Hi all,

My first post, I chose this forum because it's the only place that came close to answering my question. It's a good news story which I hope in years to come other may find the solution in google.

I recently inherited a Hayter Harrier 41 BBC (Brake Blade Clutch) it is 10 years old and my mum bought it for the simple reason it didn't have the normal V. Annoying safety features. Instead it has a BBC which allows the engine to turn while the blade is braked.

The mower runs smoothly, but I noticed the blade was not cutting very well if at all. I pulled this apart and noticed the blade gave it a sharpen but still no joy.

I noticed when taking apart the central clutch bolt that the engine would spin and holding the blade would not stop the engine spinning. The same happened with the clutch engaged. (unplug spark plug before spinning engine). Sure enough a common symptom for a worn clutch.

My real annoyance is that all recommendations by the manufacturers are to replace the BBC. the BBC is a warner electric part Hayter 319010 or Warner 5915-15
But this unit cost approx £200 for a lawn mower costing £500 (750 in modern money). As a service item which is designed to wear down how do manufacturers get away with it? I have heard of trade mowers having to replace a clutch almost every year. Including a pro to fix it would cost me half the price of the mower new.

I have just received my new part, and I am about to send it back. I have discovered a company (Saftek | Industrial Friction Products I am sure there are more out there) who can re-bond a new friction plate onto the existing back plate. this will cost sub £20.

It's such a simple piece of tough cast iron engineering, but the price is extortionate and seems deliberately given a weak point to make money.

I have to admit I have not yet received the new plate yet and not tried out the mower so I hope it works.

According to the chap on the phone this is very common repair service they are asked to do. It seems to be a trade secret technique which google could not help me find. So if anyone has an old mower like Honda, john deer, mountfield or hayter they all have similar clutches from warner and definitely worth trying to repair rather than replace the clutch.

While I am in the complaining mood, how is it that amazon can charge £176 and parts web site charge £220 and Hayter official repair service centres charge about £230. They say the amazon retailer cannot be hayter (but amazon offer a better return policy and sell genuine parts) Why is there such a difference?

I hope this maybe useful to someone.

On 16/04/2013 17:16, hewhowalksamongus wrote:
e half the price of the mower new.

snip
I have just received my new part, and I am about to send it back. I have
discovered a company ('Saftek | Industrial Friction Products'
(http://www.saftek.co.uk) I am sure there are more out there) who can
re-bond a new friction plate onto the existing back plate. this will
cost sub £20.

snip
According to the chap on the phone this is very common repair service
they are asked to do. It seems to be a trade secret technique which
google could not help me find. So if anyone has an old mower like Honda,
john deer, mountfield or hayter they all have similar clutches from
warner and definitely worth trying to repair rather than replace the
clutch.




I believe Saftek are reputable (they have certainly been around a good
few years). Once upon a time most towns of any size (especially if they
had industry) would have at least one firm who could fit replacement
linings to just about any sort of clutch or brake from a lawnmower to a
marine engine. The old technique was riveting, but now adhesive bonding
is more normal.

When I was looking at this about 20 years ago it was still being done
for lorry brakes as well as larger "industrial" items and there were
some good firms around. There are dozens of proprietary friction
materials; once upon a time it was just woven asbestos if it could get
hot (e.g. automotive) or simply woven cotton if it couldn't (things like
long and cross travel brakes on gantry cranes where there is an upper
bound to energy). A proper firm will have no trouble making a good
selection.

The "trade secret" for adhesive bonding is to have a big oven where you
cook the old parts up to about 500 degrees C, and then the old linings
fall off. Bonding involves applying a suitable glue, clamping it up in a
jig, and warming gently, followed by machining to size if necessary.

So far absolutely awesome. I posted the item 1st class on Monday afternoon, Paid for the repair on Thursday (£19.50 inc postage) Then recieve the item Fri Morning.
Fitted it and working like a charm, the engine (briggs and stratton) need a lot of encouragement and cleaning as I think all the lying on it's side caused oil in the cylinder.

But for sub £20 fast service I have just sent back the £176 Hayter replacement. And that was a the cheapest I could find. If you add the authorised dealer price and fitting I saved in excess of £250

I recommend never letting these Hayter con men get away with and re-furb don't believe anything written in the manuals about replacing from new a service item.

On Friday, April 19, 2013 10:33:50 PM UTC+1, hewhowalksamongus wrote:

But for sub �20 fast service I have just sent back the �176 Hayter
replacement. And that was a the cheapest I could find. If you add the
authorised dealer price and fitting I saved in excess of �250
I recommend never letting these Hayter con men get away with and re-furb
don't believe anything written in the manuals about replacing from new a
service item.

Its not a con, you get what you pay for. Its a way to trim the cost new a little and maximise profit. Most companies do it now. Add in repair people's reluctance to do even the most trivial mods and you get masses of equipment wasted in landfill, and wallets drained needlessly. It makes it attractive to repair your own stuff, and have it last well. The diyer will inherit the earth, or at least the house.


NT

It's all true, I have at a car dealership. During good time the profit was all in selling cars. But in hard times all the profit was from the parts department.

The parts acted as a constant tickover profit level which in hard time subsidised the sales.

DIY alwasy gives that extra sense of satisfaction, and the feeling of pride means people look after things better and they last longer.