Tubular Steel Mower

Tubular Steel Mower. . , Vice Admiral Mower Facts: ,

. The mower is a one-horse open-gear tubular-steel mower with steel wheels and a 4ft. blade, circa 1893. , . The lugged zigzagged wheels are made to resist slippage either way when mowing, without thumping on the road. , . The seat is attached with a countersunk square bolt. , . The paint colors Walter Wood used were all locally sourced out of Bennington, Vermont. The paint was made from OCHER to make yellow and red - the only colors he used (besides black).

, The early prosperity of the village was almost entirely due to the Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reaping Machine Company, that employed 2,000 men and built over 90,000 machines a year at its height. In its heyday, the company was the most celebrated manufactory of horse drawn farm machines in the world., Wood was born in New Hampshire in October of 1815. Shortly after the family relocated to Rensselaerville, NY where his father manufactured plows and wagons. Walter worked in his father's shop until 1836 when he moved to Hoosick Falls and worked at the Parsons and Wilder machine shop as a blacksmith., Wood moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1840 and worked there a few years learning carriage making before returning to Hoosick Falls to open a machine shop and foundry with a new partner, John White. Commercial success came with the improvement and development of their line of mower-harvesters., Initially built from designs patented by John H. Manny of Illinois, Wood bought the patent for the mower and made numerous improvements and changes over the years., By 1860 the Walter A. Wood mowers had evolved far beyond the original patent design. The innovative machines were the answer for many American farmers now expanding westward. They were awarded medals worldwide for quality and innovation., Later improvements included the development of harvesters and a wire binder. This bundling of the hay using a binder in effect marked the end of the traditional haystack and ushered in the new era of baling hay. A twine binder came in 1880 that replaced the sometimes problematic use of wire for the binding., Walter A. Wood passed away in 1892. By 1923 the demand for horse-drawn implements had declined. The company diminished to the point of entering receivership and was dismantled and sold off in 1924., [Captions:] , The Vice-Admiral Mower was the smaller version of the Admiral Mower and the even bigger Giant Admiral Mower., Using an innovative frame to give strength and rigidity when the cutter bar meets an obstruction, and a unique underdraft design to maximize the cutting power, these mowers were a mainstay of the Walter A. Wood Company., The mower before you is a Vice Admiral Mower original built by the Walter A. Wood Company, circa 1893., The Walter A. Wood Company factory complex circa 1920s., Hoosic Township Historical Society , Keeping History Alive , The Hoosick Township Historical Society celebrates the heritage of a town rich with historical significance tracing back to the colonial era. It is our mission to explore, preserve, and share the history and artifacts that commemorate the Town of Hoosick and celebrate its rich history. This panel was supported with funding by Melissa Kennedy and Joe Maleady.