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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Another identification request

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My wife saved this from being taken to the tip thinking it would be good for spares for my hand/push mowers but it is not quite like any of mine.

It is a Qualcast : name cast into inside of side plate, but I wonder what age and model it is.  Seems older than any I have. The sole plate being adjustable rather than the cylinder.

I may be passing this on rather than keeping it.

Harvey

wristpin Mon, 18/12/2017

Looks as though the deflector plate may me home made? The only machine that I can identify with a fixed cylinder and moveable deflector / sole plate is the Panther made between 1950 and '59 but that has a pivoting cast combined deflector and sole plate with a central screw adjuster.

Hopefully someone will know .

Harvey Mon, 18/12/2017

Yes, homemade deflector and front roller too I think. I am not too sure exactly how the adjustment works on this: I must admit that I have not looked too closely. Appears to be two adjusting screws presumably to allow the sole plate to pivot and there are two screws at the cylinder bearings for some reason.

 Maybe a giveaway will be what appears to be the original blue colour inside the castings. The outside is hand painted Hammerite or similar.

Thanks for looking anyway.

 

 

 

wristpin Mon, 18/12/2017

Certainly some  Qualcast  machines were pale blue, in fact there’s a little side wheel pusher in my shed.  Now that you point it out I can see the adjuster screws at either end of the sole plate  -  slacken one and tighten the other to rock it . If the cylinder shaft is running in plain bearings there is possibly a pressure / thrust screw to oppose upward thrust between the cylinder and bottom blade.

Harvey Sun, 28/01/2018

What is interesting, to me anyway, is that my much later Panthers,( 1970's 'Superlite' and 30DL ) are completely different, even having the chain drive on the opposite side.

Ah yes, the bearing adjuster screws as on the Folbate side wheel that I am working on and are discussed elsewhere.

Harvey