[alan]

I think it’s a Flymo DM rotavator with 3hp Briggs engine. Introduced in 1978 and sold for many years.

[alan]

The earliest reference and advert I have to the Grassmaster is 1951, so it could well have been several years old by 1969.

[alan]

I’ll add a closeup if I can…

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[alan]

Actually I cheated and searched the website via Google.

To search the site from the Google search bar on the Google homepage type site:vhgmc.co.uk followed by the search wanted

e.g. site:vhgmc.co.uk landmaster 150

The search includes images too and I see there’s some photos of the engine amongst them.

[alan]

Also an 1960 advert for the L150 – I assume this is the machine in question, but it doesn’t mention the engine.

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[alan]

There’s some information that may help, it’s possibly a JAP 16H.

https://vhgmc.co.uk/forums/topic/landmaster-numbering/

[alan]

As far as I know the Landmaster trucks were made by Byron Horticultural Engineering Ltd which was originally a manufacturer of greenhouses in the 50’s and 60’s. It was started by Frank Bonser, and somewhere in the muddle are a few Bonser companies including Frank Bonser (Sales) Ltd, Frank Bonser & Co. Ltd and Bonser engineering Ltd – I’m assuming connected to the Bonser truck and possibly why they made a truck for Landmaster?

Anyone know any more?

[alan]

Indeed there was two different pressed deck designs and both on sale at the same time too. One had a blue grass box, but you could well be right about the blue painted deck….as there was also an orange one too!

There’s an image of both mowers and info on one of the VHGMC articles:

https://vhgmc.co.uk/2017/08/when-machines-go-modern/

[alan]

The Jetstream was a very popular machine in it’s day. Impressively it was not just a UK machine but also sold across Europe and gained a ‘Best Buy’ award in 1975 by one of the consumer associations over there.

According to magazine reports, as electric mowers became more popular through the 1970’s Qualcast decided to introduce an electric version of the Jetstream – whether it looked like it’s petrol powered brother I don’t know.

Jetstreams do appear on auction site sometimes, in fact one has just sold for £75 which is similar figure to what it was new!

[alan]

Good to know that you have been using a Ginge mower all these years – they were certainly built to last!

As for spare parts, as far as I know (from when I did research) Ginge mowers were made to their own design so parts may be hard to come by now.

I’d have a look through anything to do with Al-Ko as they now own Ginge, you never know what may turn up and I’m unsure if any of the modern Al-Ko mowers are of the same or similar design or carry over some parts – exploded diagrams might help there.

Otherwise it may be a case of seeing if a new spring can be manufactured by someone local, or see if a similar mower comes up on an auction site which could be used for spares.

Research can pay off some times as, after 18 months, I’ve just found a brand-new double-drive gear (£14) on a German website to mend a broken hedgetrimmer.

[alan]

That’s an interesting machine.

Assuming it’s a UK machine then I’d say it was perhaps made in the 1970’s by a company owned by Jack Wilderspin Ltd, High Street (or possibly College Farm), Fen Drayton, Cambridge.

There’s reference in The Grower magazine in 1977 to the Hydro-Bug along with a machine called the Jack-Truck.

Jack Wilderspin, being a local engineer, made the Jack-truck which aided the loading of pallets. There is no reference as to what the Hydro-Bug was intended for.

[alan]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Dennis mowers are from Guildford. If it was Dennis then it would be more than likely from a gang mower – but surely Dennis would’ve put Dennis on there?

It could be a casting for a more general machine that carried numerous retailers names. Then again I could be wrong!

Any members near Guildford have any thoughts on this?

[alan]

There are some US images in the VHGMC gallery and a little info on an advert, too.

I’ve had a look and cannot find any old newspaper or article references to Windolph crawlers in the UK.

https://vhgmc.co.uk/photo-galleries/windolph/

[alan]

There’s an image of the old Honda premises on the Honda-Classics page:

https://www.honda-classics.co.uk/honda-in-the-uk/

[alan]

I’ve had a look at archive material and the F90 was certainly sold in the UK in the late 1960’s and into the 70’s.

The British Tractor and Farm Machinery Journal in 1968 says it’s a new machine and is “fitted with eight forward and two reverse gears, 2 cylinder 479cc vee-twin 4-stroke overhead-valve unit having an output of 9hp at 3000 rpm. The rotary cultivator unit is detachable, and a special PTO point is incorporated with a choice of four operating speeds”.

The distributor in 1968 was listed as Honda (UK) LTD, Power Road, Chiswick, London.

[Author]

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