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.
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 Ā£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 Ā£177.50 – which was Ā£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!
Let’s see a show of hands for everyone who has owned or used a domestic garden strimmer. This tool has become essential in many gardens, selling in large quantities over the years. But just how long has the garden strimmer, with its nylon cutting line, been available? And who came up with the idea, and when?
After the invention of the lawn mower, the next challenge was dealing with the grass that mowers couldn’t reach. While a well-designed garden and lawn can minimize these inaccessible areas, the simplest way to tidy up around shrubs, trees, or obstacles has always been with shears – a method that still works well today. However, if there is a mechanical or powered way to mow the lawn, why not have a similar tool for trimming those difficult-to-reach bits of grass?
1960s Greensleeves Swivel Cut Lawn Edge Trimmer
It’s worth noting a few early inventions that preceded the strimmer, as untidy bits of lawn have long been a pain in the grass. In the 1960s, a mechanical device called the Swivel Cut Lawn Edge Trimmer was marketed by Greensleeves (Illustrated). This tool featured a pair of shears mounted on two small wheels with a long shaft, allowing the gardener to push it along. At the top of the shaft was a spring-loaded, squeezable handle used to open and close the blades. The long shaft eliminated the need for the gardener to work on their hands and knees. The shears could be used vertically for lawn edges or horizontally for flat areas. Around the same time, Wolf of Ross-on-Wye produced a similar tool called the Orbital Long Shears, which had a 40″ shaft and a squeezable handle.
Powered machines for cutting small patches of grass did feature quite early, but they relied on steel blades as their means of cutting, and many were wheeled or required to be resting on the ground.
1957 Trusty Whirlwind
Introduced mid-century, Tarpen Engineering Co. Ltd had the electric-powered Grassmaster and Vergemaster models (Illustrated below). These machines, with long shafts enabling the gardener to work standing, were ideal for mowing awkward places where a mower could not be used and for clearing weeds and long grass.
In 1957 Tractors (London) Limited launched the Trusty Whirlwind (Illustrated). This two-wheel machine was marketed as a weeding tool and at wheel level had a 1/3 hp JAP engine that powered a 6ā steel disc via a v-belt; the operator was in a standing position.
Many other machines designed primarily for trimming vertical lawn edges had been developed. These include the battery-operated Andrews Spintrim (Illustrated), which featured ‘fast spinning blades’ that finely chopped the lawn edge clippings, eliminating the need for cleanup. It was claimed that the Spintrim could handle one mile of edging in an hour. Advertisements for the Spintrim also suggested that manual grass shears were ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘time-wasting.’
Tarpen Grassmaster and Andrews Spintrim
Eventually, a couple of entrepreneurs had a Eureka moment and realized that using a thin nylon line would be a much better, easier, and safer solution than metal blades. The nylon line could cut closer and cause less damage to the objects it encountered. It could cleanly cut up to hard surfaces like walls and rocks, trim around small items, and tidy lawn edges, while also being suitable for larger areas of grass and weeds. This marked the decline of small domestic machines with metal blades, as many manufacturers quickly adopted nylon line trimmers. There was likely a lucrative market for branded trimmer line replacement spools, though I can’t prove that!
When did nylon line trimmers appear in the UK?
Trade magazines generally state that nylon line trimmers debuted in the UK in 1975/76 ā thatās nearly 50 years ago as I write this ā although the first two models, detailed below, had been sold abroad before this time.
The first UK-retailed model is regarded as being the USA-made Weedeater. This was followed by the Adlus UFO from Germany. However, other manufacturers may have seen the nylon line machines abroad and started their versions in the UK but had not yet become mainstream.
The Weedeater, introduced in the USA in 1972, was invented by George Ballas of Texas. He was inspired by the individual nylon brush strands on a drive-through car wash that would clean a car without any bodywork damage. It was reported that a prototype cutting head (a beer can with strands of fishing line) was attached to his electric trimmer instead of the steel blade ā and it was a success.
Initially, the Weedeater models introduced here in 1975/76, which looked like today’s strimmers, were retailed by Allen Power Equipment Ltd, Oxford. The mains electric models included the nicely-named āSnippyā at Ā£24.95 ex vat in 1978, and in 1980 a rechargeable model with a battery charger became available priced at Ā£47.50. Petrol models were marketed including a 14cc lightweight model suitable for domestic gardens.
The competing Adlus UFO (Illustrated on the right) from Germany was a different machine from the Weedeater yet worked on the same cutting principles. Again, a design by someone who figured that nylon line would be ideal for grass trimming. However, rather than being a standard trimmer design, the Adlus UFO was a handheld device (like a small shrub pruner but with a trimmer head) that had the option of an extension handle to make it a trimmer that the gardener could use when standing. The handle was priced at Ā£4.72 + 12.5% VAT in 1976;Ā the trimmer was Ā£29.50 + VAT.
