OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Ride-On Mowers Australian made "Tow Tractor" Brand

Hi all ,
I have just purchase an Australian made " Tow Tractor" brand ride on. I have been searching the net for some information on it but keep coming up with nothing. I have put up a couple of photos of it , the steering wheel and the engine plate. It has a drum / roller mower under neath.




Any help or information would be greatly received.
Thanks
Benny

Hi Benny, and a warm welcome to the forum. Its nice to have you aboard, as we all like to learn new things and tinker here.
Our Forum Historian and Moderator, CyberJack, may be very interested in this machine; It is the first time I have seen one, he may be able to give you some info on its origins.

Once again Benny, to OutdoorKing.

Hi Benny, Deejay and ODK members and guests,

This has sparked a very distant memory triggered by the photo.
I have seen and driven one of these. It was green (from memory).

Could you please tell me whether this machine has a gearbox?
If so, is it 4-speed? Is the width of cut 36"?

Early Australian ride-on mowers are poorly documented.
I date this machine to mid 1960s, making it an early AUS product.

All very interesting.
-------------------------------------
JACK.

Hey,
Ive not seen one either.

Agreed on date since its running the kirby,and by styling.

As Jack says,your going to be hard pressed finding info,Especially being made by a seemingly unknown Australian engineering company.

They could have made only 10 and went bust or made an small amount to contract. There seems to be a few small ads in the Archives relating to private sales/classifieds of 36" cut "Tow Tractor", but no images to clarify.

The good thing is the Engine is well known and the machine looks basic enough to break down or make parts for and restore.

I hope you find some info as its a really cool Machine and id love to restore it:)

Hi guys ,
Thanks for your help & info .
It is a 36" cut as you have suggested.
As far as gears, the photo of the right rear shows what could be described as the gear box. Pulling this lever pulls tension onto the drive belt , then drive to rear wheels.

[img]https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/uploads/usergals/2014/11/full-8526-18264-
image.jpg[/img]


Thanks again
Ben

Hi Benm, Deejay, Bluegmhtmonaro and ODK members,

Yes, who was D & W Engineering?
I had a hunch when I saw the picture that Scott Bonnar were involved with
distribution in the 1970s. I contacted the Scott Bonnar Historian, Grant Simpson,
and he has kindly supplied me with a scan of the brochure he had.

I believe your machine is a MK 1 dating from the mid 1960s.
Note how the SB Tow Tractor was distributed by SB Sales. This was when they
were part of the Electrolux group in the 1970s.

So we still do not know the full story. That they went through 2 models and
were later distributed by the market leader must suggest they were somewhat
successful as a design, perhaps not in sales. They are rare today.

Here is the front page of that record:

Thanks Jack, that's awesome.
Do you think that the colors of mine are pretty close?
The brochure says they had a honda engine. Is it possible that mine is an early one , having the Kirby tecumseh engine?
Thanks
Ben

Without the facts its not clear. Obviously as Jack has produced some fantastic evidence of Scott Bonnars involvement in distribution, unfortunately it does not answer everything in regards to its origins.

Im assuming by Mk 1 Jack means the first model produced by D&W Eng. The brochure is showing fittment of Honda engines which are a later fitment than Kirby and places them in the 70s Period as he has suggested.

The use of the Kirby engine would be more likely seen on 60s Period mowers.

Without being overly presumptuous,Id say that your Model is the First produced by D&W in an attempt to
A: Enter the market for for ride on mowers
B: Contracting to SB to fill a niche
C: Patent Sold or bought out by SB due to various reasons Eg, Not cost effective for the D&W to produce or inability to get sales due to limited exposure and abilit to advertise like a main stay such as SB.

Its my opinion your mower was produced by D&W Before SB Bought/distributed or took licence of the Tow Tractor name.

Clearly your version differs in quite a few aspects of design to the 2 variants in the SB advertisement.

Again this is more an opinion of the origins of Tow Tractor by what can be seen in the brochure and by your example and also the handfull of classifieds relating to the sale of SH Tow tractors in the mid 60s.

Over all I feel this a very realistic explaination of origin and some food for thought

Its a Fantastic Brochure Jack has supplied also.

May I ask,what are your plans and how did you aquire this? It really has captured my attention.

