Machinery

by alan

Manufacturers Of Tillers – Part 2

May 1, 2026 in Articles, Machinery

Following on from part 1, here are the details of seven more garden tillers which were sold during the 1950s to the ’90s.

Part 1 can be found here

All the clickable picture links in the text are photos in the VHGMC gallery pages – no external link

MTD/Lawnflite

MTD/Lawnflite/Barrus model 320

In the early 1980s, several domestic cultivators made by MTD, branded Lawnflite, were imported by Barrus Ltd.

The model 320, as shown in the image, was said to be designed specifically for tough European conditions. It had a 5 hp recoil-start Briggs & Stratton engine and a three step chain reduction drive with one forward gear.

The 320 also had removable transport wheels, dead-mans clutch, and a swinging 7″ adjustable depth bar. The working width was 26″ with 13″ tines. In 1982 it was £345.

A smaller cultivator was the model 030. This had a 3 hp B&S engine, 10″ tines with a 18″ working width, and a single-speed 3-step chain reduction drive. It had folding handles but the wheels were not detachable. It could easily fold up and be put in a car boot. Here is a picture. In 1982 it was £256.

Qualcast / Atco

Qualcast Cultimatic Super

In the late 1970s, Qualcast had two Cultimatic tillers: the Super and the De Luxe. Later, these can also be found liveried as ATCO with green paintwork.

The Cultimatic Super was powered by a 98cc Suffolk engine (as shown in the picture), while the De Luxe had a 4 hp Briggs & Stratton engine.

They could have two speeds, and the De Luxe gained reverse drive.

The Cultimatics came with heavy-duty slasher rotor blades, but could have ridger, fine rotor, and hoe attachments.

In the mid-1980s, when Wolseley Webb (who produced the Merry Tiller) was acquired by the Birmid-Qualcast company, they were able to examine the Merry Tiller designs for new models. These included the Merry Tiller Cadet, which served as the basis for the Qualcast Cultimatic B66; it was fitted with a Suffolk 114cc four-stroke engine.

Snapper

Snapper 501T 5 hp cultivator

In the late 1970s and in the 1980s, Saxon Industries imported Snapper tillers into the UK.

There appear to be four main models: The front-tined 301T and 501T as in the picture, and the rear-tined R5001 and R8001.

The 301T had a 3 hp Briggs & Stratton engine, while the 501T was 5 hp, but they were essentially the same machines. Both had recoil start engines and a single forward speed. The working width was 26″ with a 10″ depth.

Optional attachments included harrows, dozer blades, plough, extension tines, and heavy-duty tyres to replace the standard 10″ wheels. The base 301T with 3 hp was £375 in 1985.

The rear-tined R5001 and R8001 only varied in B&S engine size of 5 hp and 8 hp respectively. They were wheel rather than blade propelled, and had four forward plus one reverse gears. The working width was 20″ with an 8″ depth. They also had reverse tine rotation for hard ground conditions.

MEP

MEP Cricket 5 Cultivator

P and E Garden Machinery imported the Italian-made MEP (Merazzini Ernesto, based in Parabiago, Italy) cultivators into the UK in the 1980s.

These yellow-painted tillers, which were equipped with standard transport wheels, were avaialable in two models: the Cricket 3.5, and the Cricket 5 as in the picture.

Both machines had the same working credentials of a 9″-21″ working width and a 6″ depth. But the Cricket 3.5 had a 3.5 hp Tecumseh engine, while the Cricket 5 had a 5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine. Both had recoil start.

Landmaster

Landmaster L120

Several Landmaster cultivators were popular for the domestic vegetable garden in the 1960s and ’70s.

The smaller Gardenmaster – here is a picture of different models – had a varied range from the 1950s. These two-wheel tillers, with differing designs depending on the model number, all featured a shaft-driven out-front tiller assembly, which could be equipped with additional items such as rotary and cylinder mowers, as well as a flexible drive for accessories like a hedge trimmer. The E10 model was a mains-electric version and was developed from the L88 Super design.

The mid-1960s Landmaster Mo’dig was a similar idea to the Gardenmaster – here is a picture. Again, it had multiple attachments for use as a cultivator, mower, rake, and weeder.

Landmaster produced more traditional cultivators along the Merry Tiller theme, as shown in the above image of the model L120. These included the L120/130/140/150, and the Lion. Here is a picture of the Landmaster L150 fitted with a Briggs & Stratton engine.

