[alan]

Not a mower but a few newspaper adverts which are quite interesting. There seems to be some swapping about regarding which mowers were best for a Royal garden. I have added the newspaper adverts.

In 1867, an advert said that R Brown’s ‘…New Patent B.B. Lawn mower has already been patronized by Her Majesty the Queen, for the Royal Gardens at Windsor Castle, Osborne, Kew, and Hampton Court; by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, for Sandringham…”. But, in 1869 the Sandringham gardener was said to favour a model by Ransomes. The 1869 advert by Ransomes, Sims and Head, Ipswich, stated that Mr W Carmichael, gardener to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Sandringham, said that “The [Automaton] Lawn Mower works most satisfactorily. I have tried the most approved models, but have no hesitation in giving yours the first place.”

In 1894 an advert stated that Thomas Green & Son were “…the only makers of lawn mowers appointed by Royal Warrant Makers to H.M. the Queen and his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales”.

How did they get this Royal Warrant? Was it by providing the royal residences with mowers over a period of time?

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[alan]

A newspaper article from 1950 that mentions the Moke:

Quote: “Called the “Mechanical Moke” the Winget power barrow on view today can turn in its own circle. It is powered by a Jap 2.4 hp air-cooled four-stroke unit and costs a little over £100. This and other models of its type can be used effectively on farms, in factories, warehouses and on docks, as well as for building.”

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[alan]

Well done with finding the Bolens! Yes, the bent lift arm is quite interesting!

I see that the Bolens has an ‘Eliminator’ badge on the rear fender which was used in the late-1980s and in to the 1990s. The Eliminator range seems quite random and included the model 1600 and ST140 hydro; do you know what exact model this one is?

Hope the Bolens turns out to be a useful machine.

[alan]

You have done an excellent job restoring the Allett mower!

When I saw it earlier this year when part of the way through restoration, I could see the amount of work that you were putting into the machine, both mechanical and cosmetic.

I think you need a rest after all that work!

[alan]

I’ve got the image from the zip file:

[alan]

Thanks to other knowledgeable people we now know that the power barrow was made by Wage Trucks LTD, hence the WT logo. There is an address of Kelly Bray, Callington, Cornwall. They later became Trac Grip.

[alan]

I have looked through archives and newspaper adverts and cannot find any reference to a TW (or WT) Powerbarrow. It could be a production machine as the TW logo plate looks genuine.

Where on the machine is the TW logo, is it on the engine, chassis or rear body?

[alan]

There are some numbers written in pen on our Mountfield that relate to the drive belts.

The deck belt is an A80.

The drive belt numbers are 13X2032LI and also A2062LD. They may be of some help.

[alan]

I have scanned the maintenance document as a PDF. It explains how to change the drive belt – it looks a bit fiddly and requires looping the belt over the gear lever etc!

https://vhgmc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Mountfield-11-Tractor-Maintenance-Document.pdf

[alan]

The part number is 37X31. The catalogue doesn’t say what length it is and our tractor isn’t with us at present to measure it.

The tractor was made by Murray Power products, Ohio, so it’s possibly a Murray 37X31 belt. There’s some online.

[alan]

I made the first offer and the seller readily accepted so there was no haggling to be done, if Yorkshire-style haggling had been involved then I’d have ended up with the engine for £2.50. But I’ve now frightened myself thinking that I offered too much and I’ve given away precious funds! Next time I venture southwards I’m going to be very wary!

[alan]

The instruction manual says “Your unit has a single clutch/brake pedal that operates both the clutch for changing gears and the brake. Fully depress the clutch/brake pedal to stop your unit.”

Indeed, your machine seems to be operating the wrong way around!

The transmission belt goes past a pulley that’s connected to the pedal. Is the belt the correct side of the pulley?

I’ll add a photo from the parts catalogue.

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[alan]

Yes, Mountfield 11 hp, 36″ mowing deck.

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[alan]

I think we need a sworn affidavit from Trusty220!

[alan]

There are various online references to P. J. Bryant of Forest Road, Fishponds, Bristol from the 1950s to the 1980s. Some adverts also refer to pond heaters and equipment. I wonder if Bryant were a retailer selling rebranded items rather than a manufacturer?

[Author]

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