MOTOR MOWERS OF TO-DAY.
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A Brief Review of the Various Types and Sizes of Power-propelled Grass-cutting Machine on the British Market.
THOSE of our readers who have occasion to peruse our regular news feature dealing with the actual and contemplated purchases of local authorities will have noticed that, for some time pat, municipalities have shown a keen interest in motor mowers, which have been purchased in increasing numbers for work in parks, recreation grounds and other open spaces. This is merely a phase of an allround development in the use of these handy little appliances, for they have also found much favour amongst golf and tennis clubs, estate agents and other private buyers for keeping grass unZler control.
The motor mower has made big strides in recent years and it is now much more than a mere power attachment to an ordinary mower. Its popularity has been largely built up on the features of ease of manipulation, simplicity of control, efficiency and economy in use and relatively cheap first cost. In the lightest machines built for cutting to comparatively small widths it is general practice to use an aircooled engine of the two-stroke pattern, whilst in machines constructed for heavier duty a four-stroke water-cooled power unit is mostly employed. In either case the machines are extremely simple in construction and so designed that a mechanical knowledge is not essential for their operation.
There is a great variety of motor .mowers available between the limits of those built for cutting to widths of 12 ins. and 42 ins., and it is our intention in this article to review the various types and makes on the market and to give details of the salient characteristics of each. Those of our readers who were fortunate enough to be able to visit the Royal Show at Reading may have taken the opportunity of inspecting the comprehensive range of power-propelled grass-cutting machines on view, but apart from dealing with these we shall refer quite briefly to other types which were not exhibited.
Let us first deal with the mower productions of a company whose name is a household word in the commercialvehicle industry. We'refeto Dennis Bros., Ltd:, of Guildford, whose activities in this direction are covered by the production of two models, one being the 24-in, type and the . other the 30-in. pattern. The same tower unit is employed in each model, i.e., a four-stroke engine developing 4 h.p., and it is supported by two stout cross-members. A hightension gear-driven magneto is fitted and is mounted on a platform on the crankcase ; the carburetter is of the two-jet type. To assist the cooling effect—the cylinder has cooling fins—a fan is used, the tension of the driving belt of which can be regulated by raising the spindle in the slot through which it is fixed.
The main rollers are built in three sections, the roller shaft being mounted on ball bearings and equipped with a differential gear attachment. Ferodo-faced cone clutches transmit the power to the roller and cutting cylinder through strong chains. Tension springs are used so that the clutch cones can be adjusted. The inverted-tooth chain-reduction gear runs in oil in an aluminium gearcase.
One clutch brings the cutting cylinder into operation, and when the second, or roller, clutch is engaged the machine is self-propelled. The blades on the cutting cylinder are helically mounted and are all jig-drilled and interchangeable.
An adjustable trailer seat can be supplied for attachment to either the 24-in, or 30-in. model. The Dennis mower, by means of its differential gear, will turn easily on its own • ground and the trailer will turn in a 2 ft. radius.
One of the oldest manufacturers of motor mowers— Thomas Green and Son, Ltd., of Leeds—market standard machines for cutting to widths of 16 ins., 20 ins., 24 ins., 30 ins. and 42 ins., and also supply certain special appliances for specific circumstances, one being a triple mower for golf
greens which has a cutting width of 33 ins. The smallest models have two-stroke air-cooled engines, that of the 16-in. machine is rated at 14 h.p., whilst the largest mower has a four-cylinder water-cooled power unit. In each case arrangements are made for putting the cutting cylinder out of action when rolling, etc., has to be done.
The Auto-Mower, which is the product of the AutoMower Engineering Co., Ltd., -Norton St. Philip, near Bath, is one of the best machinas. of its type and is built in four sizes as follow: 15-in., 18-in., 24-in. and 30-in. In the smallest unit a two-stroke engine is employed, but in the other models a four-stroke power unit is fitted. Two independent plate clutches are fitted to the 24-in. and 110-in. units, one being for the main roller and the other for the cutting cylinder.
In certain details the machines follow the same design, but the 15-in, mower is built to run on a mixture of petrol and oil. In each ease the cutting blades are bolted to webs, which are keyed to the centre shaft running on Skefeo ball bearings. The main rollers on both the 24-in. and 80-in. models is built in three parts and incorporates a simple differential gear of the motorcar type, which facilitates turning.
