Options on repairing plastic

[eltax91]

Hi folks

It’s that time of year again where the last lawn cut has been done and it’s time to give the mower its annual yearn down, clean and paint touch up. It’s a Westwood s1400 ride on mower. Shares lots of prts with countax

This year, I stupidly forgot to lift the collector before emptying the grass once and I caused the below damage to the plastic cover. A replacement is £130, so if it’s fixable that would be great.

The bit missing is in a million pieces and by now will be at a biomass plant for a guess.

So, any way to repair this?

[snotrag]

Small round file, smooth all the edges. If there is a linear crack, stop drill it.

Then forget about it? It doesnt look like it need repairing, just preventing from getting worse.

[GroundEffect]

File/drill the spark part of the break so it doesn't propagate and leave it?

It's just a mower...

[eltax91]

Both great answers. It's only a mower, i'm just a bit picky I guess. That and i love a project.

might just stick with stopping it from spreading and try not to be so stupid next time

[Louis Balfour]

eltax91 said:

Hi folks

It’s that time of year again where the last lawn cut has been done and it’s time to give the mower its annual yearn down, clean and paint touch up. It’s a Westwood s1400 ride on mower. Shares lots of prts with countax

This year, I stupidly forgot to lift the collector before emptying the grass once and I caused the below damage to the plastic cover. A replacement is £130, so if it’s fixable that would be great.

The bit missing is in a million pieces and by now will be at a biomass plant for a guess.

So, any way to repair this?

Make yourself a carbon trim to go round the lever.

It will make the mower just a LITTLE bit faster.



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbon-Plastic-Acrylonite...

[speedick]

Make an aluminium "overplate" and pop rivet on - bit like a ferrari gear selection gate, but might pass for "factory"

[Miserablegit]

I can’t make out how that lever is meant to fit through a hole in the plastic - anyway I’d put duck tape loosely behind the “new” hold to make a small pool which I’d then fill with epoxy after using ispropyl on a rag to clean the area.

[eltax91]

Miserablegit said:

I can’t make out how that lever is meant to fit through a hole in the plastic - anyway I’d put duck tape loosely behind the “new” hold to make a small pool which I’d then fill with epoxy after using ispropyl on a rag to clean the area.

The pole goes through what was a nice neatly cut hole in the lid and then passes through a bracket inside. There’s a bolt through the bottom of the lever to stop it coming out of the bracket. You can then lift the lever up vertically, then pull it forward which pivots the grass box to empty it.

If you forget to lift the grass collector (with grass box attached) then evidently when you lift the lever and pulled towards you it foils on the collector body and snaps the plastic

[eltax91]

The epoxy fill-in or aluminium plate are both on the list. Ta chaps!

[SlimJim16v]

I think you can use bits of MX5 to repair anything.

[VanDiesel99]

Glass Fibre Repair Kit, then a skim of filler over the top

eBay Item No. 254631020686, just put it in the search box. Cost £11

I bought this very kit about 5 years ago to repair a plastic headlight moulding on my car, and having never Glass-Fibred before, found it very easy. I've not actually needed it since, but if & when the day comes, I'll be feeling confident second time around

I think you'll need to buy filler separately, will add less than a fiver to your costs

[ATG]

Glass fibre was my first thought, though the aluminium pop rivet idea would probably be better and quicker. Nonetheless, if you haven't had a play with glass fibre, this would be an excuse to have a go. It isn't the nicest stuff to work with, but it can produce some amazingly strong repairs, bridge big gaps, and be made into all kinds of shapes even just using bits of plastic bag to line simple moulds. It's a good thing to keep in your bodger's aresenal.

[paintman]

Your best option is to cover it with one of the mentioned materials - a small piece of aluminium checkerplate from ebay would be my choice.

You could fill the hole with fibreglass & filler but unless you then paint it with a matching colour it's going to be obvious & will probably irritate!