OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AUSTRALIAN Power Reel Models NEW MOON MOWER - c1924

Hello ODK History Lovers,

This post is about an important, though unrecognised, mower in Australian vintage mower history.
It's the New Moon reel mower and it dates from the 1920s.

Context:-
I found a few advertisements for the New Moon by accident (as usual) and they were a
real surprise. Its name "New Moon" and the ad copy made me immediately think ... USA.
[Americans were always into snake oil and New-Age experiences].

Then . . . I looked at the ad. - it said on the tank, 'Sydney'!
What I initially identified as a Villiers engine proved completely wrong.
The mower and its engine were Australian!

Was this our first petrol-powered mower?

I wrote in late 2013 this:
Australian engine researcher and historian Eric Schulz identified the machine (from a 1925 magazine)
as having been made by Lark, Parkes & Co Ltd, Sydney. The company claimed that they built the engine
themself, only the carburettor and magneto were imported. Apparently, it had a 300 - 5000 rpm range.

Here are the pictures from that 1925 magazine article:-




All very interesting.
--------------------------------------
JACK

PART TWO - THE EARLY ADVERTISEMENTS:-

The earliest advertisement I have found dates from 1925, and the mower is advertised by
the then famous John Danks & Son of Pitt Street, Sydney - a major retailer. Of special
note is that the mower is advertised as a New Moon, suggesting that this was the brand name
given to it by Lark, Parkes & Company. Here is the relevant (cropped) part of that ad.:-



Two features are worth mentioning here. The first is "strength and lightness". The photograph (above) and
illustrated ads.(below)strongly suggest a frame made of aluminium! For the mid-1920s that's amazing; the
only other manufacturer using alloy for a power mower at that time was J&P Engineering of Leicester, England.

The second feature is the 'special attachment' accessory that "will cut grass up to 12in. in length."
One can only speculate what attachment could do that! These machines were made in 14in. and 21in. variants.

THE 1928-1929 Advertisements:-
I have found about a dozen ads. dating from 1928 and 1929. Here two distinct models are presented:
The original Type A reel/roller and the Type B sidewheel power mower. It is confirmed in the
advertising copy that the Type A did use an aluminium and steel frame.

Here are representative advertisements:-



Again, two features are worthy of note. The first is that the reel could be removed for servicing
without dismantling the frame; the second is the 'safety clutch' that prevented damage to the reel and
bottom blade from shocks, such as stones, etc.

After 1930, the New Moon disappears.
First, was this the first purpose-built Australian lawnmower engine?
Second, this was an advanced machine for its day - alloy frame, safety clutch, and
quick reel removal. I wonder what happened to the wonderful New Moon and its creators?

All very interesting.
----------------------------------------
JACK

PART THREE - THE NEW MOON RISES

I guess it must be serendipity that an owner of a New Moon Model A contacted me recently,
saying he had one of these rare lawnmowers!

It is amazing that the machine has probably been in the one family right from when it left
the showroom floor ... 3 generations! The current owner 'Jim of Melbourne' told me his grandfather
had the machine at Strathfield, Sydney, where it was used to cut the tennis court.

Jim has been most helpful in supplying information and photographs of the mower for this
important vintage mower record.

THE MACHINE
The little 14 inch machine is in original condition and is largely intact of its components.
It has had a hard life, but not bad for an 85+ year old veteran.




THE NAME PLATE
The big surprise for Jim was the uncovering of the manufacturer's nameplate on the fuel tank,
hidden by a thick layer of light green enamel paint for many decades. Jim thinks it was very
close to the paint his father painted their house in Pymble when they lived in Sydney . . .
He figured Dad was just 'preserving' the plate.

The mower has a name plate attached to the fuel tank. I could only make out parts of two words
'New' and 'Gas'. The rest of the writing had worn away with time. Anyway, I decided to brush off
some of the grime and you can imagine my delight when the old words started to appear! I didn't
think to take a 'before' shot, but I took one part way through.




The two things of note about the plate are the quite distinctive font on the make. The other is
the confirmation that this was one of the Albion Street machines, the final address, when the
company traded as P.F. Lark & Company.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - NEW MOON ENGINE

Jim's photos are proof positive that Australia was making a small air-cooled engine suitable
for lawnmowers in the early 1920s. Prosper Frederick Lark, engineer, built his own engine,
using imported ignition and carburetion ancillaries. Start was by hand crank.



The engine presents as a typical air-cooled loop-scavenge design of about 120cc or so. . The carburettor
is of the Villiers make and looks to be period original and correct with a single lever. I do not doubt
that the air intake is original in all its un-filtered simplicity. The air must have been cleaner back then ...



When one looks at the original photo of the engine in Part One, it is clear that the
most obvious change was in the ignition arrangement. The original design had an external
magneto mounted below the crankcase!

This engine has cast into the crankcase 'The New Moon No.,' and 'Sydney Model M6'.
It now has a Villiers Flywheel Magneto which, at that time, would have been quite a new feature.
The dust cover is missing but the holding clips are still in situ. The muffler appears to be a
fabricated replacement.

Of particular note is the spring arrangement on the PTO side. Its function is described in the
advertisement in Part Two as a 'Safety Clutch' to prevent damage should stones, etc., be picked
up when cutting the grass. I guess it must have failed ...



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FIVE - THE CHASSIS & FRAME

I made the point in Part Two that this lawnmower was quite advanced for its day.
The use of aluminium frame was most uncommon on early powered mowers. This provided strength
with the necessary lightness; given that this machine was not self-propelled. The frame was
braced by steel tubing and the handle is of all steel tube construction, another uncommon
feature for the day.

The landroll is comprised of two large diameter rollers, thus providing a full differential action
for manoeuvrability and turning. Ball bearings were used - wherever necessary - and the cutting reel has
six blades of heat-treated steel, riveted to four cast spider brackets.

In the photographs below note how the manufacturer's name and model are cast into the frame.
The serial number appears to be a three digit number.




SIGNIFICANCE

Many years ago I set myself the task of finding out who made our first Australian lawnmowers.
While the jury is still out on who our first lawnmower manufacturer was, I believe that the
Lark, Parkes Company (and then P.F. Lark and Company) made our first truly Australian power lawnmower in 1924.

As such, this is a highly significant machine that should be regarded as important as the very first
Australian rotary, the electric Tecnico, and the great populariser of that type, the first petrol Victas.

The challenge now is whether Australian institutions (such as the Powerhouse Museum) and the history books
start recording the role played by Prosper Frederick Lark and his New Moon mowers.

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

FIRST MODEL NEW MOON
LARK, PARKES COMPANY



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