The oldest known Greens Patent Motor Mower

[hdtrust]

Some years ago I learnt of a rare beast sat languishing in an aircraft hangar in Southern Ireland.
After conducting much research into and about the machine, first we found its age but also to the original owners.
This is the earliest known example of the Greens Patent Motor Mower with tiller steering, we can very accurately date the machine to 1905.The original owners were the Phoenix Cricket Club in Dublin which is the oldest Cricket Club in Ireland established 1830.
The engine powering the machine was produced by Haffner, this engine being a two cylinder, originally these engines were produced in Germany.
This machine recently made it home to the West Country on the back of a low loader, along with a full size shunting steam engine.
At the moment it is drying out, before we will shortly start work on it, bringing it back to its original condition

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[trusty220]

It’s good to see that somebody is still looking out for these old machines. Quite often what happens in the collecting world is that people collect for nostalgia- what was the first tractor/car/mower/etc. that you drove? This means that the relative age of the collected machinery gets newer as time goes on. We’ve already seen that with the classic car market pre-war cars are not very sought after these days and with the tractor side of things there used to be line upon line of Ferguson TE-20’s at shows; time has moved forward and the collectors are buying MF35’s and 135’s these days.

Without people like Andrew and Mike looking out for these rarities they would end up on the scrap heap. Once they’re gone they’re gone forever, there are no second chances.

How on earth did you track it down?

[hdtrust]

Yes tracking it down by the sleuth’s of the lawn mower world!
Well there was plenty of that black stuff with a creamy head poured by a couple of leprechauns or was it 3!
We have many good friends in the South and many tales to tell, one thing to remember, it is very hard to hide over there, or go somewhere you should not!
Many years ago I was in County Clare digging around, by the time I had got back to London, all the ex Pat’s I new, had already been told where I had been!

[trusty220]

I guessed that Guiness would figure somewhere in the story!

To find these gems you must have a sixth sense- it’s either that or those big ears! Keep looking, Andrew, you never know what’s around the next corner.

[Author]

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