Masport Ironhorse engines. DiZcuss

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ironhorsemal

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Hi guys, saw this thread while searching for restored masport mowers..I know a bit about these old beasts, maybe I can be of some help? Fire away with any questions and possibly I can answer. I restore these old mowers and have a few, always looking to buy more!..from the photos here I have briefly looked at I see a D400 series, a C-12 etc, C-12 is from the 1950s, D4 and D500 series started in the 1960s..cheers.
 
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sexyvicta

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is the morrison a steel body? all the old masports of that era i've seen are alloy...maybe all the steel bodied stuff has rusted away by now ha
 
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wboldrusty70

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Hi all, my mower is a steel chassis and catcher. Maybe the steel lasts longer in Aus because we look after it better??!!! Masport Aus and NZ have no records or information on a unit of this age, so all I can get from all the experts and enthusiasts the better. I believe these machines are rare in Aus!! We had the Victa.
 
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ironhorsemal

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Yours is a Morrison, thick steel body, silly wheel adjustment via way of a spanner each time..early 1960s I would guess, and an easy restore..that body is in excellent shape. Over here we have more moisture..have a friend who has just bought a body similar to that here in NZ, that is actually him holding the D400 in the original posters photos..will try and find a photo of the finished product to show how cool these old Ironhorse mowers are...here you go http://s1128.photobucket.com/albums/m499/Pcamore/?action=view&current=IMG_1600.jpg
 
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Maybe the steel lasts longer in Aus because we look after it better??!!!
Click to expand...

The atmosphere in New Zealand is much more humid most of the time it seems, aids in iron oxide.

sexy, the ironhorse was also used on outboards, theres one on trademe i think.
 
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wboldrusty70

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Back again. Have been told it is a C12 Iron Horse 2 stroke of late 1950's. Yes, this Morrison is quite heavy steel, with individual wheel height adjustment. It was brought over from NZ many years ago, and lived in the Gunnedah area of NSW, so little humidity for the conversion of steel to iron oxide. I think I will be leaving it in its "working" clothes, since all the stickers and instructions are still visible, and it would be a shame to remove them. Just need to get the motor running properly now. Bill
 
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sexyvicta

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Cam said:
The atmosphere in New Zealand is much more humid most of the time it seems, aids in iron oxide.

sexy, the ironhorse was also used on outboards, theres one on trademe i think.
Click to expand...

yeh some guy is selling the throttle setup and engine cover to suit an ironhorse outboard
 
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pcamore

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wboldrusty70 said:
Latest update. Did a little fiddling with the mower today, and actually had the engine running for a brief time!! Thanks to information from here, I managed to hook things up for it to actually give a bit more confidence in how it went. Now I can finish it off.
Some photos of the mower for anyone who can identify the model and year of manufacture.
Click to expand...

Hi wboldrusty70,
I have a Morison body similar to yours with the wheel adjusters only deifference is mine is a side shoot and no catcher.

I was wanting to get a Decal made of the Morison emblem on the front of your body and wondered is there any chance you could take a closeup picture of just the Decal ? so i can try to get one made.
thanks
Pete
 
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sexyvicta

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i have seen your emblem and paint colour on some some of the old JAP/villiers Morrison reel mowers that i've seen for sale





i have morrisons from the 70s and they have a different logo
 
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wboldrusty70

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Well, I fixed up the "off" switch today and gave the motor a severe pull. It fired and ran for a little while, but needs final tuning and adjustment. That may be a job for tomorrow. Looking promissing to have another resurection in hand!!
Bill
 
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ironhorsemal

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Hi Bill,

These C-12 IronHorse motors are pretty sensitive to needing a good spark, so if yours is reluctant to start I'd clean the points up (make sure the faces stay flat) and gap them at .020, plug gapped at .025.

Also don't go too rich with the mixture, 25:1 is plenty of oil. The mixture wheel on the carb should be screwed in till very gently seated, the turn out 2 full turns, thats a good starting mix, once its fully warm you can adjust it..don't try to go too lean when hot though, as it will be a bugger to start from cold.

Be good to see it running, I just got another C-12 going a few weeks ago, in the process of repainting/restoring it now.
 
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wboldrusty70

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Pleased you liked to photos, Pete.
Mal, I had a good spark, but the problem was it was breaking down. I checked the points and condenser, and the points were "burning", and almost worn out. The condenser tested OK, so I was going to seek help for a set of points. Then I thought I would try to "Australianise" the system, and tried a Victa ignition module. It gave me a spark jumping a 10 mm gap, so I put it back together and gave it a pull. Starts VERY easy, runs OK, and even cuts the grass!!
Another resurection of a great machine (even if it is of NZ origin!!!!???
I'll try some of this new fangled technology soon, ans see if I can do a "U Tube" movie of it!
Have fun, Bill.
 
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sexyvicta

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out of interest what victa unit did you put on it? my firends ironhorse has spark problems and i have lots of victa modules
 
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wboldrusty70

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Thought I had responded to your request, so if this a repeat, it is only a dumb Aussie not computing properly!!
The module was a Powertorque unit. This is the one with the push-on tab. Hope your friend finds this Ok.
Bill
 
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