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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Grass compacting mowers.

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The item about the Shanks Jehu with its easy emptying grass box prompted thoughts of two machines that were exhibited at the IOG Windsor show in the late 80s or early 90s fitted with a grass compacting mechanism to increase the intervals between emptying; one was an Atco Comodore and the other a Hayter Harrier.. Presumably the idea was not well received as after that initial appearance they were never exhibited again or put into production.

This was before the  days of pocket sized mobile phones let alone camera phones so I'm doubting that a photographic record exists but if any one has any information about the inventor or company that exhibited them it would be nice to have it documented and a piece of "might have been" mower history - anything out there?

hortimech Sun, 20/09/2015

You seem to have forgotten one that did go into production, the Qualcast Concorde, not the early blue ones, the later green ones.

 

wristpin Sun, 20/09/2015

Ah, you are right there but perhaps I should have been more explicit especially as I copied that system for a Qualcast 35 that I have permanently fitted with a lawn raking cassette !

However the two machines that were shown at Windsor had mechanical systems. On the Commodore the cuttings were taken over the top of the engine into a collector under the handle bars  - presumably with a counterweight at the front to balance the machine.  Memory fails me regarding the Harrier other that I'm fairly sure that it was a 16" machine. 

For a long time I kept all the IOG show guides for reference but , on retirement , in an out of character de-cluttering session they got binned - big mistake!