Machinery

Ryan and Horwool turf equipment

April 14, 2017 in Articles, Machinery

We probably all know the name of Horwool and their ride-on triplex mowers and the Landscaper 1200 tractor – see them in the Horwool gallery. In the 1960’s Horwool, based in Romford, were also the agents for the American built Ryan turf equipment which was shipped over to the UK.

Ryan still make lawn care equipment ( http://www.ryanturf.com/about-ryan/ ). The most interesting piece of equipment from the 1960’s being the range of turf cutters that cut the rolls of turf that are laid for new lawns. These machines have knobs and levers and many moving parts and would probably make a fascinating horticultural exhibit at a show although I doubt we’d be allowed to strip the showfield at Newark Tractor Show as an attraction – but it’d draw the crowds.

1965 Ryan Turf Cutter sold by Horwool

The 1960’s machines seem to differ very little from their modern day equivalents. The turf cutters pictured right, from the 1965 brochure, were capable of cutting three acres of turf per day per machine, that’s just under 15,000 square yards. The machines automatically cut-off the turf at the correct length and had different types of blades for varying turf conditions.

Powered by 7hp Wisconsin engines or 9hp Briggs and Stratton engines on the larger machines, they had a disc clutch and disc brake for the automatic turf cut-off.

The only down-side I can see is that there still needed to be a man on his knees rolling up the turf behind the operator and stacking it on pallets. The brochure does show that the turf can be either rolled up or laid flat on pallets.

Has anyone got an old UK Ryan turf cutter? I’m sure that there will still be some in use today as they would be well looked after if they were heavily relied upon.

Ryan also produced the Motoraire, pictured below, which much like Sisis machines “removes cores of soil to open up the soil and let air, moisture and fertilizer down into the grass root zone” . Ryan add that “Aeration with a Ryan Motoraire should be used for maintaining healthy turf and for rebuilding and rejuvenating turf of poorer quality“.

Powered by what appears to be a Briggs and Stratton engine rated at 3hp, Ryan recommend the Motoraire for “beautifying school playgrounds, athletic fields, hospitals and industrial plant grounds and home lawns, it is also highly recommended for…use by landscapers, lawn maintenance companies, rental companies and nurseries“.

1964 Ryan Motoraire as sold by Horwool in the UK

Ryan machines were not just limited to walk-behind machines, there’s also the tractor mounted Renovaire. This machine, image below from 1964, could do coring, slicing and renovating of turf and was “designed for fast, economical aerating of large turf areas” such as golf courses, sports pitches and parks.

The operating speed when working is up to 10mph and when not working the 8′ wide machine can be transported on it’s 4.00 x 8″ pneumatic tyres behind a truck or car at reasonable driving speed on a field or site.

1964 Ryan tractor-mounted Renovaire

Horwool also had some of their own turf equipment. There is the Powarake, and also the Powaroll, both great names.

The Powarake, pictured below left, was a 3 1/2 hp, BSA powered lawn de-thatcher. With a centrifugal clutch it had 100 self-cleaning flexible steel tines and mechanically lifts thatch and debris from the lawn. Apparently tree roots, curbs and stones will not damage the tines which run at 1200 RPM.

The Powaroll, pictured below right, had a 3hp Briggs and Stratton engine and featured reverse for maneuvering in tight spaces. When the roller was filled with water it weighed in excess of a quarter of a ton which gave effective levelling and compaction of the ground.

Horwool Powarake and Powaroll

For reference and anyone researching Horwool, the address on the brochures is:

Horwool (Manufacturing ) LTD
Upper Bedfords
Lower Bedfords Road,
Romford,
Essex,
England.

Tags: horticultural, horwool, Ryan, vhgmc, Vintage lawn Comments Off on Ryan and Horwool turf equipment

by alan

David Brown & Bolens

January 31, 2017 in Articles, Machinery

Did Bolens inspire the David Brown colour scheme?

Collecting and preserving a machine is often much more than just having the physical machine itself, although one machine is never enough and the collecting bug bites hard. Also accumulating brochures, leaflets and memorabilia about a certain manufacturer can add to the interest, sometimes it’s also vital to have the extra information when rebuilding or desperately trying to reconstruct a machine from a heap of parts and some rusty tinwork. It’s all about research and a worthwhile investment, or so we convince ourselves as we buy another vital brochure on the internet.

