Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

My copy landed on the mat yesterday as well, will done to the team for all their effort.

My mag arrived today, The fertiliser and seeds broad casters, I broke up my old 1936 Austin Cambridge and turned it into one of those, used forty years, then axle went on again back onto a car to save the day so 102 years of use and still going.

Hi what you have there is a Gutbrod 1031 tractor, some were badged Allen Motorstandard tractors they were imported to England by John Allen and Co of Oxford,and were badged Allen Motorstandard, during the 1960s/qnd early 1970s, they were of German manufacture and were very strong well made little tractors, and are very collectable today, I have…[Read more]

All contributions to the magazine are greatly appreciated whatever they are.
Mt copy also arrived today.

Hi, I have just uncovered a little tractor.
Although I am in Portugal I am told the machine is British. It was brought here by a Brit couple.
It has a Siba DynaStart made in England, so that means the machine is post 1954, assuming the starter is the original.
I put jump leads on it; the battery is kaput, of course, and the motor turns! Not…[Read more]

Mine also , top work to all concerned. When I can get my daughter on the case , I hope to do an article soon , it will be my first ever attempt , so you’ll have to forgive me if it appears amateurish.

Andy.

Bang on time my copy arrived in the post today.

I should be able to help. send me an email.
njarrett@btinternet.com

Neil Jarrett is your man , he’s a member here , Ransomes 256.

Andy.

Andrew
Thanks for that, and you now say engine was probably made by Ransomes can see know looking at parts not quite finished as the old three speed jobs, I thought would have been like barrel sort of overhangs crankcase in parts, carb looks the part and very well machined but design is a bit more than just lacking especially they got things right…[Read more]

Ok, at the date your mower is, the engine may well look like a Sturmey Archer, but infact Ransomes had purchased the rights to make Sturmey Archers, and knowing Ransomes had also modified the engine somewhat.
Though what you are finding on the engine are known problems that have appeared on all Sturmeys, the carbs were always a big issue, OK to…[Read more]

Andrew,
Engine is the Sturmey-Archer and looks like a 150+-cc going by piston size I just forgot to measure it but needs a piston but doesn’t knock as bad now as found old and worn but better rings and is running weaker and no smoke, idles in low hundreds just like a sowing machine that was just a desperate try to weaken the mixture off and…[Read more]

Hi David
The Hall & Duck trust owns the register for all Ransomes mowers,
Just had a look for you.
The 16 inch Mk 13 started production in January 1950 and ended production in August 1955, your machine number was made in June 1955.
I suspect you have found no markings to say what the engine is. The Mk12 used a Villiers Mk25C which carried over…[Read more]

Its sort of presentable it runs really well with little smoke as manage to find old rings that were a bit better, but it needs a piston and rebore. Quite a few nuts had to be replaced as rotted away that hold cutting cylinder bearing housings, the special seals were sort of useable but to hold them in place and to stop them turning on the shaft…[Read more]

Andy,
Many thanks, I had forgot oak eats metal as often seen bad stains where nails have been used, friend has off cuts from building thats why I used oak, he also has Accoya and Saple, I have lost all my ash trees one by one, I think there are seedlings still coming up that were a nuisance, There is still Ash round this way they had masse’s of…[Read more]