OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Machine Histories RANSOMES - Catalogue - c1949

Hello ODK History Lovers
The first lawnmower maker to take up the Budding Patent of 1830 was the great British firm, Ransomes.
Ransomes is the oldest lawnmower maker that survives to this day.

This catalogue - from my collection - is certainly post WWII. Ransomes re-commenced lawnmower
production after that terrible war, and the first machines started selling (again) in Australia from late 1947.

This catalogue certainly represents the immediate post-war offerings from Ransomes.
Some evidence suggests this is a c1949 Catalogue, and that's how I have dated it.
I think that's about right.

This catalogue belonged to Levin & Company, of 88 Liverpool Street, Sydney.
That is stamped and hand-pasted on the front cover. It's a great find and one I would like to share.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - Testimonial Images
This is a catalogue - not a brochure. Catalogues were intended to support dealers and agents,
not end user customers. As such, they were expensive to produce.

The highlight in Ransomes catalogues was always the 'testimonial photographs' - of Ransomes'
machines being used by end users around the world. There were four such images in this catalogue: -

- Ransomes Motor Lawn Mowers at work at Li'ge, Belgium;
- Ransomes Motor Lawn Mower at work at Port Elizabeth, South Africa;
- Ransomes Motor Lawn Mower at work at Bruges, Belgium;
- Ransomes 40-in Water-Cooled Motor Mower at Bangkok, Thailand.

My favourite would be the last one. Note the safety footwear.

PART THREE - The Catalogue
This catalogue is in very good condition - but with one problem - it's missing 4 pages (pp 17-20).
I reproduce this catalogue as a pdf for personal use by Registered Members.