There are some members who have an interest in David Brown (photos in the gallery) . Searching online there’s a terrific amount of David Brown related information including not only the typical brochures and literature but also factory photographs, films, and machine history. There’s even have a David Brown museum (I’ve visited) with tractor exhibits and there’s a museum visit video on Youtube.

David Brown Colour Chart – Orchid White, Metallic Chocolate Brown, Poppy Red. Inspired by Bolens?

However even some items escape being in a museum and a few years ago I acquired a 1960’s David Brown factory issued colour chart, shown on the right, it’s something no one seems to have seen before, it’s small and fragile and that may account for few surviving.

What’s more interesting, and more detailed information can be found on the internet about it, is that the David Brown orchid white colour scheme from around the mid 1960’s onwards was apparently inspired by the livery of Bolens garden tractors – namely the white and brown scheme similar to that of the photograph of the Bolens at the top of the page . This colour scheme is shown in the David Brown tractor photo above it. A fascinating piece of history.

See more Bolens and their various colour schemes in the Bolens gallery.

You never know what small pieces of history or documentation may turn up either on the internet, on a stall at a show or from another VHGMC member or a member of the public. If you haven’t already seen Charlie’s Rototiller on the forum then have a look to see what can turn up.

A 1964 Bolens Husky Advert. £225.00. Mini Tractors, Chew Magna, Bristol.

Tags: Bolens, David Brown, horticultural, tractor, vhgmc, vintage Comments Off on David Brown & Bolens

by alan

Vintage Snow Blowers UK

January 11, 2017 in Articles, Machinery

Moving snow with a Toro Snow Pup – late 1960’s brochure image, American but from a UK brochure.

As it’s winter we have had a look to see what vintage snow-moving equipment exists in the UK.

There’s blade attachments for various machines such as the Allen scythe, Merry Tiller and Barford to name just three. But more specifically we looked to see if there are any vintage snow blowers or snow throwers in existence.

We are all aware that in the USA there’s a big range of snow moving machines for residential use from the large manufacturers. A 1962 American issue of ‘Popular Science’ informs us that amongst the manufacturers were: Ariens, Bob-Cat, Bolens, Eska, Graveley, Jacobsen, Jari, Motor-Mower, Reo (of Wheelhorse), Sears and Roebuck, Simplicity, Snow Bird, Snow-Boy, Storm King and Toro. Most of these manufacturers are very well known to us and so it’s not hard to image that some of those 1960’s and 70’s machines may have made their way over to the UK.

Toro Snow blowers 1966

These American specification machines varied in HP from 2.5Hp (Reo) up to 7.25HP (Simplicity) and their width of cut from 16″ (Jacobsen) to 36″ (Simplicity). The means of propulsion also varied between self-propelled or being pushed by hand.

The only evidence we have that describes snow blowers being marketed in the UK is a 1966 brochure by Toro although to be fair we don’t know how many were ever sold. The fold-out leaflet bears the address of Flymo Ltd, Penn Place, Rickmansworth, Herts in 1966. Image on the right.

The Toro models available were the Snow Pup and Snow Husky. The Snow Pup had a 14″ wide cut and 2.5HP engine and able to throw the snow 15′. The Snow Husky was larger with a 3HP engine, 21″ wide cut and a 20′ throw. The UK brochure image below shows a Toro snow blower in the bottom right corner of the dealerships lineup of various machines.

This 1967 UK catalogue photo shows a Toro Snow Blower tucked away in the bottom right corner

Currently Toro are the only pedestrian snow blowers we can find evidence of although we do know that both Bolens and Snapper did market and sell later in the UK, their machines occasionally appearing on auction sites.

Do you have a vintage snow blower in the shed or know of any that were UK bought machines?

John Deere 110 with Snow Blower UK

Of course snow blowers are not just pedestrian machines and there are numerous manufacturers that made blowers to fit their garden tractors.

John Deere made snow blowers for their range of 1960’s and 70’s garden tractors from the 110 models onwards and one appeared at Newark Tractor Show a couple of years ago. Image right.

