vintage

by alan

Rare Hoes and Thinners?

November 1, 2025 in Articles

Occasionally, a long-forgotten machine may turn up in a book reference or a magazine article, and if we are lucky, an actual example may appear in the tinwork. But sadly, it seems, some of these machines are nothing but a distant memory, perhaps a period advert in a gardening magazine, or an article praising the machine’s qualities which never amounted to any meaningful sales.

Two intriguing machines featured in the June 1965 issue of Farm Mechanization: the Minni-Ho and the Wanten SSEC 2-row thinner.

First up, the Minni-Ho. Shown below is this small tool-frame tractor, initially powered by a 2.5 hp four-stroke engine, designed for cross-blocking work. When operated at right angles, as shown in the photo, it could hoe gaps over a 52.5 inch width, leaving plants spaced at about 7.5 inches. Once the first pass was done, the operator could side-hoe along the rows. One user proudly reported tackling twelve acres in just three days – a fair achievement considering the Minni-Ho operated at a steady 2.5 mph. It must have been a slow and bumpy ride across those fields!

The machine was the brainchild of Lincolnshire farmer-inventor Mr H. C. Rothery together with his neighbour, Mr J. E. Morris. To bring their creation to market, Farm Hydraulics Ltd based at 38 Market Place, Boston, Lincolnshire was formed. In 1965, a new Minni-Ho would have cost around £250, but it is unknown if any were sold via Farm Hydraulics Ltd.

However, the Minni-Ho did not disappear into complete obscurity. Later in 1965, Howard Rotavator Co. Ltd. took up the design, calling it the ‘Howard Mini Cross Gapper’. It is said that they intended to produce fifty machines, but that target was never met. Potentially, this leaves few surviving machines. Here is a picture in the VHGMC gallery.

The Howard production model featured a Kohler K91T 4-stroke single-cylinder engine, with a quoted 3.2 hp, and a recoil starter. A two-speed belt-driven gearbox with a hand clutch gave four forward and four reverse gears. The toolframe was raised and lowered by hand.

Minni-Ho was developed by two Lincolnshire farmers in 1965. Although there is some reference that the machine in the photo might have been a prototype, images from the same photoshoot appear on Howard brochures.

The second machine, illustrated below, the Wanten SSEC 2-row thinner, is another rarity from that same year. It was developed by Mr G. Wanten and the SSEC – the Société Sucrière d’Études et de Conseils (Sugar Research and Consulting Company) in Belgium. The SSEC’s expertise covered the entire sugar beet process from seed to molasses, producing equipment such as precision drills, beet washers, and stone catchers.

Their 2-row thinner was trialled by the Belgian Sugar Beet Institute, 45 Rue du Molin, Tienen (or Tirlemont in French). A 2.5 hp JLO engine powered it, and it was claimed to cover five acres a day, which explains why it was said to have been adopted by a large number of Belgian sugar beet growers – no doubt helped by the flat, easy-going terrain of the region.

Sugar beet is big business in Belgium, and the city of Tienen has long been known as the “Sugar City” thanks to its thriving beet industry and impressive processing facilities. I wonder if any of these 2-row thinners still exist over in Belgium?

Wanten SSEC thinner, developed at the Belgian Sugar Beet Institute in 1965

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by alan

Aspera & Tecumseh Engines

March 11, 2025 in Articles

Tecumseh is one of the main engine brands we see on many vintage machines, including mowers, rotavators, wood chippers, and even mini bikes. In the USA, Tecumseh bought the small engine manufacturer Lauson in 1955, and in 1956 the company Power Products which made 2-stroke engines. The Tecumseh engines owe their origins to the products from these companies.

In 1960, Tecumseh gave Aspera Motors a licence to build engines; they were produced in Torino, Italy. Reports in 1960 stated that only six basic Tecumseh models were used to develop the whole Aspera range – this gave economic mass production and the interchangeability of parts. Aspera said that the vertical and horizontal engines were being built at a combined rate of 3000 per day.

It should be noted that there are differences between the engines that Tecumseh produced in the USA and the Aspera engines made in Italy.

