Contacted our regional agricultural dealer for some replacement blades, bolts and a belt for my 350 today, got chatting to the chap around a very specific large butterfly nut. They do the bolts from "pattern" stock, but still get Howard specific bits from Standen (who own what is left of Howard) and it looks like everything I need will be available.

Anyway, chap reckoned there would still be a healthy population of these machines turning over allotments in twenty to thirty years time and blades, belts, bearings and seals should still be available then, his reasoning?

Howard designed these machines very well and then made them too well, they just keep going when more modern machines have catastrophic failures.

Thats good to know, my Big Bertha (Howard Gem) shoud last a little longer then.