Hi all,

I would like to add my thoughts on the origin of the pram-handle.

Post WWII, Scott Bonnar needed to modernise its range as it moved from
war-time production. The fruit of that endeavour was the commercial
Model 17, and in the domestic sphere, the Model 19, 14" Bonmow.

It is the radically different 16" Bonmow, however, that would prove the
most enduring, in that it evolved into the Model 45.

At some point the name 'Bonmow' was dropped and the 16" Bonmow
became the 16" Model 33. This was probably when SB introduced the
Kirby engine(The Bonmow 16" has a Villiers 2-stroke).

The Model 33 continued for a few years after the introduction of the
Model 45 in 1969. At this time the Model 33 was sold as the 16"
Lawn King. Here is an advert from 1972:-

[Linked Image]

This 16" Lawn King introduced the chromed tube pram handle,
the original 33 (16" Bonmow) having used flat steel in its pram handle.

I believe the reason for this first Lawn King was done for market branding
purposes. Victa did a similar thing with its Mayfair and Barclay brands.
It was clever marketing in that it could appease both the mass-merchandisers and
the small atomistic dealers. This is significant because the branding was
probably one strategy used to accommodate the new Trade-Practices Act.
[Manufacturers could no longer demand a set selling price]

The second generation Lawn King is the pram handle used on a 17" Model 45.
I speculate this handle was offered for similar reasons: to enable a
mass-merchandiser to sell Scott Bonnar at a cheaper price without
upsetting the small SB dealer, who was selling the 'genuine' article,
but at a higher price. It's amazing how simple cosmetic changes can
change a buyer's perception of the product.

The pram handle Lawn King 33s and 45s are rare because they were only
offered to, and sold to, select mass-merchandise stores, and probably
only in select States.

All very perambulatory.
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JACK.