Hi Everyone,
Firstly, thanks for a great Forum - it's been a source of very valuable information for me so far. My story starts with the intention of finding an old Series Land Rover to restore. I found one, but with COVID restrictions, I couldn't go and see it and someone else was the lucky buyer. Anyway, I don't have a workshop (yet) and got to thinking that a car was a significant restoration project and probably too much for me just now. So I thought about an old motorbike instead - even though I don't have a full motorbike licence... But I'm very keen on old engines, and realised that for me, at the moment, old lawnmowers are a perfect way for me to restore old machinery and not take on too big a project.
Some time ago, at an auction room, I saw a very old reel mower in quite poor condition. I always thought it would have made a fascinating project. I'm not sure what it was, but it didn't become mine and has long since moved on. Then, a couple of weeks ago, another reel mower came up at the same auction rooms, this time a Morrison. I couldn't inspect it because all auctions are being conducted online only at the moment, but I knew I just had to get that mower. And I did.
I had no idea what condition it was in until it was delivered, but I was expecting and planning to do a full nuts and bolts restoration. Before the auction, I read articles on ODK by CyberJack and others about the history of the old Morrisons, and was amazed by the amount of information out there that people are very kindly sharing (thanks heaps everyone!). Anyway, the mower arrived, and I was completely surprised with its condition. It's left me a little intrigued to say the least.
Firstly, the mower is complete, including catcher. It's covered in a thick coat of dust (sitting around somewhere for a very long time, by the looks) and is mounted on a small stand with special brackets that have been carefully made to ensure none of the mower actually touches the stand. And it looks like it's never been used. I know that sounds odd, but the blades are fully covered in paint (even the cutting edges), there's no dents or other wear in the blades, there's no evidence of use on the steel roller, there's no oily buildup on the exhaust outlet, and there's none of the wear and tear you'd expect on a well-loved old mower.
I started to think maybe this was an original shop display item, but the stand has fake turf on it. Fake turf wasn't really available until the 70s/80s, so that suggested the stand wasn't original. The other curious aspect is that it's missing all its decals. It was becoming hard for me to decide whether to do the full restoration I had planned, or whether to clean it up and get it running well, get some new decals and leave it with its old patination. I know there's people solidly in favour of each of those two scenarios, so I was thinking I'd get some thoughts from others on the best approach to take.
I've since done some closer inspection. I found the serial number, which is A1006. It's been lightly punched in, but it's clear enough to read. I don't know whether it's an Australian made or NZ made mower, and I don't know if the serial number helps in that regard, although the number 1006 does seem very low. I also found that there is evidence to suggest this machine might have had a complete restoration many, many years ago - perhaps in the 70s or 80s when the fake turf was available for the stand. Maybe that's when it was first put on a stand. A full restoration would also explain the missing decals - we can get new replacements today thanks to ebay, but they probably weren't available back when the possible restoration was done.
So it seems to me that whatever story this mower has to tell, it was clearly important enough to someone to have it put on a stand (and possible fully restored when it wouldn't have been that old). It's clearly been sitting around gathering dust for a very, very long time, so now I'm thinking maybe I will do a full restoration after all. Get it back into as-new condition and give it some decals (if only I knew whether I should order the Australian or the NZ decals), and get it back to how the previous owner wanted it to look.
Overall, a fantastic introduction to vintage mowers for me. Full of intrigue, and I feel a responsibility to do it justice and bring out its best qualities. I think it's an important example of the Morrisons, and it's already given a lot more than I thought I was bidding for at the auction. I've posted some photos below. I've got a lot more detail photos (let me know if you have any interest in seeing them) and I will post updates as I find out more and get on with the cleanup and restoration.
Cheers,
Sean
