OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds Rover Regent with Kirby-Tecumseh Engine

$15 from the tip, no one was interested. Still in my mates ute, has a Lauson engine on it and is all complete :-)

Even the plastic shroud is undamaged, would this have had a metal catcher ? Wheels ?

Hello Paul,
Rover Regent, Model 2101.

This machine is c1970s. It would have had a plastic catcher.
The wheels would not have been the ball-bearing / alloy ones,
as this was a cheaper mid-arch lawnmower.

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

Thanks Jack, would the catcher have been the type with the hooks or the central catch type one ?

Hi Paul

That's a good question ...

I can only speculate, as I have a poor photo record of the Regent.
The origins of this chassis are 1960s. The central catch was not used
at that time. This one should be a simple catcher with hooks, but I'm
not sure how the safety flap was raised. I suspect by fingers on the
flap, as the flap sits above the catcher, not latched to it.
I hope that makes sense

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



The 1960s Regent (5M) was a top-line Rover (before high-arch).
Note the old name plate, metal catcher and ball-bearing wheels.

Safety flap has a lever lift, wonder if it's the same as the Powemaster one ?

Hi Paul

That's the model 26 Challenger catcher.
The regent is not quite the same.
So, does the Regent have a lift lever?

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

Hi Jack,

Yes it does, when my mate drops it off in the morning I will take some more photos :-)

Hi Paul

Thanks for that!
You are very generous in helping clarify the record for this.
This is about development of the rear catcher design.

The lift lever was first introduced with the Model 26, for safety reasons.
I'm guessing this was added to the Model 21 in the 1970s for the same reason.
I'm guessing that the change was made when the Regent first took a plastic catcher.

The issue, for me, is: what catcher did it take?
The advertisement does not depict a Model 26 catcher.

Cheers
---------------
Jack

Spent some time on this Rover today, cleaned out the fuel tank and serviced the ignition

Some photos for the record
























And :-)
[video][/video]

This mower is in very nice condition, the condition of the decals is great. I really like the "feather touch" decal on the starter and the wood grain on the handle bar frame. If I can source a set of wheels and a catcher I will be very happy

Hi Paul

Awesome photos and video.
Apart from the wheels, it's in remarkably good condition.

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

That looks to have very similar chute flap to the Rover Princess my Dad had when I was a kid. The flap has no lip, only closes to approx 45� and has a lever to lift it on one side.

Unfortunately the catcher we had was made of a blue plastic that was dreadfully unstable. Within a few years it had started deteriorating, and the deterioration was brittleness and crazing of the plastic. So bad, when we tried to tape it back together, the catcher simply started crumbling. Now I actually saw one at the tip last week and was very surprised it was still here, but it was showing the crazing deterioration, bad memories so I declined to collect it.

Furthermore the catcher design was flawed. There was not enough venting I think, it used to clog (with the vents at the top rear sides and shrouded from the outside so you had to access them from inside the dirty catcher) and have to be cleaned, same with the discharge chute. But worst was the lack of the lip on the chute lid to hook onto the catcher. So the catcher simply hooked on by the 2 hooks at the top and rested in position against the frame at the bottom with a little lip inside the chute. This, coupled with a very low catcher base meant turning the mower or uneven surfaces was fraught: you couldn't tilt the mower more than a fraction to turn and/or bumping the bottom of the catcher would result in it detatching from the mower. And if their was grass in the way when mounting (either frsh or clippings stuck to the frame) it might just self-detach anyway. Doesn't sound that bad until you remember the next things along 2 feet behind are your 2 feet!

Hi Jack and Patrick,
Thanks for the memories Patrick, the first mower we had when we were married was my Father in Laws small Rover and it had the blue catcher as well. It too was held together by aluminium and pop rivets.

Jack I am wondering if the wheels on mine may be correct and the one in the advert a little later and a bit of bling for the MSAA ? I thought they were replacement Victa type wheels but looking at the mower below ?



I found two matching hub caps so unless another set of the fancier wheels come up there the ones it will retire with :-)

Hi Paul

You have convinced my that the wheels are original.
The ones in the 1976 ad are the newer design economy wheels.
Your machine has the first economy wheels first used in the 1960s.



This helps date your machine more accurately.
Another bit of information was the six digit phone number for Brisbane.
Bris Vegas went to 7 digit in 1975. So, I believe this Regent must
date from the early 1970s. It is in very good, original condition.

Thanks again for the brilliant record photos!
----------------------
Jack

:-) great to hear Jack !

Went back to the Tip Shop this morning



What are the chances ! $2 for the grass catcher, total cost of mower ..... $17

Nice! Do you think the catcher is from your mower or do you think someone just happened to throw out a catcher to match?

What is it with all these coincidences and luck of late?

This is in damn fine original condition, and a mower that
is almost half-a-century old! [A sort of Regency period ]

Kye, surely it must have been the catcher originally fitted to
this one ... though maybe not ...

Great find there Paul.
--------------------------
Jack

Hi Kye and Jack,

The catcher came off a Four stroke Rover at a different tip. I would say that it is the correct type and colour for this early model Regent though :-)

Pure luck !

Awesome rover you have there. I have a 70's regal 19 which has a very similar deck to this, most rovers of the time where.

interested in viewing the catcher instructions page of the Regent/Regal 19 with central catch catcher owner's manual , if anyone has one.

As mentioned in other thread, operating catcher drives me mad on it.