Tecumseh also granted a license to James N. Kirby Automotive Pty, Ltd, Australia for Lauson 4- and 2-stroke engines. Hence the Kirby engine link with Lauson and Tecumseh. In Australia, in the 1960s, the Kirby engines were fitted to mowers made by Turner, Scott Bonnar, Pace, Pinnock, Victa, and others. The engines can be found on several UK machines including the early-1960s Mountfield mowers with 4-stroke engines and wind-up starters.

1970s Webb Windsor 18″ Rotoscythe. With a 3.5 hp, 4-stroke Aspera engine and wind-up starter.

In the 1960s and ‘70s, Aspera engines made in Italy found their way onto many machines from major brands including Webb (pictured), ATCO, Mountfield and Hayter rotary mowers and Crown and Flymo hover machines. But the engines seemed to be the lesser-known alternative to Briggs & Stratton, Kohler and Tecumseh.

Many folks’ knowledge, mine included, of Aspera engines probably doesn’t stretch far beyond the basic vertical engine 4-stroke and 2-stroke models on the above mentioned machines.

However, Aspera produced a vast range of vertical and horizontal engines for rotary and cylinder mowers, tillers, chainsaws, outboard motors, water pumps, and anything that needed powering.

Horizontal shaft engines from Aspera included the HC, HCB and HKB models
Aspera LAVR 40, 4hp, 172cc. With side-mounted recoil starter and side-mounted PTO which could power wheels on self-propelled mowers.

Models that can be found on rotary mowers include the vertical shaft 4-stroke LAV 30 (3 hp – 127cc), LAV 35 (3.5 hp – 148cc) and LAV 40 (4 hp – 172cc). These engines were advertised with automatic compression release, fuel shut-off valves, optional heavy-duty flywheels, optional side-mounted PTO for wheel drive etc, and top-mounted or side-mounted recoil starters – image, right.

In the UK, at the start of the 1960s, the Aspera engines were introduced by Mackay Industrial Equipment Ltd, Central Way, Feltham, Middlesex. Subsequently, they were handled by Aspera Motors (England) Ltd, in the 1960s they were at 16 National Works, Bath Road, Hounslow, before moving to 152/154 Commercial Road, Staines, Middlesex. In the 1980s the trading name changed to Tecnamotor (UK) Ltd. Their adverts claimed that Aspera was the ‘leading manufacturer of small industrial engines for the European lawn mower industry’, which they no doubt were, but in the UK getting past the other established brands being used was not easy.  

1978 Aspera LAV172, 4-stroke, 4-hp. This engine has Aspera decals.

In 1978 they were advertising the new model LAV 172, a 4-stroke, 4 hp engine (Image, right. Note the Aspera stickers on the blower shroud). The intake and exhaust valves were made of special martensitic steel, it had a new piston design, an aluminium conrod, and a cast iron liner for long life. This engine was advertised as having improvements in reliability.

Discussed during 1981, and with a formal understanding on February 16th 1982, Fiat and Tecumseh entered into a joint 50/50 venture to build Aspera engines at Torino. The name Tecnamotor was created. Though in 1989 Tecumseh bought out Tecnamotor. Tecumseh stayed at the Torino factory until 2006.

Introduced in 1980 were the BV series engines. These continued to be built under Fiat/Tecumseh. Models included the vertical-shaft models BV150 (3.5 hp, 148cc) and BV172 (4 hp, 172cc) which were ideal for rotary lawn mowers.

Fiat Aspera BV172, 4hp, 172cc

Advertising for the BV engines (Image, right) detailed a positive force-fed oil-pump. This meant that even when the oil level was at a minimum, they could continue to operate on gradients that other 4-stroke engines couldn’t – an ideal choice for hilly lawns or undulating grassed areas. The engines were also designed to be quiet, easy to maintain, reliable and ‘built to last’.

The BV and LAV models were the most prominent through the 1980s. The LAV included the LAV 30, 35 and 40.

Tecumseh produced a varied range of engines, and in the early 2000s their Italian website (now defunct) detailed the last Italian-made Centura, Enduro, Formula, Prisma and Vantage engines for mowers, tillers, generators and pressure washers.

