I thought i would post a few pics of my old greenfield that my old man bought when i was 14. 34 years later i have given it a new lease of life. It has had a few rebuilds over the years but this time i thought i might go all out. The first mod that i did was over twenty years ago and that was to replace the sprockets and chain with bike ones, and at the same time i made up new side plates and stainless rear axle with chain adjusters like a bike that you can actually adjust then lock up and get rid of the original idea that lifts the rear of the mower when you adjusted the chain. Changed the front end a bit as well, i fabricated a new front beam and angled the ends so i could get a bit better turning circle. The steering gears are now planetary gears from an old Holden banjo diff so i don't think they will ever wear out. I have made all new bushes a few times for it now. Like probably most greenfields from that era the deck had a few chunks out of it so i made some plates and welded them in and the deck came out looking like new. Matching the paint was a pain as i had painted it red years ago then black years after that so there was no original paint on it anywhere. The first time i painted it it came out more like the greenfield color of todays mowers and i remembered it being more of a yellow so i rubbed it back and sprayed it again. It came out maybe a bit more yellow than it probably was this time but i think it still looks close to how it was. The mower is now semi retired, i used to abuse it pretty well. I am a lazy mower i mow over anything, sticks or regrowth up to probably inch and a half round the bigger they are the more of a challenge. Now i will probably use the axe more and just mow the long grass and look after it.
Your story is remarkably similar to my own in that I too have Dad's Tractor 8 that he bought in the early eighties when I was just getting into my teens and used to abuse the thing something senseless.
Very interested in your modifications- especially the steering ones. Deck clearance and steering circle can be nuisance. I've done a couple of little modifications in the past to improve it but never thought to put a crank into the beam! Well done that man!
Your story is remarkably similar to my own in that I too have Dad's Tractor 8 that he bought in the early eighties when I was just getting into my teens and used to abuse the thing something senseless.
Very interested in your modifications- especially the steering ones. Deck clearance and steering circle can be nuisance. I've done a couple of little modifications in the past to improve it but never thought to put a crank into the beam! Well done that man!
Cheers,
I measured the turning circle today for interest sake. Turning left the turning circle was 4 meters, turning right the turning circle was 1.9 meters. A fair bit of a difference each way, but its how it works out even with the beam kicked out you can't go much further on the left side before you hit the deck. But increasing the steering angle on the right hand side i can now mow around my fruit trees in one go. So it was successful.
