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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Ransomes mk13

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Hi all I'm bob from deepest Essex I'm new to the club n will be picking brains as well as trying to help others this all started with having to look for a mower to cut the grass on my air rifle range on my folks farm I first bought what the bloke said was the earliest on record ransomes marquis mk4 20" reg no DE564 maybe someone could confirm??? But have now bought something better a ransomes mk13 16" cut (will get the reg no up soon) but after spending a lot of time online cannot find out much about it can anyone help with any information on servicing and oil n liquids many thanks in advance for any help! Happy mowing n shooting!

wristpin Thu, 28/03/2013

Not familiar with a Mk13 other than the gang mowers - can you post a picture?

Dengiebob Fri, 29/03/2013

                                                                                              

Dengiebob Fri, 29/03/2013

cor took me a while to work out how to get a pic on here but there we go my new project its reg no is A5797 can anyone help with any details maybe a date of manufacture? and colour?. its all there nothing is missing and the engine has loads of compression which is good not tried running it yet. but any help would be great

wristpin Fri, 29/03/2013

Pretty impressive for a 16" machine! Sure that someone on here will have specific knowledge, I've seen similar machines but never got involved with the nitty gritty. Friend of mine acquired and then disposed of a similar but wider one a while back.

 

 

Dengiebob Sat, 30/03/2013

It is a cracking machine made when Britain was the leaders in the world for engineering I think the engine is a 250 cc Blackburn? With a wipac A mag does anyone know roughly how old is it? The chap I bought it off said it was running about a year ago so there cannot be a lot wrong with it though I have never seen a mower with a drive gearbox like this one has it looks like the engine shares its oil with the drive gear box can anyone confirm? I'm itching to get this machine into my workshop and get the spanners out I'm thinking a quick service and a coat of fresh paint!. Can anyone tell me did ransomes make a trailing seat for this model or is it a walk behind model?? Someone out there must be able to tell me something about this amazing machine???

Dengiebob Sun, 31/03/2013

Well still no reply's I would have thought being a ransomes someone would know something this is a mower forum right? And I have been stiffed for my twelve pound to join before I could post on this site now I have I only get one person reply no offence to wristpin his the only person that has talked to me I thought this was a club were people helped??? That why I joined oh It looks a good site but twelve pound for a pin badge I ride a honda step thru when I joined the c90 forum and put my first post up a dozen people replied just to say hi and I can see how many people have looked at my post yet no one has really welcomed me to this club I thought this forum would be full of men who love mowers who would help I was going to offer my ally welding skills up but now I'm not sure!!!!!

Dengiebob Sun, 31/03/2013

And surely someone must be able to date my mower? No members on here worked for ransomes??? I might be better of going to ransomes direct there was me thinking I was going to have dozens of reply's by now. From what I have read in other posts on this site if your mower is Atco standard you get a reply!!!!! Maybe rename the club to the Atco standard club????

Dengiebob Sun, 31/03/2013

So I must be the only club member with a mk13 I think I would have done better if I had written to stationary engine magazine! If no one here can help can anyone tell me of any ransomes experts in this land? I'm very disappointed thought this club would have the answers I'm looking for. Maybe I should ask on the honda c90 forum about my mower at least they say hi to you on there even if they cannot help with the problem!!! Disappointed is an understatement!!!!

Dengiebob Mon, 01/04/2013

well i found out how to date my machines and a email has been sent will post the results when i get them and i have discovered what colour they should be as well so at least i have some information to get going with

Bill Edwards Tue, 02/04/2013

Hello Dengiebob and welcome to the clubyes

I'm afraid I know nothing of your lawnmower, but as a Ransomes fan will be interested to hear the results of your quest for information.

I assume it is the British Lawnmower Museum that you have contacted, if not they may well be able to shed some light on your Mk13.

Looks a fantastic lawnmower, good old fashioned British engineering.

 

Good luck,

Bill.

Dengiebob Wed, 03/04/2013

Hi bill it is a great looking machine though information is a bit thin on the ground when you google ransomes mk13 all the results are for gang mowers. I have the reg no being dated so as soon as I get a reply I will post the results at least I will know how old the beast is......!!!!! The thing that is puzzling me is why such a big engine and drive gear box on a 16" cut machine? It does weigh quite a bit!!. Surely such a small frame. Would have a villiers two stroke or similar?? It does seem very over engineered. The mower is still at my friends house ( it was delivered there as I was out the day it came) so I have not really had much of a chance to look at it I have got some spare time next week once I have got it in my work shop I can take some better pictures and get some details of the engine carb and fuel system

hillsider Thu, 04/04/2013

Hi,  When you get around to taking a closer look at your mystery mower have good look at the serial number plate for a possible clue as to its model name. Many Ransomes mowers that I have seen have the model name included on the serial plate hopefully yours will also. I can see the plate from your photo but I cannot read the text even after zooming in. Like you I have searched around and can find no reference to the mower, I am wondering if it will turn out o be a Ransomes Matador but I cannot be certain.                                                                                                                                Ray.