The Adlus UFO was designed in the 1960s and sold across Europe. Although its introduction to the UK is often cited as occurring in 1975/76, advertisements for it appeared in UK newspapers as early as 1972. Initially, the UK agent was IXP Ltd, Yeadon, Leeds, which sold the UFO trimmer by mail order for Ā£18.30 in the early 1970s. By 1976, Ameeco-Broby Ltd, based in Basildon, Essex, had taken over as the agent.
Both the Weedeater and the Adlus UFO used nylon line but it was much thinner on the Adlus and would wear out quicker. The thickness of the line was reflected in the price of a new nylon spool ā the Adlus spool cost only 98p + 8% VAT, and the Weedeater spool was Ā£2.95 +12.5% VAT in 1976.
Were nylon line trimmers an instant success?
The Weedeater and Adlus UFO gained popularity, catching the attention of other manufacturers. As a result, nylon line trimmers quickly became the next essential mechanized tool for lawn care.
Manufacturers were falling over themselves to get a slice of the action, this was propelled by Black & Decker who ran TV adverts in the summer of 1978 for their ‘Strimmer’ (String trimmer and thus the strimmer name became often used and now in common parlance) ā essentially anyone with a lawn and a mower was a target for needing a Strimmer. Their models were the B&D D409 (Illustrated) with a 9ā cut (Ā£19.95) and a deluxe version that upgraded to 12ā and automatic line feed priced at Ā£45.
So popular was this new nylon line idea, that two years after the launch of the Weedeater and Adlus UFO, the Institute of Groundsmanship Exhibition in 1978 had a whole host of mains-electric nylon line models on show, although quite a lot of brand engineering was going on.
Some models at the exhibition were:
Danarm had a model that was bought in
Flymo (Illustrated below) had two models but the smaller one was a rebranded RotaShear
Hyett Adams was selling genuine RotaShear strimmers
AL-KO had a rebranded model
Toro (Illustrated below), sold by Autoturfcare, had a range of Toro strimmers.
Others at the time were the Graswip Lawn Trimmer from the Village Blacksmith range sold by Thomas. A. Edison, Coventry
Solo Power Equipment offered the Solo engine with various attachments including a monofilament safety head
Wolf Tools, Ross-on-Wye, marketed their 240w 9ā Wolf-Trimit Standard, and the De-Luxe version with a 340w motor and a 16ā cut
PaiceSetter were selling several petrol models
Poulan petrol strimmers had the Trimette grass cutter attachments
Husqvarna had petrol models ideal for the handyman and around the garden
Exhibited in 1978, left, two early Flymo strimmers – the small one being a rebadged RotaShear. Right, an early Toro strimmer
Petrol models also marketed in 1978 included the Italian-made two-stroke 28cc Tiger 40 from E. P. Barrus, Bicester, and the brilliant Homelite lightweight model ST-100 2-stroke which utilised the hollow handle as a fuel tank (Illustrated, right). Stihl and McCulloch got in on the lightweight petrol-powered nylon line strimmer idea with many adverts in the 1980s.
The late 1970s Homelite ST-100 nylon line strimmer had a hollow shaft which was the fuel tank. Many manufacturers produced lightweight strimmers which would appeal to the householder, this Homelite model was no exception and weighed just over 7 lbs or 3kg.
Many manufacturers who had previously offered steel blade brush cutters now also added nylon-line heads, in 1977 this included PaiceSetter, East Grinstead, Sussex who advertised their new Elta/Fuji models which had a āsuper safe cutting headā and two high-strength, low-cost replaceable nylon filaments.
There were alternatives to the nylon line. In 1980, Hemming & Wood of Lichfield introduced Duralon blades to complement their Sawtec range of grass trimmers and brush cutters. These Duralon blades were pivoted when mounted on a central housing. The blades were claimed to offer a longer lifespan than nylon line and were suitable for both grass cutting and lawn edging.
Other ideas for trimmers included ATCO which in the early 1980s advertised a 12-volt strimmer that could be attached to the electrics on their garden tractors. This enabled the gardener to tidy around the trees and borders when out mowing and away from mains electric.
One of the Wolf ‘Rotomat’ strimmers from 1989, in bright and appealing colours.
