Help identifying Ransomes sole plate?
I'm hoping someone can help to identify the spare Ransomes sole plate that I have. The plate in question in the odd one out in the following images, and has more of a right angled form to it, compared with the two 18" Marquis sole plates in the picture, which have a concave form. It has 6 holes for the bottom blade fixing, the same as the Marquis ones, and is currently fitted with a Marquis bottom blade, but there is no part number anywhere to be seen on the sole plate
Could it be an early or later Marquis sole plate, either before or after the part number MBA 0498 was used and embossed on it?
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The sole plate being a later
The sole plate being a later Marquis version would certainly make sense, given the 6 mounting holes which match the Marquis blade hole pattern, and the Marquis blade currently fitted to it. I wonder if removing the blade would reveal a part number on the sole plate, although quite why they would move the location of the part number from the position where it is clearly visible for identification purposes on the concave versions, leads me to think it's probably not under there.
From memory, I’ve never seen
From memory, I’ve never seen a part number on the “angle iron” type sole plate and neither of the ones that I have in stock have any number of any sort anywhere.
I think that you are looking for complications where none exist.
The number of holes is a bit
The number of holes is a bit meaningless, the 18" Auto-Certes used 6 mount holes as well.
See this is where experience
See this is where experience trumps Internet research as usual! Thank you both. I couldn't find any 'angle iron' type sole plate pictures or references when searching online, including threads on here, and with no part number visible, all I had to go on was 'it's different to the other two I have'. Reading that Wristpin has this type of sole plate in his Marquis stock answers the question.
Likewise, all pictures and descriptions I came across online for an 18" Auto Certes blade all had 8 screws/holes and I couldn't find any with 6, which again is all I had to base my thoughts on - that the sole plate in question must indeed be for a Marquis as suggested. Now I've learnt that there were 2 types of sole plate for the Marquis, and both 6 and 8 hole blades for the 18" Auto Certes.
My view is that it’s an age
My view is that it’s an age thing rather than a difference between Marquises and Auto Certes. The concave ones are, I think, of one piece cast iron construction, hence the damage to one, and were superseded by the right angle one that has cast ends welded to an “angle iron” centre. If you continue your research into part numbers I think that you may find that there are different throw plates for the different construction of sole plates.
A study of part numbers can be quite revealing - while some manufacturers seem to use random numbers, others are more organised and their prefix and suffix alpha digits can give away the the part is a welded assembly, made in house, bought in from an outside supplier or may provide a trail to modifications or updates. Other numbers identify family groups eg with MTD / Lawnflite belts have a 754, prefix; springs, 732, and electrical components 725. That’s all that I can remember for now.