OK, so I am starting this thread to help better the "Thesis" I am writing to investigate the history of Victa.
I have had a few articles up now to help get the information flowing, however this thread is aimed at being a little more of an organised discussion following the thesis as it is created section by section.
As I complete each section, I will post it up here for comments, input and adjustments, to help not only get the information as accurate as possible, but to also make this a true whole forum effort of which we can all be proud!
Here is the first section:
Quote
INTRODUCTION In 1952 Mervyn Victa Richardson took a small, 2-stroke Villiers engine, applied it to a simple frame, with for Billy cart wheels, a peach tin for a petrol tank, and two blades attached to a rotating bar, creating the Victa �Peach Tin� Mower, a lightweight, simple, petrol rotary mower, with it�s engine positioned so as the crank shaft stood vertically.
This has often been mistakenly viewed as the birth of the rotary mower, however, this is indeed not the case, as not only did rotary mowers exist prior to this, there can indeed be found examples of Petrol Rotary mowers, with a vertically positioned engine, some with advancements far exceeding Victa�s �Peach Tin� mower.
Indeed the Victa peach tin was not the first rotary mower, nor the first Petrol Rotary, or even Vertical shaft petrol rotary. In fact, Victa was not even the first Vertical Shaft Petrol Rotary Lawnmower to be made in Australia. The Victa Peach Tin Mower was the first locally produced, lightweight and simple, Vertical Shaft Rotary Petrol Lawnmower, this, coupled with marketing success, was the key to the beginning of an Icon and legend.
No pure element of the Peach tin was original, its engine was taken from another mower, its manuverablility common to electric rotaries, the orientation of the engine was seen on electric rotaries, the Mowhall, and overseas machines and the concept of a rotary mower can be taken at least as far back as 1928.
Further, the combination was not unique, the idea of a vertical shaft petrol rotary lawnmower existed prior to 1952, as it did in a compact and lightweight form in the US, and even here, the Mowhall had been demonstrated to Mervyn, A vertical shaft petrol rotary, that�s limitation was its weight.
In fact, prior to the invention of the peach tin, many later Victa advancements were already in existence, the covered rotary deck, the rear catcher, self propulsion, replacable blades, alloy bases, and lightweight designs were all applied to one Vertical shaft petrol rotary or another before 1952, in some cases over a decade earlier.
The point of this analysis is not to defame, or discredit Mervin or Victa, but simply to help establish the true history of the rotary lawnmower. At the end of the day, Victa cannot be discredited for it�s success, for quite simply, it�s success is true, Victa is an Australian Icon, and that will always remain.
Mervyn was and always will have been a genius, in his creation of the Peach Tin, he did not invent a concept out of thin air, but more so he was able to recognise that there was a massive gap in the Australian market, one not filled by international options, or electric alternatives, after witnessing the display of an interesting machine, he was able to take elements of many existing technologies, and combine them together in such a way as to create a machine that filled this gap perfectly, this, combined with an amazing knack for sales and marketing, brought to life an Aussie legend, and cemented Mervyn as a genius, a creator and an entrepreneur!
Cheers Ty
____________________________ Please do not PM me asking for support. Please post your questions in the appropriate forums, as the replies it may receive may help all members, not just the individual member.
Comments: [1] I think the Mohall needs context, dating (1948) and Laurence Hall's name. For decades, in public consciousness, the myth that Mervyn Richardson single handedly invented the rotary mower prevailed. To a great extent, that view still prevails: I think we were happy to not question that myth - with World events like the Opening of the Sydney Olympics presenting stylizes victa mowers as something uniquely Australian, as presenting the 'true' view - that the Victa was our gift to the world..
However, in the last couple of decades, there has been official recognition of the 1948 Mowhall as at least being an 'inspiration' for the late 1952 Rotomo. Your thesis attempts to 'set the record straight', in that it wants to go father than that conceded view - that both the UK and particularly the USA had examples of rotary mowers in general and domestic, lightweight, direct drive, petrol rotaries in particular.
[2] The other thing is the omission of mentioning the electric mower tradition. Does Cyril Thomas deserve a place in our history books? Was the Tecnico our first rotary mower? To what extent and degree should both Hall and Thomas deserve credit?
Both of these topics are covered in greater detail throught the thesis, however, you are quite corect, as the introduction should lay the groundwork for the major points of the thesis, these two events should featre here prominently, to introduce them as concepts of the thesis.
I'm putting a re-work together now.
Cheers Ty
____________________________ Please do not PM me asking for support. Please post your questions in the appropriate forums, as the replies it may receive may help all members, not just the individual member.
OK, Here is the updathed thesis draft, a few details i still have to fill in, but here is the general gist of it:
Quote
INTRODUCTION
In 1952 Mervyn Victor Richardson took a small, 2-stroke Villiers engine, applied it to a simple frame, with for Billy cart wheels, a peach tin for a petrol tank, and two blades attached to a rotating bar, creating the Victa �Peach Tin� Mower, a lightweight, simple, petrol rotary mower, with it�s engine positioned so as the crank shaft stood vertically.
This has often been mistakenly viewed as the birth of the rotary mower, however, this is indeed not the case, as not only did rotary mowers exist prior to this, there can indeed be found examples of Petrol Rotary mowers, with a vertically positioned engine, some with advancements far exceeding Victa�s �Peach Tin� mower.
