MOWER OF THE MONTH
Number Forty Five
SLATTER'S FRONT RUNNER
Slatter's Front Runner was an unusual but clever solution to a problem that
is inherent to the sidewheel.
The biggest drawback of a conventional sidewheel mower is that it cannot cut
right to the edge of the lawn. This is because the wheels are mounted outside
the cutting cylinder (reel). Under normal use the mower leaves a narrow uncut
strip under each wheel as it passes over the lawn. The operator simply overlaps
each successive pass to make sure all of the grass is cut. But this is not
possible at the lawn edge because the sidewheel would overhang the lawn and stop
turning. This may stop the cutting cylinder from turning because it is driven
directly from the sidewheel. More importantly the side of the mower at the lawn
edge would not be supported and the bottom blade would drop and dig into the
turf, preventing the mower from working and creating a scar on the lawn.
By fitting the Front Runner to the crossbar at the front of the mower the
operator can use the sidewheel right up to the edge of the lawn. This is because
the Front Runner's small wheel takes the place of the sidewheel that is
overhanging the edge of the lawn and supports the weight of the mower. The other
sidewheel continues to rotate the cutting cylinder so the mower can be used as
normal.
The Front Runner can only be used where the edge of the lawn is higher than
the adjacent flowerbed, border or pathway. It is not suitable for use when the
lawn is bordered by a wall or edging that protrudes above the surface of the
lawn because the sidewheel could not overhang the edge of the lawn in these
cases. For these situations a different type of sidewheel mower with a modified
chassis and a single, offset wheel were used.
Slatter's Front Runner was a novel solution to a common problem. It was
offered for sale by most of the leading sidewheel manufacturers of the period
and was priced 4s (four shillings) in 1910. It was available for a number of
years at the beginning of the 20th century. Given the widespread advertising and
usefulness of the gadget it is quite likely that many thousands were sold.
However, they are very uncommon today and highly prized by collectors.
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