So to discuss in full detail.
Firstly, the aim of this thread, well, what I am hoping to do is create an article comparing the major advancmets Victa made between 1952 and 1975, to the same advancments outside of victa.
Starting with the inception naturally, and discussing what that inception entails, in some senses, Victa's inception combines 3 advancmets, that formed the beginings of the rotary petrol mower.
1, rotating blades working not on a scissor, but a scythe principle, on a spinning horizontal axis.
2, A petrol engine.
3, The engine mounted as so the drive shaft is positioned vertically as opposed to horizontally (in the above patents, this is seen with electric motors, but not petrol)
Adding to this, Victa offered a compact, manoeuvrable and lightweight option, which was, in my opinion, combined with affordability, a major part of it's success.
However, as seen in this thread, these three things had already been combined in the Rotoscythe (Possibly also in the mowhall, however I am unaware of the crankshaft orientation of that machine) the difference in the case of the Rotoscythe, it was large, heavy, cumbersome and expensive.
the patents above show electric machines that satisfy all but the petrol requirement, and further, seem generally light, and simple, however I can't find any evidence of this being applicable to petrol mowers till Victa.
The rotoscythe did seem to have one difference to the modern concept too, to my understanding, it did not work on a 'Vortex' principle for the catcher, and such, is a little different to Victa's later "Hi Arch" as the Hi Arch victa's create an air channel that blows the grass into the catcher, whereas the Rotoscythe has a large open rear, symmetrically, that simply seems to catch grass tossed by the blades.
However, a number of victa's advancments are indeed present in the rotoscythe.
1) 1952 - Rotary Blades
2) 1952 - Petrol Engine
3) 1952 - Vertical Shaft
4) 1953 - Enclosed Blade Area
5) 1960 - Grass Catcher
6) 1963 - Rear Catcher
7) 1964 - Self Propelled
8) 1972 - Internally Driven Wheel
So it was in many, many ways, ahead of Victa.
It seems to me many of Victa's moves forward were indeed simply releasing idea's that had already been conceived, but in ways that made them affordable and easy to use.
From everything I can understand, the Miller patent brings the rotary idea into play, the Beazly brings in the petrol engine, Possibly the rotoscythe brings in the vertical shaft, and it certainly seems to bring in propulsion and rear catchers.
Yes, there were rear accessory wheels for the rotoscythe, however it was still an immense machine, comparable in weight to some cylinder mowers, and similarly in size and the fact it could not be folded.
I am also curios as to governing, Perhaps Grumpy can tell us when briggs first did this. Victa did it unsuccessfully with the Automatic, and successfully in 1967 with the G2 carby, and moved to vacuum governing in 1974.