The Lion model was touted as a general purpose cultivator and two-wheeled tractor. Many attachments were available. As a cultivator it had three pairs of slasher tines giving a 33″ working width. Drive wheels could be fitted in place of the tines, this made it a two-wheel tractor that could be attached to a trailer, or power a shredder. It was fitted with either a 7 hp 4-stroke or 6 hp 2-stroke engine, with two forward and one reverse gears. Here is a picture of the Lion.

Roper

Roper RF550 Cultivator

The American brand Roper had tillers to complement their range of 1980s domestic mowing equipment.

Two popular 5 hp models were the front-tined RF550 and the rear-tined RT150. Briggs & Stratton engines powered both; they also had chain-driven transmissions and reverse gears, but otherwise were completely different machines.

The front-tined RF550 – as in the picture – had 13″ tines which gave a 26″ working width. It had 8″ solid tyres, and folding and adjustable handles.

Surprisingly, the rear-tined RT150 gave less performance; it had 12″ tines with just a 17″ working width. Its handles did not fold, but it did have more substantial tyres, which were 13″ pneumatic, and side shields and a front counter weight. Here is a picture of the RT150.

John Deere

John Deere 624 Tiller

Alongside a range of mowers and lawn tractors, John Deere also sold the model 624 tiller in the UK in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. It was £385 in 1980.

The 624, as in the picture, had a recoil-start 6 hp Tecumseh engine. It had one forward gear plus reverse.

The 2″ wide heat-treated tines had a 13″ to 24″ working width and a 7″ depth. Optional tine extensions increased the width to 34″.

A lesser model was the 324, with a 2 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. It had a 16″ working width and a 7″ depth. This model remains elusive in the UK.

Additional Models

Auto-Culto 65. Image from 1964.

Other tiller models from this era include, but are certainly not limited to, examples from AL-KO (Farmer 300 range), Ariens, Ferrari, Gilson, Honda, Iseki, Kubota, Mac Garda, Masport (Rota-Hoe. 1970s) with Morrison Industries LTD (Mini Hoe. 1980s), Solo, Via LTD (Belvoir and Burghley models), and many others.

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by alan

Rare UK Ride-on Mowers

January 3, 2026 in Articles, Machinery

No matter what someone collects, there’s always that one item or model that proves elusive – and garden tractors and ride-on mowers are no exception.

Over the years, I’ve come across makes and models of ride-ons that seem to have vanished completely from the UK, with no surviving examples known to exist.

You might expect that, with today’s internet, social media, online auctions, and marketplaces, even the rarest machines would eventually reappear. But that’s not always the case.

I’ve compiled a list of “unaccountable” models in the UK – machines that, as far as I can tell, have disappeared. For this blog, I’ve chosen just five that might still be hiding somewhere, perhaps forgotten in a shed or under a heap of scrap.

So, what exactly is an “unaccountable” machine? My definition is simple: these are models that were definitely sold or imported into the UK when new. Photographic evidence of their presence here, or trade or test reports done in the UK with physical machines is always great. But also newspaper adverts and show coverage, and also useful are UK price lists and specific UK brochures.

Listed in date order, the five models I’ve chosen are: the 1961 Gemco Reelrider, the 1964 Gravely Westchester, the 1966 Bolens Suburban, the 1973 ATCO Atcomatic, and the 1985 Westwood Lawnrider.

Somewhere, perhaps, one survives in the UK…

1: 1961 Gemco Reelrider

The USA-made three-wheel 24” Deluxe Gemco Reelrider was advertised in UK newspapers in the early 1960s. Adverts also appear for second-hand models, so some must have been sold from new.  F. H. Burgess, Burton Road, Lichfield, was one of the retailers.

The Gemco mowers were made by the General Mower Corporation – hence where the Gemco name comes from – based in Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, New York. USA.

The Reelrider was built around a tubular steel frame, running on 10” semi-pneumatic puncture-proof tyres.  It had a 2 ¾ hp Briggs and Stratton engine through a v-belt clutch to a chain drive.

The rear 24” cylinder mower had five tempered alloy blades, and was mounted on self-adjusting bearings. The cutting height could be varied from 7/8” to 2 and 1/8”.

2: 1964 Gravely Westchester

The USA-made 1964 Gravely Westchester four-wheel tractor is an interesting machine. It could be bought in the UK in the mid-1960s.

The Westchester was based on a Gravely two-wheel walk-behind tractor. This meant that several of the front-mounted attachments for the walk-behind would also fit the Westchester as front-mounted implements, including mowers, a snow blade, a sprayer, and a snow blower.

The Westchester was designed by the Studebaker car company, which owned Gravely. It had fibreglass body panels, a Gravely single-cylinder 12 hp engine, and an 8-speed transmission, similar to the two-wheel model, but it featured rear axle steering.

