ATCO 14 inch cyclinder mower

[vhgmcbuddy]

A moment of madness has got this mower. I am looking for as much information as we, the forum can muster. I think that it would compliment the Atco rotary which I restored some time ago,and show them as a pair at a later date. many thanks in anticipation. john

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[hillsider]

Hi, not exactly sure which Atco mower model you have there but I am sure someone out there in forum land will have the answer. However it seems to be a nice straight example with the grassbox looking as though it has led a very sheltered life and it will make a good stable mate for the Atco rotary.
Ray

[vhgmcbuddy]

thank you Ray it was not far from where I work. the engine looks similar to a mk 25. have not collected it yet and I only had this photo to go on,so its all a bit sketchy at the moment. I know there is lots of knowledgeable folk on here and from the photo I think they will deliver.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Two ATCOs together restored to Simar Kid standards would look great John !! (Thumbs up)

[vhgmcbuddy]

It would be the first time that I have had a pair of machines at a show in the lawn mower section and I will look forward to that day. and thanks Paul for the confidence boost.

[vhgmcbuddy]

This evening I collected the machine and what a well kept little gem she is. small Villiers mk 10 I think,with a rope start.No recoil starting on this model. date approx 1953. Have also the original owners hand book. Has had two owners from new only. the first was an engineer,who I guess spoilt it rotten. the next is an undertaker and I suppose when he had cut his lawn always sent it to the shed with style..ho ho must not give up the day job. so this is the smallest cyclinder engine powered one which ATCO made.

[wristpin]

Think that they made a 12″ – possibly a 2-stroke.

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Yes they did and it was! – found a parts book for it. Just referred to as the “12 Inch Two Stroke” with no model number. Interestingly it has a recoil starter. No date on the parts book but the Royal Warrant is to Her Majesty the Queen so must be later than 1953. Parts book price Two shillings and sixpence.

Yours – I believe to be a Model B13, the parts book that I have is dated 9/59, price 3 shillings and sixpence! The engine is included in the parts book as though it was their own – no letting on that it was a Villiers so no reference to it by model number, just wondering if it may be a Mk 7 rather than a 10?

[vhgmcbuddy]

yes I have just found out angus. I have now taken some photos and I wonder if some one can nail down the engine in question. also the carb is a Villiers ,but which one ? and the rollers look odd but when you see them they lookas if they are meant to be like that,or am I wrong ?

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Angus. the instruction book has this no on top of front cover page 14172060 maybe relates to cyclinder width.price of booklet 2 shillings and six pence royal crest h m queen

[wristpin]

Not sure about your front roller set up. Normally a wooden roller “high cut” set up would be one small roller at each end – nothing in the middle. The parts book shows a full set of wooden rollers or a metal swivel roller (like a shopping trolley castor) at each end.
On your image of the carb I can see the Villiers logo, is there not an id such as B10 or similar stamped into the mounting flange or cast into it somewhere? I don’t recognise the red air filter housing at all and it bears no resemblance to the one in the Atco parts book – does it look original?
It needs a Villiers historian to interpret the engine id plate. As far as the mower id goes I would expect to see a tag bolted under one of the chassis bolts on the right hand chassis plates just below the starter pulley – keep imagining that I can see the outline of one there just forward of the pulley or is it just scrape marks in the paintwork?

[vhgmcbuddy]

hi angus .have taken another look after you pointed out a few queries. the carb is a B 10. the red thing on the intake side of carb is something an owner has added to stop cuttings from blocking up the intake. I did find a brass coloured tag on the rhside plate which has this no on it 1459/60 . hopefully the mystery of the engine type and the date of manufracture may be closer. hope that all this makes everything more understandable.

[wristpin]

That tag indicates 14″ 1959/60 so that’s two queries settled! Just leaves the engine id to sort out. I know that Hillsider (Ray) is working on it and I will have another look this evening but I’m sure that there is someone on the forum who has identified Villiers engines from similar id plates in the past.

[vhgmcbuddy]

well done Angus what a relief and thanks. Just the nigglie bit on the engine model to get to grips with now,hopefully ray can close the book on it and the restoration can begin some time later.

[andyfrost]

John , that is deffo not a B 10 (they are a butterfly type carb) , from the pics I can see it appears an S series carb , which were relatively common. It should have a “clip-on” cylindrical type filter , all metal construction with a wire gauze inner.

Andy.

[vhgmcbuddy]

COULD IT BE A 730 E model ? I wonder. sorry for misguidance on carb its an s10 well informed andy . this model was popular on mowers at some point.

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