Standard paint from Ransomes or an add on?
Ransomes in yellow.
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Yes agree looks more like
Yes agree looks more like 'Canary' Yellow than Ransomes Yellow & in fact the artist does appear to be in Lancashire!
I have certainly no reference to any highlighting in either yellow or red, but no doubt re-painted to be more of a 'Garden Ornament' than a show machine, & somewhat over priced.
Overpriced at 45 quid? The
Overpriced at 45 quid? The other thing I've noticed on a few ajax mowers are the brass knobs to adjust the cylinder as I believe the Certes has. From the handles that looks like an early ajax and the 2 Mk5s I have are a nut and bolt affair.
I'm know push mower designer but the 1st thing i would put on my etcher scetch would be thumb turns for cylinder and height adjustment.
Yes as there are so many Mk 3
Yes as there are so many Mk 3,4 & 5's around I think it is expensive, I have a Mk 1 Ajax 1930's quite original that I would be happy to sell fo that figure.
Ajax prices. I too was
Ajax prices. I too was surprised at Clive’s comment . Regardless of Mk, we could ask and get £60 for any Ajax with a tidy box , sharpened and serviced , in working clothes. Stand one near the showroom door and gentlemen of a certain age relived their younger years.
Without wanting to stray too
Without wanting to stray too far from the original question I would agree with Clive. Any market is fundamentally governed by supply and demand. It's all down to research ( as I may have mentioned before ) and experience. My weekly localish deadstock auction regularly sells ' old mowers '. It's not unusual to find a usable Ajax for £5-10, often with a ' lesser ' machine thrown in. Clearly if one wants a machine for serious professional use then work/money will be required to bring up to optimum performance. For most practical purposes however some tlc is all that's really needed.
It's useful to remember that there is a whole world going on out there outside of eBay. Looking at that source though, during the last few months something over 100 Ajax's have been sold between £1 odd and £295. Many more have been listed but not sold, for various reasons no doubt.
I have been collecting machines of interest for over 25 years and have no doubt that prices have dropped. This may not be a continuing trend but the reasons are a subject for another time and place.
Here's one I'm currently conserving :
This is for a mk. 3 ; Late King George VIth. transfer. I think we could produce this for the Club Shop if anyone is interested.
Spot on Stonethemows!
Spot on Stonethemows!
Regarding the brass adjustment knob question - I think this was only used on MK1-Mk3 and was later replaced by a nut, but I am not an expert on Ransomes Ajax models. Certainly the MK4 and MK5 variants I have handled didn't have it.....unless it was swapped at a later date. On some models "enthusiasts" have replaced the nuts with brass wing nuts.
Tony
It appears the brass
It appears the brass adjusters may well have only been fitted to the Mk3, just checked various parts list/catalogues, curiously the Astral often regarded as the 'Super Ajax' being 14in & filling the gap between the Ajax & Certes, was being produced during the same period as the Mk3 Ajax & had similar adjusters???
Were the adjusters changed due to a pricing issue, or possibly defective??
Interesting replies, now I
Interesting replies, now I have more reading to do on another subject, the Astral. I believe the ajax is probably the right size mower for my 60m2 lawn, but wanted the Certes because it's rare and an excellent mower. Now the Astral I wasnt aware of and with a 14 inch cut may be perfect. I know they made a certes in 14 inch but I've found no info on them let alone seen even a part for sale.
Not original, I think. All
Not original, I think. All mine are the same colour as the background.