The Sidewheel Pushmower and the Rear Catcher

The invention of the side-wheel reel mower by Follows and Bate in 1869 was the next big
step in mower production and grass collection. The side-wheels enabled much lower production costs.
These machines became incredibly popular because they could be sold at a much cheaper price.
[They democratized the mower in the sense that many working class folk could afford one.]

Most importantly, the side wheel design offered a new possibility in grass collection.
The first model Follows and Bate, the Climax, introduced a rear catcher.
By having no large roller behind the cutting reel, grass could naturally flow over a very small
deflector integrated into the bottom blade holder (or sole plate) and be lifted into a rear grass catcher.

I include an illustration from the UK's definitive Old Lawnmower Club website illustrating
the rear catcher design of an early Follows & Bate Climax mower.

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Construction
Early catchers were made of wood or a wood/metal combination.
That did not make for the lightest, most durable, or most easily produced solution.
Manufacturers embraced an old material ... fabric: canvas could not only be used to paint a masterpiece
or to set sail, it could also be used for the humble grass catcher.

Here I think late 19th Century, but certainly by the early 20th Century, canvas catchers were commonly
offered as accessories on side-wheel push reel mowers. Cheap to make - and durable - with a thin
metal base for added strength, the fabric catcher was offered as an alternative to the conventionally
mounted wood, metal/wood, or metal catcher. Some catchers were after-market accessories,
as in the Snap-Grip canvas catcher shown below.

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