MOWER OF THE MONTH
Number Eighty-One
JESTIMAH
The Jestimah was a sidewheel mower made in the 1930s. It
was a conventional design for the period with cast iron side frame and
large diameter cast iron side wheels (usually referred to as the
"high wheel" type). The cutting cylinder has steel blades
riveted on to the frame or spider. Versions in 8" and 10"
cutting width are known to have been made.
In addition to the name the cast iron sidewheels have
"Foreign" on them. It is highly likely that the mower was in
fact made in Germany by Brill. Except for the names the Jestimah and Brill
Cutwell models are virtually identical, including the same casting numbers
on the corresponding components of each machine.
Although Brill was well established by the 1930s, and is
still manufacturing mowers, at the time it was difficult for German
companies to sell their products in the UK. This was because many
customers remembered the conflict of the First World War or were concerned
with the rise of fascism. Despite this resistance Brill was able to sell
its mowers in the UK by giving them neutral names and marking products as
"foreign" rather than "German". Many of these
machines were sold by independent retailers or through mail order
catalogues. For this reason, collectors often refer to mowers made by one
company for sale under a different name as "catalogue" machines.
One of the features of the Jestimah and Brill Cutwell is
the use of an iron bracket to connect the wooden handle stem with the
cross piece. Although this was occasionally seen on British sidewheel
mowers (which normally had a tenon and mortice joint) it was much more
common on machines made in Germany and the USA.
Another distinguishing feature of many mowers made outside
the UK is the use of unusual colours. British mowers were generally red
and green, with a few exceptions, but colours such as blue, yellow, silver
and gold were much more common on overseas machines.
Although the Brill mower is reasonably common the Jestimah
is much less so. A few examples are known to be in the collections of
enthusiasts.
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