Flymo Electric 15 Restoration

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hello everyone,
I’ve just obtained a very early electric Flymo for restoration, I appreciate that some folks don’t consider these worthy of vintage status, but there can’t be too many left now!

I got both the E15 and a later GLE from Ebay, the E15 did run but was very noisy, with a lot of sparking around the brushes when running. The GLE was described as “dead”, but needed only a repair to the mains cable to put it right.

Included in the deal was a new, unused cutting deck, which I am going to use as the original is past it’s best.

Photos to follow!!

[alan]

Hello

Glad to hear that you have the Flymos running once again.

There’s quite a range of Flymo badged machinery so you’ll probably find yourself collecting all sorts of different Flymo stuff.

Also there’s a range of Flymo badged professional machines including cylinder mowers and trailed seats to fit too – there was some business links (cannot remember how) between Flymo, Electrolux, Norlett and a few others so perhaps the machines were shared between them and rebadged.

You have probably seen the gallery at: http://vhgmc.co.uk/photo-galleries/flymo/

Would be good to see some photos of your mowers now they are working.

Alan

[vhgmcbuddy]

Managed to get some pictures uploaded to Photobucket, so here’s hoping they show up as intended.
As purchased, with NOS cutting deck included in sale:

Motor cowling showing dealer sticker form many years ago

Included in the deal was this GLE from 1978

The blue machine ran but very noisily, so the motor and drive gear was stripped, cleaned and reassembled with new bearings

Motor bracket came up nicely after a cycle in the dishwasher

Original impeller was badly damaged, the GLE gave up it’s impeller and ring gear

Original vs new deck

Switchbox has no operator presence control or deadman’s switch, a very solid-sounding switch turns the machine on or off, mains indicator lamp and thermal reset button are all in working order.
Original yellow rubber cable has cleaned up well and will be reused.

Finishing up work for today, the refurbished motor and bracket fitted to new deck

Which just leaves the handlebars to strip and repaint, their condition is good and even the rubber hand grip has survived

Will add some more pics when I make some more progress. Regards, Stu.

[trusty220]

The motors on these were never that good even when new. Back in the 80’s we used to have a warranty rack for return of failed parts to the manufacturers (if they were still under warranty) and there was one shelf on it that was always stacked high with Flymo motors.

Funnily enough they didn’t want many back!

It’s good to see that someone is collecting these for preservation because there will come a day when there won’t be any left, then it will be too late. Preservation is about re-awakening people’s memories of the past and it doesn’t really matter how we do it; this has dredged up a long-forgotten part of my past, so well done!

[charlie]

As trusty220 said it is good to see these machines saved.
Off topic, nice Land Rover 101, looks tidier than mine.

[wristpin]

Here’s another machine that was cheap and cheerful in its day and thrown away by the dozen.
The original E30 Qualcast Concorde.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

if its of any interest theres a brand new impelor on ebay now.
Really nice to see this project.

[alan]

The Qualcast E30 of my childhood!

I have attached a Flymo and a Qualcast 1970’s images from the Argos catalogue.

The Qualcast was £16.25 in 1973 but had risen to £35.49 in the 1978 catalogue.

The 1979 Flymo images has, on the left, a GLE 15″ cut at £63.99. The DLE in the centre of the image has a 12″ cut and was £45.99. Both had 52′ of cable. The Black and Decker mower on the right was a D808 ‘Super T’ and retailed for £32.99.

The Flymos were at the upper end of the price range for electric mowers.

Think the lady in the image had better get some steel toe capped boots on if she’s thinking of mowing.

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[wristpin]

Also there’s a range of Flymo badged professional machines including cylinder mowers and trailed seats to fit too – there was some business links (cannot remember how) between Flymo, Electrolux, Norlett and a few others so perhaps the machines were shared between them and re-badged.

You left out Husqvarna! The link is that Electrolux owned all of them ; and I nearly forgot Jonsered!

