OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Modern Replacement Parts for Southern Cross KXD-2

Thanks Jack. Yes "stationary" screen = static screen.

I am very thankful to Paul for his help.

I tend to be a "fussy" renovator. I even go so far as trying to match up bolts that were from the period, rather than use modern bolts. If I do use modern bolts, I try to age them by removing the Zinc coating and grinding off any lettering on the heads. I only use modern replacement parts if I can't find the original ones, which I replace once I finally get hold of the originals.

The engine mounting bolts on my Southern Cross are 5/16" x 2-1/2" UNC. They have *AJAX* stamped on the heads. I don't think they ever had any Zinc coating. They just look like plain, mild steel, and are probably only about Grade 4 or maybe less. I am inclined to think these were the original bolts, as Ajax was one of the big bolt manufacturers at the time. The nuts and bolt heads are also a smidgen larger than today's 5/16" x 2-1/2" bolts.

Oddly enough I still have four of the original bolts that were used to fit the Southern Cross blades, but by today's standards they look a tad dangerous. Two of them are slightly bent. In fact I suspect they would bend long before they would ever break, which perhaps made them safer than today's high tensile bolts, which are more prone to sudden and catastrophic failure if you hit something hard. Incidentally, some years ago I had just bought a brand new Supaswift mower and took it for a spin along the footpath. Unknown to me a vandal had broken off the metal post that showed the position of the underground HP fire main. The butt of the post was stuck up several cms but concealed in the grass. Of course I hit it with one hell of a jolt, which not only cracked a blade, but also sheered a blade bolt almost clean through. The mower has never ran the same since. I wonder if I had done this in the old SC, the blade carrier may have cracked, but I am sure the blade bolts would have simply bent and buckled.

The Briggs and Stratton & Tecumseh flyscreens I've measured from that period have all had around 4 mm diameter perforations. Today's screens are more like 2-3 mm.



Air flow is considerably compromised the smaller you go in size, so a compromise has to be reached between stopping debris (and snakes/rodents) and air flow. The pattern of the holes (and distance apart) also greatly influences the amount of free air space available. I'll be interested to hear from Paul which hole size Southern Cross chose for their screens.