Skip to main content
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Identify my new Lawnmower

Enter a word or two to search the forum section and click the Search Forum button.

Hi All

            I hope we are all enjoying the sunshine! I was out and about this week go chatting to a guy , well the end result is i have a new mower!  Hidden at the moment in my shed before i break the news to my wife lol.

I was wondering i think it is a Atco 20 inch with 10 -12 blades. it runs really well and drives well also, so much so i cut the grass and i was really really impressed. So could someone help me with the model and age please and is it possible to obtain a manual please.

Kind regards And thank you before hand to the members on here your knowledge is amazing and you have helped me beforehand many a time.

Dave 

Forums

hortimech Sun, 12/05/2019

I must be sad, the page opened and the top picture came up and, before reading anything, I knew it it was either a 20 or 24 inch Atco, the bottom picture confirmed it was a 20 inch Atco club. It is a very late 60s or early 70s model, the 'H50' prefix to the engine number gives that away, later models used an HH50 or HH60 Tecumseh.

Clive1997 Sun, 12/05/2019

Hello

So how many blades 10 or 12? There was a Golf Green Special model produced early 1970's I believe model (F32) with 12 blade cutting cylinder, other references I have for earlier models refer to 9 blades & the standard model with 6.I do have some parts list/manuals for this era.

Lets see what the experts on the later mowers have to say, looks like another comment has come in whilst I was pondering!!

 

Davel831 Sun, 12/05/2019

Gentlemen

                     Thank you for your advice and suggestions already. It would be great if i could source a manual

regards Dave

wristpin Sun, 12/05/2019

The Atco machines in that configuration with the Tecumseh H50/60 engine were known as the Heavy Duty 20, 24 and Garden 30. The early Series 1 machines had BSF hardware and threads and were followed by Series 2 with UNF threads and some modifications to the cutting cylinder, the drive sprocket and clutch. The series two machines eventually evolved into the Royale models .

Within  the Series 1 and 2 ranges there was a 20” Golf Green Special (GGS) with provision for transport wheels to travel from green to green and a 20” Club aimed at tennis and bowling clubs.

Both the GGS and the Club had more cutting cylinder blades to achieve a finer cut in conjunction with different profile and thinner bottom blades but unfortunately the parts books of the day are a bit vague and, in one case, positively misleading as to the exact number of blades. One reference to the Club just says “ cylinder” and the accompanying illustration shows a six bladed cylinder - definitely incorrect . Another reference still says “cylinder” but with 12 blades in the illustration .  The same book refers to a 9 bladed cylinder for the Garden 30 -  I’ve certainly never seen a 30 with that configuration .

Clive mentions the F32 model designation ; that style of model number used to appear on the earlier individual operator’s and parts manuals and even on the ID tags on earlier machines. Unfortunately none of the workshop parts books carried those same designations.

It will be interesting to know whether the machine that the OP has just acquired has an F number or its equivalent and how many blades are on the cylinder.

Davel831 Mon, 13/05/2019

Wristpin

               You are a fountain of knowledge that never ceases to amaze me! i will double check tonight to see if there is a F number. Additionally, i will count the blades and take several more pictures then post on here. 

Thank you again

Regards Dave  

Davel831 Mon, 13/05/2019

Hi everyone

                    Well it is a ten blade and the engine type is H50-65381K  and the serial number is 3179R 

 

regards Dave 

Davel831 Tue, 14/05/2019
 

 

 

Hi all

         Please see the latest pictures i have of my new addition. I now do not think this is a golf course special, as i believe there was space for wheels to move about from green to green I think this may be a Atco Club 20 inch?

Just as a matter of interest which way is the choke pointed to be on? Daft question i am sure but no idea here lol.

Thanks again

Dave

 

hortimech Tue, 14/05/2019

As I said originally, it is a club, the GC came slightly later. The choke in the picture is off

The club was a 'poor mans' Auto-Certes mostly aimed at small 9 hole courses, problem was that they arrived at just about the same time that the Greens triples did, Toro GM3, Jacobsen Greens King and the god awful Ransome Hahn  

Ian Donald Sat, 18/05/2019

Liked to photos of your mower. My Atco Club B20 Special looks very similar to yours.  The differences that I can see are the throttle control, mine has a stop position that shorts out the ignition.  My choke lever folds back on itself so that it points straight towards the engine at full choke.  Also mine came with two wheels that fit onto axles that stick out 4 1/2 inches on each side of the mower, who at Atco thought that this ankle smashing design was a good idea?  I note from their adverts the Allett Westminster 20H has exactly the same wheels and axles!  I am thinking of buying a couple of bright coloured tennis balls, drilling a hole in each and pushing them over the ankle smashers when the wheels are not fitted.

And a big thank you to all those who offered advice to my questions. Kind regards, Ian.

wristpin Sun, 19/05/2019

Ankle biters!

Your Mower was designed as a fine turf mower to be used by bowling and tennis clubs etc. The extended axles were to be used with the “transport” wheels so that the machine could be moved over hard paths from the mower shed to where it was to be used without damage or upsetting the set. Similarly the Golf Green Special version used them to be moved from green to green. The Ransomes Auto Certes used a similar system. 

When those machines filtered down to private use the offending items were often cut off.

 

 

 

Bobby W Mon, 03/06/2019

Hello all, 

 

Thank you for adding me!

See photos of my Atco 20" special?? 

Serial numbers?? - H50 65468X (c) - 6255R

Unsure which model it is but it does have 12 blades and the 'ankle biters'

Could anyone point me in the right direction for a manual or company that could repair the front roller??

The bearing has collapsed on 1 side and needs replacing.

Would be interested in getting the wheels for it if anyone knows any for sale?

 

Thank you in advance,

 

Bob 

.