[alan]

@urbanalfa

It could certainly be from a tree or nursery stock.

A few years ago when working I found many tags from fruit trees and plants that had fallen to the ground and been buried for decades. I still have quite a few in different shapes and sizes. One unusual one is for Narcissus Masterpiece – this cast plant label measures 62mm x 18mm x 5mm thick, and so the mystery disk at 51mm across and 4mm thick is probably not an unusual size for a cast tag/label.

There was quite a bit of label production in the 1800s and 1900s. One report recommended writing the name on the tree trunk in case the label fell off in transit!

The attached advert from 1875 describes the newly adopted labels for the Royal Gardens at Windsor. The labels were made from ‘white metal’ with raised black-faced letters. They were made by J Smith, The Royal Label Factory, Stratford-on-Avon.

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[alan]

I have looked through adverts, catalogues, etc., and cannot find anything that looks like your item.

I doubt that it has been fixed on a machine. I would have thought that if it came with a machine, it would have the maker mark such as Ransomes or Greens. Also, it appears to have no other fixing than the ability to take a length of wire or string through the hole.

I was also thinking along Charlie’s lines. He mentioned that it may have been attached to a bag of seed or graded product and this does seem quite plausible. Perhaps the purpose of it being made of brass would be that it could be stamped with a reference number if it were blank – and the size is so that it could be read or seen easily.

Has anybody any other thoughts?

[alan]

Is there anything on the reverse of the disc? Or a way that it has been fixed onto anything?

[alan]

Hello Sprayerman,

I’ve done some research and the evidence points to it being called a Shandy Barrow. I cannot find any reference to Shardy Barrow – but, as you mentioned, that may be a regional name.

Archive newspaper articles and adverts in the late 1800s and through the 1900s show the use of the name ‘shandy barrow’ across the country and even in Ireland.

There’s a 1960 reference in Farm Implement and Machinery Review which says the shandy barrows were made and sold in this country from ‘About 100 years ago’ – their reckoning is that they were from the mid-1800s. Has anyone got any earlier references?

Also, why is it called a shandy barrow? References do indicate a possible reason. Any thoughts on the name?

[alan]

There’s a photo in the spring 1977 issue of the Agricultural Machinery Journal for the smaller F80. There’s also a snippet of text regarding what was on sale at that same time.

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[alan]

The Westwood Groundhog machines were introduced in the 1970s. There’s no mention of the groundhogs in 1973, but in autumn 1974 adverts were promoting the ‘NEW’ Westwood Groundhogs. When launched the 3 hp model was advertised at £95.

The date of your GT5 machine could be determined by the code stamped into the cowling on the engine.

The attached advert from 1976 shows that the Groundhog could be had with 3 to 5 hp engines.

A Westwood factory advert from Plympton in 1975 (the factory was brand new at this point) shows a row of Groundhogs in the background.

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[alan]

I hadn’t heard of ABC engines so looked them up. Sources say that a company called A.B.C. Motors Ltd, London, were started in 1912 and was known for aircraft engines including vee, vertical and radial types.

This reminded me about Wankel rotary engines used on a few mower brands including Wolf.

Indeed, Drayton engines and also Blackburne to add to the list.

I have seen on adverts (but don’t know the manufacturer):
Acme & Intermotor (Danarm/Bertolini cultivators)
Oleo-Mac (on their chainsaws)
Komatsu Zenoah

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by alan.

[alan]

That is an intriguing item!

There’s a TV show called ‘Would I lie to you?’, and on that theme there could be some interesting ideas as to what this mushroom shaped copper item is… so could it be for catching earwigs much like putting an upside down plant pot full of straw at the top of a cane. Here though, a small pot of straw would be put in the device attracting the crawling insects – although with a small candle it could attract moths instead.

Or could it be attached to a paraffin heater to distribute heat downwards to warm a greenhouse bench for seedlings etc – preceding the later use of electrically heated cables.

Or could it be for fumigation as Charlie suggests?

What convincing ideas have other members got?

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by alan.

[alan]

Andy, Yes the list would be a very long one. The more I look then the more I find!

[alan]

Angus, it does look like Beta did marine engines and a lot of other applications – the internet turns up all sorts of things!

I have some 1980s adverts for Italian mowers by Concord-Mechanica with Beta engines, although they also had B&S and Tecumseh. John Harston and also Central Spares Ltd imported them. In 1985 the Saturn 21″ had a 4.4hp Beta 2-stroke at £580+vat BUT a HTJ report says it is a Lombardini 4.4hp instead of Beta….was Beta based on Lambardini or vice-versa? Or did the HTJ report accidentally put Lombardini! Interesting anyway.

Thanks for mentioning Poulan, I looked in newspaper archives for Poulan and adverts for their chainsaws stretch back to the 1960s and advertise them as being ‘The quality saw from Sweden’. In 1980 Chain Saw Products of Manchester were selling the Poulan saws from 32-85cc.

[alan]

Chris, well spotted! Yes Kohler, how I missed that I don’t know as there’s one sat about 3′ away from me at present!

I also see some mowers sold in the UK in the 1980s were fitted with Italian-made 2-stroke Beta engines – I haven’t looked to see if there were any 4-stroke.

Thanks to everyone’s input, here’s an updated list with the additions in bold. There are 49 on the list. Any more?

Aspera
Bernard
Beta
Briggs & Stratton
BSA
Clinton
Douglas
Ducati
Homelite
Honda
Husqvarna
Iseki
JAP
JLO
Kawasaki
Kirby
Kohler
Kubota
Lauson
Lawnboy
Lister
Lombardini
Loncin
MAG
McCulloch
Mitsubishi
Norman
Ohlsson & Rice
Petter
Ransomes
Robin
Ruggerini
Ryobi
Sachs
Solo
Stihl
Sturmey Archer
Subaru
Suffolk
Suzuki
Technamotor/Fiat
Tecumseh
Toro
Victa
Villiers
Vincent
Wisconsin
Yamaha
Yanmar

[alan]

Excellent, Angus, (but how did I miss them!) – Ohlsson & Rice, Lauson, Subaru (something to do with Robin, I recall), Sturmey Archer, and the relatively new Loncin.

I’ve just ordered a new mower from my local dealer with a Loncin engine, it’s a leap of faith on my part and time will tell how it does, but it was recommended over some established engine brands – in the future it may become a vintage collectable machine!

And I’ve just remembered the Wisconsin engines to add to the list.

[alan]

I’ve had a look through some Hayter brochures and info over Easter, they did make quite a lot of different machines!

I did find the Hayterette from the 1990s, in dark green paintwork, with a 2-stroke Suzuki M120X engine.

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[alan]

That looks like a great solution! And the mower lives to see another day and many more lawns.

I always think that many mowers and machines could be saved and, as with the Marquis, be working again. I wonder how many folk have scrapped a machine when it could have been saved.

[alan]

I have scanned the 1984 four-page brochure and the relevant bit of the price list which I’ve put at the top of the last page.

AL-KO had relocated from their Barnsley site to Consett in County Durham in 1984 – the new address is on the back page of the brochure. I found a trade report where they stated that the new premises were nearer to a port and thus reduced transport costs when importing their lawn mowers, trimmers, cement mixers, bench equipment etc from Germany and Austria. They seem to have imported a large and varied range of equipment.

[Author]

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