G'day
MaxThanks for correcting my misunderstanding about the catcher.
The
ODK site is so large it's hard to recognise all pages here.

Great advances have been made in the last few years to improve
searchability. But it is a never-ending story of maintenance.
Friction drives have proven themselves and are historically important.
I mean,
gang mowers, for example, were the 1920s invention that enabled
larger areas of grass to be cut!

Thank you
friction.
I guess my focus was on friction drives on
pedestrian machines.
It was the Snapper walk-behinds that most impressed me.
The
Snapper Ride-ons in your images bring back memories.
Their sophisticated friction drive and reduction box made the
Rover
Ranger look ... very old indeed.
Since c1970s, the friction drive has become increasingly outdated.
Hydraulic drive, aircraft cable drive, and now electric motor drive are
all eclipsing the friction drive. But friction drives still remain - and
are the cheapest option in many cases [example: belt drive systems].
Yes, my understanding is that the rare Mobilco ride-on was a North American
Ariens
Emperor made under licence here.
Cheers
Max---------------------------
Jack