I was walking to the shops earlier today, and saw somebody mowing their lawn (and it was a fabulous garden, had a massive tree in the middle, and the grass was literally like a golf course!) with a Suffolk Punch mower.
The engine seemed really quiet (about half the noise of my rotary Mountfield), and judging by the state of his grass, it does a fantastic job!
New, they cost ｣500 ($1000), but there are good used ones that come up in the classifieds every now and again for about ｣200 ($400).
Obviously my new Mountfield is the only mower for me just now, but in a few years I may invest in a Suffolk Punch if they are good!
I would presume this would be a reel-type mower. That's the only kind of power mower I remember from when I lived in the UK over 50 years ago. In Canada nearly all consumer grade power mowers were of the rotary type, reel-type only being used on golf courses. You have to mow very frequently with a reel mower, whereas with a rotary you can just do it twice a week when the grass is growing fast and maybe once every 2 weeks by late summer.
I have a Suffolk 35s made around 1999 and can assure you that they are only suitable for cutting short grass on level surfaces. We rent a place in the Cambridge fens in UK where the grass grows thick and fast and the ground is very uneven. I have got through about 9 of the nylon cogs that connect the drum to the other parts. As soon as I hit a thick piece of grass the drum jams and takes out the teeth on the cogs. Bad design!. I ve heard of other people having a similar problem but can't find an explanation anywhere. M
y advise is avoid these modern Suffolks that are built to cost you in maintenance charges.:thumbdown:
#5
Two-Stroke
I love the name, Suffolk Punch. :cool2:
I knew it had to be British.
I don't know if they're imported into the UK, but Jacobsen (USA) makes a very good line of reel mowers.
Yes, suffolk punch is a great name but shame the mecanicals are so crudely built. The engine however is great save for the crummy pull start. On my mower one of the carriage bolts that holds the reel in place was missing. this was causing the reel to crash into the nylon cogs every time I hit a lump in the lawn. Now sorted but comments still stand that they aren't any good for long grass.
#7
pugaltitude
The suffolk punch name is no more.
Bosch who owned atco, qualcast and suffolk punch has sold the names to other companys.
Allet have now bought the tooling to make the suffolk under a different name and will prob be painted black.
Downside is they have gone to chinese loncin engine.
As for the cogs its not a design flaw its how its meant to be.
Replacing a cog for ｣5 is cheaper than a regrind if you do hit something.
i sell a lot of used suffolk punch and sucessors from 1 year old to 60 year old.
there is nothing wrong with the new mowers but they had alot to live up to
build quality deteriorated from late 1980's onwards, it got a lot worse with the new 1996 design.
the latest allett cpm mowers come with loncin or kawasaki engines depending how much you pay.. kawasaki being more expensive but worth the extra cash
although the build quality has gone downhill they are still an excellent mower just not as bullet proof as the old ones.
dump a 60's punch behind a shed for 20 years and it will still be repairable, leave a post 1996 outside in the rain a few too many times and it will rot.
and as for the loncin engine although i think it is poor against the saki it is still sweeter than any briggs thats passed through my shop
#9
EngineMan
Lovely little movers, service many over the past 40 years (older type), there was also the Colt they would give you two hours work on two pints of petrol. still have a engine for one.
Re: Any Suffolk Punch owners on here ? re. engine man suffolk colt
in response to engine man...
yes i know the colt,
im not a rich man but i have my choice of mowers as its my business.
my choice for for my little lawn a 1970's suffolk colt with an earlier 1960's 75cc cast iron engine bolted to it. my reasoning for owning this is not nostalgia but the simple fact there is nothing this nice to use made anymore.
#11
pugaltitude
I specialise in cylinder grinding and get all sorts of ages of suffolks in as well.
What I see though is owners are not wanting to keep spending money on old machinery and rather spend on new.
The old colt with the cast iron engine and zenith carb are brilliant.
just serviced one this week and runs and especially ticks over perfectly.
Cant say that for the aluminium engine.
The QX style suffolk is a great machine.
Simple design but maybe a bit expensive for what it is.
I didnt think the loncin engine was going to be any good but changed my mind after using it.
Bitch to remove spark plug though.:laughing:
I would love to have an older Suffolk Punch / Atco cylinder mower with heavy roller if anybody knows of any going to waste or for sale in/around VA. I'd happily travel for a nice one, like pugaltitude in MD if you have any in, come in.
I'd rescue them from the dump as a kid and could pretty much always get them going again. Had all sorts: pull start, crank start, kick start, with/without pull behind gurney etc. Fabulous machines. And the really old ones had the most fabulous & intricate brass fuel pipes.
