Hayter Hawk Cemetery mower

[Viking 14]

Hi everyone hopefully I am in the right place ! I've inherited an old Hayter Hawk cemetery mower and I'm having trouble finding any references online. The Hayter website timeline mentions it briefly in the 1970s section but I'm after specifics!

 

trying to find out the year of manufacture and the size of the cutting deck and height of cut, which is not adjustable. Did it ever have a collection bag? Mine doesn't but is otherwise fully working aside from chipped paint I was pretty impressed considering its age, whilst I don't have much need for a graveyard mower when I tried it out I was impressed at how well It runs and cuts and would love to find out a bit more about it. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction please? Thanks

[HeadExam 1,783]

Maybe this will help

http://www.shouldersofshoreham.co.uk/index.php/hayter-diagrams/hayter-hawk

[Viking 14]

Thanks very much for the link Head exam - trouble is not really sure what I'm looking for

ill add some photos and maybe someone with more knowledge than me can correct me if I'm wrong might not even be what I think it is 

[Viking 14]

[Viking 14]

[Viking 14]

Photos all coming up the wrong way round sorry not sure why 

[HeadExam 1,783]

It appears your mower is a Hayter Hawk Major serial code 60/7143 by my link. I say that because of the curved handle and the throttle choke lever is only like this on this model, at least one this old. Speaking of old the Hawk came with a motor that Hayter lists as a 133702-103-01, however your engine is a 989022 0306-01 94010505, which means it was made on January 5, 1994. So, either that is a replacement engine or this model was produced into the 1990's, hard to fathom. 

 

Should be a discharge chute guard (flat plate) in front and a roller right behind it, It's listed as a 12" width mower

[Triumph66 1,256]

Viking, as far as I am aware there was no collection bag with these cometary mowers. I attach a photo of a Hayter mower lifted off the Biddenden Show for comparison. This has the original Briggs engine on it.

 

Whereabouts  in Devon are you?

 

 

[Viking 14]

2 hours ago, HeadExam said:

It appears your mower is a Hayter Hawk Major serial code 60/7143 by my link. I say that because of the curved handle and the throttle choke lever is only like this on this model, at least one this old. Speaking of old the Hawk came with a motor that Hayter lists as a 133702-103-01, however your engine is a 989022 0306-01 94010505, which means it was made on January 5, 1994. So, either that is a replacement engine or this model was produced into the 1990's, hard to fathom. 

 

Should be a discharge chute guard (flat plate) in front and a roller right behind it, It's listed as a 12" width mower

That's incredibly helpful thanks once again! I don't think it has a roller and as you say it's obviously not a 90's model - I know retro is all the rage but still unless

they were going for the rat look most likely a newer engine as you say - is it just a shroud? I think there may be another shroud for it I will have to have a dig about but thanks again for the help

[Viking 14]

2 hours ago, Triumph66 said:

Viking, as far as I am aware there was no collection bag with these cometary mowers. I attach a photo of a Hayter mower lifted off the Biddenden Show for comparison. This has the original Briggs engine on it.

 

Whereabouts  in Devon are you?

 

 

 

Thank you very much that's great

i suppose dead folk aren't too fussed about the clippings although by coincidence I did used to work for a company gardening all the cemeteries in Somerset, I've read about the rubber patch to stop it bumping the graves which would have been really useful in that job but I digress!

Bit of a pity it's not the original engine but then I suspect perhaps it wouldn't work so well if it was - I'm North Devon middle of nowhere really but not too far from Bideford. I will be selling it as it's interesting but I dont have a need for it here I have around 2 acres of grass to cut and it would take a long long time with this

 

thanks again

Edited August 25, 2016 by Viking

[expeatfarmer 591]

What makes this mower a cemetry mower?

[Wristpin 400]

You have what was originally called the Hayter 12" Rotary Mower that subsequently acquired the Hawk name. As supplied it would not have had front wheels but just a large diameter anti scalp roller. The wheels were an optional extra. Your comment about it not having any height adjustment is not strictly correct - as you say, there is no lever or other on the move adjuster but if you look at the sides of the chassis there are alternative mounting positions for the wheels and / or the roller.

The original machine was then joined by the 19" Hawk Major , the Briggs 13 prefix to the model number signifying a 5HP engine instead of the 3.5HP engine on the 12" machine. Confusingly the Major parts list shows an optional 16" blade. Not sure why anyone would want to put a 16" blade in a 19" chassis.

Why was it called a graveyard or cemetery mower? That is what the original machine was designed for ; narrow to get between the headstones, the anti scalp roller to deal with humps and bumps and the nylon rubbing strips to prevent damage to both itself and the masonry.  I was told, but cannot confirm, that the original 12" machine was designed at the request of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission  for maintaining the orderly and close packed cemeteries both in the UK and in foreign parts.

Confusingly Hayter re-used the Hawk name on a light weight version of the 16" Harrier which was mainly sold through the sheds and by mail order leaving the Harrier model name mainly the preserve of the mower trade.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0qgwb5nfcq725q/Hayter Hawk 12 and Major190001.pdf?dl=0

Edited August 26, 2016 by Wristpin
Typo!

