[alan]

I have the brochure, it says the W6 has a 222cc, 6hp, Tecumseh 4 stroke engine. The W6 was recoil start and the W6E was electric start.

The W8 model had a 314cc, 8hp, Briggs and Stratton 4 stroke engine with electric start.

However, this isn’t to say that the W6 was never available with a Briggs engine at some point. I’d be tempted to install a Briggs engine in any case if the current engine proves beyond repair.

[alan]

At the other end of the scale, I bought some brochures last week with free postage. Made an offer that was accepted by the seller, when they turned up the seller had paid more for the postage than I had for the brochures. They’d made a loss after taking into account the postage, listing fees and Paypal. I wonder if they were aware?

[alan]

Just had a look online, 1950’s by the Rowe Mfg Co.

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[alan]

Gary, Just out of interest do you happen to know what make the cultivator is?

[alan]

Brinly plough

[alan]

I have a selection of John Deere and Cub Cadet model garden tractors.

[alan]

Many thanks for information, Clive.

I’ve done a bit more research and find that the full name is MAC Garda, and it has Castelgarden connections, but I’m still vague on that one. And there’s bits of a Garda mower for sale, not far away from me, on the internet!

I think the Garda company made a lot of other machines. I’ll have a look for the machines that you have mentioned.

One bit of info I have states that ‘John Harston imports the MAC Garda and Weekend range of Italian rotary mowers 15″ to 20″ cut available, push or self propelled with a choice of 2 stroke or 4 stroke engine and grass collection facilities’.

I’ll send you a private message.

[alan]

It can be difficult to decide whether to restore a machine or not. I’ve got both restored and un-restored, the deciding factor being how much work or replacement parts were required to get the machine into a working condition. If it was a major job then the entire machine was restored and re-painted.

[alan]

The only image I have is an advert for March 1956. Basic price £157.10.0.

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[alan]

That’s correct, Simplicity made tractors for Allis Chalmers. There are the later 1970’s Simplicity models in the UK, but none badged as Allis. The early model Simplicity tractors are also causing me some issues!

[alan]

Clive,

Many thanks for the extra info on Ginge machines. I would never have found all that! I’ll update the Ginge article in due course.

The name J. T. Lowe does appear quite a lot with various machines, but I’ve not come across the GardenFlex name linked to Ginge before.

The link to the Liberallawnmowers website is really interesting. I see the mowers are in Pakistan. I looked at the copy of the Webb mower they have and thought it looked brilliant. Sadly postal charges might be high, though.

[alan]

When I wrote the article that Wristpin has kindly linked to, I think I got to about 1980 with research on Ginge in the UK, but then things get a bit sketchy. There’s been quite a lot of Ginge branded items over the last 40 years but sadly I have nothing to link items to such as brochures, adverts or an importer.

My notes say that Ginge did make the ride-on mower, but I don’t know when so never included it, but I guess it’s beyond the 1980’s. However didn’t Alko buy Ginge eventually? The Alko 620 (and the 700 model too) have a similar tubular method of construction to the Ginge ride-on although they have a different overall design ( I may be incorrect – but see how my thoughts wander!)

I’ve just seen a 1980’s UK Ginge brochure for sale on’t internet, it doesn’t have a ride-on mower listed in it, yet that doesn’t mean it wasn’t here then, it may just have had it’s own brochure.

[alan]

I’ve had a good search to see if there’s any mention such as reviews from the time the conversion was available – I’ve found absolutely nothing! I thought that there might have been a photo of the machine being tested in one or another magazine but sadly not. Does anyone have anything?

The question still remains; is there a Howard Holttum machine out there? Would be great to find one.

For anyone doing future research on this manufacturer, I did find where the Cherryhinton factory was on a 1945 aerial photo map, image attached. Typically, it’s now a housing estate.

Also the original Willingham premises where the Trustys and Rotehos were retailed from is shown on an aerial photo of the time on the Britain From Above website – cannot show it here ’cause of copyright etc.

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[alan]

I have a magazine mention for Holttum in 1954, this shows the name spelt with one ‘t’. In this advert I think it was perhaps just a simple spelling error. Photo attached.

I have found a 1961 article detailing the life and retirement of Mr Holttum, which mentions Trusty tractors. He was also the designer of many of the items they manufactured.

“A very well-known figure in the garden machinery business, Mr H. B. Holttum, has now retired. He was chairman of H. B. Holttum & Co. Ltd, 408, Cherryhinton Road, Cambridge, for many years and has had strong links with the Agricultural Machinery & Tractor Dealers Association.

After working first in an engineering factory in Birmingham, being apprenticed later to a fruit grower in the Wisbech district, and then doing general farm work for about five years, Mr Holttum started on his own account in 1926, growing fruit and flowers at Willingham, Cambs.

In 1941 he bought a horticultural sundries business in Willingham (was Berrycroft Stores Ltd in 1961) and started selling mechanical aids to market growers, being “Roteho Gem” and “Trusty” tractors. In 1945 he sold the sundries business and bought the Cherryhinton premises. A limited company was formed in 1949 when new works premises with 7000sq ft floor area and two new houses were built. Extensions were made to the company premises in 1957.

Implements manufactured are largely of Mr Holttum’s own designs and are approved attachments for various makes of motor cultivators.

Mr Holttum joined the A.M. & T.D.A. in 1947. He formed a horticultural section for it and remains the chairman of the horticultuaral section (in 1961).”

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[alan]

I’ve just had a look for the Holttum-Howard 700 and I can only find one online magazine article mentioning it. The article is just a short mention in 1959 but does have prices.

“A third wheel attachment for the Howard 700 now converts it into a three-wheel light tractor. The attachment has been developed by H. B. Holttum and Co Ltd. of Cambridge The third-wheel unit is available as an attachment to an existing Howard 700, or alternatively as the Holttum-Howard 700 three-wheel tractor complete. Estimated retail price of the complete unit is £260. Conversion unit is £60, plus driving wheels, wheel extensions and bumper bar. A special drawbar will retail at £8”

The company ceased trading in early 1963 so that gives a short timeframe of only a few years, that is assuming that Holttum was manufacturing them.

Interesting their address in Cambridge at the same time is the same as the Dorman Sprayer Co. Ltd.

[Author]

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