| Former type | Ltd |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agricultural engineers, Manufacturing |
| Fate | Taken over |
| Predecessor | Ransomes |
| Successor | Textron Inc. |
| Founded | 1789 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Ipswich, England |
| Products | Ploughs, Traction engines, Lawn mowers |
Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries (also Ransomes, Ransomes, Sims & Head) was a major British agricultural machinery maker producing a wide range of products including traction engines, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvesters and other tilling equipment. They also manufactured aeroplanes during the First World War. Their railway equipment business was continued by Ransomes & Rapier after 1869. The company was based in Ipswich.
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The company was founded, as Ransomes, in 1789 by Robert Ransome, an iron-founder in Norwich before moving to Ipswich where he started casting ploughshares in a disused malting at St Margaret's Ditches in Ipswich, with capital of £200 and one employee.
As a result of a mishap in his foundry, a broken mould caused molten metal to come into contact with cold metal, making the metal surface extremely hard – chilled casting – which he advertised as 'self sharpening' ploughs, and received patents for his discovery.[1]
Ransomes produced the 'Automaton' hand-powered lawn mower in 1867.[2]
Prior to 1869 the company changed its name to Ransomes, Sims & Head.
In 1869 four engineers, J.A. Ransome, R.J. Ransome, R.C. Rapier and A.A. Bennett, left the company by agreement to establish 'Ransomes & Rapier', also based in Ipswich to continue the business of railway equipment and other heavy works.
In 1902 Ransomes produced the first commercially available powered lawn mower, driven by an internal combustion gasoline engine.
In the First World War, they manufactured aeroplanes: 350 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 fighters. While the Director was responsible for the design of the modern trench mortar.
In 1989 the whole of the agricultural implement business was sold to Electrolux and merged with their subsidiary Overum.
This left Ransomes solely as a manufacturer of lawn mowers, with the Westwood and Mountfield mower brands. The company accepted a take-over offer from Textron Inc., USA, and their independent existence ended early in 1998.
The history of company is the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket, Suffolk and they are also represented in Ipswich Transport Museum.
Ransomes & Rapier was formed in 1869 when four engineers, J.A. Ransome, R.J. Ransome, R.C. Rapier and A.A. Bennett, left the parent company by agreement to establish a new company on a site on the River Orwell to continue the business of railway equipment and other heavy works.
The company built the locomotives for the Woosung Road (or Woosung Railway) which was the first railway in China.[3] The railway opened in 1876 but was demolished the following year.
During the First World War they produced shells, guns and tank turrets.[4]
The company merged with Newton, Chambers & Company of Sheffields and formed the NCK excavator division to form NCK-Rapier who built walking draglines used in opencast mining.
Ransomes and Rapier built the model W1400 walking dragline called Sundew for The United Steel Company iron ore quarry at Exton Park, Rutland, England. At the time it was built in 1951, it was the largest in the world, weighing in at 1880 tons.[5]
Ransomes & Rapier sold the right to their walking dragline technology and patents to Bucyrus International in 1988.
The turntable used to turn the revolving restaurant on the BT Tower was also built by Ransome & Rapier.[6]
Ransomes and Rapier closed in 1987.[4]
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