The Atco motor mower is claimed to have given satisfaction to over 10,000 users, which, in itself, explains the reason for the increasing business of its makers, Chas. IL nigh, Ltd.. of Birmingham. The smallest of the company's range , of six mowers is the 14-in, model selling at 30 guineas, whilst the 30-in, machine, which is their largest, is marketed at 75 guineas. The smaller machines have two-stroke engines, hut the 30-in. model relies upon a 4i h.p. J.A.P. four-stroke engine for its motive power. In each case the power unit is mounted. high in the malleable-iron frame, where it is readily accessible and away from flying glass and grit, which cannot be sucked into the engine through the carburetter.
The Ateo mower has only one clutch, being fitted with a simple cutter release, which obviates the need for a second clutch, The driving chains are not encased for the reason that they are less subject to neglect than when covered, whilst the driving drums have plain surfaces.
The motor mowers made by :John Shaw and Sons '(Wolverhampton), Ltd., and sold under the name of "Governor," are built for cutting to widths of 17 ins, and 22 ins. The smaller machine has an air-cooled engine of the two-stroke type, whilst the larger model has a similar unit, but, in this case, it is water-cooled. The power stroke of the latter unit is 64 ram., and 2 h.p. Is developed.
The cutter of the 1.7-in, model has eight blades and that of the larger Machine five blades. A two-section land roller Is employed in the former, each being fitted with a differential, whilst that on the latter has three sections; the roller In. the centre taking the drive. There are two clutches on the 17-in, model, one a .simple type of dog clutchcontrolling the cutting cylinder, and the other of the cone type controlling propulsion. Id the 22-in, mower, the clutch is of the Perodo-lined band Pattern. The weight of one machine is 2 cwt. and of the other machine approximately 3 cwt.
Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, Ltd., of Ipswich, have been making mowers for so many years that it is only natural that their power-propelled products of this type should reflect much that is modern practice in such appliances. The company market a most comprehensive range of mowers, from 16 ins. 'up to 42 ins. The Blackburne engine is largely used in these machines. A single-cylinder 1 h.p. unit is used in the smallest model, its bore being 55 ram. and stroke 62 mm. The 20-in, mower has a 21 h.p. engine and the 24-in. model one of 21 h.p., these all being air-cooled units. The next machine -in point of cutting width is the 30-in., which is supplied with an air-cooled or a water-cooled power unit. The former has a horse-power of 41, whilst the latter is rated at 5 h.p. and is water-cooled on the thermo-siphonic principle.
In each of the Ransomes mowers the engine is direct coupled to the gearbox, and roller chains convey the drive to the cutting cylinder and land rolls. In the models up to the 30-in, the band clutch is on the outside of the reducing gear, but in the 36-in. and 42-in, sizes it is incorporated inside the gearbox.
Lloyds and Co. (Letchworth), Ltd., sell the Pennsylvania mower—a machine designed to cut to a width of 27 ins. It is propelled by a Blackburne 2 h.p. air-cooled engine. The machine has six cutting blades and appears to be a serviceable little unit. No doubt can exist as to its economy in use, for it will deal, we are told, with five acres of ground on a fuel consumption of one gallon.
The Codiva Engineering Co., Ltd., of Slough, market the New Godiva mower for cutting to a width of 22 ins., and the Marvel mower, which is a smaller machine than the former, built to cut in stretches 18 ins. wide. The former sells at £60 and the latter at £37 10s.; both of them are useful little appliances.
In dealing with the Simar Rototillers, sold by Messrs. R. D. Moier, London, E.C.1, we should point out that these machines, as the name implies, are not simply mowing appliances, although they can fittingly be dealt with in this section, since they can be employed for that purpose by the use of suitable attachments. The motive power of the Rototiller is supplied by a two-stroke 8-10 h.p. engine with a capacity of 850 c.c. The power unit is thermo-siphonieally cooled and the radiator is mounted direct on the cylinder block. The machine has two speeds, the top speed giving a mileage of over 11. per hour.
, The Rototiller is provided with a rotary miller, the drive for which is independent of that for the driving wheels. The machine is a handy little appliance for the small-holder and is ideal for use in orchards.
J.P. Super Lawn Mowers, Ltd., of Meynell Road, Leicester, are making a 24-in, model driven by an air-cooled single-cylinder engine driving the rollers and the cutting cylinder by chain. It can be thrown out of gear so that the machine can be pulled and pushed by two men. The price is not settled, but it is said to be under £70.