In 1987, Flymo observed that many strimmer owners were ready to purchase replacement machines. This segment represented 25% of the market, with buyers seeking ergonomic designs and improved features. In response, in 1987, Flymo introduced the standard Mini-Trim with an 8-inch cutting width and the Multi-Trim. The Multi-Trim featured a twistable horizontal cutting head for vertical lawn edging, assisted by a built-in roller for guiding along the lawn edge. To be fair, other manufacturers, including Wolf with their Rotomat ‘Vario’ in the mid-1980s, had already marketed rotating head trimmers. By 1990, the Flymo Multi-Trim range had expanded to three models with 8, 10, and 12-inch cutting widths. Many of these models are likely still in use today, as they perform all the functions expected of a garden strimmer with ease.
Nylon line trimmers, petrol or electric, can be found in almost every garden across the land. The cutting design and idea haven’t changed much although there are minor advances with guards, guides and handles. One can say that the original strimmer idea was a complete success!
Looking back at the article, has anybody got an original Adlus UFO or one of the first Weedeaters or the 12-volt strimmer that ATCO sold for their tractors?
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 Ā£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 Ā£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.
You may be wondering why there’s a picture of a stuffed green frog in this article, but more about that later…
I’ve concluded that nearly every garden, certainly those with a lawn, will have felt the presence of a garden lawn fertiliser spreader at some point. In particular, one of those plastic spreaders given away if one purchased a significant amount of granular fertiliser. Several of those plastic freebie spreaders had the unfortunate ability to block up if there was even the slightest bit of moisture on the grass that got onto the distributor. But some adverts worked in reverse where the fertiliser was free when a spreader was bought; and others just offered a free loan of the spreader.
Over the decades there has been a significant number of push lawn spreaders, plastic and steel, which have promised to give the perfect amount of lawn care product to lawns. They all work on much the same principle of non-slip wheels, a hopper, some sort of regulator to distribute the goods evenly, and a handle.
Cunningly, as with most of these domestic spreaders, there was often a range of weed and feed products that also went with them (not forgetting that some of the cheaper spreaders were calibrated for their own products) – and once one had the spreader then it would be easier to keep buying that manufacturers’ products year after year and trust that the system of looking after the lawn worked….and it did work, a foolproof way to look after the lawn with ease.
Briefly, here are a few companies that sold lawn spreaders:
Sisis started to produce a range of their Truspred models in the early 1960s – Click for advert image. These were available in 20″, 24″, 36″ and 36″ Super, although the range was of a professional quality and often aimed at sports pitches and the like. A smaller more domestic-friendly 15″ model was advertised in the late 1960s for Ā£8 15s. Many models were promoted for ‘accurate, consistent spreading of seed and modern fertilisers’ regardless of manufacturer. They were also good for applying lawn or surface dressings and rock salt to de-ice drives and paths in winter.
ICI Lawn Plus Spreader 1970
ICI promoted their ‘Plus’ Lawn Spreader in the 1970s. Often a 12″ model, it was priced at 45s in 1970, but if the gardener had signed up for the ICI Garden Savers Plan there was a 6s refund. By 1980 ICI was selling a 12″ lawn spreader for as little as Ā£8.
Wolf produced different spreaders in the 1970s and ’80s – Click for image. The model WE 16″ distributor had a curved metal hopper with a tough green-coloured stove enamel finish. The WE 18″ had a PVC hopper, while the WD was all steel. In the 1990s, Wolf produced the 17″ WE251 (Illustrated, below), sold in B&Q priced at Ā£29.95.
Fisons is a popular name in the gardening game. The range of chemical products in the 1970s included the Evergreen 80 for a weed-free lawn, also Lawn Food, Lawn Peat and Velvetone Spring Dressings. Accordingly, Fisons also had a lawn spreader, sometimes in a blue paint scheme – Click for Image. But they also had a budget 12″ spreader advertised in 1970 for only 35s when bought with a combined purchase of Evergreen 80 and Fisons Rose Food – an odd combination but maybe the rose food wasn’t a big seller?
Wolf Lawn Spreader model WE251 in 1990
PBI had lawn spreaders through the 1980s, but they could also come coupled with a product. In 1989 the spreader came with a free pack of their Toplawn 600sq feet pack of Weed & Feed for Ā£16.
In the 1990s both Levingtons and Scotts spreaders appear in advertising. Scotts models being the Accugreen and Evergreen. And today, a vast range of spreaders with different branding are marketed.
And what about the stuffed green frog shown at the top of this article? Well, who remembers the Fisons Evergreen TV adverts from perhaps 20 years ago, with a cartoon gangly-legged frog sprinkling some lawn feed around? I think the song went ‘If the lawn is a farce, and the weeds a right pain in the grass….‘. I bought some lawn feed, got a free lawn spreader (which is gathering spiders and dust in the back of the barn), also filled in and sent off a form, and amazingly this stuffed Fisons Evergreen frog turned up in the post – forget expensive vintage sales merchandise and paraphernalia because I’ve got a stuffed green Fisons frog…now that’s proper advertising!
