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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

MP005: Green's SM Motor Mower

1920s Green's SM Motor Mower with Green's Engine.

Thomas Green and Son of Leeds and London had a long and prestigious history producing lawn mowers. The company was one of the first to produce mowers in the middle of the 19th century, with popular hand machines such as the Silens Messor and Multum in Parvo. Together with Ransomes and Shanks, Greens was one of the three companies that dominated the market up the First World War.

Although Green's had produced steam and petrol powered mowers in the early 1900s its designs were not as popular as those produced by its two main rivals. Very few examples of its pre-First World War designs are known to exist today.

After the 1918 Armistice, a number of companies entered the British lawn mower market. They were eager to use engineering skills developed for the war effort to meet demand for motor mowers for use on large estates and new suburban gardens. 

Green's first post war designs were little more than motorised versions of its popular Silens Messor modified to accept a small petrol engine. Some components, such as the handles and cutting cylinders, were used on pony and petrol powered mowers to help keep costs down.

Unlike many other manufacturers, Green's manufactured its own petrol engines and these were fitted on to its mower range for a while. However, the company also produced mowers with engines from main stream manufacturers, especially JAP.

The design of the mower evolved quickly during the 1920s and by the end of the decade Green's was manufacturing a completely new range of machines with a modern appearance and using more steel and wrought iron in place of the cast iron found on its earlier designs.

1920s Green's SM Motor Mower with JAP Engine