Oneaxepony
Bronze Member
Thanks, One. Worth more than $0.02! :laughing:
Thanks for the info. I have not got my hands on an L model yet so I can see first hand 'the lay of the land' so to speak. I like oldmech's kind of engineering especially the $ constraint part. It forces you to think about alternatives sometimes.
Yes, if the output is 1.5" long, then I can see how that would work. Is the Gravely engine output bearing a sleeve bearing or was this fit in by oldmech?
A related subject: I noticed that someone on eBay had a Robin OHV 9HP engine available for $275 including shipping. I looked up the torque specs and it was something around 13.8 ft/lbs at 2500rpm. It looks like a good fit for an L repower. It is not up there with the Gravely engine which is somewhere around 18 ft/lbs I think. Anyway, on an L model, if the (Robin) engine speed is limited to 2800rpm or so, is the lack of torque very noticable in running implements like the 30" mower or the rotary plow? I sure am itching to find all this out in a practical way. Spring fever, I guess!!
Look at the bottom of page 4 on this thread. Oldmech published a chart showing the torque and HP of the old L engine. Torque is generally about 13 - 15 ft-lb so the Robin engine you are talking about is right in that range. As for the bronze bearing, its a Gravely designed large sleeve bearing that is machined with some special characteristics. First it has a ridge running along its exterior lenght so it wont rotate in the L crankcase. Second, it has grooves machined around its diameter so oil can flow into the bearing as part of the pressurized lubrication system. When repowering, most folks do away with the pressurized oil system and go to a flooded system in which more oil is added to the tranny. Thats what Oldmech did. But notice he also added some oil galleries to allow oil to flow into the bearing by splash. Hope this helps.