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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

JP Super

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Help, please!

I am (yet) another newbie and am in the throes of attempting to restore my grandfather’s JP Super.  Three questions, for now:

1   Is there any way of dating these machines, whether from the cast/stamped numerals and letters on the side frames or otherwise?  On mine there are cast into the right-hand frame (viewed from behind the handlebars) ‘DD’ and ‘19-1-12’, whilst stamped on the left-hand frame is ‘2 H/B 4’  (see pics 1 & 2).

2   Does anyone know the outside diameter of the front rollers?  The originals on mine rotted away and I have ordered replacements based on a guesstimate of 3.5” but the chap who has made them says they look quite large and they might have to be reduced.

3   How does one remove the spindle which carries the front rollers?!  On the outsides of the frames there are circular things with flattened sides (pic 3) which I thought might be threaded but attempts to undo them have proved futile.  On the insides there are what might be pins (pic 2 again) and I wonder whether it is these that need to be removed?

All and any guidance will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

david

 

Forums

Clive1997 Wed, 20/06/2018

Hello

 

Yes we can date these, the serial number is on the top of the left side frame (looking from behind) just above the front roller, hard to see from your photo, can you check again, also advise cutting cylinder width & if the word JP Super is embossed on the back of the thrower plate.

Yevgeni Thu, 21/06/2018

Hello

Thanks for the response.

The number stamped into the top of the LHS frame, just above the front roller, is 2 H/B 4.

The cylinder is a 12”.

Yes, ‘SUPER’, with ‘JP’ in the middle, is embossed on the back of the thrower plate.

 

Clive1997 Thu, 21/06/2018

Thanks, it would appear to be quite a late one, its I believe Feb 1960 being the 4th Super made that month.

Hopefully someone will check the roller dimensions as I will not be near mine until next Weds, also hopefully the other advice required.

 

Yevgeni Fri, 22/06/2018

Clive, that’s great (and a later build date than I’d imagined):  thank you.  I can cheerfully wait until next Wed or afterwards, if no one else posts the dia. of the front rollers.

Yevgeni Fri, 22/06/2018

By the way, do you happen to know what the things cast into the LHS frame - ‘DD’ and ‘19-1-12’ - meant?

Clive1997 Fri, 22/06/2018

Yes it surprised me, being the latest one I have seen, I do have a 1957, but my earliest is 1922. They were introduced in 1921 with only small changes in design during the following 40 years.

The other lettering etc will be part numbers.

My colleague Colin from deepest Suffolk will no doubt provide the measurements he is nearer to his mowers than I am to mine!

Yevgeni Fri, 22/06/2018

Thanks again.

yes, it’s amazing how long-lived was the design (you wouldn’t get that these days!) - no doubt testament to its success.

incidentally I’ve now managed to remove the spindle for the front rollers.  The circular things with flatted sides turned out to be the heads of threaded bolts, after all, which with lots of penetrating oil and even more patience I managed in the end to undo with the largest adjustable wrench in my tool box.

stonethemows Fri, 22/06/2018

Colleague Colin reporting in and I only needed to move about two dozen mowers to get at the JP, so might be considered ' handy '..The 12" Super I currently have is a bit of a wreck and doesn't have any front rolls but my early 16" comes in at 2 7/16th's inches to be exact. This is slightly bigger than a number of similar machines so your 3 1/2 inches is certainly over the top. Typically they seem to vary between two and a quarter to two and a half inches. However bear in mind that over a long period of time many front rolls will have been replaced, not necessarily with exactly the original specification. Within reason the exact measurement is not too critical unless you want to go for total originality.

If it is your intention to use the machine it might be worth having slightly larger front rolls giving you a slightly improved range of cutting heights which may be better suited to today's conditions. I would not however go over 2  3/4".

With reference to the numbers cast into the right hand frame, these could be part numbers, though such numbers do not exist on either of my Supers. 

Good luck,

Colin

Yevgeni Fri, 22/06/2018

Colin, many thanks indeed for that.  

Looks as if my roller chap was right (!) but, given that I very much hope to use the mower, I will take your advice and suggest a reduction to 2 3/4”.

Doing up this machine is a real pleasure and it’s easy to see how it can become addictive.