I purchased my first reel mower, a 1956 Eclipse Rolloway, in June of 2012 from a fellow in Windsor, Connecticut. At the time I had been looking around for a vintage reel mower; namely an Ideal, Motomower, Coldwell, or an Eclipse. I just happened to message Austen about his Eclipse Speedway mower and he got back to me in short order with lots of imagery, information and factory spreadsheets. With some information and factory images in hand, it was not long before I picked up a Rolloway for myself. This one happened to be complete, and was only a few hours drive away!
When I picked up the mower, it had no spark, but turned over with good compression. Everything was present and in good shape except for the reel reverser which was missing entirely. The fellow who owned this mower said that his father used it to cut the grass from the day he bought it new until the day he died. I bought the mower from him with intention of fixing it up and restoring it. After a few months of ordering parts and fixing the engine, I had my mower working pretty nicely. I contacted the seller and sent him a video of the mower with hope that one day he would see and use it again. I have yet to show him the mower in person, but do keep in contact with him on a regular basis. One day when it is restored he will get a surprise visit from me and my machine.
So here is what the machine looked like when I bought it:





Chris
When I picked up the mower, it had no spark, but turned over with good compression. Everything was present and in good shape except for the reel reverser which was missing entirely. The fellow who owned this mower said that his father used it to cut the grass from the day he bought it new until the day he died. I bought the mower from him with intention of fixing it up and restoring it. After a few months of ordering parts and fixing the engine, I had my mower working pretty nicely. I contacted the seller and sent him a video of the mower with hope that one day he would see and use it again. I have yet to show him the mower in person, but do keep in contact with him on a regular basis. One day when it is restored he will get a surprise visit from me and my machine.
So here is what the machine looked like when I bought it:





Chris