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
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.
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 āresearch purposesā 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 doesnāt 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 doesnāt necessarily constitute an āeasy DIY repairā. 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 itās 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: āWas working when last usedā. Quite frankly, I hope it was working when last used! I often wonder if the rest of the selling statement could be ā…but not working nowā or possibly ā…but we cannot get it to start/run/move since itās been sitting in the shed for thirty yearsā, 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 isnāt going to run when purchased, accordingly āWas working when last usedā is taken with a pinch of salt. If it does run then itās a complete bonus and we celebrate by taking the whippet for a pint downāt pub.
Iāve also been dismayed when clicking on a garden tractor advert thatās 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 āfor a wheel nut onlyā. Iām 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. Iām told itās called character building but Iād call it unfortunate; yet we did rescue a tractor and that means itās another guilt-free purchase. Ā
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. Iām 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. Itās 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. Iāve found that cross-referencing part numbers between different machines and manufacturers is a skill, itās almost an art form; Iām getting good at it.
Once parts have been identified and ordered itās at this point that doubt could set in, especially if the confirmation email says that the parts arenāt 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 isnāt coming from a seller in a picturesque Cotswold village, instead itās 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 thatās a story for another day.
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.
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.Ā
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?Ā
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.Ā
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.Ā
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?Ā
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?Ā
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?Ā
If anyone knows any machinery that was at the Festival of Britain in 1951 then we’d be pleased to hear.Ā
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.Ā
The year is Two Thousand and Twenty. Sounds futuristic, doesn’t it? It resonates as one of those dates plucked out of thin air by black and white sci-fi movies from the 1950’s and 60’s trying to convince us that we’d have ditched the humble motor car and all have personal flying machines by now. Little did they foresee that in 2020 the average motorist wouldn’t be zipping about the skies but instead would be stuck in traffic on the M25, cursing the roadworks on the M6 or negotiating average speed cameras countrywide (other traffic issues are available).Ā
Horticultural machinery hasn’t, on the whole, faired much better; mowers, tillers and rotavators etc are much the same as they’ve always been, with just minor tweaks and amendments to make them better to operate. But where could we have been if madcap designers had pushed through their ideas and the general public had clambered aboard? Take the 1960’s prototype mowing machine as pictured above. This glass-domed futuristic machine encased the operator in an air-conditioned capsule from where they could mow the lawn, apply fertilizer, or according to adverts even go to the shops. In our health-conscious era the ideal solution for mowing the lawn is to use a pedestrian mower and get some exercise and fresh air rather than ride around getting sunstroke in a goldfish bowl – but a push mower wouldn’t be as much fun as that 1960’s Jetson inspired machine would it?Ā
Remploy Mowmaster, a very clever and advanced version of the ‘mower tied to stick’ principle. The beginning of the robot lawnmower, perhaps?
Progress, though, has been made with autonomous mowing, with professional stuff gaining ground all the time. Labour saving ideas and devices have always been of interest to inventors. In the 1960’s and 70’s there were many rather bumbling attempts documented (mostly amateur) to get unattended mowers to cut the grass by Heath Robinson type contraptions. These were mostly where a tethered mower would work in ever increasing circles by unwrapping itself from around a central post. All these early attempts have now been superseded in domestic gardens with robot mowers.Ā Apart from a couple of exceptions and some golf course mowers, the domestic robots still haven’t mastered mowing in nice stripey lines for Mr & Mrs Suburbia, instead these robot mowers spend their hours haphazardly crossing lawns in random directions as if looking for an exit to escape through; they remind me of someone trapped in a revolving door and constantly failing to find their way out.Ā
If you’d like to see how far robot mowers have progressed, and witness their potential for the domestic garden, have a look at this Cub Cadet mower on Youtube, it is brilliant.Ā https://youtu.be/kPibtLfYEWQ?t=48
For now though, lets head back in time 50 years and see what the clever people designing horticultural equipment were busying themselves with. More importantly what has happened to these machines introduced in 1970? For some of them there is no trace left.Ā
Sisis Auto-Cutter and Turfman
The first machine under scrutiny is the 1970 Sisis Auto-Cutter and Turfman. An ingenious and interesting machine, it is a combined turf cutter and ground management machine. Useful for sports grounds as when not used as a turf cutter it could be used for other duties by using the standard range of Sisis Turfman implements such as the lawn spiker. Powered by a 5hp Briggs and Stratton engine the transmission was by v-belt and roller chains. Using the turf cutter with it’s fitted and driven horizontal cutting blade it could muster an impressive cut speed of 90ft (approx 27m) per minute. The cost was Ā£285 with the implements to expand the unit being extra cost.Ā
John Allen & Sons 5-26 ride-on mower
Next is the John Allen & Sons 5-26 ride on mower, an elusive machine. Looking at the design I’m guessing that once the mower deck rotted through then there’d be a rather large void left in the machine, by which time the whole machine was perhaps showing fatigue. It did have some good features including a differential on the rear axle and a suspension system that enabled the mower to closely follow the ground contours. The power department was 5hp and a top speed of three and a half miles per hour. Claimed mowing potential was 3/4 acre per hour which is easily achievable. Price to you: Ā£185.Ā
In 1970 John Allen also introduced three models of 19″ push rotary mowers called the ‘Export’ (2.5hp Aspera 2-stroke engine), ‘Special’ (4-stroke, 3hp engine) and ‘Professional’ (2-stroke Aspera Longlife 4hp engine). The Professional model had four “Inox” swinging steel blades for mowing the grass and all models had optional side-mounted grass collection kits available for Ā£3. I have yet to come across these three mowers.
