Had my Lucas model 8 now since 1998 and it has been a great machine. When I went to Australia in 1998 I went to Beechworth and then down a long track to where the Lucas Mills were being made and shook Geoff Lucas by the hand singing his praises. That seemed to work as he then sent me some updated parts to England free of charge!
I have produced and put down several floors from the Ash and beech on the farm as well as fencing and general timber. Also some lovely slabs with the slabbing attachment. The grain pusher on the front of the teleporter has four pieces of 3" x 8" eight foot wide which are regularly broken on the steel H sections of the grain store by my bad driving, doing no harm to anything except the wood and my pride.
However as I age I find the hand pull starting of the engine to be more challenging as it is awkward at the best of times and painful with my arthritic wrists, but on big logs I have to stand on the log to start it and sometimes the pull start mechanism does not engage with the tube and I nearly fall off the log. usually to the amusement of those watching but not to me!
The Briggs and Stratton Vanguard still runs as sweetly as it did twenty years ago so I am reluctant to change it.
I thought about a starter kit for the Briggs but could not find one that made sense mechanically or financially and a new engine with electric start was nearly as much as buying a new mill, then I saw a youtube of people starting engines with just a battery driver. I took of the pull starter and gave it a go with my Bosch 18volt with a large socket on the main crank bolt, fearing that the socket would stick to the engine and twist the gun from my hand, but it worked a treat. I think I might have chosen an AF socket as opposed to a metric one so it may be a slightly loose fit to make it come away quickly when the engine starts. I suppose a freewheeling joint would be the ideal thing if they make one for sockets spanners, working like the PTO freewheel joints.
Anyway, back to joyful milling again!