meadowfield 2,545 #51 Posted January 6, 2014 (edited) awesome - thanks! need to find out if they are custom or rebadged now. They aren't toro, do look very similar to wheel horse rer. Need to find better pics, and the exact model number Edited January 6, 2014 by meadowfield Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goldhorse 6 #52 Posted January 6, 2014 Well, can't argue with that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goldhorse 6 #53 Posted January 6, 2014 Back to where we started pipe smoking was big in the 70's 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #54 Posted January 6, 2014 hehe, I've quite a few wheel horse ads with men smoking pipes... It does seem that pipe smoking and lawn maintenance go hand in hand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goldhorse 6 #55 Posted January 6, 2014 Do away with tiresome collecting and mulching? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #56 Posted January 6, 2014 smoke it!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 573 #57 Posted January 6, 2014 Back to where we started006a.jpg pipe smoking was big in the 70's005a.jpg As was wearing a suit to mow the lawn apparently! Great thread! Andy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stigian 1,234 #58 Posted January 6, 2014 What a great thread, Some top research there Charlie... Love the photo's, I can't remember the last time I saw anyone smoke a pipe!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Smith 142 #59 Posted January 6, 2014 Thanks for them pictures Goldhorse! Mark..... I hate to say it, but I was wrong by miles, it seems that scout is nothing like the ranger.. Oh well Shhhhh! Hehe, it looks more like the Wheel horse R-26 I shall attach a picture to this post, And Ian, you are not the only one that's said that, maybe I should start charging ayy right any offers aha! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #60 Posted January 6, 2014 Just need to find a scout owner now :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 759 #61 Posted January 7, 2014 Has anyone considered Putting a Thread on here entitled Norlett?. Then all the relevant known info can be added in the future as and when it comes to light. I'm sure Mark has a list of equivalent models that relate to WH. What is known about the history of the company, other than- 1/ The possibility that a Norlett ltd was based in Oxfordshire and sold/distributed various types of Garden Machinery. Was it the same Co?. 2/ Norlett (Norway) was taken over by Husqvarna in 1981, so did they cease marketing them then?. Anyone enquired with Husqvarna?. A Member on here (Mercury) in Sweden has a Norlett (pic link in post was broken so no image) believed to be an A800. Would be good to have a recognised link with WHs and I personally quite like the look of the Gold Coloured ones. The other good thing is that Google etc should link it to a Search and so may attract more visitors/members !.......just a thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goldhorse 6 #62 Posted January 7, 2014 Hi Richard, On my brochure of Norlett tractors the address is Stadhampton road, Great Milton, Oxon. so it would be the same company. They marketed a wide range of grasscutting equipment, but were best known for rotovators, I bought 3 direct from them in the early 70's. In the mid 70's they moved to Dormer road, Thame. The last few models they supplied were not gold but Wheelhorse red as were all the attachments in the catalogue, the only real difference being the moulded badge on the front. Time to get Charlie on the case! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #63 Posted January 7, 2014 Richard, I already have a Norlett page under wheel-horse.co.uk, I will add the scout picture at some point as that was an unknown... mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wheeledhorseman 573 #64 Posted January 7, 2014 Hi Richard, On my brochure of Norlett tractors the address is Stadhampton road, Great Milton, Oxon. so it would be the same company. They marketed a wide range of grasscutting equipment, but were best known for rotovators, I bought 3 direct from them in the early 70's. In the mid 70's they moved to Dormer road, Thame. The last few models they supplied were not gold but Wheelhorse red as were all the attachments in the catalogue, the only real difference being the moulded badge on the front. Time to get Charlie on the case! Out of interest, what was the dealer's name? We really ought to collect together a list of UK dealers as part of WH history here as has been done in the US. Follow ebay long enough and the hotspots around the UK where dealers were located becomes apparent. In the area around Winchester tractors like my C120, the A-800 and my 210-5 were supplied by D J Scott at Warnford who