The more information and help that is given makes it all the more interesting.
I purchased it on the weekend at a clearance sale/ auction.
The future for it is to be restored for my son and added to our family's collection of vintage tractors and farm machinery and taken to and displayed at the shows and rallies we attend.

Thats great! I hope youll share you're progress as you go. Good luck and enjoy:)

Hi Benm, Bluegmhtmonaro and ODK members,

Benny, I guess I should have said that your machine is a pre-Mark 1 SB.
I think your machine is important to AUS vintage mower history in that it is
an early ride-on. What makes it more interesting is that it is a reel,
rather than a rotary.

Is this Australia's first powered-reel Garden Tractor?

Benny, your question of colour is not a simple one.
This machine would have been quite handsome in its red/orange livery and
yellow Tow Tractor logo. I hope you can match those colour in the resto.

Whilst I don't want to interfere with Mal's excellent speculative assessment
of this machine, I would like to add a question and a few thoughts.

My question is: does your machine have an automotive style steering box?
My thoughts are that, whilst the concept of the garden tractor is clearly American,
this particular design is ... British.

Benny, you said:-
"The more information and help that is given makes it all the more interesting."

I would add that the more information we have will make this machine more
important, historically, and therefore, more collectable.

It would be most welcome if ODK got graphic updates as your restoration proceeds.
A photographic record would be most helpful in documenting this unusual machine.

Thank you for presenting your machine on ODK.

All very interesting.
----------------------------------------
JACK.

Hi all,
Jack, as I progress through the resto I will be posting progressive photos and updates.
The owner of the property where the sale was on the weekend, who is now 70, told us that he can remember it being used by his father when he was a kid.
Whether this is fact or fiction I am unsure.
I am glad I bought it, not only for my son but to add to our collection and restore a bit more history.
The bonnet on it looks "homemade"
The reel at the moment is seized and only has a couple of the wooden rollers left.
Gear box seems ok - still has forward and reverse
Belts and tyres are well knackerd
But the frame and other metal work is in good condition.

I nearly forgot the steering question , automotive type, no. A very simple plate on the bottom of the steering shaft connect to the front wheel via a bar .

It looks like a billy-cart steering system, in which the whole front axle is just a rigid bar with wheels on the ends and a vertical pivot in the center. This can give a very small turning circle, but makes the vehicle prone to rolling over when turning, since from the stability point of view it is virtually a three-wheeler under those conditions. I can't imagine anyone making such a machine these days.

Grumpy, it could also be a very basic Ackermann linkage to a kingpin pivot system. Benm, more detail pics, please!

You're right Gadge, it seems to have a tie rod, which a billy-cart system would not have. Not sure how I missed that. The pivot at the center of the front axle may be horizontal, not vertical, so it works like an old Ferguson tractor front axle, and tilts laterally to keep all its wheels on the ground. Some detailed pictures would indeed be nice.

G'day grumpy & Gadge,
Sorry for the delay with the pictures of the front end & steering

Ten points for you Gadge. A common rule of thumb for a simple visual check on whether a king-pin and stub-axle steering system is actually Ackerman, is whether, with the wheels in the straight-ahead position, a pair of lines through the king pins and the tie rod ends, intersect on the vehicle centerline at 2/3 of the wheelbase length. Real mug-amateurs make them so that those two lines are parallel to each other.

That machine seems to be quite decently engineered - well above normal ride-on standards.

It would be great if we could source some more info on D & W Engineering...who came up with the concept...and then the stroke of brilliance of getting into bed with Flymo-Scott Bonnar, whose distribution here in Oz was vast; plus the export potential that presented itself.
The machine had to be well engineered to be considered I guess.

Update:
Motor free and all good. The only problem is I can't get it to generate any spark. Next step might be to rebuild electrics side of things.
Any tips / ideas?

Hello Benm

That's good news. Thanks for the update, as I know some members
are interested in this one.

I said in a previous post that I believed that the origin of this machine
was British - a British design that was made under licence here.

On an auction site at the moment (UK) is an Allen 30 inch Rider.
That machine does have a lot of similarity to yours ...

