[alan]

Excellent that the text helps with your roller.

The R.F.S. on the roller is probably one of the directors who was R.F.Seymour.

I also see that Dennis mowers bought the design rights to Seymour sports ground rollers of Derby from the Castwell Foundry.

[alan]

I found a description of an RFS roller from 1963, does this sound like it might be it?

“Seymours Castwell Foundry LTD., Raynesway, Spondon, Derby, produce this fully powered roller developed from the ‘Ogle’ hand roller. The cast iron double cylinder, 24-inch diameter by 24-inch wide, has well-rounded edges and front and rear scrapers are standard fittings.

Transmission from the 4-stroke Villiers engine is by Reynolds chain drive through an Albion gearbox giving a choice of three forward speeds and one reverse. Bottom forward speed is recommended for most operations and the two higher speeds for moving the roller from place to place. Top gear is useful when using the trailing seat over a large area.”

The RFS roller was advertised in three weights in 1963: light 6 cwt 3qrs at £159; medium 8cwt at £168, and heavy 9 cwt 2qrs at £177.

It appears Seymours Castwell, which was founded in 1947, made several manual pull-along cast iron rollers including the mentioned ‘Ogle’roller for gardens, golf courses etc. They were also a major casting company making items for many clients.

[alan]

Research on Gamages a while back showed that the rollers may have been made by a local foundry and possibly some could have come from Thomas Green & Sons – although this irrelevant piece of info doesn’t get your roller apart!

Can I ask, how it has been dated to circa 1924?

[alan]

Re photos size, I’ll add that using the in-built Snipping Tool in Windows is a good way to reduce the data size of photos. It can be found by searching for Snipping Tool through the Windows start menu. Once the cursor has been dragged around the photo or relevant area that you want, then it can be saved with a suitable filename.

[alan]

Looking at driving licenses, the minimum age for using a ride-on mower is 16. It comes under Category K: “A mowing machine is a specialist ride-on grass-cutting vehicle with permanent cutting equipment. You must be 16 to use this type of vehicle”. Unfortunately, even if it was road registered you still wouldn’t be able to use it on the road, and then there is also the issue of insurance.

Also, mobility scooters have different registration categories and a mower could never be classed as one.

Having looked at the government websites, it looks like there is no legal way around the law that would allow the use of a ride-on mower on the road by anyone under 16.

[alan]

I’m not too familiar with the mechanicals of the Gunsmith, but I’d say it would probably be easier and cheaper to repair the gearbox.

I have an Elec-Trak 36V battery-powered ride-on mower (often referred to as that daft electric tractor). That has a single-speed electric motor yet still requires a gearbox to provide the required drive speeds. There always has to be some way to get the drive from the electric motor to the drive axle.

The electrics are really simple with a few solenoids that control the on/off state. For example, the mower deck or other implements which have their own drive motors cannot be activated without the main traction drive motor running first.

Another issue is the weight of the batteries, although these are getting smaller and lighter. In some situations, the battery weight will aid traction yet when extra weight such as implements are attached and added to the weight of the batteries this can be a hindrance.

Also, don’t forget the cost of a drive motor and the breathtaking cost of batteries!

[alan]

There’s also quite a lot of British Pathe films on Youtube.

Although nothing to do with horticulture, I’ve been watching the 1950s and 1960s British Pathe videos about caravans. The reason is that I’m trying to get Trusty220 to buy a 1959/60 vintage caravan and he’s putting up some resistance at present and I thought the vintage films might persuade him to go caravanning.

Anyway, if anyone wants to spend a while watching various brilliant films then British Pathe and the Look at Life videos on Youtube are really worthwhile.

[alan]

What? Actually PURCHASED jars? A good Yorkshireman would have borrowed them and saved some money. I think I need to have words with him as he’s letting the side down!

[alan]

Odd question: In the early 1900s who showed the gardeners how to operate these new machines? Considering that the gardeners at Balmoral had, perhaps, never ventured near or been in control of anything as mechanical, this would be a real challenge for some.

Did Ransomes send out an operative to train the gardeners how to use these mowers?

It will be good to see your fully restored mower.

[alan]

I was also thinking that the Western tiller was also another machine, but with different paintwork and decals.

The smaller Western Wizard ride-on mower is also available as a Landmaster and was made by MTD. The larger tractors, also made by MTD, were available in the UK as Wolseley. Was the tiller also an MTD product?

[alan]

Depends on whether it is a MK1 or MK2 model.

The first ATCOs were American imports from the late 1970s to 1986 and included several model numbers including 11/36 and 11/36E.

The later ATCOs are the dark green ones with a black front, made in the UK from 1986 until 1992. Again there was an 11/36 model.

If it’s the later model then any good value is dependant on both the cosmetic condition and the working condition of the machine. Age can make the dark green paintwork, plastic trim, seat and stitched steering wheel look very tatty.

[alan]

Having mulled this over, I have decided this is like one of those TV episodes of CSI (or whatever) where they get instant results by spurious methods.

My answer, based on no factual evidence whatsoever, is that Thomas certainly is in the photo. Based on TV crime-solving theory, Thomas is taking the photo. A nearby glasshouse has reflected his image and this can be seen reflected in the left eye of the donkey in the photo.

Do you think CSI or even Hetty Wainthropp will be calling me soon to offer me a job? Hetty Wainthropp…there’s a force to be reckoned with.

[alan]

Perhaps Noddy employed Eeyore to pull a mower around the lawns then? Which would’ve been a fantastic photo opportunity for Atco with all the celebrity endorsements that go on.

[alan]

I thought it was Noddy that was with Big Ears?

Does that mean Noddy had a mower and a gardening round? Suppose fame has to fade eventually and gardening is something to fall back on.

[alan]

I searched for some grips for the lift handles for a ride-on mower but couldn’t find what I wanted. I then discovered a couple of old bicycle pumps and the grips fitted perfectly – about 28mm size. They are the harder plastic.

[Author]

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