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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

New member questions

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Hi all,

as a new member I have a few questions as I am very new to the use of cylinder mower. 
I have a ransome Marquis with a bsa sloper engine I believe, that is in very good condition, runs and cuts well. I may be looking to sell it what would it be worth ? Also I have just bought an atco balmoral 14se and will be giving it a full service. The spark plug lead isn't in very good condition and would like to replace it, where could I get one ?

it has a key start but no battery any ideas where I can get one of these also. 
 

thanks Tom,

Clive1997 Sun, 17/01/2021

Welcome to the forum whilst the mowers are a bit modern for me, as to the Ransomes I have sold several in the past, little demand as usually for use rather than collectors, so £20-£40 if you have a semi decent box, but who knows, suggest you follow some on ebay to get an idea or price, or just list it.

As to HT lead any mower service/spares supplier should be able to supply,re the battery looks fairly easy to find one here

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333416542278

Hope that helps

wristpin Sun, 17/01/2021

Welcome.

Unless you need electric starting ( age or infirmity etc!!) I wouldn’t bother with a new battery. It’s not needed to run the machine , just tape up the terminals on the battery leads.

HT lead . It may be bonded into the ignition coil. A cheap alternative is to get a length of heat shrink insulation tube , remove the plug cap, slip the tube over the HT lead an replace the cap. Warm  it up to shrink it, if you wish.

I think that Clive is a bit pessimistic with his Marquis pricing. A good grassbox alone fetches £35 - 40 and and a complete running machine £75/100. I’ve recently bought for £ 20 often without a box and in need of several hours work  and various parts to put them into saleable condition. The problem at the moment is that for both sellers and buyers the bargains tend to be out of reach due to travelling restrictions.

 

 

Tom_D Sun, 17/01/2021

Thanks for all the advice guys. The ransome does have a collector box in very good condition no holes, original sticker etc. I don't think I would part with it for prices mentioned as I know my dad bought it new so may hold on to it. 

hdtrust Mon, 18/01/2021

Dear Tom

Yes your Ransomes Marquis,there is no question a brilliant machine in its day allas this is not its day anymore and the present market has moved on.Ten years ago,I was shipping them out for a good one £400,but allas not anymore, and parts can be a problem on certain items.I think Wristpin is on the nail with his prices.

In truth the Marquis if looked after will last longer than that cheap looking Atco you have there (Yes I know they aren't cheap neither)

I'm sure one day people will start to collect Ransomes Marquis's and even their big brother the Matador,when these machines were new I was using them in my apprentice days - does that mean I might become collectable!

Will Mon, 18/01/2021

Suspect the Marquis would get about 75ish on ebay or FB marketplace with a decent box, I think they're a bit more popular than they were a few years ago, perhaps due to a number of restoration vids on YouTube. 

villiers98 Sat, 23/01/2021

I would hang on to the Marquis and consider it a far better machine than the Atco. Assuming your dad wasn't a contractor or had a vast lawn, it ought to be in better condition than many of the ex council machines/ 'made up from parts' jobs around for sale.