OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories UK & EUROPEAN Rotary Models FARMFITTERS - Versatiller - c1957

Hello ODK History Lovers

The British firm Farmfitters Ltd made the most unusual machines.
Their purpose-built rotaries appear not to have sold here, but their cultivators
(residential tillers) appear to have found a niche market.

The Varsatiller was a 'versatile' tiller that permitted attachments for other
functions, including a lawnmower and saw blade.

They were not unusual in this ...
with Landmaster's Gardenmaster, Rotary Hoe of England's Little Digger, The
British Shay's RotoGardener, Australia's Vinco Blitz, and NZ's Morrison and
Masport's Home Gardener, all taking a slice of the emerging consumer market
in residential cultivators.

These machines were always a compromise in function, but they did gain some
popularity post-WWII, before the more stringent safety considerations of the
1960s. These restrictions certainly did not ban tillers, but guards around
many accessories made them problematic - and moved many of the accessories
into 'specialist', 'experienced' user products.




The Versatiller appears to have been made on these shores under some sort of licence agreement.

PART TWO - Specification
Farmfitters Limited, of Gerrards Cross, Bucks (Buckinghamshire), clearly made
a number of small cultivators that went through various marks or versions.

The first versions (Marks 1 & 2) are probably the most collectable - in that a
'special' 2-stroke engine - one made by the famous Vincent Company
(of motorcycle fame).

Note the large, thin wheels and the direct drive shaft to a worm-drive unit
(for the cultivator). Accessories could be attached to the basic unit - via a
bevel-gear drive - for powering a saw or mower.



Source: http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Farmfitters

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Here are some photos from the My Old Machine forums.
Source: http://myoldmachine.com/

Note the highly-finned Vincent 2-stroke engine; the mower attachment on
the LH machine; the fibreglass cover on the RH machine, and the flex-drive
hedge trimmer attachment. Brilliant!





TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Mower Attachment
The mower attachment would be quite rare in that it was an accessory.
However a couple have shown up in recent years in Australia. This one, from ODK,
shows the bevel-drive unit. Note that this had a 'toe-cutter' base with primitive
height adjustment. The cutting width is clearly less than 18".



SOURCE: https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=27171



TO BE CONTINUED ...