OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Scott Bonnar 320 - Not What It Seems

anyone got an idea when the S.B 320 was orange with black engine as i thought almost all were green except the really early which were gold i think

, Dave

sorry about all there but you see the one i meant , other one is too dark .
not sure of its age as it didnt have the correct top on it but its coming but i think early mid 80's maybe

I am going to hazard a guess here and say thats not the original engine on it, the engine is mid 90's and the metal catcher on the scott bonnar doesnt fit in that era.

Nice victa utility there, I have just listed a muffler the same as whats on it on ebay!

it does have a metal catcher yes , the starter was chucked on for ease though , orig' is coming soon but i got a feeling it should be white ?
aaw needed a muffler to for something else LOL
it does have the low filler plug same as my demon but hmmmm catche ris almost totaled too any idea what it should have then ?

and thanks joe , good too see you back

Definately the wrong engine as Joe states...

The 320 was SBs utilty Versions

This doesnt appear to be a Ute....Its almost certainly 60s as it still retains its metal catcher.

Id say this was the first 320 by SB and still classess as a utility due to its steel base. The other thing to note is its axle mounts, as they are of the same external weld on style that is on the later 70's 320 series Utilities which were green base red engine.

I cant find an Image of an original. If nothing comes to light Ill find the model in my list when Im back at home in a few weeks and at least mate it with the correct engine/engines ,which was probably a white B/S.

The gold base green engine 201/ white kirby /white briggs were on the SB35

And the Blue base and Gold engine was On the SB 47

Then the Green base red engine on the 49 320 520 and 720


And welcome back also Joe...:)

yes HT6 its what got me , i have a 320 demon here and it looks almost the same front axle mountings but hight adjuster is completely different .

gimme a few mins and i toss up a photo of them together

sorry , hadto give it a quik wash down but here they are together , one a 320 demon . the other also a 320 , but takes a catcher




and yes i know its the wrong green , was i think my first attempt

Id say this was just the steel based utility version of the 49era?

Wha? That Demon is Awesome! Colour is Close enough, geeez. Shes a little ripper VMan!

Anyways hope someone can shed a more accurate light on your beastie,but Im certain I have the model details in text when I get back. Its really just finding the correct engine, as the rest looks original.

i have a feeling its the right engine but may have been white ? got it from another member here and he has the cooling cowel still but its coming , has the same filler as the age it needs to be just a pain to change oil in them really slow and its a runner too now .
never seen one that didnt have a flywheel keyway in it and still run , but maybe its why it was parked up slots for it were still lined up but nothing in there , i thought i dropped it at 1st

Hello vcomm, HT6 and Joe

Well this is a new twist.

I have to agree with Joe & HT6: the engine must be a re-power.
What I can't answer is whether this machine is a product of a Rover-Masport
deal; or an arrangement between Scott Bonnar and Morrison made prior to the
1980 takeover of SB by Rover, and also before the 1986 takeover of Morrison
by Masport.

My best guess is that this is a Morrison-Scott Bonnar made in the late 1970s.
At his time Scott Bonnar were selling Morrisons as Model 690 Scott Bonnars.

I do not believe vcomm's machine was sold here - Scott Bonnar had a full line-up
of rotaries - the 420, 520 and 720 machines. The 320s were utility mowers here.

Soooo - I think this machine was part of a reciprocal deal, whereby these mowers
were sold in the NZ market and branded as Scott Bonnars. This machine must have
been privately imported.

All very interesting.
------------------------------
JACK

best i can work out now is that its a 1980s machine and is a 320 i just dont know where it fits into the range , an old post from MikeL 07/09/10 looks to be the same thing his was a curbside find , and the demon is from 79 .

but it is a sort of morrison red

It is an interesting one vcomm.

There is clear proof that this was a branded Morrison.
It is possible the machine may date from the early 1980s,
but I will stick with my initial assessment of late 1970s at this time.

Here's the initial Morrison chassis and catcher [c1970s]


The new information - for me - is that I now believe that Scott Bonnar
utility mowers were based on Morrison styling cues and pressed-steel technology.
[Masport really did make a very good commercial decision in the Morrison takeover.]

----------------------------------
JACK

it explains a little more yes and now i see too how the catcher works too and why the look so alike but now the demon is gunna get a complex it just got turned into a morrison in an hour
thanks for the info again jack

Hello vccomm and Contributors

Yes, to show you how old - and revolutionary - this design is consider this:-



It's a Kiwi brochure. The prices are in pounds: meaning prior to July, 1967!
Your machine has an updated handle. Note that this is a complex pressed steel chassis.
Note how Morrison claim their machines were selling in Australia at this time.
[I'm not sure rotaries were at this time; reels definitely were.]

That your machine has a metal catcher is significant.
I would think it unlikely that metal catchers were used in the 1980s.
[But it is possible they did survive to the very early 1980s].

Your machine is important in that it fills a gap in Scott Bonnar (and Morrison) history.

All very collectable.
--------------------------
JACK

Hello vccomm, and Contributors

I though you might find this interesting.
I said that unusual 320 dates from the late seventies, when SB were
selling SB-Morrison reel mowers. I still think that's right.

But a decade earlier Turner were selling ... Turner-Morrisons.
What I didn't know was that this included a rotary mower.
I guess you recognise the chassis...

hahaha wow that was a popular little trinket wasn't it !! i geuss now i have a choice of what to make it into . all the handles are different too , my one is at least scot bonnar ish in the department .
i was almst thinking of traditional green and orange engine and really confuse the issue .

if anyone sees a catcher that looks close pm me please but i see now the real shape , this one has been uuum rebuilt a few times i think

Hi vccomm

It's amazing what 24 hours can bring in vintage mower history.
I do feel we are closer at giving your mower an identity:
it's a Scott Bonnar-Morrison if it was sold here (this is not confirmed);
or a Morrison-Scott Bonnar, if it was just sold in NZ (this is not confirmed).

Whichever way, you have a rare machine indeed - and it fills a gap in Scott Bonnar and
Morrison history. It also adds a new dimension to Turner, with the Turner-Morrisons.

All-in-all, a very satisfying - but confusing - week at ODK.

Cheers
-------------------------
JACK