PART FIVE - Conversion Kits

The idea of the conversion kit for manual push mowers probably originated in
America. As motors (petrol & electric) became lighter, smaller and cheaper, many companies
offered conversion kits for manual mowers. Some companies here did offer this service.

I do not believe that the Ladybird Kit sold on our shores, the obvious reason being
that their kits were designed to fit popular British makes that were much less popular here.
We had our own manufacturers that were offering cheaper 'hybrid' mowers (essentially push mowers
with petrol or electric motor designs).

The Ladybird Kit
Here the company is Ladybird Appliances Ltd., trading from Molly Millers Lane, Wokingham, Berkshire.
The kit was designed to fit many British manual push mowers - the Webbs, Ransomes, Qualcasts and the like.
Of particular note in the advertisement reproduced below is the AC/DC motor 'geared down through a train
of nylon gears.'

These images courtesy of The Vintage Horticultural & Garden Machinery Club

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Here is a typical Ladybird electric conversion. This one is on a Ransomes Ajax push mower.
These kits were still being offered in the 1970s:-

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