Several UK dealers are mentioned as selling the Westchester, including J. H. Hancox Ltd, Solihull. The importer was Belos Gravely Ltd, Seghill, Northumberland, who listed it in their literature with UK prices.

It would be assumed that the four-wheel Westchester would be a better solution than the two-wheel with a sulky seat attached – but for some customers it wasn’t. According to Gravely, they agreed to buy back Westchester models from unhappy customers, with many subsequently upgrading to the new 1967 four-wheel Gravely 424 tractor. I wonder if this was the fate of the Westchesters in the UK?

3: 1966 Bolens Suburban

Bolens imported a vast range of ride-on mowers and garden tractors to the UK. However, the 1960s Suburban, which is well documented in the UK, seems to have vanished with no examples appearing to have survived on these shores. In 1968 the new Suburban was advertised at £230.

The Suburban was a basic ride-on mower, powered by mid-mounted 4 or 5 hp Briggs and Stratton engines with a mower deck directly underneath. They have basic tiller steering, but do have pneumatic tyres and sprung and padded seats.

In the mid-1960s, the revised white-painted Suburban (earlier models were painted gold-coloured), was well advertised in newspapers, including photographs of the Suburban in UK showrooms. They even appear in the television series ‘The Prisoner’ filmed outside at Portmeirion and indoors at MGM Studios at Borehamwood between 1966 and 1968.

4: 1973 ATCO Atcomatic

In 1973, ATCO introduced the Atcomatic rear-engine riders; they were on sale for a few years.

The models were the 26” cut 7 hp 726E electric start and 726R recoil start, and the 32” cut 8 hp 832E. All had forward and reverse hydrostatic drive.

It is currently unknown where the Atcomatic was manufactured; the use of Briggs & Stratton engines often points to the UK or the USA.

Brochures, price lists, adverts and second-hand adverts exist for the Atcomatic, yet no examples of these mowers have reappeared from the back of sheds or garages.

After being discontinued, in 1980 ATCO started importing lawn tractors made by Dynamark in the USA, branded as ATCO. Then, in 1986 until 1992, ATCO manufactured in Stowmarket the familiar classic design dark-green tractor models.

5: 1985 Westwood Lawnrider

Westwood designed, made and imported a range of ride-on machines, but one model has remained elusive: The Lawnrider.

The only photo that seems to exist is on the right, from a 1985 trade report.

The UK-made Lawnrider was announced in 1985. It was to be a revolutionary rear-engine rider encased in a wrap-around body shell. It had an electric height adjustment for the 25” rear-discharge mowing deck, and an integrated rear collector and rear roller.

Models were equipped with 6 hp Tecumseh or 8 hp Briggs & Stratton engines. Prices started at £691.

However, although appearing in trade reports as ready-to-go products with prices, it’s possible that none were sold. But optimistically, there may be one or two test models lurking out there.

This model perhaps led to the creation of the 1990 Westwood Clipper rider – although that was another unusual model which had a limited sales life.

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by alan

Mowers and Bicycles

February 16, 2025 in Articles, Machinery

It is often overlooked, but many of the manufacturers of vintage horticultural machinery were also involved in manufacturing an array of other items. Just because we know them for horticultural items doesn’t mean they didn’t have interests (or beginnings) in other products.

One modern example is Honda. We know them in horticultural circles for starting to make lawnmowers in 1978 (47 years ago as I write this!), but they also manufacture across a range of areas, including automotive, motorbikes, marine, aircraft, generators, and power equipment.

Going way back to the 1950s, Nutt Engineering of Cambridge, who made the Hayn mowers, had a sideline in producing wire-framed clothes horses – a world away from the Honda empire, but companies need to diversify to keep working.

You may know the USA ride-on mower manufacturers Huffy, Murray, and AMF (American Machine and Foundry), but did you know that in the early-to-late 20th century they all had an interest in the manufacture of bicycles? Indeed, there was a booming industry with bikes, followed by a similar interest in ride-on mowers and powered garden equipment. Manufacturers diversified, expanded, and invested where the market and profits were.

Like the ride-on mowers that Huffy, Murray, and AMF sold in the UK, many of the bikes they produced were sold worldwide.

I have found some USA adverts which show the bikes that these ride-on mower manufacturers made:

Huffy

1967 Huffy bikes and a Huffy Sheraton ride-on mower. At the back-left is the British-designed Huffy-Moulton luxury bicycle. In the foreground, the Huffy Rail dragster.

Huffy, who produced bikes throughout the 20th century, is best known in the UK for their diminutive yet well-engineered ride-on mowers in the 1960s and ‘70s. Along with the mowers, Huffy was advertising 55 bike models including tandems and trikes in America.