Wow it certainly does. The handle bars are not something I would go for. I think I have traced the lack of spark back to the maggy , so hopefully over the Easter break I will change it out.

points condenser, first, let us know how you go,it's a good buy, and I'm insanily jealous,always did have a problem with sanity,suggest you take a tracing of painted on names transfer them to some stiff project paper, (get it from newsagent)check them untill their exact,that way you can get a signwritter to reproduce them, or you can make your own stencils

Another Tow Tractor here:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showgallery&Number=67876

The rest is history.
------------------------------
JACK

Hello all Contributors

Member Geoff N has given us a clue about the AUS manufacturer for this machine.
The clue is that D & W Engineering were situated at Dandenong, Melbourne -
according to the seller's comments for a machine currently at auction.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/gree...ge-scott-bonnar-ride-on-mower/1089830736

I have one of these but mine is a aesco made in Sydney Australia and it has a Briggs Stratton engine which I don't think is original any info would be much appreciated

Hello Roymac

Welcome to these forums!
This is new information - that there was a second Australian manufacturer
of this great British design. I feel we need photos to proceed.

For information on uploading photos click HERE.

Hope this helps.
----------------------
Jack

Finally got back to blasting and painting the tow tractor. When spraying the primer i found what looks to be a manufacture number stamped in the centre bar , 133. Hadn't seen it before . Just a bit more mystery to its history

Hello Benm

Thanks for keeping us posted on the progress.
This may be the only Tow Tractor restoration project.

You may be interested in this.
Scott Bonnar's Tow Tractor was imported from the American 'National'.

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=71423

Thanks for the update.
---------------------------
Jack

Just need new bearings and timber rollers for the cutter and get new belts and fit the motor and new Tow Tractor decal.

You've done a sensational job there Ben, do you mind me asking why you painted it red?

I don't mind at all. Flick back to the beginning of this post ,the photos are from when I bought it and it was a reddish color. I didn't expect this paint to be as vibrant as it is.

There was one of these on ebay a few months ago, it had duel rear wheels and it went for some big dollars, I pointed it out to my wife and I couldn't print her reaction

Ah yes I do remember reading this now. Thanks I ask because I am quite torn weather to paint some of my projects original or not.

Decal on, cutter back together. Getting closer to being done.

That's a beautifully restored machine. You should be proud to do such a high standard on such a scarce machine. Do you plan to use it or show it?

I've done it for my 2 year old son. It will mostly come along to shows that our vintage machinery club attends. Just waiting for some parts for the engine and once it's in I might just have to give it a test mow.

I must say, I love a good TowTractor decal.
It looks like it was stenciled on.

It is certainly a handsome machine.
Thanks for the update. Close now!

---------------------
Jack

A good local sign writer sorted it out for me.

I like it....a lot. Where do I look!

Hi all
Motor on and running. Not the original motor but I think the Villiers looks the part and does the job.
Taking it to its first display with our club at our local show next weekend.
Cheers
Ben

G'day Benm

That looks fantastic!
I totally agree about the engine - and I have no doubt it was an
option in the day. I love the round fuel tank too!

I hope you get some good photos (to share) at the next local show,
including detail shots.

Just brilliant!
-----------------------
Jack

Hi all again.
It has come time for me to part with this project.
I have a price in my mind but pwould like to know what others opinion on price would be and if there would be much interest in it.
I thank you for opinions
Ben

Hello Benm

That's a shame - but nothing can last forever.
Many thanks for giving us great words and images - to record this
rare machine.

I'm useless at pricing [Dr Evil keeps whispering '1M dollars' in my ear]
I do know SB sold these for �328/3/9 in 1964. The Inflation Calculator puts this
at $8,864.11 in today's money.



I suspect this is of no help whatsoever to you.
I hope the machine goes to a good home.

---------------------
Jack

Hi Jack, I think that sort of calculation only works on certain things like GT Falcons, Toranas and the Bumble Bee Commodores

Wouldn't it be nice though.
Where would the best place to be to list it for sale?

Hello BenM

I guess the best place would be as many places as possible.

The important thing here is that you have detailed provenance -
the story of your machine.

The trick is to match a prospective buyer to that.
After all, it's not a common machine is it?

You are welcome to link your topic [here] to any advertisement.

Best of luck in the market place.
-----------------------------------------
Jack