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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

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Hi All

         I remember reading in one of the early posts with regards to a 10 or 12 blade cylinder mower. Could someone enlighten me please, as i cannot find the post now lol. 

If i was to use a 10 or 12 cylinder mower does it give a better cut and what makes it so and what makes would you look for and why?  

My lawn is about 50 foot by 20 foot so not very big, but i would like to use a mower that gives the best

regards Dave 

Triumph66 Fri, 31/08/2018

Dave,

Im general terms, the more blades you have on your cylinder mower, the better the cut. In truth you would need to cut your lawn every 2 to 3 days to get the maximum effect. 

 

Andrew

wristpin Fri, 31/08/2018

To qualify "a better cut", it equals more cuts per yard or a smoother finish. As has been said, more cuts per yard equates to more work done - both by the mower and the pusher! 

Davel831 Sat, 01/09/2018

wristpin

              Thank you for this, i suppose then my next question is which mower and why would you recommend ?

 

Dave

cwj123 Sat, 01/09/2018

 Webb witch is a good mower,they are about and are not too expensive and do a quality cut.Thats just my view anyway

stonethemows Sat, 01/09/2018

Strictly speaking there is no quick answer to the question, much depends on the nature of the site and the state of the person doing the mowing ! As a broad, personal overview, it's a later Ajax if you don't mind pushing. Otherwise it's an 18" Marquis with a BSA ' sloper ' engine. In both cases these are quality machines, developed over a long period of time and with spares still available. To get the best out of it you need a machine with a bit of weight and substance but the most important factor is to mow regularly and don't take off more than a third of the new growth at any one time. Mow regularly = at least once a week in active growth.

The above machines are ideals; if you don't have ' proper ' edges a decent vintage side wheel such as a Ransomes Leo or Shanks Hawk will give a very good result but require a little more effort. Again much depends on the condition of the lawn/grass. A Marquis might be a little over the top for the size in question in which case a Qualcast Commodore ( 1960's ) or a Ransomes 14 would be good alternatives. 

hortimech Sat, 01/09/2018

It all depends on what type of lawn you want, if you want a golf green/bowling green  finish, then you need a multi blade mower. You also need to be prepared to mow every day during the growing season, feed and water the lawn regularly, at least once a week, you will need to aerate and scarify regularly. These types of lawn are usually cut to about '3/16' of an inch. All in all, it is a lot of work.

If you just want a nice lawn, then a six blade mower should be okay, while you will still have to do all of the above, you will not have to do them as often, mainly because you will not cut the grass as short.

You should be aware that there is a corelation between the number of blades and the length of the cut, the more blades the shorter the cut. There is also a corelation between the diameter of the cylinder and the length of the grass it will cope with, for very long grass you would need a large cylinder (10 inch) and very few (3 or 4) blades. 

Davel831 Sat, 01/09/2018

Gentlemen,

                    Thank you so much for all you help and advice. I have a 12 inch ransomes Ajax Mk5 which i have restored, but i felt that the size was too short for the size of my lawn. I did obtain a Qualcast sixteen which i am in the process of restoring slowly.

This afternoon  i was collecting some items from a mate who has soda blasted the parts for me and powder coated them. Whist i was there he literally gave me a webb 18inch mower powered by a Briggs and Stratton. My first thoughts were how the heck am i going to get this past the wife!

So i now have a collection which i am either restoring or using. So now i am either going to get divorced or hopefully someone here can point me in the direction for the user manual for a Webb 250 model18inch petrol mower with a briggs and stratton ! this works so i will have another mower over winter to restore to its former glory.

Thank you again guys 

Dave  

Davel831 Sat, 01/09/2018

Wristpin

               Thank you so much  

 

regards Dave

Davel831 Sun, 02/09/2018

Hi All 

         please see the attached pics of the new addition!  I have no clue how to adjust the blade to the cutting bed.

 

regards Dave

hortimech Sun, 02/09/2018

Okay, if you look carefully at the tie rod just in front of the cutting cylinder, you will find the adjusters, one at each end. You will need to slightly release the locking nuts on either end of the rod (on the outside of the frames) and then turn the adjuster with an open ended spanner (11/16 AF, if I remember correctly). They work on a 'cam' action and you should only turn them slightly while checking the cut, I am sure you will soon get the feel of it. Once the cylinder is set correctly to the bottom blade (bedknife, sole plate), retighten the locking nuts on each end of the rod, then check the cut again as it may have moved, if so, try again.

 

wristpin Sun, 02/09/2018

Okay, if you look carefully at the tie rod just in front of the cutting cylinder, you will find the adjusters, one at each end. You will need to slightly release the locking nuts on either end of the rod (on the outside of the frames) and then turn the adjuster with an open ended spanner (11/16 AF, if I remember correctly). They work on a 'cam' action and you should only turn them slightly while checking the cut, I am sure you will soon get the feel of it. Once the cylinder is set correctly to the bottom blade (bedknife, sole plate), retighten the locking nuts on each end of the rod, then check the cut again as it may have moved, if so, try again.

X2 

Parts 14 on page 66 of the parts list that I posted. Use a good fitting spanner as those adjusters are quite soft and may be difficult to move if not moved for some time.