In the mid-1960s, Huffy collaborated with the English engineer Alex Moulton and created the Huffy-Moulton bike (see image, right), this was claimed to be the first basic advance in bike design in 70 years. The bike had small wheels, instant acceleration due to gearing and low inertia, and was said to be nimble with light steering.

Interestingly, in the early 1980s, Huffy signed an agreement with Raleigh bikes in the UK, which gave them exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the Raleigh models in the United States. Huffy also sponsored a professional BMX (Bicycle Motocross) team. BMX started in the early 1970s in the USA, and eventually, Huffy had a range of BMX bikes. The Anglo-American BMX Championship, held in the UK in 1982, included the Huffy BMX Racing Team.

It is reported that bikes for the Huffy brand are now made in China.

Murray

1970 Murray Eliminator

Murray is another name that we associate with mowers in the UK. In the 1970s, many Murray ride-on mowers and garden tractors were rebadged and sold as Mountfield-branded machines. In the 1930s, in the USA, Murray started producing bikes alongside car parts and children’s pedal cars. However, in 1985, F. H. Tompkins, the owner of the UK company Hayter, purchased Murray for the mower brand and production, then in 2005 Briggs & Stratton took over Murray. According to research, Murray bikes had been produced until the end of the 1990s.

AMF -American Machine and Foundry

The third company that had an interest in mowers and bikes was AMF. The company manufactured some of the Massey Ferguson lawn and garden tractors starting in 1966, as well as the first ATCO ride-on mowers in the early 1980s. They also produced models branded as Dynamark, which Westwood sold in the 1970s before creating their own range of ride-on mowers. AMF had purchased the Roadmaster brand of bikes from the Cleveland Welding Company in 1950. There were 41 bike models in 1970, and bikes were manufactured until the late 1990s.

1970 AMF Roadmaster bikes. The interestingly named ‘Flying Wedge’ on the left, and Aerobee Renegade. The Flying Wedge had a 5-speed stick shift.

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by alan

Vertex Engine

August 26, 2024 in Articles, Machinery

Earlier this year there was a discussion on the forum about how many different manufacturers (or brands) had produced engines that were fitted to horticultural machines. The list became long and would have been longer if I hadn’t stopped adding to it.

The forum topic and list can be found here: https://vhgmc.co.uk/forums/topic/engines-brands-manufacturers/

One engine name that didn’t get mentioned or added to the list was Vertex. Internet searches indicate that these engines had a Villiers connection.

The reason that I mention Vertex is that I have been researching Mountfield lawn mowers and these two-stroke engines began to be fitted to a few models in the mid-1970s – Mountfields own literature and price lists show the use of the 4 hp, 2-stroke engines in 1975. Although I have found a brochure showing these Mountfields with the Vertex engines, I’ve yet to find one of the mowers in real life – what happened to them all? If you are someone who owns such a mower and scouring the internet for info, then you have a rare survivor!

Mountfield M6 Power Drive fitted with a Vertex engine.

In 1977 and while the engines were already being fitted to their mowers, G. D. Mountfield announced they were now taking over production of these engines and would produce them at their Maidenhead premises, they were marketed as ‘All-British Built’. In fact, in 1977 Mountfield advertised for Skilled Production Machinists to start immediately to set up and run the recently-formed Vertex Engine Division at a new production facility being built in Maidenhead – the advertised wage was £4000 plus relocation expenses.

Mountfield were quite upbeat about their engines. Apparently, they had exceptionally high torque over the whole working speed range giving unmatched power. One trade report (AMJ) stated that the engines would be ‘…a welcome replacement to the engines of US and Italian extraction as seen in previous models’. However, people who maintained Vertex engines in their line of work have told me that they weren’t the best!

Classed as medium-sized professional mowers, in the late ’70s, the three models fitted with the Vertex engines were the 18″ M4 Professional, 18″ M4 Power Drive, and the 21″ M6 Power Drive as illustrated. All three machines were fitted with snorkel air cleaners, and polythene grass boxes were optional. In 1975, Mountfield had listed the M6 Power Drive 2-stroke at £177.50 – which was £19 more than the equivalent 4-stroke.

In the early 1980s, the Vertex models were still advertised, but with other new mowers being more important, an always-evolving market, and whatever issues the Vertex engines may have had, they seem to have soon vanished.

One thing is certain: even with relatively modern machines, some do not appear on the scene or on auction websites. Machines don’t have to be old to have disappeared into obscurity leaving only some fleeting bits of literature and adverts behind.

