OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Old Mower Pictures NZ Rotary c1950s - Who can tell me what this is?

Hey all,

After ending up with a fair amount of old mowers and engines, I thought I'd join the forum to get some help with identifying this old mower, and to show off some of my other mowers. I bought it the other day, but I've never seen anything like it! The base is not rusty, and it feels like aluminium, but it's magnetic. After trawling through countless websites and images I have not seen anything close to this old girl. It's running an iron horse with a Masport shroud, but I know it's anything but Masport!!! It does however have, what looks like Masport handlebars. When I purchased it, someone in the questions and answers section suggested it was a "speediescythe", but I have found no evidence of this brand!

The base has no markings anywhere on what it could possibly be. Maybe it had a sticker that is now long gone?

The Iron Horse (D501) will most likely have to come off and be used on another mower when I get around to repairing it, as the aluminium engine mount has cracked, rendering the engine bolt useless (hence the wood to hold the engine up!). I have plans to use a 1967 Briggs, with a like new engine block and internals.






Any help would be much appreciated.
-Jack

I know that it's a D-400 engine
Mine is on a Masport Vulcan.... The Lawnboy is the USA model, also found in NZ

Some info, click below

[color:#FF0000][size:14pt]D 400[/size][/color]

Hello jackeo and SD

Jackeo, a warm welcome to these forums.
It is always great to hear from NZ enthusiasts.

I do not know the maker of this intriguing chassis of yours.
This will not prevent me from offering some thoughts.

[1] I totally agree that this machine cannot be a Masport, but
a previous tenant has - at least - put a Masport cowling on it.

I actually have a copy of a Premier 2 instruction book:-



The chassis does not fit any known Masport model in my records.

[2] I do not believe the chassis is from any AUS manufacturer, and I
guess the question is, what are the possibilities...?

[3] The chassis presents as from the 1960s, because of its more
sophisticated discharge port, styling, and alloy casting.
The problem is that the height adjustment is quite primitive for that era.

Even Masport's first model - the 1955 Rotacut - had levers on each wheel.
So to see a design that requires tools to unbolt each wheel and move
them up or down in a few defined slots, is crude indeed.

NZ vintage mower history is more rich than has been recorded, and I have
been researching your early mowers - Ajax, BRM, Brown, Crowe,
Hansen Heco, Ivory Bros Rotomoa, KIng Fisher, Macalister,
Monro, Morrison, Ryan Speediescythe, Steelfort Eng, Tru-Bilt, Victory, Vulcan, etc.
I cannot match your chassis to any of these early makers.

[4] The incongruity between the '60s styling and '50s height adjustment
lead me to believe two possibilities:
(a) it's a 'utility mower' designed for rough work, rather than
being a residential lawnmower. It could have been made by a small, unidentified
NZ maker on that basis.
(b) a more favorable view is that this mower is, perhaps,
an import from the USA - who persevered with these primitive height adjusters
long after AUS and NZ.

These are just my thoughts. You have given us an intriguing lawnmower
to ponder and keep on record.

Hope this helps.
------------------------
Jack

Hi CyberJack and SD,

Thanks very much for your imput on identifying this old mower! It is very much appreciated. Whilst I still do not know of the maker I would like to pregress with a restoration.

I think i'll make a thread in the restoration section, but for now I have a few pictures of the mower in its current state. I stripped it down today, removing the iron horse to find a damaged base mount and broken muffler stud. I'm glad the engine is designed this way (able to be detached from the base), as it will make for an easy swap onto my rotacut.

I feel that I don't want to use an iron horse on this mower as I am more experienced in working with briggs engines, and I prefer the 4 stroke design over a 2 stroke, although my FS80 trimmer and rotacut are 2 stroke machines, and I love using them!

I also think that the Briggs has a more authentic look over the iron horse, as classic american units from the late 50s and early 60s had this engine. The Briggs has a brand new shortblock, with no more than, i'd say an hour on it! I have a full set of decals ready to go, too.

