Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: mick on June 16, 2006, 13:43

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: mick on June 16, 2006, 13:43

Hi all any one know were i can get a pair of tyres for my Allen sythe? new or good used ones, cheers . Mick :lol:

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: Gwiz on June 17, 2006, 06:23

i think these folk might be able to help if you`re lucky.
www.tillerparts.com
best of luck. :wink:
graham

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: John on June 17, 2006, 09:16

OK - what's an Allen sythe?

Title: allen sythe
Post by: mick on June 17, 2006, 09:24

Hi John an Allen sythe is a medium sized two wheel motorised sythe,built around the 50s and powered by a villiers two or four stroke engine, the tyres are very thin and large in diameter.The sythe is useful for for cutting fairly large areas of grass,nettle beds,briars,thistles etc. A very useful tool.

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: mick on June 17, 2006, 09:25

Thanks gwis i will contact them

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: John on June 17, 2006, 09:36

Thanks Mick, sounds a really useful tool. Thank goodness the weeds on my plot don't need something that powerful ... yet!

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: mick on June 17, 2006, 16:39

I have tried Tillerparts.com Chester Hudson but he as none ,if you hear of any let us know, cheers. Mick :(

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: Gwiz on June 17, 2006, 18:28

whats the tyre size? let me know, i`ll have a punt around and see whats up for sale.

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: GrannieAnnie on June 17, 2006, 19:45

John, you know what an electric razor looks like?  Well an Allen Scythe looks like one of them, only 100 times bigger!!!!!  with wheels on!!!

We got one 2 years ago off Ebay, but Brian couldn't be bothered to renovate it, so we re-sold it and made a £2profit!!!!

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: GrannieAnnie on June 17, 2006, 21:15

Can I back track on that last posting please?  I meant to say they look like hair clippers, not shavers!!!!

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: Gwiz on June 18, 2006, 06:02

an unexpected flash of sanity, there is a company that advertises in the back of  "classic bike" magazine who specalise in odd tyre sizes. i dont think youwill get the chevron patten tyre, but you might get a "knobbly" motor cross that will do the job. worth a look, cos i cant think where you would pick up an original set.  :)

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: John on June 18, 2006, 08:23

I'm just reeling from a vision of a giant philishave on wheels :)

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: twysted1 on June 18, 2006, 10:16

i sold a wrecked old allen sythe a few years ago to a tractor collector friend of mine and i'm sure i remember it having a beautifull single cylinder norton engine on it. i know it stood in a field for at least 6 years butmy friend had it running within a month.

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: noshed on June 21, 2006, 14:10

Allan Titchmarsh recommends them (How To Be A Gardener Vol 1) so it's perhaps the philishave aspect which he finds useful.
Sounds like the sort of thing would be useful for a site to have to deal with overgrown plots. Probably less dangerous than strimmers.

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: Gwiz on June 21, 2006, 16:54

i would`nt bet on it! lethal in the wrong hands is the best way of descibing them, dont forget they were built long before ANY health and safety messures were built into machines. having said that, they are very soothing on the soul to use. dont stand in front of one if the engine is running, even if it is just on tick over. :shock:

Title: scythes
Post by: Laura on July 25, 2006, 23:55

almost on the subject of...
...we tried to buy a scythe - just a normal hand held/swung one back at the start of may, when the plot was out of hand...you would not believe the the looks we got in B & Q!!!  
ian being the intelligent one, said that you probably couldn't get one in this day and age (due to health, safety and police blade amnesties) but me being the agricultural innocent reckoned we could probably get one anywhere, even Wilkinsons!  we did a vague trail around several shops.  eventually i did admit defeat when i asked a very helpful assistant boy where i might be able to buy a scythe...and he suggested the 1920's!

(we used a cordless hedge trimmer in the end to clear the big weeds - it worked a treat)

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: Gwiz on July 27, 2006, 06:02

being kind of "in the trade" i know i could get one i wonder how much it would cost to post it? it would make an interestingly shaped parcel! :lol:

Title: Allen sythe
Post by: noshed on July 27, 2006, 10:22

My mattock arrived just with a bit of cardboard around the blade with a stamp on it. The postman was very impressed - he was pretending to be the grim reaper all the way up the High Road. The postage was £5.

Title: allen scythe
Post by: muntjac on October 14, 2006, 21:17

if you want to see a picture of an allen scythe there is one on my site with a link to an even earlier model