Wheel Horse also manufactured snow blowers for their tractors, they sometimes appear again on internet auction sites. Interestingly a1967 wheel Horse advert view the advert here states that although a snow blade/plow is available (they are quite common second-hand) there is no mention of a snow blower – perhaps they were short of space in the advert. Although a few years later a 1975 brochure (by Mountfield, Maidenhead) and price list for Wheel Horse lists a 37″ snow blower for the Commando tractor at £195, a 42″ snow blower for the Charger and Raider tractors at £210 and a 48″ snow blower for the D series tractor at £240, all plus vat.

Other tractor manufacturers listing snow blowers for UK sale (whether any were sold here or not is unknown) include Roper with their 1980’s tractors having 42″ snow blades and 40″ snow blowers, the tractors appear occasionally but never seen the blowers.

International Harvester with the 1960’s Cub Cadet tractors (brochures marked as Harvester House, City Road, London) produced a range of snow moving equipment to compliment their tractors although none has appeared in the UK yet.

Jacobsen Chief in a UK brochure

It just shows that because something is in a UK brochure intended for the UK doesn’t mean the implements ever reached UK shores. Alternatively, perhaps they were in such small numbers that either none have yet surfaced or none have survived?

Jacobsen, marketed by Horwool from their Romford and Birmingham offices had the Snow-Auger in their brochure. The Jacobsen tractors appear with snow blades in the UK but has anyone got a Jacobsen Chief with a snow blower as in the image on the right? An image of the Jacobsen with a blade can be seen here in the gallery.

There’s nothing like a UK machine though and Westwood kitted out their garden tractors with optional snow plough and a wide vision canopy. Image at the foot of the page

Sure it’s no snow blower but the additions it does have gives the machine a little added versatility and would sure be a good reason to play out in winter.

Finally, one question we came across, and a bit of a tongue twister is: “How much snow should a snow blower throw when a snow blower’s busy throwing snow?”.

Can anyone add to this UK snow themed article?

Westwood ready for winter duties

Tags: horticultural, horwool, jacobsen chief, snow, snow thrower, snowblower, vhgmc, vintage, westwood tractor No Comments »

by alan

Atom Tractor – Switzerland

December 31, 2016 in Articles, Machinery

Barford Atom Single Wheeled at Tractor World, Newbury.

Researching the history of a machine can be fascinating and sometimes brings up how and where machines have been distributed throughout the world, often all it takes is a photograph or a nagging question and before we know it a whole shed load of information appears. This is very true of the Barford Atom Tractor as mentioned in the December 2016 issue of ‘The Cultivator’ magazine, members can download a copy here. A single-wheeled Atom was exhibited at Tractor World, Newbury in October, and Charlie photographed another at the Museum of English Rural life (MERL) also in October. Below is some more information about the single-wheeled Atom tractor.

1945 Prototype by Mechanised Horticultural Implements of Hampshire.

According to the excellent reference book 70 Years of Garden Machinery, Mechanised Horticultural Implements of Hampshire demonstrated a prototype Atom tractor in 1945 with a planned name of Atom Major. The image on the right from the VHGMC archive is of the prototype which varies greatly from the final machine and had hardly any resemblance to what went into production. Click the image top-right from Newbury to see the machine.

We also have a 1947 photograph, below right, of the inventor, a Mr G.H.F. Knight along with the now production ready single wheeled Atom, this is the point where the tractors went into proper production when Barford Ltd became involved in the manufacturing and marketing.

But there’s additional information which takes the Atom on a little known journey to Switzerland. I suppose this article could be called ‘Little Atom’s Big Swiss Adventure’ as they obviously had high hopes for their machine and must have gone to great lengths to set up numerous demonstrations.

April 1947. Mr G.H.P. Knight (left) inventor of the Atom Tractor, and the Earl of Portsmouth. They are both directors of Horticultural Implements LTD, which have entered into an agreement whereby Barford (Agricultural) LTD undertake the whole of the manufacture and selling of this miniature tractor. As of May 1947 less than 100 Atoms are in use.

In 1948 a newspaper article ran: ‘Grantham’s Atom tractors, smallest in the world, and manufactured by Barford Ltd have gone to Switzerland this week, where, following demonstrations as from next Wednesday it is hoped to capture the Swiss market.’

The article continues with: ‘Three machines have been sent and a vine sprayer has been produced, this special machine being designed for operating on the very narrow terraces of the Swiss countryside to keep down disease among the vines by spraying them with insecticide’.

