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hi, im just after some information as regards the armstrong siddeley as2 baler engine...what are they like in a narrow boat?? can you get parts for them? are they easy to convert to electric start or are they easy hand starters can yoy get the marinising kits so the parsons f type box will fit..any info really...

 

many thanks woz

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hi, im just after some information as regards the armstrong siddeley as2 baler engine...what are they like in a narrow boat?? can you get parts for them? are they easy to convert to electric start or are they easy hand starters can yoy get the marinising kits so the parsons f type box will fit..any info really...

 

many thanks woz

 

Excellent engines for a narrow boat (in an engine room). Parts are thin on the ground.

Electric start requires a different flywheel housing from the one normally fitted to balers, it incorporates a starter mounting. The flywheel would also need to be changed or ring gear fitted.

The 'marinising kit' is just a stub shaft to bolt onto the flywheel and an adapter housing to go between flywheel housing and box.

The other thing is mounting feet, the marine engine has mounting feet coming out roughly horizontally, whereas the industrial engines usually have feet which are more or less vertical. Both types bolt to the bottom edge of the crankcase.

 

They're not the easiest of engines for hand starting, no raised hand start as standard, handle goes into the front of the camshaft. Lots of heavy winding while bending double, definitely a young man's game :rolleyes:

 

I know someone who has, or certainly recently still had, a marinised AS2 for sale, might be worth your while exploring?

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

Tim

Edited by Timleech
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I know someone who has one in a nb, the proper marine version, and is very happy with it.

 

I think the marine version went under the name "Merganser" or was colloquially known as the tater cooker due to the high running temeperature.

 

IIRC forum member hughc had one for sale a couple of years ago.

Edited by andywatson
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A forum member has one, the proper marine version, and is very happy with it.

 

I think the marine version went under the name "Merganser" or was colloquialy know as the tater cooker due to the high running temeperature.

 

Yes the AS2 was marinised by Parsons and marketed as the Merganser. Originally they were a sort of lime green with a transfer representing the bird on the front.

 

The Petter McLaren PD2 was known as a "chip fryer", largely because the shape is slightly reminiscent of a chip shop range but also because like all air cooled engines they run hot.

Armstrongs became known as " 'tater roasters", I'm sure this was partly as a counter to the PD chip fryer moniker but also with no air ducting they would run even hotter.

 

Tim

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In my view the AS2 is probably the best sounding of all the "modern" twin-pot air-cooled engines in a narrow boat. Absolute crackers in the "noise department"!

 

That said, I think I'd be tempted to go the route of something where spares might be less of an issue than it sounds they could be with that AS2.

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Perhaps because Armstrong Siddeley ceased to exist in the 1960s, unlike for example Lister, who are still going, and Gardner, who are sort of still going. The last AS diesel engines were apparently built in 1956.

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Perhaps because Armstrong Siddeley ceased to exist in the 1960s, unlike for example Lister, who are still going, and Gardner, who are sort of still going. The last AS diesel engines were apparently built in 1956.

 

They became part of Petters, who did some 'badge engineering' by marketing one of their own models under the Armstrong Siddeley name and did maintain a spares operation for the AS models for a number of years. That was quite a long time ago, though!

 

There have been some batches of pistons & probably other parts made overseas, but I don't know what if anything can be found at the moment.

 

 

Tim

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Yes, I think that both Petter and AS became part of Hawker Siddeley in the 1960s.

Actually earlier than that for Petter, I think - web references list 1957.

 

Which, incidentally, is the year it is believed Sickle acquired an AS3, marinised by Parsons. The three cylinder Armstrong Siddeley seems to have been called the "Peregrine" when marinised by Parsons, (as has already been said the 2 cylinder was called the "Merganser").

 

As sources seem to say AS3s are even rarer than AS2s, I perhaps will not be rushing to try and find one to go in her!

 

Several sites seem to list spares availability as close to nil.......

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I never had a problem finding spares are still have quite a few bits and pieces. Many parts are interchangable between the AS2 and AS3. You quite regularly see old pump or farm engines on eBay for only a few hundred pounds so if someone needed spares I would have though that the easiest thing to do would be to buy one and strip it down.

 

The AS3 I had in Satellite came from a lifeboat and was then in a dredger called Beaver. Was a great engine and only ever gave me a problem once when it overheated on a very hot day. 10 minutes cooling down and it was away again.

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Thornton's in Shrewsbury sometimes have pistons & shells. Availability can be hit & miss but I had some mains & big ends from them last year & they had oversize pistons (for the spare engine) a couple of years ago. Compared to working on a Lister or a Petter they are brilliant engines maintenance wise as everything is so accessible, a 1/4" whit/5/16" whit spanner does just about everything you need to do until you get to the serious stuff inside.

 

Tim said just about everything regarding marinising - the gearbox bell housing (F-type is best), marine feet and flywheel shroud with starter motor hole are as the poo is to the rocking horse; you also need to alter the speed control to variable speed.

 

David

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Thornton's in Shrewsbury sometimes have pistons & shells. Availability can be hit & miss but I had some mains & big ends from them last year & they had oversize pistons (for the spare engine) a couple of years ago. Compared to working on a Lister or a Petter they are brilliant engines maintenance wise as everything is so accessible, a 1/4" whit/5/16" whit spanner does just about everything you need to do until you get to the serious stuff inside.

 

Tim said just about everything regarding marinising - the gearbox bell housing (F-type is best), marine feet and flywheel shroud with starter motor hole are as the poo is to the rocking horse; you also need to alter the speed control to variable speed.

 

David

 

That last bit is usually quite straightforward, just needs a bit of ingenuity - no changing of springs or bob weights etc as would be needed with some engines.

 

Tim

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  • 8 months later...

Hello there, We've got a AS 2 and one of the studs that connects the cylinder head to the engine body has sheared. Thornton's think it may well be a "standard part". Has anybody got a parts list or can shed any light of how we go about sourcing a new one?

best regards,

Jo

 

Is it the cylinder head stud, or the barrel to crankcase stud?

 

Best bet is probably find someone who has stripped a spare engine for spares.

 

I might have one or two head studs kicking around, if I can find them.

 

Tim

Edited by Timleech
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I despair at people who must have an engine that " sounds right " who decides that ? or the sap i talked to recently who wanted to change his engine, why ? " i don't like the name ", he told me !!! :banghead:

 

 

Those engineers who spent years intricatly designing engines, when all they had to do was tune the exhaust valve and manifold to " the right sound "

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Has Lindsay still got an AS2 in it?

 

Yes, the AS2 in Lindsay is still there and running well (hope that is not the kiss of death).

 

The spare engine route is the way to go for spares and they do come up on Ebay from time to time. However, I would have thought that a replacement for a broken head stud would be easy to have machined up, given the right grade of steel. 7/16 BSF, from the parts list, length from one of the good ones.

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Hi, The AS2s were fitted in both the agricultural tow along Ransomes De lorant buncher balers and the Massey Harris tow along small combine harvesters,a few of these may still be in existance rotting away on farms,the area where I have seen them over the years are on farms of small acreages in Powys and Herefordshire and on some smallholdings in the Fens {March,Wisbech,Chatteris). Maybe some of the old established agricultural engineers may have spares still in stock.Maybe a wanted advert in the farmers weekly mag would bring some to the surface.

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