Mystery SIMAR

[charlie]

I have had a number of photos of an as yet unidentified SIMAR sent to me. The model number and serial number do not match anything known. The other odd thing is it seems to have a 4 stroke engine. The owner did say it was in the garden, he wasn’t joking, as you will see from photos.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Looks like something from “Time Team”!! Obviously a very early machine. I’ve had a quick google of the patent numbers, but nothing has turned up.

[charlie]

Oddly enough I made a similar comment about Time Team to the person that sent me the photos. Like you no luck with patent numbers.

[bish]

Perhaps it’s been imported from elsewhere weren’t Simars available readily in other countries? It’s an amazing find either way will she be joining your other Simars Charlie?

[charlie]

Picard and Pictet were UK importers pre 1930. Looking on other SIMAR websites this model is different to any listed. When weather is better and ground has dried out it would be good to recover it, although way beyond restoration.

[stevewoollas]

I think a machine as old and as rare as this even in its dilapidated condition with a light clean up would make a display piece in its own right, particularly at a Simar themed event. Its good that you are going to try and recover it.–Steve.

[roatavator]

Intruguing. At first glance it looks like a Clifford, and I wondered whether there were 2 machines down there and the ID plate wasn’t the right one! But obviously not. The very puzzling aspect is the model number which doesn’t seem to exist, and the apparent 4 stroke engine. You could be about to uncover a “lost” SIMAR, Charlie. Have you tried asking on the French forum?
Peter

[roatavator]

I found this photo in the archive section. Bits look very similar, but nobody could identify it for sure back then.

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[charlie]

Yes I have tried the SIMAR forum.

[charlie]

Update, I will be travelling down to Sussex this weekend to recover this machine. Below is an advert from an old copy of The Fruit Grower magazine showing the type 4.

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[trusty220]

I certainly wish you the best of luck with it. Rarities only come along once in a while and if you don’t go for it you will only regret it in the future.

[charlie]

After about 2 hours of lifting. pushing and removing years of mud and dirt, finally got the machine loaded and it is home. A few photos of the recovery operation more to follow when I have cleaned it up more.
I used a high lift jack to lift the machine up from its resting place and get it on to the ramps off the trailer. After removing as much dirt and mud as possible from the wheels, then putting a large metal bar through the wheels, I was able t get them turning. It was then a case of pushing and pulling it from garden to trailer and winching it on to trailer.
In the second photo you can see where the machine was, it is where the orange high lift jack is.

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[wristpin]

More Quatermas than Time Team!

[dave]

Congratulations Charlie, you must be a glutton for punishment.
What a good find.
Dave.

[roatavator]

It actuallylooks not as bad as it seemed in the first photos. Are you tempted to have a bash at restoration, Charlie? I
Easy for me to ask, of course! But there’s no doubt they were well made, for the wheels to be capable of turning after where its been defies belief. Have you any idea how long its been buried?

[Author]

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