But I do wonder where all the Mountfield Vertex mowers went!

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by alan

Quiz: Guess the company…#2

May 24, 2024 in Articles, Machinery

This is the second in a series of ‘Guess the company’ quizzes. From the following eight clues can you work out which single company they refer to?

The answer is at the bottom of the page.

The first quiz can be found at: https://vhgmc.co.uk/2024/02/guess-the-company/

Which single company do all these clues point to?

Clue 1: Although a very well-known brand in the UK, this American company was founded in 1910 in Baltimore by two men whose surnames provide the company name.

Clue 2: The company is best known for hand and electric workshop power tools.

Clue 3: In America in 1961 the company started producing mains electric-powered equipment for domestic gardens.

Clue 4: The first UK models of their electric lawnmowers were produced at their factory in Cannon Lane, Maidenhead; the first model was called the Lawnderette and was widely advertised in 1969. Production moved to Spennymoss in County Durham.

Clue 5: In the early 1970s, a small range of 12″ cylinder mowers called Lawnrazor were advertised.

Clue 6: After Flymos’ hover mower patent had expired, this company also started producing a range of mains electric-powered hover mowers in the late 1970s.

Clue 7: The mowers and workshop tools including their foldup Workmate workbenches and power drills were traditionally painted blue. In the 1990s the garden equipment livery changed to dark green, but currently (2024) their branded products are sold in a black and orange colour scheme.

Clue 8: Other electric-powered garden equipment has included grass trimmers, hedge trimmers, lawn scarifiers, lawn edgers, weeders, chainsaws, compost shredders, and leaf blowers. Many have been popular items from retailers such as B&Q and Argos.

Scroll down for the answer……

All the clues point to the company Black & Decker.

The first model of mower in the UK was the Lawnderette, produced at the B&D factory in Cannon Lane, Maidenhead, Berkshire. A range of small rotary and cylinder mowers were introduced and production moved to Spennymoss in County Durham.

The 1969 Lawnderette (illustrated) was a rotary model with a 12″ cut, a single stem handle, two small front wheels, and a rear hidden roller beneath the pressed steel deck. It was priced around £11. A four-wheel model was available as the D485. These models did not collect grass clippings. The early 1970s Lawnrazor models had 12″ 3-blade cylinders and were able to collect clippings.

To complement the mowers, Black & Decker also manufactured a lawn edger powered by an electric motor – it had the simple name Power Lawnedger. It could cut 100 feet of lawn edges per minute, an obvious time and labour saving from using manual lawn shears. In 1972 the Power Lawnedger was priced at a bargain £7.75.

Over the years, many B&D workshop tools have been available in the UK. Vintage catalogues exist showing the range of tools and equipment; these included their range of mains-powered drills which could power additional items such as a circular saw, sander, lathe, sanding table, saw table, jigsaw, fit a bench stand, and also power hedge trimmers.

B&D merged with Stanley in 2010.

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by alan

Battery Power! Is it the future…again?

August 11, 2023 in Articles, Machinery

Battery-powered machinery has been hanging about in the horticultural machinery world for several decades. Probably the best-known machines with batteries as their means of power are lawn mowers, for instance, in the vintage arena are cylinder mower models such as from ATCO (in the 1960s and ’70s), also Qualcast (see the advert on the right for the 1967 Super Panther 12 volt battery electric), and the 2-speed battery mowers from Webb (1960s and ’70s). But in the eyes of the potential consumer who was looking to buy a new mower, these domestic battery models often straddled the gap between mains electric-powered and petrol-powered models, although in their lifetime the mowers did gain a limited (although enthusiastic) audience.

Battery models certainly have their merits: much quieter than petrol models, the convenience of not having to refuel with petrol (or a two-stroke mix), and no trailing cables or extension leads for electric models; simply plug the battery mower in for a hassle-free and relatively cheap recharge when finished.

Where battery power is really useful is with hand tools, these are mainly shrub and hedge trimmers, lawn edgers, and a few domestic lawn strimmers. Again, there have been models from different manufacturers over the decades but none have really captured the imagination of the public and the models have been reasonably short-lived (apart from the really useful Spintrim lawn edger). Machines have kept being designed, made and advertised over the years and, to name just a few, have included the aforementioned Spintrim lawn edger from Bob Andrews in the 1960s and ’70s; also in the 1960s and ’70s shrub trimmers from Wolf, Black & Decker and Wilkinson Sword (see the 1974 advert below), and Sandvic cordless grass trimmers in the 1980s, and battery trimmers from Flymo in the 1990s. As can be seen, the decades kept on giving cordless machines from many manufacturers.