It would seem that transport issues and getting to Switzerland had to be resolved at the last minute as ‘In view of transport difficulties the company decided to convey the machines from Grantham to Geneva on their own lorry, but this vehicle supplied a few years ago by the Grantham Motor Company had already covered 30,000 miles. With time running short in which to make it suitable for the journey, it was sent to the Motor Company for whom the Ford Motor Company provided a new engine, which was installed within two days. New tyres were fitted, the lorry repainted and it left on Sunday.’ Mr Thatcher of sales staff left to make preparations in Switzerland, and today Mr Parsons, general manager goes by air to Geneva to take charge of the demonstrations which are to be given at many centres. Lord Portsmouth and Mr Knight (in the ‘Inventor of the Atom’ image above) join the party at Geneva. The Atom is already finding a good market in New Zealand, Kenya, South America, the Channel Islands and Eire.

The following year a UK newspaper article appeared describing the Atom as “The mechanical gardener of 1949”. and that it had just been demonstrated for the first time at Belton Gardens, Grantham. Powered by a one-horsepower, four stroke engine, the tractor could be fitted with 16 different special implements for various purposes. (image below).

Barford Atom April 1949 – UK advert

Click the images for larger versions.

Has anyone else got any more information? Let us know!

No Comments »

by alan

Suffolk Mower Factory – Then and Now

July 20, 2016 in Machinery, Uncategorized

Suffolk Super Punch Advert

Archive videos are always fascinating. The engaging monochrome films of days gone by and the lives of the people involved in various trades are of immense importance.

I’ve found a film online and captured in black and white is the Suffolk mower factory in Stowmarket, a site which eventually produced a huge number of engines and parts each year and exported mowers all around the world. Fast forward a few decades and in to the 21st century and the mower works now operated by Bosch are producing the next hi-tec generation of battery powered lawn mowers.

It’s an interesting film of how lawn mower technology is changing to meet the potential future demands of the grass cutting public, just like the demand for Suffolk mowers did all those years ago. Will this technology be a collectable horticultural item of the future? I bet they never though people would restore and exhibit Suffolk mowers.

This is a great video to see how the Suffolk factory operated only a few decades ago and the brilliant technological advances that are produced there now for horticultural use.

Click the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/p8n6HLjD0XU

You can also find more information about the Suffolk Mower Works at the National Archives.

Tags: machinery, vhgmc, vintage No Comments »

by alan

Mini Ride on Mowers

June 28, 2016 in Machinery, Uncategorized

Mowing the lawn can sometimes seem like a bit of a chore but a ride-on-mower can add a dash of fun and a bit of one-upmanship too. What better way then for the average suburban gardener of the 1960’s 70’s and 80’s to justify getting their hands on an affordable ride-on mower than to buy one of the many mini ride-ons that were available? However diminutive the lawn there was probably a ride-on that could fit the space even if a pedestrian mower may have been a better alternative. The sole purpose of all these machines listed below was for mowing duties and at a push a little bit of pulling a small cart or pushing a snow blade about perhaps, these machines have either mid-mounted or front-mounted engines as opposed to something like the Mountfield 25 rider with a rear mounted engine.

Here is a list of the makes of mini ride-on mowers we know about in the UK:

Mowett Mustangs on Show

One of the best known is probably the Mowett Mustang dating from the 1970’s onwards (image right). These are quite popular in the UK and there are many about. This is a machine of US origin that was sold mostly via mail order (see advert). With either 5, 7 or 8hp Briggs and Stratton engines this mower was also rebadged by Deckson and also Continental with their own decals and livery. This is certainly a small mower with a fixed-in-place 25″ single bladed mower deck, the mowing height could be altered by putting extra spacers on the drive shaft so the blade was closer to the grass. Mustangs have a single speed forward/reverse gearbox by Foote and have one feature missing – they have no brakes.

Following in a similar design are the Huffy mowers (image below), these are fairly common and again feature a single bladed deck of about 24″ and with a standard 5hp Briggs and Stratton engine one could be yours for £169.00 plus £3 carriage. These machines have a simple gearbox setup but thankfully these feature brakes and have height adjustable mower decks too so a massive leap forward on the Mustang.

