Howard 350 – can you get a scythe attachment?

[tommydog]

I am trying to decide between getting a Howard 350 or an Oxford Allen scythe, but can you get a scythe attachment for the Howard 350? I know the Oxford Allen scythe had various attachments such as a rotavator, plough etc, but I don’t see any for sale. Whereas it seems a bit easier to get attachments for the Howard 350 on ebay etc. So my thinking is if I were to buy a Howard, the machine would be a bit more versatile, but I would definitely need a scythe attachment?

[charlie]

I don’t think the Allen Scythe ever had a rotavator attachment. Not sure if the Howard 350 had scythe attachment. Howard Bantam did.

[tommydog]

From my research, the Oxford Allen had the option of a plough attachment which would meet my needs. Problem is I have never seen one for sale, they seem to be pretty rare.

I have not been able to find out much on the Howards, other than what you say that the Bantam had a Scythe attachment. So it looks like the 350 or any of the bigger models didn’t. I also heard that the Bantam engine was not so good.

[andyfrost]

You;re hearing and reading too much , the 350 had no scythe attachment , besides which they had fairly awful gearboxes , and the clutch was even worse , given the ammount of work you intend to give it , it would have you spending mega pounds and hours of repair.
Have you considered a Merry Tiller Titan with scythe attachment , a much more versatile piece of kit , very reliable and spares easily available.

Andy.

[tommydog]

I just discovered the Merry Tiller Titan and it looks like a good option for me. It seems that all models after 1978 had reverse. Which engine do you recommend with these?

I have also been looking at the GT and Professional, but they seem very rare used and not sure if you can get a scythe attachment for them?

Its good that you say spare parts are easily available for the Titan. Any idea if you can get replacement scythe blades? I have looked but cant see anything.

[andyfrost]

Not all Titan models have reverse , it’s obviously better to have reverse , but go for either the Tian GT ,or the other variant that has the mechanical reverse gearbox , personally I would avoid the crude belt arrangement reverse option.Engine wise , they all had Briggs engines , some of the GTs had a 7hp option , all parts easily obtainable
Relacement scythe blades are readily available.

Andy.

[tommydog]

Thanks for that. Are you sure they all had Briggs engines. This one here has a GX200 engine:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304399184448

It looks in nice condition, so tempted to make an offer. What do you think? Trouble is I don’t see any Scythe attachments for sale at the moment.

[andyfrost]

Originally they were fitted with Briggs , many have now been replaced with Honda or Honda clones , they all share the same base footprint , so another advantage of the Merry Tiller…….engine replacement is a doddle.
The one you’re looking at seems spot on , there’s no reverse , but that’s not absolutely vital as they are relatively light and easy to handle.
Just bide your time and I’m sure a scythe attachment will turn up.

Andy.

[ted20]

as far as I know there is no scythe attachment for the Howard 350 but there is a rotary rough cutter of witch I have two the other alternative is a Howard Dragon with a scythe also rotary cutter as well as a plough

[tommydog]

I have not been able to find much about the Howard Dragon. From what I can tell, Dragons (not sure if they ever had a number?) don’t seem to come up for sale very often and I wonder about spare parts for them compared to something like the 350? Not sure if there are any replacement engine options for them either? I need something that I can maintain into the future.

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