PART TWO - The First Petrol Rotocut
When I look at the first Tecnico - the little electric of 1948 - I see
that it was 'inspired' by designs prevalent in the USA. It was no surprise
that the larger petrol model would also offer design cues from American
manufacturers. Tecnico, after all, had international contacts and connections.

The first petrol Rotocut (shown above) had an offset wheel design with
primitive height adjustment. Clearly, for the day, that was an advance upon
the Victa design (that was so primitive it offered no accurate height adjustment).
The offset wheel design with front discharge chute - typically USA - never
offered any advantage beyond the theoretical.

The first model had an 18" cut, and had an alloy base, but it was no 'toe-cutter'.
This mower had a shallow skirt, with blades contained within. The blades (blade)
was of the single bar type favoured by American makes. Engine shock protection
was offered via a spring clutch that 'slipped' when the blade encountered solid
objects. The handle was of modern tubular design and the mounting point (in the
middle of the base) should be noted. The power unit appears to have been
exclusively the Villiers Midget Mk3 (with fan cooling). The following
newsprint advertisements from 1955 and 1956:-

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