The Masport aluminium adapter plate bolts right up to the body and the Briggs fits nicely. I suppose there will be a bit of extra weight to move around with this powerplant!

After looking at the body closer, and removing all 4 wheels, it appears that there is one pinhole of rust. Should be an easy enough fix.

I found that the base is constructed of pressed steel, but has been galvanized.

Here are the pictures!

-Jack

Hello jackeo21

That is interesting new information.
A pressed steel base with a high skirt would be beyond the reach
of a small manufacturer.

Of note is the total lack of any safety skirts underneath!
I revise my dating to the 1950s, unknown maker, probably a USA lawnmower...

Any idea on the proposed base colour ... cream with red engine?

Thanks for the update.
--------------------------
Jack

Hi CyberJack,

I would say that this mower was never painted from the factory! I can't find a single trace of paint anywhere on the body, but the galvanizing pattern is very clear. The masport wheels it has are red in colour - maybe they replaced the originals? Or maybe they are the originals!

If it dates back as far as the 50s, it might have come with a C-12 Iron Horse? Which I would imagine are blue or red in colour. There is a small cutout in the frame to accommodate for the exhaust on an iron horse so i'd say that an iron horse was the original motor for the frame.

This thing is very heavily pitted underneath. The top appears to be pretty good. I have applied a coat of rust neutralizer, and I'm currently using a 3 step rust prevention method on the underside to give it life for years to come.

I'm unsure of the original wheels this old girl could have come with. They would be no bigger than the ones it has on it now, which I presume are masport as they are identical to the ones on my rotarolas and rotocuts. Unfortunatley, I used up all of my wheel bushings on my rotacut so I have no more left for these wheels! Any idea where I could get some of those small, plastic wheel bushings? Would be much appreciated.

Forgot to mention that I did the lawn with it before it was dismantled. It does a good job, but it certainly needs a new blade! It's a 16" blade.

Cheers,
-Jack

G'day jackeo21

A Possible Breakthrough
In all its simplicity, this is an interesting project.
I can't say I have met a gal. finished base before.
And the symmetrical shape with the decorative pressed patterns
make it also look like an old - but lovable - kitchen sink!

AS I said, a manufacturer that had capacity for deep steel pressings.
This turned out to be the vital clue ...

I believe I have a manufacturer for you ... H.J. Ryan & Company.

�Speediecut Motor and Electric Lawnmowers, Grinders and Polishing Buffs,
Heel Tips and Toe Plates, Small Tools and Dies, Metal Stampings and Pressings.�
Directors: J S Ryan (Manager), W H Ryan, E Ryan
[Source: Who�s Who of Business, 1948.]

Ryan's purchased a site in 1954, off May Road, Mt. Roskill, where a spacious,
modern factory of 35,000 sq. ft. was erected.

In one lucky photo find of that company's factory we have a workman
operating a large finishing machine:-


Note how the pressing has the same unique decorative ribbing pattern?
I believe (and have argued) that Ryan's made NZ's first rotary mower,
the Speediescythe. They also made reel mowers - the Speediecut(s).

It would appear that the machine in the photo is clipping (shearing) the excess
metal from round the base. Finished bases are in the background. To be done
bases in the foreground. Amazing!

I date your machine to the late 1950s.
It was probably sold under Ryan's trade name 'Ryko'.
It would have been, I guess, an 'entry-level' lawnmower.

Your initial post in this topic mentioned 'Speediescythe' but
I discounted it at that time - as it was not like the first models.

I am glad you are spending time to conserve this rare machine.
And we now have a name for your lost mower: A Ryko Speediescythe!

---------------------
Jack

Those were the days hey! Pudding basin haircuts and not a bit of safety gear in sight. No glasses, no hearing protection or hard hat. I reckon that machine is a bit big for a shear Jack, it may be a stage two press because you might notice the ones on the floor have no hole for the engine yet. The safety screen for the operator is currently in the up position so I think he is loading a blank into the press to have the hole punched through, and probably trim the edges at the same time.

