OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories UK & EUROPEAN Rotary Models QUALCAST: The First Rotaries - c1957

Hello ODK History Lovers,

Qualcast entered the rotary lawnmower market late.
It was as though Qualcast (Australia) could not make sense of the rotary revolution that
was happening before their eyes.

The first Qualcast rotaries were made from early 1957 and remained in production until 1960 (three seasons).

It seems fairly clear (but not certain) that these machines were not made here.
I believe they were fully imported from Britain but were clearly American inspired; with their offset wheels
and forward grass discharge chute. There were two models:

- 16 inch ROTOR MOWER (yellow)
- 18 inch LAWN SPEED (blue)



I have made available a good quality scan of the above advertisement, taken from the
Australian Women�s Weekly of November 27, 1957.

SPECIFICATION

These lawnmowers would have looked pretty, but were ultimately conservative designs.

Both machines had alloy bases and swing-back blades. Importantly, the bases were advertised as having
�Safety skirts�; meaning that the grass would be cut and discharged in a controlled way, unlike the
prevalent �Toe Cutter� bases of the time. The rubber wheels were solid (later semi-pneumatic) and used �oilite� bushings.

The height adjustment was also American style � independent adjustment on each wheel � and was
described as a �split second height adjustment� in advertising. The handle could be tilted,
but not folded for transport.

The engines were significantly different. The Rotor Mower had the 70 c.c. Villiers engine.
The larger Lawn Speed used a larger JAP engine with recoil starter. I think the engine was a C80,
and the exhaust would have been directed downward through the base (I think). Note the unusual lower crankcase.

In any case, most advertising records depict the smaller Rotor Mower and its 70cc engine:-





MANUAL - LAWNSPEED
Member Kye Turnbull has generously supplied scans of his Lawnspeed
Operator's Manual. It is a four page document available for download.

SIGNIFICANCE

These are rare machines today and should be considered highly collectable.

I have never seen photographic evidence of the elegant Lawn Speed, but I will include a couple of
photographs of the Rotor Mower in the Photo Record (below).

In entering the rotary market late, Qualcast had much competition from the multitude of makes that
sprung-up during the �Golden Age� of vintage mowers, the 1950s. It produced a conservative design
and the American-style bases never caught the imagination of the Australian public.

They were too expensive. In 1957 the smaller 16 inch Rotor Mower had a list price of �49/12/6,
just a whisker cheaper than the larger Victa�s famous �49/18/- price. The larger 18 inch Lawn Speed
had a list price of �54/19/6.

Here are a couple of photographs of the Qualcast Rotor Mower:-




Here are some 2016 auction photographs of the Lawnspeed:-

QUALCAST SIDE-WHEEL



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