OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Who Owns the Trade Name Scott Bonnar?

Hi to All,
I have just spotted this advert in the junk mail....and they call this a "Scott Bonnar"????

Malcolm Bonnar must be rolling in his grave!
What a crock!

Rover does, they still use the name on the crap chonda mowers too.

Thanks for that Joe, I have just done some research and that is correct mate, Rover owns Scott Bonnar.

However, Rover Mowers Ltd itself is an operating division of MTD Products Australia Pty Ltd. They state that Rover Mowers Ltd. designs, manufactures and distributes lawn and garden care equipment for both domestic and commercial users.
According to company history, (text courtesy of Wikipedia);
"Rover Mowers shut down its Australian manufacturing plant in Eagle Farm Queensland on 1 April 2007. Lawnmower production has commenced from their manufacturing plant in China.

Rover continues to have an Australian branch for spare parts, mower distribution and customer care."

Yep, everytime I hear a flushing toilet, I think of what has happened to two great australian brands, victa and rover.

It is a Rover and here is the proof:

Thanks Bruce for that.....It will be good for the archives. That is the proof!
Joe, I absolutely agree with you...Victa, the great Aussie icon being owned overseas, and Rover ceasing production in Oz, what a shame.

Hi Guys,

Rover is now owned by MTD another American company. They also got sold cheap, the same as victa and when sold all the manufacturing dies went to the tip.

Hi Bruce, and now there is a rumour that Rover will again manufacture the Model 45 again....That is going to be fun for them considering the fate of all the jigs, tools and dies buried on the tip.
Another knock-off on its way perhaps...???

I can't imagine that those old tools would be used anyway. If the 45 is to be produced again, it seems to me that the most sensible sourcing approach would result in it being made in China using local Chinese components. It might be done just by adopting one of the existing Chinese copies of the 45, and putting Rover 45 or Scott Bonnar 45 labelling on it. Alternatively, as a premium product they might produce drawings in Australia and have the machine made in China to its original standards. SB45 enthusiasts would no doubt prefer the latter approach since it would mean that new genuine spares would remain available. I don't think it would be a technically difficult project either way, the main issue would be how many they could expect to sell.

Well that makes sense grumpy, badge engineering would be the easiest way to go... but at the price of a quality product..and I am speaking of build quality, to original Scott Bonnar specs (with a solid deck) would be probably too expensive for the average buyer.
Don't forget, the Rover 45 in 2006 was priced at $1895.00 and that did not have the build quality of a genuine SB.
It would be interesting to see how many they would sell.

Hello All
Does anyone on this forum have any contacts at rover who can expand on the possibility rover remanufacturing the SB45. im sure there is a market for them not only in new machines but also the spare parts for all the existing machine. Especially catchers I need 3 of them. As an aside our new neighbour has purchased one of the cheap Chinese SB45 copies. Just doesn't look the same.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve, Bruce our site owner and forum administrator does know someone at Rover and I'm sure can make some inquiries as to the re-manufacture of the Model 45.

Re: Model 45 catchers, there is someone on eBay that is manufacturing catchers to a high standard for the 17" and 20" models and perhaps does 14" as well. They come unpainted, but that is a good thing if you are restoring and repainting a complete machine.