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I was pleased to see Tilbury again. I visited the pontoon there in 2004? when radioship Ross Revenge was alongside. They were remaking the film Alfie at the time too. The waterside was doubling as New York.
Dover, recognised views of there too, from flying over the area in 1991…again in search of the Ross Revenge.!

…and more on topic 😉 it was very interesting to see the Ransomes works too… 🙂

Clive.

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Eagle Eyes…is that a registered trade mark of the Action Man toy 😉 Action man is not me….I only talk about it. 😉

Clive 🙂

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I saw it on a tv programme that revisited gardening history by year including some show reports through the years.
I reckon I glimpsed a Webb push mower hiding under the cover.

Clive.

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Looks very similar to that fitted on the Merry Tiller Professional….although difficult to determine size from photos.
I have an ex MT Clinton cast iron engine here but it’s a bit buried at the moment pending, as ever here, 48hr day and parallel universe to have time to other than go to the day job. This is in need of a carburettor and air filter, lost in a previous repair effort. The old carb was warped beyond salvage on its flange…and lost when the project moved home. 🙁
I wonder if a note of the numbers from the carb on yours might help my search.? I did find another carb but it was wrong way round, mirror image like, and could not be married up.
Somewhere, I also have an aluminium Clinton, sold to me as being off a drain rodding machine.?? another one to get sorted….one day 😉 that one is a bit similar in style to a B&S 3hp block.
Neither are types that I got to see when working in machinery world up to 22 years ago.

Clive.

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Yes, he moved away again nonchalantly like it never happened.! Could have been a nasty one that…

Our neighbour, now sadly late, Mr Farmer who I mentioned on an Atco 2 stroke thread had a Dynamow….his very last mower. He managed to still mow his lawn although by then a white stick owner due to partial sight. He used to get to the end of his lawn then use the dodgem steering to make a full on the spot turn and off he went again. 🙂 and he modified it with a home made board fitting in lieu of grass bag…and then mowed twice a week to keep his lawns up to scratch as long as could. 🙂

They could be a bit sharp on take up of drive, a bit hard to balance the pedal and the steering wheel always seemed a bit small making it very twitchy…

Clive.

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Thank you for the offer of a copy of the Galaxy/Corporation sales brochure. I am just happy to see it online, thank you. 🙂

Clive.

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I haven’t a Galaxy…but that Corporation is in my shed 😉

Clive.

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I’ve just been out in the garage and found the second little spanner/screwdriver that came with it though 🙂

Clive.

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I too have a Witch as per the photo…bought new by Dad from E J Tong & Sons in Spilsby to replace and upgrade from his Super Panther. The Witch is now tucked in the back of the shed after much use, retired due to my late 1960s Atco BE14″ arriving. I seem to think mine has a broken spring clip where the adjusting spanner sits on board, so bang goes its value 😉

Clive. 😉

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Ours is 2 fwd speeds and reverse. G150.

We actually also have a second chassis with totally destroyed gearbox…a local machinery agent gave the remains to us after using the tine shafts to make us up some lawn aerating tines. I think a Land Rover or something similarly heavy had driven over it 😯 …the job to transfer would be a fairly huge one.. involving rusty tin cover casings dropping to bits and interesting seals and gears…think I had best leave alone and make best of it..

Were there some overseas parts on e–ay recently.??

Clive

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Very nice. The one I use has worn out its drive shaft and tine hexagons it now only drives on the pins.. It has done some work in its time. The rest of the machine is in good order. It was ailing a few years ago and I did valves, points etc and brought it back to health.
I do dream of finding another one, that’s hopefully done a lower “mileage”. Quite a few were sold locally. A few F300 too, I bet they are rare machines now…?

In a former employ as a YTS lad I built them up from their crated arrival state at the local dealer. I seem to recall that they came 2 on a pallet all bolted down with long M8 hex head set screws. The parts for each were all bagged and labelled to match parts with main frame.

They came with pneumatic trac grip tyred wheels…but am I right in thinking that the tines where of UK origin.??

The F400, in my avatar photo, was one that I built up, then went with the delivery driver to give him a lift with it off the Morris Ital pick up. We took an Atco B20 too, with A98 engine…. It did not reign so long.! Only the, never fitted, long grass side wheels survive.

Clive.

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Just back in from the garage. Putting a new shaft in a Bulldog spade for work and the remnants of the old handle into the top of a stainless steel spade in a repair of its steel/plastic shaft top for use at home here. They have only sat there a year waiting my attention…. I’m catching up 😉

I was out Winter digging first thing this morning with a S&J Neverbend No.1 grafting spade 🙂

Wild and windy mid afternoon, calmed down at the moment, but forecast to pick up to severe level midnight to 3am.

Seasons Greetings,
Clive.

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http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/sites/default/files/opmanual/atco1246.pdf

http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/sites/default/files/opmanual/Atco%20172055.pdf

I have just found the above links after having a search about. The second is for the 17″ and 20″. I reckon the 20″ had the larger cc engine.

Our next door neighbour used to have one of the 14″ mowers, late 1940s with the alloy handlebars…and I reckon my love of lawnmowers started as a little lad from climbing through our fence and going next door to help him mow….walking alongside him holding one handlebar.!! not sure how much I was helping.??!! I would hear the characteristic sound of the kickstarter and off I would go 🙂

One thing I do remember about his operation of the Atco was that he always used to run the choke just slightly across rather than full open. I wonder if fully open they are prone to being bent.?? or more likely it was to hold the engine back a bit by a fraction of choke against a large throttle opening when coming off load and avoiding engine racing.?? Not quite how operation is described in the manual.

He did always run the fuel out with engine set to low revs and tap turned off at the conclusion of mowing to clear engine for next times clean start.

Dear old Mr Farmer is sadly departed…but his Atco lives on in my garage…

Clive.

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We used to see a few of these with the Suffolk 75g14 engine. Does it have a smaller diameter cutting cylinder.? If so I suspect it makes the chassis very similar/the same as the lightweight Villiers engined one that I posted the photo of. I think the Villiers on mine was held to chassis with only 3 mounting bolts.?

My take is that Atco joined the Qualcast group in 1962 hence the switch to Suffolk engines, a company already in the group.

I reckon the early Suffolk engine used to run quite sweetly on these types… and with a very characteristic rattle from the clutch at tickover.

So, genuine with a slight hunch that this might have had a later engine, or parts, fitted.?? Inside colour of the cowling and flywheel etc might tell. The air filter is an older one from the days when they actually stayed on. 😉 but the carb is later from an age matching the exhaust box.

I wonder, what date did the fuel pipe banjo carb change to fixed pipe type.? on Suffolk engines.

Very nice to see another Atco in your fleet. Makes me want to get out to the shed again and progress a more recent Super Colt chassised Atco that has been in pieces here for…at least 10 years 🙁 …but don’t hold your breath. 😉

Clive. 🙂

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Hello John,
Yes it shares the same style of alloy cast blower housing that’s on your rotary…I would hazard a guess though that this engine is smaller.??

..and i fear reality will get in the way at this end and you will be on to the next project and some before I find the hours just to get into my shed. 😉

Clive.

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