OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AUSTRALIAN Reel Hand-Mowers CAMBRIDGE Reel Mower - c1940

Hello ODK history lovers,
This is a story and there are stories within stories.

This first part is the story of the Cambridge Push Reel Mower
as sold across Australia by a number of companies from the
1940s to the mid-1950s.

The Cambridge was a ‘traditional’ side-wheel mower but with
one significant difference: it had a unique feature that permitted
the direction of the reel to be quickly reversed for blade sharpening.



In advertising it was described as a “revolutionary self-sharpening mower”.
That would be somewhat true …

The mechanism permitted the reel rotation to be reversed,
enabling manual backlapping of the reel and bedknife.

The thing is that it is not clear who actually made the mower.
There is clear evidence that the Cambridge was made by the
`Cambridge Lawnmower Company’ of Sydney, but I have little
evidence of that company. There are other clues, though …

In any case, it was rewarding to identify the actual inventor
and his patents for this novel lawnmower.

TO BE CONTINUED …