[HeadExam 1,783]

14 minutes ago, Wristpin said:

You have what was originally called the Hayter 12" Rotary Mower that subsequently acquired the Hawk name. As supplied it would not have had front wheels but just a large diameter anti scalp roller. The wheels were an optional extra. Your comment about it not having any height adjustment is not strictly correct - as you say, there is no lever or other on the move adjuster but if you look at the sides of the chassis there are alternative mounting positions for the wheels and / or the roller.

The original machine was then joined by the 19" Hawk Major , the Briggs 13 prefix to the model number signifying a 5HP engine instead of the 3.5HP engine on the 12" machine. Confusingly the Major parts list shows an optional 16" blade. Not sure why anyone would want to put a 16" blade in a 19" chassis.

Why was it called a graveyard or cemetery mower? That is what the original machine was designed for ; narrow to get between the headstones, the anti scalp roller to deal with humps and bumps and the nylon rubbing strips to prevent damage to both itself and the masonry.  I was told, but cannot confirm, that the original 12" machine was designed at the request of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission  for maintaining the orderly and close packed cemeteries both in the UK and in foreign parts.

Confusingly Hayter re-used the Hawk name on a light weight version of the 16" Harrier which was mainly sold through the sheds and by mail order leaving the Harrier model name mainly the preserve of the mower trade.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0qgwb5nfcq725q/Hayter Hawk 12 and Major190001.pdf?dl=0

I love history, thanks so much for sharing that

[Viking 14]

1 hour ago, Wristpin said:

You have what was originally called the Hayter 12" Rotary Mower that subsequently acquired the Hawk name. As supplied it would not have had front wheels but just a large diameter anti scalp roller. The wheels were an optional extra. Your comment about it not having any height adjustment is not strictly correct - as you say, there is no lever or other on the move adjuster but if you look at the sides of the chassis there are alternative mounting positions for the wheels and / or the roller.

The original machine was then joined by the 19" Hawk Major , the Briggs 13 prefix to the model number signifying a 5HP engine instead of the 3.5HP engine on the 12" machine. Confusingly the Major parts list shows an optional 16" blade. Not sure why anyone would want to put a 16" blade in a 19" chassis.

Why was it called a graveyard or cemetery mower? That is what the original machine was designed for ; narrow to get between the headstones, the anti scalp roller to deal with humps and bumps and the nylon rubbing strips to prevent damage to both itself and the masonry.  I was told, but cannot confirm, that the original 12" machine was designed at the request of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission  for maintaining the orderly and close packed cemeteries both in the UK and in foreign parts.

Confusingly Hayter re-used the Hawk name on a light weight version of the 16" Harrier which was mainly sold through the sheds and by mail order leaving the Harrier model name mainly the preserve of the mower trade.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0qgwb5nfcq725q/Hayter Hawk 12 and Major190001.pdf?dl=0

Thank you for the information that's certainly interesting, sadly a little lost on me as though I appreciate the history I don't know anything about engines or machinery in general I can't even drive a car ! I have no ide the worth either but have now listed it on eBay, there was only one other hawk major on eBay listed which is a non runner at £45 so I've put £50 on it but obviously postage would be high so hoping someone local will be interested, I feel a little sad to part with it but I really don't have much use for it - now if only my landlord would let me get my hands on the bolens ride on mower that's been wasting away in a locked shed for more than a year that would be much more useful - thanks ever so much again for the info 

[HeadExam 1,783]

20 minutes ago, Viking said:

Thank you for the information that's certainly interesting, sadly a little lost on me as though I appreciate the history I don't know anything about engines or machinery in general I can't even drive a car ! I have no ide the worth either but have now listed it on eBay, there was only one other hawk major on eBay listed which is a non runner at £45 so I've put £50 on it but obviously postage would be high so hoping someone local will be interested, I feel a little sad to part with it but I really don't have much use for it - now if only my landlord would let me get my hands on the bolens ride on mower that's been wasting away in a locked shed for more than a year that would be much more useful - thanks ever so much again for the info 

Find out what interests the landlord has and ply him with a few favours, if done subtly and honestly, it may be a way to get your foot (and arse) in that shed.

[Viking 14]

Ha ha thanks Head exam I've tried but the guy is impervious to logic and his only interest seems to be money - it was verbally agreed when I moved here that we could use it but sadly not written in the contract - anyone would think he'd want the land maintained it is his after all but he's also harbouring a baby grand piano in the same shed despite pointing out to him the mice have been at it he's still hair left it all to rot hate to see such waste but short of smashing off the lock I'm consigned to the fact I may never get to use it

[Triumph66 1,256]

What colour is the Bolens? 

 

[Viking 14]

56 minutes ago, Triumph66 said:

What colour is the Bolens? 

 

 

Its a blue one - it apparently has a plough type thing that fits in but im

not convinced - sadly just looked through the shed window it's covered in bird poo the tractor I mean, the plough thing is separate I can get a picture of anyone could help that would be great

[Triumph66 1,256]

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