During the 1960’s and 70’s several horticultural machinery manufacturers had their technical boffins in deep thought and serious contemplation, probably over cups of tea and newly introduced Mr Kipling’s cakes; they were designing, creating and producing battery powered machinery. As we hit the 1980’s most gave up on battery-powered stuff and the items that remained being produced were mostly novelties such as shrub trimmers and low-powered items. 1970 was when the brilliantly named Ladybird Appliances LTD of Reading, Berkshire, introduced a new dual purpose lawn edger called the Mowtrim. It was powered by two 6 volt Lucas long life batteries providing power to a 12 volt D.C. SIBA motor. It’s main use was as a lawn edger where it’d do a splendid job, or clutching at straws it was a “rotary mower with a 7 inch width of cut” for those with small lawns or immense patience. Price: Ā£18 17s.Ā
Toro Teesmaster which was distributed by Flymo Ltd
The next machine is the Toro Teesmaster. It was disributed by Flymo Ltd and was a modified version of the Toro 70 inch Professional machine. These Toro machines do appear occasionally.Ā
The machine pictured was newly on sale for 1970. It’s claim to fame being that it was believed to be the first power-driven gang mower that could also collect grass with it’s attached grassboxes. The grassboxes are fitted at the front of the front two cutter reels and the back grassbox is fitted to the rear of that cutter. Price: Ā£640.
Masport 18″ Premier mower with Johnson Iron Horse engine
I’m currently mulling over the mention of a ‘Johnson Iron Horse 3.5hp, 2 stroke engine’, it could be different and interesting. This was fitted to a Masport 18″ Premier mower made by Mason & Porter, New Zealand and distributed by Stemport Marketing Co, Aylesbury. The mower had a novel design of ‘one-piece cutter blade where only the cutting edges touched the grass‘ – guess it was bent at both ends – this reduced friction. It also featured a counter-balanced adjuster on the height selector, actually a good idea after some of the mowers I’ve had. Price: Ā£55.Ā
Other items of interest in 1970 include a new version of the 18″ Hayterette mower by Hayter Ltd, Bishop’s Stortford. It had a new deck design incorporating a wide rear flap to give even distribution of grass clippings. Marketing says it was available with a 4-stroke Briggs and Stratton with 147cc (Ā£41), or the Professional models with J.L.O 2-stroke engine or a 205ccĀ Briggs and Stratton (both Ā£52).Ā
One item that I cannot find at present is the Wolf Car Mower. This was a new machine introduced by Wolf Tools for Garden and Lawn Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, Hertfordshire. It is a ride-on, 26″ rotary grass cutter and could have basic attachments like a grass collector, sweeper, roller, and interestingly could be fitted with trailed cylinder gang mowers, This 5hp Briggs and Stratton machine had two forward and one reverse gears. The Wolf Car Mower was of a flexible design which helped it’s ability on uneven ground. I thought this might have had something to do with the Wolf Garden Kart which is like a go-cart, but this was much later than the Wolf Car Mower and had a smaller cut of 22″.Ā
The question nowadays is how will the future designers develop machines in the coming decade? Will we have a multitude of powerful, efficient and long lasting battery machines by 2030.
Or… perhaps decades from now the petrol machines of yesterday may be sought after, and considered as well built machines capable of a days work with ease? We may already be living in the future by using machines of the past…but just not aware of it!
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. 
