Hi mice_elf, thanks for the reply, interesting reading. I forgot to say in my post that it has the brand Morrison on it, so definitely made in NZ but I can’t find anything on it.
Agreed, it is definitely made in NZ. Try looking HERE..., as this may give you info. on the existing engine. There are also links below on the page, for further reference to it.
This is probably a long shot, but can you tell us what the existing serial number of the mower itself is? [your photos show it but the part of the # that is visible, I can not read] and we can possibly work from there...
Hey there, I’ve taken a couple of pics re serial number on body but it doesn’t really help. The foil label seems too “modern” for the age of the mower ? The hubcaps on the wheels have a mercedes benz type logo on them. Cant find any numbers on the engine but it probably is a d400, not sure its original or not. Thanks for the help.
Yes looks like an early seventies or late sixties Masport with a D400 2 stroke motor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-400_engine#:~:text=The%20D%2D400%20series%20engine,for%20Lawn%2DBoy%20and%20Masport.
The later D400 motor has a plastic air filter housing and plastic flywheel cover and earlier D400 motors have the recoil starter on top of the flywheel.
Hi Max Thanks for your input but its definitely not a Masport ! I would date it late fifties and it is branded Morrison. Also has a steel body and a unique height adjustment setup (you can see it in my first post) I think it has had a later Iron Horse motor put on it at some stage.
Yes Morrison is correct ,I just call them Masport as Masport took over Morrison in 1986
I've got a couple bases the same one branded Scott Bonnar but both Morrison
I don't think it would be late fifties., my Scott Bonnar has the same wheels.
It does look like your motor was changed or just the cowl but wheels look later than fifties on your mower.
1960s-1970s: As global mower manufacturers started to innovate, cross-tread tires began to appear more widely by the late 1960s and early 1970s, both in the U.S. and in Australia. This was driven by improvements in traction, durability, and maneuverability for mowers.
So, while cross-tread tires appeared a bit earlier in the U.S., they likely became common in Australia by the late 1960s as well, though not necessarily across all brands or models immediately. There would have been a mix of straight-tread and cross-tread models during the transition period.