The Aspera/Tecumseh factory was located at Strada delle Cacce 99, Torino (Turin). Tecumseh vacated the factory in 2006. For many years it has stood empty awaiting redevelopment. It can be found on Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y25KaC7cg94bBw5E7

Small engines are being made at the Aspera factory – perhaps one of the engines could be yours. Note the engines on the benches and on conveyors in the bottom right corner of the image.


This article was not that easy to research – particularly the Tecnamotor name. So, if anyone can add additional information, or even correct anything on this article, then there is a VHGMC forum thread: https://vhgmc.co.uk/forums/topic/aspera-engines-2/




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by alan

Mowers and Bicycles

February 16, 2025 in Articles, Machinery

It is often overlooked, but many of the manufacturers of vintage horticultural machinery were also involved in manufacturing an array of other items. Just because we know them for horticultural items doesn’t mean they didn’t have interests (or beginnings) in other products.

One modern example is Honda. We know them in horticultural circles for starting to make lawnmowers in 1978 (47 years ago as I write this!), but they also manufacture across a range of areas, including automotive, motorbikes, marine, aircraft, generators, and power equipment.

Going way back to the 1950s, Nutt Engineering of Cambridge, who made the Hayn mowers, had a sideline in producing wire-framed clothes horses – a world away from the Honda empire, but companies need to diversify to keep working.

You may know the USA ride-on mower manufacturers Huffy, Murray, and AMF (American Machine and Foundry), but did you know that in the early-to-late 20th century they all had an interest in the manufacture of bicycles? Indeed, there was a booming industry with bikes, followed by a similar interest in ride-on mowers and powered garden equipment. Manufacturers diversified, expanded, and invested where the market and profits were.

Like the ride-on mowers that Huffy, Murray, and AMF sold in the UK, many of the bikes they produced were sold worldwide.

I have found some USA adverts which show the bikes that these ride-on mower manufacturers made:

Huffy

1967 Huffy bikes and a Huffy Sheraton ride-on mower. At the back-left is the British-designed Huffy-Moulton luxury bicycle. In the foreground, the Huffy Rail dragster.

Huffy, who produced bikes throughout the 20th century, is best known in the UK for their diminutive yet well-engineered ride-on mowers in the 1960s and ‘70s. Along with the mowers, Huffy was advertising 55 bike models including tandems and trikes in America.

In the mid-1960s, Huffy collaborated with the English engineer Alex Moulton and created the Huffy-Moulton bike (see image, right), this was claimed to be the first basic advance in bike design in 70 years. The bike had small wheels, instant acceleration due to gearing and low inertia, and was said to be nimble with light steering.

Interestingly, in the early 1980s, Huffy signed an agreement with Raleigh bikes in the UK, which gave them exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the Raleigh models in the United States. Huffy also sponsored a professional BMX (Bicycle Motocross) team. BMX started in the early 1970s in the USA, and eventually, Huffy had a range of BMX bikes. The Anglo-American BMX Championship, held in the UK in 1982, included the Huffy BMX Racing Team.

It is reported that bikes for the Huffy brand are now made in China.

Murray

1970 Murray Eliminator

Murray is another name that we associate with mowers in the UK. In the 1970s, many Murray ride-on mowers and garden tractors were rebadged and sold as Mountfield-branded machines. In the 1930s, in the USA, Murray started producing bikes alongside car parts and children’s pedal cars. However, in 1985, F. H. Tompkins, the owner of the UK company Hayter, purchased Murray for the mower brand and production, then in 2005 Briggs & Stratton took over Murray. According to research, Murray bikes had been produced until the end of the 1990s.

AMF -American Machine and Foundry

The third company that had an interest in mowers and bikes was AMF. The company manufactured some of the Massey Ferguson lawn and garden tractors starting in 1966, as well as the first ATCO ride-on mowers in the early 1980s. They also produced models branded as Dynamark, which Westwood sold in the 1970s before creating their own range of ride-on mowers. AMF had purchased the Roadmaster brand of bikes from the Cleveland Welding Company in 1950. There were 41 bike models in 1970, and bikes were manufactured until the late 1990s.

