I just picked up myself a cheap reel mower and after a bit of research it turns out to be a Morrison from NZ. Also turns out that parts are as rare as hens teeth. Regardless of that I thought I might try my luck at finding some.
Specifically I'm trying to track down 2 parts, that'd be the drive belt and a bearing carrier. The bearing carrier looks to be made of some composite material which is cracked and broken away. The other side looks to be a metal unit. It turns out that its a Ransome's unit which may narrow down my search.
If you have idea where I might be able to get a replacement, it would be greatly appreciated.
After pulling the reel unit from the mower i found that its been modified in the past so its not an original part. The plastic part was screwed to a metal plate which ultimately weakened it by the looks of things.
Going by another thread Masport seem to still produce a part thats similar to what im after but im not 100% if its a good replacement. I might just buy it and see how it turns out. Itll be roughly $45 to my door.
As far as the belt goes im also not 100% sure if the belt that came off is the correct one. It did seem very slack but thats without the engine turning it over.
I have a 3D printer so if all else fails i might be able to reproduce the part. Have to get some CAD skills up though.
Hi Alex That's an amazing piece of detective work.
NZ's Challenge Corp. - who owned Morrison at the time - also owned Scott Bonnar. The 690 was a Morrison design and fully imported (I think).
I was not aware they moved to a plastic bearing housing, but that now seems likely.
The metal housings were designed by Ransomes and used from the Minor MK6 of 1951. In Australia, they were used on Victa Imperials, Scott Bonnars, and Morrison-Turners. You have a good chance of tracking down a metal one on auction sites.
It makes things a little tricky when the mower was rebadged a couple of times. Ive been able to track down a pair of housings for the 690 but comparing it to the metal unit i have there is a slight difference in the depth of the bearing. The rest comes pretty close.
CyberJack - What is the model SB you posted pics of? Its exactly the same as my mower (but red). Might help me narrow down some searches.
Also, another thread suggests the the belt is a AX35 cogged type. Easy to find by the looks of that. Part number helps.
It makes things a little tricky when the mower was rebadged a couple of times. Ive been able to track down a pair of housings for the 690 but comparing it to the metal unit i have there is a slight difference in the depth of the bearing. The rest comes pretty close.
Hi Alex
I am not surprised with what you say. The original Ransomes and Morrison designs used a double-row self-aligning bearing. It appears that Challenge Corp cheapened the design to accommodate a sealed single-row bearing.
The images I posted are from a 2013 auction sale. At some point - late 1970s - the colour was changed to orange for our local Scott Bonnars.
Alex, use the Blue Bar to search for Morrison and Scott Bonnar 690. I would love to get an accurate belt size for these.
As an aside, I would like to add this ... Your machine has a single clutch. The issue - long term - in this design is the plastic reduction gears in the land roll. A clever design but now showing its age. Perhaps 3D printing will come to the rescue.
Hope this helps. ----------------------------- Jack
Ive been able to track down a local Victa Imperial that may be good for parts. It looks as though it has the chain drive and clutch rather than the belt drive. Engine is different as well.
Would it be possible to swap the clutch parts and drive chains to my Morrison? Are the parts interchangeable? Would it be worth the trouble?
Considering that the Imperial is very close to the Morrison, would the drive train be interchangeable between the two? Not sure if the chassis is the same when it comes to a chain drive. ie using parts from both to make a working mower?
Hello Alex and Mod BB Alex, you have entered unknown territory. The Imperial has the superior specification.
The Morrison will have an almost identical frame - with differences in the LH side chaincase drilling points. It's pretty clear some modification would be necessary, but we have no history of any folk attempting this.
You are in the best position to help us. I have edited your post (above) to include the Morrison transmission case.
Thanks for the reply. Ill see how it goes as far as buying the Imperial. The person selling it seems to more on the unhelpful side which makes me not want to buy it. We will see.
Ive been trying to find some comparison photos between the Morrison and Imperial and so far it looks "mostly" the same.
Im yet to dismantle the Morrison to check the condition of the reduction gear but i have a plan to 3D print a replacement if its buggered. The filament i can use is more than strong enough and can easily be replaced if anything goes wrong down the track.
Im yet to dismantle the Morrison to check the condition of the reduction gear but i have a plan to 3D print a replacement if its buggered.
It is fantastic you have that knowledge and access to 3D printers. They seem to be the future for restoring no longer available parts. And metal printers are coming to the fore too.
I've been able to get the mower going and i've also been able to track down a grass chute but for a 16" model. The thing im not sure about is how the chute fits in the mower. The two tabs bolt to the front edge but where abouts does the lower end sit? I understand that ill have to cut it down to fit, that's easy.