1974 advert for Wilkinson Sword battery-powered trimmers for the garden

However, over the last twenty years or more there has been a development of 18 volt (and then increasing volts) garden machines with many strimmers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers and small lawn mowers – many being generic designs or badge-engineered and originating from overseas. DIY superstores have certainly stocked quite a lot and sold them to gardeners across the land to keep their gardens tidy with less effort.

At this point, I confess that I have had two battery-powered Qualcast hedge trimmers for the last five or more years, I purchased them new. The 18 volt machine is fine for light work such as small shrubs where the going isn’t tough. By comparison, the 36 volt hedge trimmer is almost on par with a popular brand of petrol hedge trimmer that I have. But sadly the batteries don’t last forever and the 36 volt hedge trimmer has done a lot of work and mechanically getting worn.

I have now upgraded to 56 volt handheld machines for the garden. I am hoping these will be revolutionary and make technological leaps (I admit the 56 volt power is great) – but will they replace petrol? Remember, the vintage machines also had the potential to become the machines of the future and were not just there to fill a gap in a brochure or look pretty in a showroom, but petrol and mains electric were the winners – maybe better battery power will be triumphant in the 2020s?

Left to Right: new 56 volt battery; 36 volt Qualcast battery; 18 volt Qualcast battery; 1974 Wilkinson Sword 7.2 volt shrub trimmer with integral battery in the handle (it’s a dinky little trimmer!)

Back to mowers, and just having looked at Webb brochures, ‘The Space Age Mower’ was the futuristic (and perhaps optimistic) phrase that advertised the Webb 2-speed battery cylinder mowers in 1970. There were three models in the advert: a 12″ which could cut up to 800 square yards, 14″ that could do up to 1350 square yards, and a 14″ de-luxe that could cut up to 2200 square yards per charge (and work for a claimed 2.5 hours) – will all the battery mowers of today achieve that? Will any new mowers in the 2020s really be ‘The Space Age Mower’ that will be in all our gardens soon?

So, I wonder if the battery-powered machines on sale today will be a great stepping stone to a cordless-powered garden that, without fuss and endless recharging and swapping of batteries, will entirely replace petrol?

Year 2023 56 volt leaf blower shown with 2017 qualcast 18 volt hedge trimmer and 1974 Wilkinson Sword 7.2 volt shrub trimmer

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by alan

Kubota Premises – Then & Now

July 16, 2023 in Articles, Machinery

Recently I have been looking at the history of Kubota tractors in the UK. Although the tractors were sold in many countries in the 1960s, the first Kubota tractors didn’t arrive in the UK until the early 1970s, and the range has continued to grow and develop over the decades.

Many newspaper adverts from the 1970s showed the 14 hp B6100, 16 hp B7100, 17 hp L175, 24 hp L225 and the 25 hp L245. Additionally, the popular and compact B6000 in the 1970s had a 12.5 hp water-cooled diesel engine, four-wheel drive with six forward and two reverse gears, a three-point hitch and a three-speed PTO.

Kubota Tractors (UK) Ltd in North Yorkshire originally sold the tractors, but eventually, Kubota set up their own division in the late 1970s and, in 1982, moved to Dormer Road, Thame, Oxfordshire.

Photographs exist of the original Dormer Road premises with the ‘Kubota’ name proudly on display. The premises still exist and (in 2019 with Streetview) look almost identical, even the planting with conifers and trees are the same – although they have grown! The 2019 image shows the premises occupied by another company, however, Kubota is shown across the road in a fantastic modern warehouse.

The location is: https://goo.gl/maps/nzoYkjgPu9znocR16

The early Kubota premises on Dormer Road, Thame, Oxfordshire. Newer offices and warehouse are now across the road,
The same premises in 2019

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by alan

The Perils of Collecting…..

November 22, 2020 in Articles, Machinery

Whatever you are collecting the machine may be out there!

We are possibly all guilty of wasting time looking through classified adverts in the tractor or vintage magazines or browsing online auctions, this is usually done under the guise of ‘research purposes’ even if we sometimes just accidentally end up purchasing the item. The purchase can then be further justified as saving another piece of history and the item joins the ever expanding collection without any sin being committed.

These are my personal thoughts on collecting all things horticultural. Easy and from the comfort of one’s own home, one of the best places to find things is online. But I find online auctions can sometimes be a complete muddle of contradictory statements. For instance a heap of rust for sale doesn’t correlate with its dubious glowing description of a machine needing nothing more than a bit of TLC, or the fact that the engine is scattered between several Tupperware boxes doesn’t necessarily constitute an ‘easy DIY repair’. Other adverts can bring a smile to the face of the people who know the seller is trying to big up their merchandise like a street trader hustling items from a suitcase, making it sound like it’s a once in a life-time opportunity, which it rarely is. Conversely, some rare or unusual machines have passed under the radar, sadly their sales description letting down the unknowing seller from getting a better price or a potential buyer missing out on finding that desired machine.