The Victa peach tin was not the first rotary mower, nor the first Petrol Rotary, or even Vertical shaft petrol rotary. In fact, Victa was not even the first Vertical Shaft Petrol Rotary Lawnmower to be made in Australia.
In 1948, Lawrence Hall of ??? demonstrated, infront of Mervyn, his own mower. This was the Mowhall, a vertically oriented petrol engine turned an old plow disc to cut grass, this sat on a circular base held up on four small wheels, similat to that of many early Victa mowers. It was however very heavy, due in part to the water cooled marine engine used to drive the blades.
Also, in 19?? Cyrryl Thomas of thechnico manufactured Australia�s first electric rotary. At this point, lightweight electric rotary mowers were popular, and fairly common in Australia, but were manufactured overseas, technico had a large distribution network as an electronics manufacturer, and through this they were able to easily market and sell their electric rotary, selling a total of ????? between 1948 and 1952.
In 1933 in the UK rotoscythe was founded, manufacturing vertical engine rotary lawnmowers, over the next two decades these machine became more and more advanced. By the time the Peach Tin was assembled in 1952, the Rotoscythe was already exporting with self propulsion, a fully enclosed base, Hi arch shute, and large rear catcher. However with patchy export and a high price tag, it was not ready to compete when Victa came along.
No single eliment, nor the combination of them seen in the peach tin was unique to the world in 1952, the idea of a vertical shaft petrol rotary lawnmower existed prior to 1952, the US already had compact, lightweight mowers of this type well before, in fact the Petrol rotary over there, a Mr XXXXXX retired in 1952, and even here the Mowhall had been demonstrated to Mervyn years before the Peach Tin, although it�s weight knocked it out of the competition, it took two people to move!
The point of this analysis is not to defame, or discredit Mervin or Victa, but simply to help establish the true history of the rotary lawnmower. At the end of the day, Victa cannot be discredited for it�s success, for quite simply, it�s success is true, Victa is an Australian Icon, and that will always remain.
Mervyn was and always will have been a genius, in his creation of the Peach Tin, he did not invent a concept out of thin air, but more so he was able to recognise that there was a massive gap in the Australian market, one not filled by international options, or electric alternatives, after witnessing the display of an interesting machine, he was able to take elements of many existing technologies, and combine them together in such a way as to create a machine that filled this gap perfectly, this, combined with an amazing knack for sales and marketing, brought to life an Aussie legend, and cemented Mervyn as a genius, a creator and an entrepreneur!
Cheers Ty
____________________________ Please do not PM me asking for support. Please post your questions in the appropriate forums, as the replies it may receive may help all members, not just the individual member.
Great stuff! I know I say more here than what would ever be needed in your thesis intro., but I understand the need for accuracy in that abstract you present above.
I think Rotoscythe should be revised to the patent application date, to be consistent with the USA patents - 1932.
The inventor of the Rotoscythe was David Hamilton Cockburn, an engineer who had already had patents granted to him. He applied for the "Rotoscythe" patent on February 29, 1932 and patent GB 385,473 was granted on December 29, 1932.
I attach an extract from the Cape Vintage Engine and Machinery Society. What it shows, again, is that the Rotoscythe was something else. Their power sources were electric, gasoline and . . . hydraulics. [the article extract is used with permission]
The issue of Cyril Thomas. This needs revision I think. Tecnico released the 10" electric in mid to late 1948. One memorable ad, was a colour full page in the AUS Women's Weekly.
Ty, you say: At this point, lightweight electric rotary mowers were popular, and fairly common in Australia, but were manufactured overseas,
I don't think that is correct at all. The first electric rotary mower to be sold in Australia was the AUS Tecnico. [they were'nt imported except for the British Ladybird which came later]. Tecnico referred to themselves as the 'pioneers' of rotaries in AUS.
Electric mowers were not so common till this event. Electric reel mowers were manufactured here (Scott Bonnar) and imported from the 1920s.
But electric rotary manufacturers sprung up immediately post the Tecnico introduction of them. Reason: Many electrical manufacturers were looking at ways to harness excess production capability after WWII. Emerging post-war prosperity directed these companies to appliance manufacture - vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, transistor radios, white goods and mowers. I read - somewhere - that the Tecnico mower was assembled on the same production line as their floor polishers!
The point I make is that makes Like Tecnico, Mercury, Tasma, TAD, Breville, Grasshopper, and the imported Ladybird all entered the market between 1948 and 1952. Many tapped in to an existing appliance/electrical store network. Electric mowers were sold all across Australia - even Kalgoolie!
How popular were they? I know from the quantity of advertisements placed that the output would have been enormous. Tecnico, alone,in 1954 said it had sold over 100,000 units! I have evidence of people complaining of the noise of electric mowers on Saturday mornings! And all this prior to the seminal date of September, 1952.
I hope this helps in your thesis.
All very interesting. ---------------------------------------- JACK
Thanks for that Jack, yes, there is a bit to revise here, I'd better get to work!
Cheers Ty
____________________________ Please do not PM me asking for support. Please post your questions in the appropriate forums, as the replies it may receive may help all members, not just the individual member.
