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

Atco missing a cutting cylinder

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

My neighbour Bob and myself want to get an Atco working again. It is a 'modern' type with a plastic grassbox, but looks as if it could be useful. The data plate on it states "TYP FO16 309042 579" amongst other info. The machine appears to have been abandoned halfway through an overhaul and is generally sound. Does anyone know which model/year this is, and can anyone help in tracing a cutting cylinder for it?

Forums

Atcough Sat, 14/04/2018

       

Here's the Atco. It seems to be missing a cutting blade, too! The cast side pieces of the cassette are in the grassbox.

gtc Sun, 15/04/2018

I'm not familiar with that model (it's too recent for me) however from the look of it I'd be inclined to consider it a parts donor for another project, unless you can find one that is missing the engine. Others may disagree.

wristpin Sun, 15/04/2018

It's an early Atco Balmoral with the Suffolk 148cc ,engine.  17 or 20". I was trying to work out the width of cut from the front roller configuration but they all appear to be of the same size and my parts lists for both the 17 and 20" machines show the two outer rollers as a different part number from the inners. Looks to be a 20" , perhaps you will put a tape across it.

Are you sure about, "The data plate on it states "TYP FO16 309042 579" amongst other info." as a 20"  Balmoral is shown as F016 309 642 ?

If it is a 20" machine the cutting cylinder would appear to be part F016 A58 821 with a current price of £161.05 + vat.

 

Atcough Sun, 15/04/2018

Thanks very much Wristpin, good info sent very fast! I can confirm it is FO16 309042 on the plate, it is very clear. Another number is 085000036, if that is any help, and bottom right hand corner of plate is stamped 2000.

wristpin Sun, 15/04/2018

Unfortunately I can’t match that number with any of the lists that I have but you definitely have an early Balmoral , either a 17 or 20 inch. 

I think that the 08 number is a machine serial number and the 2000 is the year of manufacture. Atco / Qualcast were never the best for parts manuals and updates in the paper era and no longer being a dealer I don't have access to dealer level information on line . The paper lists that I have do not even carry a date of issue.

Atcough Sun, 15/04/2018

Thanks again, Wristpin. I now know a lot more about the mower, a big step forward. If we can't get anywhere with tracing parts to repair it, I'll probably advertise it for spares.