Dengiebob Mon, 08/04/2013

ah some good pictures at last (well as good as an iphone can do!!) A quick update! no reply yet on having the reg no dated (will let you folks know as soon as i do) but my last picture can help a little with dating this machine has to be pre 1952!! But is there a chance it could be pre 1936? Edward the 8th??? . Now i have got some better pics up maybe some one might recognise it

Dengiebob Mon, 08/04/2013

it would be great if it were pre war!! plus it has what looks to be adjustable front rollers opperated by the small handle between the bars? now i have worked on a few old mowers but have never seen a machine with this? what does moving the front roller up and down do? apart from sqwashing the grass? lol im a novice pity the old fool!!!

hillsider Mon, 08/04/2013

Hello, The pics are fine, clear enough to shoot down my theory that there may be a clue in the serial number plate! Let us hope that someone out there can now offer an identification for the mower.  Ray.

hortimech Wed, 10/04/2013

There is a clue on the serial number plate  laugh

You do not have a ransomes mk 13, you have a ransomes 16" mk13, fitted with (I believe) a sturmey archer engine. It has been a very long time since I last saw one of these, but like all the old ransomes machines, it should be a very good mower.

Try doing a search on this website for ransomes 16"

 

 

Dengiebob Wed, 10/04/2013

ahh cheers to hortimech for cracking the case my machine is a Ransomes 16" mk13 but searching this site gives no results gonna have to look a little wider but at least we know what it is now. Still no idea on date? but on other news have just purchased a very nice second hand workshop 20 foot by 12 foot wide corrigated tin on angle iron in very nice nic. so it looks like i will have to be filling it with a few more mowers!!!!! shall get some pics up of the new shed soon!!

Dengiebob Wed, 10/04/2013

At last!!!!!!!!!!!!! after looking through pages n pages this is all i have found one picture! i must say who ever owns this machine should feel proud............ jaw droppingly good if there is such a word!! gives me something to aim for wow its gonna look the dogs dangley bits once its done with a fresh coat of paint i want mine to look like this fine example. oh god i have been infected lol is there a cure for this love of old machines!! This all started with me wanting stripes in my rifle range grass! now i'm a full OLC member own two machines...... I'm thinking a nice Atco standard next!!!!! oh one last update the mower in the picture was dated 1955 so my machine has to be at least 60 years old

hillsider Thu, 11/04/2013

It is good to hear that information is starting to fall into place about the identity of your mower. Not wishing to worry you but as far as I know there is no known cure for the love of old machines regardless of the type collected. Despite the comments and strange looks that you may get from friends and relatives you can rest assure that you are not alone in the hobby and generally not likely to come to any harm to either to yourself or other folk unless you run them over with your mower. smiley

Dengiebob Thu, 11/04/2013

lol i do have a confession all ready!! my othe half was present last week when my membership turned up in the post i thought i had it covered but on opening the letter the pin badge fell out right at her feet.................. rummbled!!!!!!!!!!! to which my best mate found out i have had the royal mick taken out of me for being a member of this great club!!. I stood my ground and launched an attack right back at them defending all who stand and stare at mowers and pilot these great forgotton machines into the deep green with out one thought to if they make it back to the potting shed un hurt to mow another day................... I'm OLC and i have a problem!!

Dengiebob Thu, 11/04/2013

and really!!! run over by your own mower! thats gotta hurt! surley no one has met there end that way???? thats one to google later me thinks

Dengiebob Thu, 11/04/2013

and if there is a better idea to have printed as a club t shirt i would love to hear

 

 

 

                I"M OLC AND I HAVE A PROBLEM!

hillsider Fri, 12/04/2013

If anyone questions what is interesting about Lawnmowers I just ask the question of them - do they watch Football, Lawn Tennis or Cricket? Inevitably the response is yes to at least one of them and then just ask them how the grass is cut,.all were made possible since the invention of the lawn mower. Ray

Dengiebob Sun, 14/04/2013

well a good week im now the owner of a very nice second hand garage! 3meters wide by 5 meters long spent a day with the easing oil and a spanner making sure all the nuts and bolts come undone gotta go collect (five miles from were i live) next week. the plan is that the sides of the garage are pannels 2.5 meters by 3 meters so with a little extra metal(which was a very nice gift from a old mate) were going to make extra pannels so the end result will be 3x7.5 meters! so my tools and lathe will have a nice dry building to live in and so will my rapidly growing collection of mowers!!