That is so good aussietrev!

I didn't notice the haircut. Brilliant!
I didn't notice the other clues either!!
Thanks for the profession observations mate. It makes sense to me.
Maybe this is the engine base cutout press?

It may be this was a 'stage two press' for the second stage.
I'm embarrassing myself now ...

Cheers
---------------
Jack

CyberJack -- I cannot thank you enough for being able to identify such an old mower. That picture is awesome too!
I have to agree with aussietrev on the machine/press.

I have just discovered something to do with wheels. On TradeMe (our auction site), there is a rare "Ryko SpeedieScooter", which looks really neat and is actually quite tempting, but the thing that stood out were its wheels. They have the same small round pins and same shaped wheel bushings as a set of wheels that I have! They're even the same colour - white. Therefore I believe that I have a set of original wheels for a Speediescythe! If that's the case, we can now identify the wheel colour as being white.

On the left is a masport wheel that the mower came with, and on the right is what I presume to be - a speediescythe wheel. It has a very similar bracket on the back, too.





I just discovered an old advertisement on the web from an old newspaper in wellington, printed in 1960. There are a few things to look at here:



Looking at the list of models that were up for sale, I believe mine falls under "16in. SPEEDIESCYTHE ROTARY 2-STROKE", as it is the only 16" speediescythe, with only one engine option.

Also notice all of the other models that were available - an 18" with a 2 or a 4 stroke as an option. I presume the 4 stroke option would have been a Briggs 6BH, which as you may know were a 2HP built in the late 50s, before the standard 60000 and 80000 models.

Would the reel mower pictured be an early lawnmaster?

But it was this second article that got me excited!



The handle bars are identical to the ones that I have on the speediescythe. These are brown in colour with red hand grips.

The mower on the picture is likely the advertised 14" model. The guy I purchased the speediescythe has this mower also!! It's got wooden front rollers and some type of 2 stroke engine. I plan to purchase this if it is still available. Maybe it's closer to being the first rotary mower here in New Zealand?? If I were to purchase the mower i'm sure it would further develop everybody's knowledge of the ryko brand.

The speediescythe has the first stage of the 3 step primer now applied. I can't afford to let it rust any further!!

-Jack

G'day Jack

Well, all very good news there.
Ryans had a Scooter Department at the factory - so they would have sold
quite a few of those.



What is not explained is the big design difference between your direct
drive rotary and the early belt drive designs. Perhaps yours is a
Speediescythe 16: Light ...

A note on engines.
The belt drives used JAP c80 engines.
In Australia, the first vert shaft Briggs used was an 8 Series,
appearing in 1960 - https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/76724/Briggs_81700_-_Wind-up_Starter.html

You can see Speediescythes in the flesh - including one fitted with a Briggs 8 Series.
Mount Bruce Pioneer Museum:-
I think the RH mower is a Ryco too. Note it is painted.

Source: Alan Mattingly

Central Hawkes Bay Settlers Museum:-

Source: Alan Mattingly

Yes, that is an early Steelfort Lawnmaster.
They sold in Australia, and had a 'true' dual drive - with independent
clutches for reel and landroll. The downside was the high C.O.G., due
to the large plate clutches being mounted below the engine.

Here is a 1970s version of it (that I owned):-


As I understand it, Steelfort is the last NZ mower maker to still
manufacture mowers in NZ.

Thanks for keeping us informed as to progress.
I hope to have two new forums up in this History Forum - Models -
this year. Then we can start to record the NZ makes.

p.s. a note on the dating of your machine.
I have said it probably belongs to the late 1950s, but I base
that on how AUS rotaries developed.

NZ never had a 'toecutter' base like the Victa and other AUS makes.
NZ residential mowers had safer machines with side skirts. This
may explain the slower development of secondary safety skirts
underneath (that appeared here in the late 1950s). If that is so,
then your machine could easily come from the early 1960s.

Cheers
---------------
Jack