Follows & Bate founded in 1868 by Frederick William Follows, an engineering business producing an assortment of items for horticultural, domestic and general engineering.

Since Buddings invention of the lawn mower in 1830 the drive/motion to operate the cutting cylinder of a lawn mower came from a heavy rear roller, the Climax patented in 1869 replaced this with much lighter travelling or support wheels incorporating an internal gear which  meshed with a pinion on the end of the cutting cylinder shaft.