Huffy Mower Tractor Advert

Gutbrod mini ride-on-mower

All these machines follow the same design with a steel channel chassis with a mid-mounted mower deck (sometimes bolted in place) with an engine directly above to drive the blade.They are all low machines too with mostly small solid 8″ – 10″ wheels and basic steering linkage. It’s no surprise then that many manufacturers followed the same overall easy, cheap and basic design when creating their mini machines. Even manufacturers such as Gutbrod (image right) produced a small ride-on.

The pressed light steel small ride-on-mower market must have been fairly lucrative as Dennis the manufacturers of quality cylinder mowers produced their own 1971 mower called the RotoRider at £140.00 (Image left below). The very scarce Dennis machine has origins to another rare mower called the Pacemaker (Image right below).

Dennis RotoRider (Left) and Pacemaker (Right)

As machines get slightly larger (and potentially more expensive) they start to differ from the basic Huffy and the Mustangs, they start to get pneumatic tyres and pivoting front axles and a little bit more comfort and usability too.

There are some machines of Australian origin. This includes the Bartrop/Greenfield mowers which made their way over to the UK (Bartrop (GM) Ltd, Swindon) (Images below). Although this is a slightly more sophisticated machine with the pneumatic tyres, pivoting front axle and a few more levers to aid the user, it still has a 5 or 8hp Briggs and Stratton engine and a 25″ mower deck as per basic machines.

Bartrop/Greenfield Ride-on-mowers

In the UK Landmaster had their own small ride-on, this is getting into the area of being a larger machine, but is still primarily a mowing machine. It again has a pivoting front axle and pneumatic rear tyres whereas Mustang, Huffy, Gutbrod, Dennis and Pacemaker do not. Note that it has the same solid front tyres though.

Landmaster Ride-on-mower.

There may be other makes of basic ride-on-mowers like the Mustangs that we have missed from the above list, do you know of any?

Tags: Bartrop, Greenfield, Gutbrod, Huffy, Mowett Mustang, Ride-on-mower 1 Comment »

by vhgmcbuddy

Ride On Machines

March 25, 2013 in Machinery

There are many ride-on machines and garden tractors available such as this Trusty Steed dating from around 1950

Popular with collectors, enthusiast and exhibiters are ride-on machines. The most common are the garden tractor or ride-on mower types but there are many others too such as tracked crawlers like the Bristol, the three wheeled Gunsmith and the Opperman Motocart.

Whether you are collecting a machine for preservation, restoring & showing or to use on the horticultural plot there are machines ranging from the 1920’s through to the 1990s.

Some of the more common garden tractors of the ride-on mower types which tend to date from the late 1970’s onwards are Atco, Westwood, Roper and Mountfield to name just a few. Many of these lower-spec machines were aimed at the weekend gardener with a large lawn to mow and occassional trailer work. These entry-level tractors often had ‘bigger brothers’ with more power and capabilities.

More robust garden tractors capable of serious work such as pulling a plough on an allotment, powering a rotavator and snow clearing work include well-known brands like the American Wheel Horse tractor range (1950’s -90’s) and the 1960’s UK Martin-Markham garden tractors. These tractors and others which are suitable for ploughing are also great for horticultural ploughing events which VHGMC members can take part in at various locations.

Ransomes crawler and Bolens Ride-a-matic working the ground at a ploughing event

Through the decades demand and innovation has created many diverse machines tailored for specific jobs. Machines such as the David Brown 2D (1955-61) that can be used with numerous implements like cultivator tines, a row thinner and a reversible plough – an ideal machine for crop and open field work. Another machine is the 1950’s Scottish designed Rollo Croftmaster, created for working on Scottish small holdings up to 10 acres in size, this is a compact yet substantial four-wheeled tractor.

Bonser truck from the 1960’s. In excellent restored condition at a show.

Out of the field and into the yard, still classified by the VHGMC as ride-on machines there are a varied range of trucks available. Some with timber bodied rear loading areas and some with tipping bodies too. The three-wheeled Wrigley motor truck (1930’s onwards) and the Bonser truck are two well known makes and always make a good exhibit at a show.

Popular with the tracked crawler users are the Ransomes MG2 and the later MG5. These can often be seen at shows and ploughing events. Also in the ride-on-machines category are the Bristol tracked crawlers.

