MOWER OF THE MONTH
Number Forty Four
ATCO LIGHTWEIGHT AND MIDDLEWEIGHT
MOTOR MOWERS
By the beginning of the 1930s the design of the original Atco Motor Mower was
becoming outdated. When it was introduced in 1921 it had revolutionised motor
mower design and production. In doing so it became the first mass produced motor
mower that was affordable to a large part of the growing domestic market.
However, its heavy design and open chains were no longer leading edge designs.
From 1931 Atco started to replace the Atco Motor Mower with a range of machines.
These new mowers were given the names of De Luxe, Lightweight and
Middleweight. From about this time Atco began to refer to the original Atco
Motor Mowers as the "Atco Standard" so that its customers, dealers and
service agents could tell the different mowers apart.
The first replacement designs used a number of components that were also
fitted to the Atco Standard. These included the cutting cylinder, front and rear
rollers, lever clutch, carburettor, and engine (a Villiers two stroke). This
helped the company with its service because it needed to stock fewer parts to
maintain mowers across its range. This concept had been at the heart of the
success of the original Atco Motor Mowers and also helped keep production costs
to a minimum.
The three most noticeable changes in the design were in the frame, drive
mechanism and engine cooling. The new style of frame was made from plate steel
which was easier and cheaper to manufacture than the cost iron sections of the
earlier design. It also made the mower lighter and easier to adjust. The second
major change was that the chains and sprockets were all enclosed beneath guards
and covers. This was safer and also kept dust, grass and other debris away from
the moving parts which aided reliability and made it easier to keep them
lubricated. The third difference was the lack of a fan on the engine, a real
trade mark of the original Atco Standards. Instead there was an enclosed cowling
on the engine that directed air more efficiently past the cylinder block.
Starting was achieved using the same handle that was used on the Atco
Standard but this was finally replaced by a primitive kick start mechanism from
1935. A year later a more convenient kick start was introduced and Atco never
produced a handle start mower again.
Although the first new designs bore more than a passing resemblance to the
original Atco Motor Mowers, and in particular the 12" and 14" HY, the
appearance changed gradually during the 1930s. There was a clear trend towards
even more steel components, lighter and more reliable clutch mechanisms and
smaller engines. Nevertheless Atco retained its hallmark "torpedo"
fuel tank right through the decade and well beyond.
Atco motor mowers from the 1920s and 30s are reasonably easy to find and many
collectors have an example or two. The great variety of machines made by the
company also make them popular with "single make" collectors.
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