MOWER OF THE MONTH
Number Forty Two
GREENS MASTER LIGHTWEIGHT MOTOR MOWER
The Greens Master Lightweight Motor Mower (LMM) was a popular machine during
the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed for use as a domestic mower on
medium sized lawns. Greens claimed that the mower could cut up to quarter of an
acre an hour and that "all who see this popular motor mower want it!"
The Master LMM was initially only available in 14" cutting width but a
17" version was added in 1954. The design was the last successful motor
mower produced by Greens before the company became part of the Hawker Siddeley
Group in 1960. The price of the mower in 1949 was £36-0-0 plus "purchase
tax", a forerunner of VAT.
The design of the Master LMM was typical of many motor mowers of the period.
The frame was made of plate steel for strength, low cost and ease of
manufacture. The engine was the same 98cc Villiers two stroke unit that was used
on so many powered machines during the 1940s and 50s. It was supported on cross
members between the two side frames. Much of the engine, along with the drive
shafts and clutch were hidden by a sheet steel cover that kept the operator's
hands away from moving parts and added to the streamlined appearance of the
mower. Safety was becoming more of a concern for manufacturers and the chains at
the side of the mower were also hidden underneath a steel cover.
For simplicity there were only two controls, one to operate the throttle and
one the clutch. A "kick start" mechanism allowed the mower to be
started while standing in the operating position holding the handles. This
arrangement had been tried in the 1930s by a few manufacturers and was the
preferred method for starting a mower during the 1950s by many of the leading
producers. By the end of the decade it had been superseded by the rope or pull
start that is still in use today.
Another unusual design feature was the removable cutting cylinder. This aided
maintenance because a blunt or damaged unit could be swapped for a new one in a
few minutes and mowing could continue without waiting for a new part to be
supplied. This idea was pioneered by a small number of manufacturers in the
1930s and 40s but was then forgotten as the cost of mowers decreased to the
point where repairs were not cost effective. The concept was
"rediscovered" in the 1990s by manufacturers who promoted designs
where a number of different modules such as cutting cylinders and scarifiers
could be used in the same basic mower chassis.
Thomas Green and Sons of Leeds was one of the first companies to produce
motor mowers at the start of the 20th century. Its motor mower designs were
never quite as popular as its hand mowers, especially its Silens Messor model.
Nor were they as common as motor mowers made by its main rivals Atco and
Ransomes. The Greens LMM is probably the most common of all the motorised
machines made by the company. Nevertheless it is still an excellent addition to
most collections.
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