Many enthusiast tend to collect one or two makes of specific machines and as well as the machines themselves they will collect literature, original brochures and price lists for their specific machines. This makes a collector a very valuable source of knowledge and very helpful advice.

No Comments »

by vhgmcbuddy

Walk Behind Machines

March 25, 2013 in Machinery

A collection of Landmaster motor hoes being shown with various attachments.

The range of pedestrian-controlled machinery is certainly extensive and it is all covered by the VHGMC. Whether it was built in the 1920’s or the 1990’s it is all the same to us.

The walk-behind category is probably the largest one in the club and encompasses everything from the humble cylinder lawn mower to the larger Iron Horse type tractors that compete at ploughing matches.

Now that insecticide sprays are widely used in agriculture the motor hoe has completely disappeared, yet these were widely used in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s to combat weed infestations and these remain one of the main collectible machines of our club members. They are generally light and easily transported yet very eye-catching, and were always painted in bright colours to increase their appeal.

Walk behind machines are excellent for showing or using.

Another favourite of collectors is the rotavator that has been used on allotments since it’s invention in the 1950’s and is still a firm favourite today, with manufacturers varying from Atco to Wolseley with every company in between.

The appeal of this machinery is that the collector can restore it using very few tools and in a very small workshop. It is generally inexpensive to buy and is widely available, and when the restoration is finished the restorer can use it at many of our club working events so that the work is never finished when the restoration is complete. You can actually play with the finished article, or even use it for what it was deigned to do originally – assist in growing food.

5 Comments »

by vhgmcbuddy

Hand Tools

March 25, 2013 in Machinery

Vintage hand-tools covers more than just a collection of garden shears or grandad’s pre-war spades and forks in the allotment shed.

There is a vast and eclectic range of tools, powered by electric, petrol or human power. Although the term hand-tools tends to automatically refer to smaller items like shears used in the garden it does also cover a broader area including pushed hoes, garden sprayers, insecticide dusters and lawn edgers to name just a few.

An excellent and interesting display of garden sprayers. These are all hand-powered with some being small for domestic garden use and around the greenhouse and the larger wheeled versions for larger application or commercial use.

This is a fascinating and growing collectors area where superb collections of items can, mostly, be gathered relatively easily. These are sometimes exhibited or displayed as a group of items such as secateurs through the decades, or perhaps as a collection produced by a single manufacturer such as the 1960’s range of Black & Decker hedge-trimmers. These displays of hand-tools appeal to the viewing public who can often remember using them or recall their grand-parents having them many years ago.

Collecting hand-tools can be a great hobby especially when one has a manufacturers brochure or a catalogue and the challenge is on to find the one elusive item advertised!

Many vintage hand-tools in the UK were made by UK companies rather than being imported from the US or Europe. So it is very easy to find UK engineered items at vintage auctions or even car-boot sales.

A selection of secateurs and cutting tools

Some of the most well known companies in the UK are Jalo (push hoes), Sheen of Nottingham (flame guns), Fisons, and Sisis (both making lawn fertiliser spreaders in the 1950’s & 60’s), There is quite a long list of manufacturers and a wide range of products they manufactured too.

Although there are many Uk manufacturers there are US manufacturers that imported their tools into the UK like the Planter Junior company . Their wooden-handled hoes were incredibly popular and sold in huge numbers from the 1930’s onwards. Some of their hoe models were available with a small plough and a seeder too. These are collectible, can be found quite easily and make a good exhibit.

Most hand-tools are items in their own right but some hand-tools can be attachments or additional to a much larger machine. For example the Wolseley Merry Tiller had attachments which could include a hedge trimmer and chainsaw – both of which worked via a flexi-shaft from the Merry Tillers petrol engine. Similar items were available for other makes too such as an electric-powered hedge-trimmer running from an Allen scythe and the range of implememts manufactured by the Tarpen company.

1 Comment »

Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Machinery

Ryan and Horwool turf equipment

David Brown & Bolens

Vintage Snow Blowers UK

Atom Tractor – Switzerland

Suffolk Mower Factory – Then and Now

Mini Ride on Mowers

Ride On Machines

Walk Behind Machines

Hand Tools

VHGMC Forums

Who's Online

Recently Active Members