Buying old mowers

Apart from my enthusiasm for earlier machines I seem to have developed an interest in obscure, little known mowers. This often means that they are ' catalogue ' models - manufactured by a large company but badged for a department store or local ironmonger for example. 

With this in mind I recently acquired a couple more sidewheel mowers following an advert in the latest issue of Grassbox. I was particularly keen to get the Dibben as it has a more personal connection but I had a fair degree of trepidation as the seller was in Scotland. Nonetheless I explored the possibility of a courier and concluded that Parcelforce was the most suitable. It was fairly easy to arrange on-line and the cost was very reasonable, way cheaper than driving from Suffolk and staying overnight somewhere. I have to say I was very impressed with the efficiency of Parcelforce - three parcels collected from a relatively remote area in Scotland and safely delivered to me within 48 hours. The cost per sidewheel mower worked out at just under £12.

The whole process was greatly helped by the co-operation and willingness of the seller Kenneth Kidston who made an excellent job of packing the mowers; handles dismantled and separately packed. He has been scaling down his collection and at the time of writing still has a number of classic mowers looking for a new home. These include Maxees, Hawk, New Britisher, Ajax, Conquest, Leo, Viceroy, Webb, Suffolk Popular, E1, Q7, Panther, J1. Anyone looking to start a collection or expand could usefully consider this opportunity and need not be put off by the transport involved. Rather less ' postable ' Kenneth also has an Allen Scythe available. Contact details as per his ad. in Grassbox. And before you ask - no I'm not on commission, merely trying to assist.