OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Machine Histories THE SYDNEY MACHINES - c1911

Hello ODK History Lovers

In a previous post I discussed the first power mowers in Australia.
I said that it appeared that the first machine was bought privately and went to the
Royal Sydney Golf Club at some date prior to 1908. The first public machine was delivered
to the Adelaide City Council in mid to late 1908.

Here I would like to discuss my research into the next machines, bought, I believe,
by the Sydney public authorities. I was alerted to clues in an article titled,
"The Passing of the Horse" that appeared in The Sunday Times (Sydney) of February 25th,
1912 [full article as attachment below].

That lengthy feature article was not nostalgic at all. It pointed out not only
the benefits of the motor vehicle in terms of practicality, but also in the stark terms
of the accountant's bottom line - the motor was cheaper to run than the horse and cart.

The article also observed that the use of the engine extended well beyond transport,
private, and commercial vehicles: -

"The City Council and the Botanical Gardens authorities go further than wheeled motor vehicles,
for they have, in good working order, MOTOR GRASS MOWERS which are auto propelled."

Here is a picture of a Sydney City Council machine taken from that article:-



So, the 'smaller' machine was successfully being used in parks. Who manufactured it?
If this was the smaller machine, what was the 'larger' machine? Was it used at the
Royal Sydney Botanic Gardens? I set myself the task to answer these questions.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO

The walk-behind reel mower was huge and, looking at the news photo, would have been 30 or 36 inch.
The poor quality photo did contain sufficient detail and features to conclusively identify the machine.

It was water cooled with a small radiator mounted in front of the large water tank.
The fuel tank is the smaller one behind it. It had various engine controls on the right - throttle,
choke, advance-retard, etc. There was a clutch control wheel on the left.

There was a unique grass box 'delivery apparatus' on the left side, whereby the operator would
hand crank a lever and chain system to empty the catcher. A wash plate would push the grass
sideways and out the side of the catcher - all without leaving the handlebars!

This was a Green's Patent 30in. Motor Lawn Mower.
Here are details of a similar machine from my 1910 Catalogue:-




But what about the larger machine? I had no photograph in the article that could give me a clue.
Was it a Green's too? I then made a lucky, separate discovery.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE

The ride-on machine was more difficult to track down and identify.
I found a couple of articles (from March and June, 1912) that referenced the use of
lawnmowers at the Sydney Botanic Gardens. The second article mentions a machine that was,
"provided with seating accommodation for the driver."





THE LUCKY FINDS

I found an article and a photograph from two separate sources.
The first - the article - from the Sydney Morning Herald, described the ride-on as,
"the first motor-propelled lawn mower used in Australia is now to be seen in the Botanical Gardens."



I have written in another posting (link below) that the assertion that this was the first
powered mower in Australia cannot be true; although it could be the first of its type.

The second lucky find - the photograph - came from the State Library of NSW.
Taken in June of 1913, it depicted a lawnmower that did provide "seating accommodation" and
... a couple of vital clues.



SOURCE:-
For a larger image: http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=203176#



The vital clues, for me, were the club-chair-like operator's seat and tool box that extend
well behind the operator. Also, there appeared to be two tanks, for fuel and water.
It was, best guess, a Green's Patent 42" lawnmower. These large and heavy machines were made
in 30, 36, and 42 inch sizes.

This, of course, will only be a best guess (because of the poor quality photo).
I do think, though, that it does make a lot of sense that the Sydney City Council would order
machines from the one maker - Thomas Green and Sons of Leeds and London. I also believe that
it is highly likely that the Council had prior dealings with this firm through the other products
they manufactured ... road rollers, engines and the like.

Here is my 1910 Catalogue specification of the largest machine:-

PART FOUR - Another Lucky Find

Luck has been on my side in identifying the Sydney Botanic Gardens ride-on.
A 2014 article published in Sydney's Daily Telegraph confirmed my opinion that the
machine was, indeed, a Greens mower.

The article detailed a photographic exhibition of rare photographs of the Gardens,
taken by amateur and professional photographers, that form part of that institution's
archive.

I found it amusing that one of the photos depicted cannabis plants that used to be
grown and displayed there; but the exciting find was the lawnmower photograph:-



The Article
It is well-worthwhile to have a read of that article HERE.

UPDATE 27/04/15
I contacted the Royal Sydney Botanic Gardens about this photograph.
They kindly supplied me with a larger, un-cropped image of the machine.
They also confirmed the date of the photo: 1911 (not 1900 as in the Telegraph article).

I attach a larger copy of the 1911 photograph below.

FIRST MOTOR MOWER IN AUSTRALIA



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Simply create a topic in the Old Soap Box HERE.

The rest is history.
-----------------------------
JACK.