My favourite online auction machinery description to justify the potential that a machine is still in working order is: “Was working when last used”. Quite frankly, I hope it was working when last used! I often wonder if the rest of the selling statement could be ‘…but not working now’ or possibly ‘…but we cannot get it to start/run/move since it’s been sitting in the shed for thirty years’, which rather puts a damper on the auction.

There’s a huge range of machines out there – but will they run and work as intended once they’ve been brought home?

In this Northern household we take the view that anything with a petrol engine isn’t going to run when purchased, accordingly “Was working when last used” is taken with a pinch of salt. If it does run then it’s a complete bonus and we celebrate by taking the whippet for a pint down’t pub.

I’ve also been dismayed when clicking on a garden tractor advert that’s still at its 99p starting bid only to find that the seller is actually selling the machine for spares. Acting like Arthur Daley of the mower world the seller cunningly announces one is bidding “for a wheel nut only”. I’m always tempted to ask to buy all the wheel nuts, thus hopefully leaving the buyer with a wheel-less and immovable machine in the middle of his garage floor that he can fall over for the foreseeable future.

Having a machine that is moveable is pretty important. It reminds me of a trip one spring to somewhere south of a great metropolis to collect a non-running garden tractor that turned out to also have a couple of flat tyres. Google Street View did a tragically poor job of warning us of the front-garden-cum-municipal-tip-devastation we had to extract the tractor from. We knew we were in trouble when even the owner went out for the day and left us to sort it out for ourselves. A challenge wading through a sea of pizza boxes, beer cans and half a scrap yard, including the ubiquitous car up on bricks and a safe with the door jemmied open, and all at the front of a semi-detached house. I’m told it’s called character building but I’d call it unfortunate; yet we did rescue a tractor and that means it’s another guilt-free purchase.  

The tractor we rescued had one additional label, it was that of an auction. Over the years we have had a few machines that have obviously been bought for tuppence at a local sale and then put online in the hope of bagging a magnificent profit. I’m all for enterprise and if people can find a bargain then sell it on for a profit then good for them and I wish them every success. It’s possible that many machines that are now in collectors hands may have been sourced from agricultural sales, house clearances or free-ads before filtering down through online auctions. I wonder how many machines and tools have been saved from the scrap man because they ended up on online auctions, their last chance of rescue before being dismembered or going to the crusher?

Perhaps collecting hand tools would be an easier option?

But this collecting lark is not without perils. If you are into collecting hand tools with no moving parts then you are very sensible and on to a winner, probably spotting all the bargains I blindly overlook. The most problematic that simple hand tools can get is rust, broken welds or woodworm. However, if any collectable has an engine, gearbox or anything of mechanical importance to the machine actually working as intended, then the money can start flowing and all hopes of saving up for that holiday in the Maldives vanishes. Who needs a foreign holiday anyway? Hours wasted whilst sat idly at an airport when instead one could be back at home trying to source no-longer-available parts for a knackered Tecumseh engine!

Of course the machines we collect are getting older and for some the original spares are getting rarer and some aftermarket reproduction parts can be a potential gamble. Sometimes this can mean turning to the lucky dip put forth by the internet and sticking our oily hands into the digital bran barrel of parts that may or may not fit. I’ve found that cross-referencing part numbers between different machines and manufacturers is a skill, it’s almost an art form; I’m getting good at it.

Once parts have been identified and ordered it’s at this point that doubt could set in, especially if the confirmation email says that the parts aren’t located in the UK after all, the website plainly lied. Imagine if Google Street View comes up trumps this time and, with glee, informs the buyer that indeed the heavy crankshaft for the twin cylinder engine isn’t coming from a seller in a picturesque Cotswold village, instead it’s coming from a bedsit in a backstreet in China that looks scary even in daylight. Will the purchase turn up? Estimated delivery time: Eventually. Plus the frightening thought of import duty and VAT. But that’s a story for another day.

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by alan

Engine Replacement Guide

October 25, 2020 in Machinery

Sometimes it’s necessary to change the engine on a machine, usually this is because the existing one, often the original, has come to the end of it’s life and parts are no longer available or it’s just not cost effective. A new replacement engine is the obvious choice and there’s many brands to choose from including the ‘knock-off’ copies of many. Also as important is if the machine in question; a garden tractor, ride-on mower, lawnmower, tiller, etc is required to still look the part and have an age-related engine rather than new in which case a second-hand engine is an option.

