Best place to find a JAP engine?

[Red Fred]

Thanks to Mrs Fred's initiative, I have been put on a healthy eating/exersize regime which involves growing more of our own veg and getting more exersize. To combine the two, I thought it might be fun to rejuvenate our old BMB Plowmate motor plough, but there are so many bits missing from the engine, I thought I might just find a runner to put in for now to get it working.
It seems a 5hp JAP is the engine of choice, and I wondered if anyone knew of a good website/tinkerer/magazine which might prove the best bet. Reading on here, it seems not all magazines are equal!

 

[smcapstick]

Have a look on eBay - there are often JAP engines for sale on there.

 

[llamedos]

Would an outboard dinghy engine be similar?

 

[Mursal]

Don't think JAP did dinghy engines, that was Carlsberg ............

Nothing like a dodgy two-stroke pull start engine, for exercise

Did you consider gym membership, at least you would be inside?

 

[Red Fred]

The plough could originally be had with either Briggs & S,JAP 5 or 6hp motors. They are vertical air-cooled jobs with flat bottoms that bolt onto the frame. The drive is through a flat belt pulley to the gearbox.
Alarmingly, the plough has 2 forward and one reverse gear which seems a bit dodgy if you are walking behind it. It was bought new in 1943, the worker at the time ploughed 7 acres with it, and stuck in the back of the shed where it has stayed ever since.On the plus side, it has steering brakes!

 

[Mursal]

I'd be inclined to go for Briggs and Stratton, those vertical shafts are easy got, on all the lawnmowers, or are there differences, I wonder ...........

 

[Partstech]

Meetens

 

[Mursal]

Would you try to get a spark at the plug on the original engine, first?

 

[blackbob]

It must look like this, then?

You could probably put a diesel engine in, if you could find something with a flat pulley.. Some old dumper trucks had a flat belt instead of a clutch plate, and the old Petter would be about 5hp-ish.
'Tractor and Machinery' would be your magazine, it includes (or did, last time I looked) a horticultural machinery section
What's missing off your engine? A little Google found this: http://www.villiersparts.co.uk/

 

[Red Fred]

I just brought it home in the tractor bucket and it has a Briggs and Stratton at the moment, although it is seized solid. Here it is:

 

[Red Fred]

While I was at it, I came across Dad's old Rowtrac which might be more useful. It's a 2 stroke and it turns over easily.

 

[snowhite]

The plough could originally be had with either Briggs & S,JAP 5 or 6hp motors. They are vertical air-cooled jobs with flat bottoms that bolt onto the frame. The drive is through a flat belt pulley to the gearbox.
Alarmingly, the plough has 2 forward and one reverse gear which seems a bit dodgy if you are walking behind it. It was bought new in 1943, the worker at the time ploughed 7 acres with it, and stuck in the back of the shed where it has stayed ever since.On the plus side, it has steering brakes!

I just brought it home in the tractor bucket and it has a Briggs and Stratton at the moment, although it is seized solid. Here it is:

i would not like to ask or be asked to plough 7 acres with one of them now , that man if he has passed on must be in heaven

 

[blackbob]

Using that brute will certainly give you exercise!
I'm sure we discussed garden cultivators here last year, we had a Merry Tiller (3hp B&S) and it could be hard work at times.. you gripped the clutch lever to tighten the drive belt to make it go, and I suspect yours must be the same, especially as you have a reverse gear.

We haven't a lot of time to get this thing running in time for spring... can't you just fire up the Allis-Chalmers, for this year?

 

[Mursal]

Yes, I notice some nice stuff in the shed next to the new arrival. Those old two-strokes can be temperamental to start.
Couple of grow bags on the windowsill and you could take a bit longer on the oily stuff? Are you going to try and free the engine out, might not actually be seized, just stiff? Any chance of a few picture's under the bonnet?

 

[Red Fred]

I'll have a better look at it in daylight and take some pics. The Allis probably is a better bet as it was only laid up for a pinholed TVO tank and rusted through front rims. I've found a new tank which I did with slosh sealant for added security, and I found a set of early Beetle rims in a skip, which appear to be the same size and can be adapted. I always liked the Allis when we were kids, it was a real speedster.
The Fergie back wheel is attached to a Continental T20 which is an awful long way from completion. That went out of use due to the cost of petrol and it was replaced by an IH250 which is still in everyday use. The S2 Landie was our only car until a couple of years ago when I started taking the cattle to market in the Ifor and needed something with brakes that worked . Since then, it comes out in summer for fun

 

[Kevtherev]

Have a look in the tractor and machinery magazine ads sometimes bits for horticultural stuff in there.
Try Westlake ploughs he has a few bits like that in his adverts.

 

[arcobob]

You could fit virtually any engine of suitable size, favourite would be a Honda but a good Briggs is far better than a JAP. Some confusion about vertical cranks and vertical strokes. This is clearly a horizontal crank engine but I would not bother with a JAP. The ignition systems on all those old engines were notoriously weak, coils are a rarity or mega bucks and you`ve still got a heap of junk. Go modern with an electronic ignition engine and you won`t regret it. Diesel is an option but watch out for output RPM which may be half speed.

 

[Zetor]

Unless you have plenty time to tinker save yourself a lot of hassle.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-5-Hp-LT...433?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item417a4adf59

Stationary Engine magazine would be a good place to start.

 

[blackbob]

Unless you have plenty time to tinker save yourself a lot of hassle.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-5-Hp-LT...433?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item417a4adf59

Are you sure that's turning in the right direction?

 

[arcobob]

The engine shown on the link is a Chinese copy of a Honda and not a very common one at that. There is little or no back up on these engines and they are not worth the saving you might make. The rotation on all these engines is always clockwise from the starter side. Only when a reduction box is fitted or the drive is off the camshaft is the output reversed.