1970 AMF Roadmaster bikes. The interestingly named ‘Flying Wedge’ on the left, and Aerobee Renegade. The Flying Wedge had a 5-speed stick shift.

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by alan

The Hare And The Tortoise

April 26, 2024 in Articles, Club News

There are many horticultural items that we now take for granted. These include secateurs with their introduction in the early 1800s (read more about them here), and rotary mowers with the early Rotoscythe being described as unorthodox with the suggestion that it would never catch on (see Rotoscythe in the gallery).

With newly launched machines the marketing folk had a great deal of input when thinking up names, slogans, icons, logos, and advertising. How about Howard with their clever palindrome word ‘rotavator’, or Wheel Horse with ‘Get a Horse! Wheel Horse Of Course!’.  

We also take for granted a lot of instructions, icons and safety stickers on both old and new machines and which we easily understand these days. But there’s one that we all have seen but that I cannot find the source for – when did the hare & tortoise symbols, depicting fast and slow, first appear on machinery throttle controls?

The hare and tortoise symbols, possibly inspired by Aesop’s fables although in that scenario the steady tortoise wins the day, are popular on lawnmowers but did they also appear on other machines first? And were the rabbit and hare symbols a home-grown idea or imported from the USA, Europe or China, or even an invention by an engine manufacturer? Does anybody know?

When did the first Hare & Tortoise throttle control symbols first appear?

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by alan

VHGMC Machinery Log Sheet – Download

January 17, 2024 in Articles, Club News

Here we are at the beginning of a new year and it won’t be that many weeks until the shows and events start. The first main event is Tractor World at the Three Counties Showground at Malvern on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of February – more information: https://tractorworldshow.co.uk/

If anyone needs a log sheet for their machines for any show – whether a main event or just a local show – then they can be downloaded from the VHGMC.

The VHGMC log sheet can be either filled in online and then printed, or can be downloaded to your computer.

The logsheets can be found in the member download section at: https://vhgmc.co.uk/member-downloads/vhgmc-log-sheet-download/

Often members of the public will spend more time looking at an exhibit if there’s a log sheet that provides more than basic information. I recall watching members of the public perusing the horticultural exhibits at Newark tractor show a few years ago, the exhibits with interesting log sheets with date of manufacture, place of origin, a bit of background, and perhaps a story to tell, held the attention of the viewer far longer than those that just showed a basic machine model and name. We also saw that people take a photo of a log sheet as well as the machine it’s attached to. Remember that you can always add a page or two of restoration photos or extra information to go with your log sheet.

Horticulture Display at Malvern 2016

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by alan

Kubota Premises – Then & Now

July 16, 2023 in Articles, Machinery

Recently I have been looking at the history of Kubota tractors in the UK. Although the tractors were sold in many countries in the 1960s, the first Kubota tractors didn’t arrive in the UK until the early 1970s, and the range has continued to grow and develop over the decades.

Many newspaper adverts from the 1970s showed the 14 hp B6100, 16 hp B7100, 17 hp L175, 24 hp L225 and the 25 hp L245. Additionally, the popular and compact B6000 in the 1970s had a 12.5 hp water-cooled diesel engine, four-wheel drive with six forward and two reverse gears, a three-point hitch and a three-speed PTO.

Kubota Tractors (UK) Ltd in North Yorkshire originally sold the tractors, but eventually, Kubota set up their own division in the late 1970s and, in 1982, moved to Dormer Road, Thame, Oxfordshire.

Photographs exist of the original Dormer Road premises with the ‘Kubota’ name proudly on display. The premises still exist and (in 2019 with Streetview) look almost identical, even the planting with conifers and trees are the same – although they have grown! The 2019 image shows the premises occupied by another company, however, Kubota is shown across the road in a fantastic modern warehouse.

The location is: https://goo.gl/maps/nzoYkjgPu9znocR16

The early Kubota premises on Dormer Road, Thame, Oxfordshire. Newer offices and warehouse are now across the road,
The same premises in 2019

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