are still in business as Toro agents. I have a reasonable example of their decal on the 210-5. Another hotspot centres on Multipower Equipment of Effingham in Surrey, now out of business. The remains of their decal is still visible on the 10 cu ft cart I'm restoring, fortunately I have a mint example on the 227-5 tractor. I know of a couple of other dealers but no examples of their decals though. My wife has accompanied me on so many trips to collect stuff that the hotspot areas are now referred to as being 'Wheel Horse Country' even if we are not on a WH mission. Andy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #65 Posted January 8, 2014 Andy, I would love to get a dealer page together on my wheel horse site. I'll start a UK dealer thread both old and existing, if we can get dealer badges and stickers on there too that would be fab. Seeing a dealer sticker says authentic to me I've finally added a pic of the scout and it's model number under the Norlett section. Thanks to Charlie and Percy for the valuable searches and information here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtyhead 13 #66 Posted July 31, 2016 My father bought a new Norlett Commander in 1974,it had a Briggs and Stratton engine with an electric clutch and 36 inch deck.The engine seized and I eventually gave it to a friend of mine,meanwhile I bought a new Wheelhorse which was identical except for the clutch.I sold it to my brother and it was stolen from his garage,I replaced it with a Wheelhorse 312-8 Kohler in 1987 and still have it today with over 2400 hours-still on the original exhaust.My friend with the Norlett fitted a Kohler engine and associated bracketry which he sourced in the U.S and refurbed it to a very high standard,even galvanising the deck.It is used weekly to cut his lawn He still has the original sales brochure I gave him with the Norlett,I am sure I could scan it to anyone who is interested. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CasualObserver 3,406 #67 Posted August 2, 2016 Absolutely, please scan it and if possible upload it to the manuals section. The Norlett question doesn't come up very often, but it would be nice to gather some info for when it does. Feel free to PM me or any other moderator for assistance if you can't upload it. Thanks for speaking up! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WheelHorseNut 222 #68 Posted August 2, 2016 On 1/6/2014 at 11:33 AM, goldhorse said: pipe smoking was big in the 70's I could picture this guys saying, "Lovey, I'm going out to mow the lawn" Said in the manner of Thurston Howell the third from Gilligan's Island. Although he'd never mow the lawn himself...Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,337 #69 Posted August 3, 2016 On 7/31/2016 at 10:05 AM, dirtyhead said: My father bought a new Norlett Commander in 1974,it had a Briggs and Stratton engine with an electric clutch and 36 inch deck.The engine seized and I eventually gave it to a friend of mine,meanwhile I bought a new Wheelhorse which was identical except for the clutch.I sold it to my brother and it was stolen from his garage,I replaced it with a Wheelhorse 312-8 Kohler in 1987 and still have it today with over 2400 hours-still on the original exhaust.My friend with the Norlett fitted a Kohler engine and associated bracketry which he sourced in the U.S and refurbed it to a very high standard,even galvanising the deck.It is used weekly to cut his lawn He still has the original sales brochure I gave him with the Norlett,I am sure I could scan it to anyone who is interested. 20 hours ago, CasualObserver said: Absolutely, please scan it and if possible upload it to the manuals section. The Norlett question doesn't come up very often, but it would be nice to gather some info for when it does. Feel free to PM me or any other moderator for assistance if you can't upload it. Thanks for speaking up! Yes, by all means, scan it so it can be upload to the site. And oh, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
meadowfield 2,545 #70 Posted August 3, 2016 hey, welcome to the group - we still have a Norlett Commander which has had a kohler conversion and is now 8 speed too... lets see some pics Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtyhead 13 #71 Posted August 20, 2017 I meant to upload these a year ago,I really will scan the original brochure soon.I previously posted that this belonged to my father who bought it new in Belfast in 1974.Briggs and Stratton failed and a 12 hp Kohler installed Built in Belgium under licence apparently..Galvanised the deck along with two 42 inch decks about 25 years ago and they are still perfect.I bought a 512d on ebay the other day,I still have to organise collection,I hope its not junk. 4 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
