Perhaps not.??
I was still typing...
Hello Phil,
Good to see the progress on your machine posted up on here.
....
I will admit to having seen the tiller before..with a n other of my "hats" on.
I may even have added to the thread.
I was bit worried when I looked at the photos this morning...as I feared for a while that there had been an unknown, engine block, or crankcase side cover transplant in some unknown past history of the machine.. The reason I feared this was that some engines of this engine type have 4 mounting holes in the crankcase side plate that are used to mount the engine to a machine frame in some applications instead of the 4 base mountings. In other applications sometimes one or two of these holes are used for things like belt guides... Basic engines, some used on some cement mixers and some mowers, did not have the 4 holes and I really feared that a transplant had taken place..and the engine was not as original as I had thought earlier.
But...On a brighter note.
....Having looked again and also having been pondering on this today...I wonder if the bracket attaches via 2 of the 1/4"UNC crankcase side plate bolts...?? There would I expect, if this is how it goes, be some spacers?? to go behind the guide plate as the bolt bolt heads are inset from the flat case side. It is difficult to see from the photos and harder to put into type..but perhaps turn the plate though 180 degrees from the position in the photo and offer it up..?? and see if it tallies with those back 2 crankcase cover bolts.??
The idea of this guide is to hold the belt in shape around the pulley when out of drive...such that the belt is evenly just free of the engine pulley to slip cleanly out of drive. Without a guide the belt would drop into the top of the pulley and try to grab and continue to drive.
The normal situation with these guides is that, with the belt tensioned simulating how it would be in use, the guides should be just clear of the back of the belt. All set up done stationary with engine switched off of course
....and spark plug lead removed and earthed....Belts and pullies are ready willing and able to remove fingers.!!
Richard T is the Merry Tiller guru and has been busy amasing info on the various models... perhaps worth a pm to him.?....he posts on here too.
Hope you can get the problem beaten...
All the best,
Clive.