Skip to main content
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Restoring an Atco - possibly a Groundsman

Enter a word or two to search the forum section and click the Search Forum button.

Hi,  This is my first post to the forums so please excuse any faux pas.

I acquired an Atco mower from our local (and now defunct) Cricket Club a few years ago which has sat in my garage ever since.  After a bit of a health issue, I now find myself with lots of time on my hands and have started to restore it.  In reality, all I have done so far is to strip and rebuild the engine and strip the paint off the grass box and prepare it for a bit of panel beating to get the dents out.

I am not sure what Atco I actually have.  I think its a Groundsman and is missing the seat.  It has a Tecumseh H60 - model number appears to be H60 73148K (which I cant find a manual or parts list for) Serial Number 8060D.  The carb is an 631828 which I have stripped, cleaned, replaced the gaskets and rebuilt.  The fuel tank looks slightly different to the ones I can find pictures of - it has a central seam and is less "bullet" shaped and more cylindrical than other Atco tanks that I can find pictures of.  It's full of clag and rust and is currently full a baking soda and water, connected to a battery charger and producing lots of crud and old paint.  The frame is solid steel and not tubular.

There does seem to be some signs that the mower has been messed with previously.  The engine mount does not seem to be something that a company with Atco's reputation would produce.  The engine sits on a flat(ish) plate that appears to be correct and made for the job.  However, this plate is then bolted to another plate which is then bolted to the frame.  It looks like over time, the mounts have vibrated loose and someone has welded one to the other (the weld has now broken as well).  The second plate covers a cutout in the frame so that the drive shaft of the engine lines up with the clutch.  This engine mounting arrangement suggests to me that the mower was originally designed for a different engine to the Tecumseh that is currently fitted.  Is this likely / possible?  

Engine Mount

If I may, I have a few more questions. 

Do I have a Groundsman or is it a different model?    
Does anyone have a rough idea of it's age?
What colour paint should I get?  Is it the same Atco green (NCS S5040G30Y) listed on the paint colour page?
Regarding paint, my mower seems to be close to RAL 6020 (looking at the inside of the chain guard).  Is this a colour that Atco used or has it just faded over time?
Is the cutter colour NCS 1085Y85R and does anyone know the RAL equivalent?

When I stripped the grass box, I tried to retain the logo and crown.  However, they were plastic(y) decals rather than transfers.  The "By appointment to" lettering was alongside the crown rather than being below it and the word spacing seemed a little odd.  Are these original or are they part of a previous restoration (of which there are some other signs such as over-spray, odd bolts and the strange engine mounting arrangement)?

Sorry for showering you all with questions on my first outing.  However, I am sure there will be more as my project unfolds...

 

Forums

wristpin Thu, 18/06/2020

Not a Groundsman. Probably a Heavy Duty 20/24 ( F10 or H5 can’t see the width) that may have had a Villiers engine. A Tecumseh H60 or even an H50 is too modern for that style of chassis and tank. That said, depending on the state of the cutting cylinder , chains and sprockets etc it could be a useful mower.

Date 1960 ish

Filtertip Fri, 19/06/2020

Thanks for that.  It has a 20" cylinder - sorry, I should have mentioned that in my previous post.

The chains and sprockets all seem to be in rather good condition - in fact, apart from copious amounts of rust - and that decidedly dubious engine mounting arrangement, the whole thing is actually in a rather good state.  I will do some more research based on your info.