The Old Lawnmower Club
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Ransome Twentyfour 1975 F15 starter problems.

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RobertAlan

Hi again,

I am restoring a Ransomes Twenty Four with a Villiers F15 engine and do not have the recoil starter.  

3 questions:

  1.  I have acquired a working siba recoil that doesn't seem compatible with the starter cup that is currently fitted and will not engage.  I have stripped down the recoil and all seems to be working OK but it doesn't engage with the starter cup.  It fits to the engine cowling fine.
  2. Should this starter work with the F15 and if so can someone please recommend an alternative starter cup?

  3. Should the starter be a Norton Villiers model? If so, does anyone know where I can get one?

    Many thanks

Forums

Mowing Wurzel Fri, 10/04/2026

  1.  I have acquired a working siba recoil that doesn't seem compatible with the starter cup that is currently fitted and will not engage.  I have stripped down the recoil and all seems to be working OK but it doesn't engage with the starter cup.  It fits to the engine cowling fine.

    The Siba recoils are aluminium usually and 4 bolt fit, and have mesh to stop grass and bits getting into the blower case

    The villiers 4 bolt pressed steel recoils are more spartan

  2. Should this starter work with the F15 and if so can someone please recommend an alternative starter cup?

    If  I recall, the Siba 4 leg and villiers 4 leg do need the respective starter cups,  I haven't found the part numbers.

  3. Should the starter be a Norton Villiers model? If so, does anyone know where I can get one?

    Villiersparts.co.uk  is an excellent company for supplying Villiers parts, whether be new, reconditioned or remade,     another good supplier is L&S Engineers. check out their website; Naturally you would to know OEM part numbers, naturally stocks of Villiers, a once  prolific make are running down now, so if a supplier has some, check with them by getting them to send photos as often old stock is passed from one company to another and isn't always in the right box and labelled correctly.