Smithy owners... is it me?

[rlukens]

Bought a Midas 1220XL LTD. I'm trying to remain positive but I'm growing frustrated over the change gears.
First, I assume that the gear coming straight out of the headstock is a 27 tooth and fixed (not an exchange gear). Furthermore, it mates to a 50 tooth, also not an exchange gear. Correct?

Moving on to the actual change gears, I want the following arrangement: 70/32 X 40/36. First I'll install the 36T on "D" shaft:

Then athe40T on the B&C shaft:

Then the 32T on that same B&C shaft:

Now here comes the rub. When I install the 70T on the A shaft, I cant swing the gear plate up enough to mesh A with B because:

The ear on the plate interferes with the spacer on A shaft.
Heres as close as I can bring the two together:


What am I missing? Thanks for following along. Hope this post isn't too convoluted.
Russ

 

[Nick Hulme]

What am I missing?

With a bench grinder you can remove enough material from the banjo to achieve the required adjustment by rounding it's end without compromising it's structure

 

[Journeyman]

Cant help much but this is a link to the **manual** if you haven't got one.
John

 

[Nick Hulme]

Cant help much but this is a link to the **manual** if you haven't got one.
John

Handy the way it gives gears letters but doesn't include a labelled diagram, I assume that's found on the inside of the machine cover and presumably so do they?

EDIT - Diagram on 16-7, several pages after the gears were referred to without a plate or drawing or page number for the diagram :-(

 

[Nick Hulme]

You have an unused gear shaft that, if used in place of the one you have B & C mounted on, looks like it would get closer to the A gear without fouling?

 

[rlukens]

Nick, yeah the grinder will work. Piss poor engineering. Also, that unused shaft is for an "idler gear" to reverse the gear train.
Overall, I think the machine will do what I want but I expect a few more snafu's.
Thanks for all the responses.

 

[rodw]

Its been quite a few years since I sold my Smithy but pretty sure the gear axle with the 40t gear on your last photo can be loosend with a spanner and will slide along the slot to engage the other gear before it hits.

 

[Nick Hulme]

Nick, yeah the grinder will work. Piss poor engineering.

There's a lot of it about but if you can adapt and overcome then there's a lot of reasonably priced kit which can be made serviceable at reasonable cost ;-)