From 1985 I have a useful brochure detailing a replacement engine guide from the Engine Division of ‘Autocar Electrical Equipment Co. Ltd’ at the time based in Barking Essex. This guide, which is actually a piece of marketing, details both vertical and horizontal engines between 2hp and 11hp from Briggs & Stratton which can be used in place of Honda, Kawasaki, Kohler, Robin, Suzuki, Aspera, Tecumseh, Villiers, Mag and Kubota.

It is interesting to see across the board how different engine specs relate between differing manufacturers. I’m sure there will many other engine replacement guides available.

For research purposes, this guide can be downloaded or opened on your computer as an A4 or A3 PDF, you can use the PDF controls to zoom in, often in the bottom right of the PDF screen, on the data.

Download A4 Replacement Engine Brochure

Download A3 Replacement Engine Sheet


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by alan

1951 Exhibitions

July 21, 2020 in Articles, Machinery

Pickfords transporting a locomotive to the Festival of Britain

On the 4th May 1951 the Festival of Britain opened to the public. Newspaper reports say that the idea first began to mark the centenary of the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. The main 1951 Festival was located on a 27 acre site on the South Bank, London, and promoted industry, arts and science and inspired a vision of Britain in the future. Other locations included Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Canterbury etc. and events took place in numerous cities, towns and villages bringing the country together.

A vast array of exhibitors, events, crafts and craftsmen took part. The picture shows Pickfords negotiating the streets of St. Albans as they transported a locomotive from Lancashire to London as an exhibit for the Festival. 

Find out more about the Festival on Wikipedia: Wikipedia Link

The Council of Industrial Design compiled a list of items for display at the Festival of Britain, these included furniture with a preoccupation of plywood and brightly coloured fabrics. Household items, artwork, science, agriculture, industry and machinery right up to locomotives as we have seen. But I cannot find if any of the well known manufacturers of horticultural, grounds or garden machinery took part. Does anyone know? 

Allen Scythe Saw Bench

However I have report from the same year of 1951 for the National Association of Groundsmans Exhibition in October 1951. This was held at the Hurlingham Club, London; on, it would seem, perfectly manicured lawns. Fifty-two companies took part showing their products.

We can see that in 1951 a large number of interesting items were being displayed. These included the latest attachment for the Allen Scythe. It was a saw bench with a 16″ diameter blade capable of cutting to 6″, it has an adjustable guard. Other equipment were a power sprayer, electric generator and a front-mounted rotary brush which can be seen in the image behind the saw bench. 

Ransomes-Sisis Aero Main

Items from Sisis also appear. The advertised “Ransomes-Sisis Aero Main” with attached turf aerator could work at a claimed 4mph and put 250,000 holes into two acres per hour. Rakes, rollers and brushes were available as attachments. Available from Hargreaves Ltd, Sisis Works, Cheadle, and Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Ltd, Ipswich. 

1hp Dorman Sprayer

The Dorman Sprayer Co. from Cambridge had a power-driven sprayer suitable for fields, orchards or gardens. It had a 15 gallons tank, treated against corrosion and a 1hp engine. Are there any of these sprayers still in existence? 

Gravely Estate Power Unit

Another machine that looks mighty interesting was the Estate Power Unit from Gravely Overseas Ltd, Buckfastleigh, Devon. This two-wheeled unit had a 2.5hp four stroke engine with forward and reverse gears and a speed of up to 3mph. It could be fitted with a 42″ cutter bar mower, a 24″ cylinder mower, hedge trimmer, pump, generator, compressor, 8″ plough, cultivating tool frame and a cart. Is this Estate Power Unit another machine that has vanished or has someone got an example in their shed? 

Two intriguing photographs to finish. The first is the plant protection stand at the Groundsmans Exhibition. It was housed in a caravan which was described as ‘gleaming in chromium plate and perspex’ which sums up the modern and bright future that may lay ahead. The second photograph is a general view, showing the stands of T. Parker & Sons and John Allen & Sons. I wonder what all the machinery on display was? Can you name the tractor on the right-hand side? 

If anyone knows any machinery that was at the Festival of Britain in 1951 then we’d be pleased to hear. 

The Plant Protection stand at the Groundsmans Exhibition. A caravan in chromium plate and perspex.

T. Parker & Sons and John Allen & Sons stands, 1951.


Note: Images/media are used for research/illustration purposes for non-profit only with copyright held by respective publishers where and as applicable. 

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