[alan]

Ah yes, of course Husqvarna and Jonsered were the companies I couldn’t think of!

I’ve found some newspaper cuttings regarding Flymo in my archive which ties a few businesses together, and I quote from them:

In 1980 The Electrolux Group purchased the Norweigen Norlett Group, this was to strengthen the outdoor power equipment activities of Electrolux in all countries and compliment their Flymo product range. At the time Norlett also owned the Guddena Company of Denmark and had a 50% share in Amnor, the Belgian manufacturer of Wheelhorse tractors. Flymo said they could now offer a complete range of wheeled and air cushion mowers, cultivators, nylon line trimmers and chainsaws.

In 1981 the Flymo organisation announced that they planned to lead the UK lawn mower business. Flymo was a member of the Electrolux group which was one of the worlds largest suppliers of outdoor equipment producing 700,000 mowers per year. Flymo marketing predicted that within the next twelve months 50% of the UK market would be air cushion mowers.

Acquiring Norlett also gained them the garden lighting division.

Following on from the earlier purchase of Norlett, in 1981 Flymo Ltd launched a subsidiary company called Flymo-Norlett Commercial Products Ltd. This was to market a new range of garden care products through a network of specialist lawn and garden dealers. They were to be based at the company headquarters at Aycliffe, County Durham. The product range consisted of mowers either air-cushioned, wheeled rotary, cylinder or ride-on as well as larger cultivators. “It combines new Flymo products with well-established Norlett models“.

In 1981 Norlett Ltd was quoted as being located in Oxfordshire as manufacturers of garden machinery and as stated were to merge operations with their sister company, Flymo Ltd, at Darlington.

There may be more but I cannot find it!

[vhgmcbuddy]

Thanks for all the replies, it’s refreshing to find other people who are interested in these old machines.

Nice to see the photographs of the old Concorde E30, incidentally that was the first lawnmower I ever used, I can remember the distinctive noise it made to this day.

I have a couple of 2T Flymo machines in my collection, a Domestic 19″ from around 71-72, and Contractor GT2 from 1987. The Domestic runs well, though sometimes has trouble starting, the non-return valve in the carburettor is rather worn. The GT2 is in pristine condition, I don’t use it very often to avoid getting it dirty.

I’ve had a few old Atco and Suffolk machines in the past too (dismantled a few to make go-karts in my youth), but I’ve always had a soft spot for the old two-stroke hovers, a lot of folk had them in our neighbourhood when I was growing up in the 80’s, I think the noise and smell are very nostalgic.

I was fortunate to find a Flymo service manual on Ebay a few years ago, it covers all machines from 1964 to late 1977, and is a gold mine of information. If anyone needs any exploded diagrams, please let me know and I can scan/photograph pages for you.

[vhgmcbuddy]

Finished this machine off yesterday, handlebars were shotblasted and repainted, new r-clips fitted and even the original cable clips cleaned up nicely.

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[vhgmcbuddy]

Hi,
Many thanks for this info, & especially the 1979 advert – I’m amazed, the lawnmower I’ve been using for 10yrs is actually over 40..?! I’d assumed it was far more recent, but it must’ve been bought when the landlord 1st rented the property in the late ’70s. It’d stopped working yesterday, but after taking it apart & cleaning dried grass out’ve the motor, it’s fine again! I think I’ll treat with more respect now tho’, knowing it’s ‘vintage’…

[enginear]

I have just beewn to a local Essex show [3day’s] held every year run by my old firm and they always have an odds tent which has all kind’s of stuff at very cheap price’s , new cyl’s for ransome jackobsen’s, b/blade’s, b/s silencers and i noticed 50 yes 50 brand new boxed flymo electric motor’s…………………

[vhgmcbuddy]

Hello,

After looking through this thread I think I know what this is now but can anyone give me more information on this old 1970’s flymo GLE? And how do I remove the rubber handles without damaging them as I want to repaint the handle.

Regards

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[Author]

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