Hello ODK history lovers
The Rover Model 84 & 85 Thoroughbreds were originally 14” and 16”
reel mowers that were introduced in late 1975 for the 1976 season.

There was intense competition between the top three Australian
garden products makers of the period. It’s pretty clear that mower
makers wanted to reinvent themselves as catch-all manufacturers …
sellers of all sorts of garden products. Victa did this; Rover did this;
Scott Bonnar did this.

It was obligatory for the key players to offer a power reel mower.

Scott Bonnar was the natural leader of the pack – it was in their DNA!
Victa bought a Kiwi design based on an English design and then
modified it. Rover created a hybrid – an in-house design that took
elements from Morrison, Ransomes, and Scott Bonnar; particularly
‘copying’ SB's chain transmission and brilliant landroll clutch.

[Linked Image]

This is not to say that the Rover Thoroughbred did not
contribute to the argument.

I have uncovered two relevant Rover patents that suggest
Rover was, for a few seasons, a serious power reel mower maker.

TO BE CONTINUED …