are 2 stages to unscrewing this bolt…..first stage just loosens it when you will notice it seems to get tight again.Second stage draws the flywheel of the taper.Note there…[Read more]

I had to file the manifold gasket surface flush on my Zenith carb as they do tend to “warp” from incorrect tightening / general misuse.Im sure I also fitted a couple of gaskets just to be sure there were no air leaks.My brass throttle spindle needed building up as it was quite worn / sloppy in the upper carb body.I just soldered it and smoothed it…[Read more]

I have one.If you want it doing Charlie send me a PM.

Providing the compression is good and theres fuel in the cylinder and the spark is at the correct time then it should go.Are you 100% certain the ignition timing is correct and the carb is in good order ??
My 400 with the same JAP 4/3 engine fitted only needs a pull up on the starting handle and she,s away.

The solid tyres are obsolete / NLA (no longer available) unless you can find some new old stock ones anywhere.Might be worth contacting Chester Hudson as he has lots of Howard parts.He has a website which I think is tillerparts.com ??

The “Bullfinch” (very first models were named the “Bulldog”) which was first made in 1954 only ever had 2 blades fitted on each flange.The engine should be a 98cc JAP 2A.The very similar Howard “Demon” had a BSA 120cc engine fitted and had 3 blades on each flange.The original Howard 200 which also had 3 blades on each flange was originally fitted…[Read more]

The only way to remove the welch plugs is to drill a small hole through them and then prise them out with a thin screwdriver with the end ground down to a sharp point.Obviously the plugs have to be renewed so make sure replacements are still available before you do it.Clinton parts (new old stock) are still available in the USA on that auction…[Read more]

Some Villiers engines I have had,especially the 2-stroke models like MK25C,have a “slit” or a mark on the end of the crankshaft at the flywheel end so you can visually set the crankshaft at the 12 o clock position and hence the piston will then be at TDC.The MK15HS 4 stroke engine I mentioned above has no “slit” mark though.
As already mentioned a…[Read more]