Hello
ODK History Lovers
Catchers - to catch grass - are as old as the lawnmower itself.
Before that, with the hand scythe, folk (women) were employed on wealthy estates
to collect or
'catch' the grass after scything, so that it could be removed from
the lawn. So catchers are not new ...
Rotary mowers that could collect grass were rare in the 1950s, but by 1960 the
expectation for a residential mower was that it would be capable of an
accessorised catcher - a side catcher for side discharge lawnmowers. By 1962,
rear catchers became obligatory for rear discharge lawnmowers.
This article is devoted to the unique
Rover 'Tip-To-Empty' catcher used on
Rover 18", 19" and 21" mowers (as they were introduced) from about 1959.
This metal, side-discharge catcher would be used on Rover mowers for the
following decades - until Rover changed to the new 'plastic' designs.
The interesting thing is this: the original Rover side catcher was designed
by a future competitor of Rover Mowers! The clue was in the patent number ...
TO BE CONTINUED ...