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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

The Mills Carburettor

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Does anyone know if the Mills carburettor was used on lawnmowers, or similar?

Forums

wristpin Fri, 02/08/2024

Never seen or heard of one  , but a bit of Googling enlightened me !  All the references seem to refer to motor cycles and a possible  Villiers connection . Was it another venture along the Senspray lines ?

 

 

Moricambe Sat, 03/08/2024

Yes, Villers liked the Mills so much they bought the company!

Apparently they were used on bikes around WW1 time but some also say they were on lawnmowers or industrial engines.

olcadmin Sat, 03/08/2024

There are several motor mowers from the 1920s that have the Mills fitted. My Shanks Wizard and Shanks Jehu both appear to have one. I have seen others with the same model (or similar) over the years.

The link below is to the page on the Science Museum site showing a Mills Patented Villiers Carburettor

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co24718/mills-pate…

The next link is to a page on another site with a nice diagram of the Mills and an explanation of how it works.

https://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/carburettors/Mills-1922-1289.htm

Two of the distinctive features of the carb are the relatively heavy-gauge collar at the top holding the barrel mechanism in place and the lever in the centre at the top which turns to adjust/choke the flow (the function is explained on the leaflet).