PART NINE - Conclusion & Comment
Rob Laurent says the KX-B was introduced in 1963 because the directors felt
sales were "not as high as hoped". The KX-B sold alongside the larger KX-D.

Cost savings were made by using a smaller 18" pressed steel base, and a cheaper
(and lighter) Villiers 4-stroke. I have argued in this record that Pope Products
appear to have been involved in some capacity in the new design.

I have no doubt that the streamlined Villiers engine was more aesthetic and a
cheaper and lighter option than their own EC-B engine. Laurent's anecdotal
evidence was that the Villiers engine caused trouble in service. The Southern
Cross Power Drive system also appears to have been too complex.

For these reasons, it appears there was buyer resistance and the model's
lifespan was limited to 1963-65 - about three years. Production numbers would
have been low.

The bigger picture should be noted in all this. Southern Cross entered the
rotary lawnmower market quite late - in 1960. The Golden Age was the 1950s ...
when 'small players' could make a go of it and make a quid. By 1960, the
industry consolidated by virtue of the 'big players' who had the resources,
capital, and economies of scale of production methods to produce fresher
designs with more features in large and viable volume.

The rest is history.
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Jack

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