Alan

The Jetstream was a very popular machine in it’s day. Impressively it was not just a UK machine but also sold across Europe and gained a ‘Best Buy’ award in 1975 by one of the consumer associations over there.

According to magazine reports, as electric mowers became more popular through the 1970’s Qualcast decided to introduce an electric…[Read more]

Good to know that you have been using a Ginge mower all these years – they were certainly built to last!

As for spare parts, as far as I know (from when I did research) Ginge mowers were made to their own design so parts may be hard to come by now.

I’d have a look through anything to do with Al-Ko as they now own Ginge, you never know what may…[Read more]

That’s an interesting machine.

Assuming it’s a UK machine then I’d say it was perhaps made in the 1970’s by a company owned by Jack Wilderspin Ltd, High Street (or possibly College Farm), Fen Drayton, Cambridge.

There’s reference in The Grower magazine in 1977 to the Hydro-Bug along with a machine called the Jack-Truck.

Jack Wilderspin, being…[Read more]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Dennis mowers are from Guildford. If it was Dennis then it would be more than likely from a gang mower – but surely Dennis would’ve put Dennis on there?

It could be a casting for a more general machine that carried numerous retailers names. Then again I could be wrong!

Any members near Guildford have any thoughts…[Read more]

There are some US images in the VHGMC gallery and a little info on an advert, too.

I’ve had a look and cannot find any old newspaper or article references to Windolph crawlers in the UK.

http://staging.vhgmc.co.uk/photo-galleries/windolph/

There’s an image of the old Honda premises on the Honda-Classics page:

https://www.honda-classics.co.uk/honda-in-the-uk/

I’ve had a look at archive material and the F90 was certainly sold in the UK in the late 1960’s and into the 70’s.

The British Tractor and Farm Machinery Journal in 1968 says it’s a new machine and is “fitted with eight forward and two reverse gears, 2 cylinder 479cc vee-twin 4-stroke overhead-valve unit having an output of 9hp at 3000 rpm. The…[Read more]

To add to the 70 Years of Garden Machinery, the Acre was being demonstrated at shows, in adverts, and being sold certainly in 1948. The price in 1950 was already at £114 (and not mid 1950’s as in 70yogm).

Originally by Wrispin:

Good advice from Trusty220. Have a look at the Simply Bearings website. You can identify bearings and seals etc either by part number or by size matching. A good firm to deal with – others may be available!

A bit more from that thread:

> Aha, thanks, that’s useful to know about the model. Yes I’ve managed to remove the wheel hubs and axle. After that there doesn’t seem to be an obvious way to get at the oil seals – except taking the gear box apart! I guess that’ll be the next challenge

> You should be able to prise the seal out from the outside,…[Read more]

I’ve found a magazine clipping from 1974 and I now think the prototype from 1972 was probably the Lawnbug, at the same time the Dynamark machines were also being sold, it then looks like it was probably followed by Westwood making their own stuff based on Dynamark.

The Westwood-Rockwell mentioned in the clipping was a hedgetrimmer.

Image attached.

Wristpin, you have reminded me of the Dynamark, there’s a photo in the gallery:
Also, after a bit of research I find that Westwood had a prototype ride-on mower in 1972 and they moved to their new larger premises at Plympton in 1973. Was the prototype their own machine or did they opt for an already working design from…[Read more]

Westwood brochure with factory images:

http://staging.vhgmc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Westwood-Tractors-VHGMC.pdf

I just looked up the factory on Google Streetview and it is still there albeit altered and housing different companies. https://goo.gl/maps/Nz4tpa3WjMbD211s6

As far as I know most of the Westwoods seem to be manufactured through the 1980’s although some seem to be much earlier, they were made at their factory in Plympton, Devon. Ransomes acquired Westwood tractors in 1989.
 
I’ll scan and attach the back page of one of the brochures which shows the factory and manufacturing line.