OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Masport Vulcan 2stroke

G'day All, Got my grubby hands on this. some info would be Appreciated.







Very interesting place for a Muffler

Found this, so far I think it's a D400 2stroke motor

Hello Dave

Yep, a common Ironhorse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-400_engine
These were made mostly for Lawnboys and Masports.

Your mower was sold here between about mid-1970s and mid-1980s.
I'm trying to work out the exact connection with Vulcan, but I
think it goes like this.

Vulcan was/is a heater and hot water manufacturer.
They wanted to get into lawnmowers and they sold Masports and
Supa-Swifts using the Vulcan name: Vulcan-Supa-Swift and Vulcan-
Masport.

Vulcan is not mentioned in the definitive Jim Allnatt book on
Masport; suggesting no close connection between the firms, but a
commercial deal between Masport Australia and Vulcan at that time.

Hope this helps.
-----------------------
Jack

A real Blast from the Past.....

[video][/video]

Awesome SDooper

All it needed was a brass band and some dancing girls from
the Don Lane show. I love these old mower commercials.
They made lawnmowers look ... exciting!

-----------------------
Jack

Thanks Jack... Don Lane... roflmfao...
sorta like dancing girls..

Was playing around again with mower videos... Hope ya's Enjoy..

[video][/video]

I would date this one as early 1970's.

Reason being, that Masport bought out Whirlwind in Melbourne in the mid-1970's, and started selling Masport mowers under their own name here, from then on. Vulcan continued to sell rebranded Supa Swifts until the early 1980's IIRC.

From an earlier post of mine:
[quote] Timeframe would have been 1974-75 for the takeover, IIRC.

What makes it stick in my mind, is that Masport then commenced marketing bar blade mowers in Oz, and introduced the 'new model' Iron Horse 2-stroke engine option.

They also required their dealers [we were one] to purchase a new 'special tool' - a crankshaft straightening setup [basically a bench mounted screw press with a runout indicator] at that time. They had it manufactured locally, and the price was pretty reasonable.
This was to straighten bent crankshaft PTO ends, after object strikes with the rigid bar blade, which no other local manufacturer used at that time.

Masport made the product launch for the new Iron Horse a major shivoo for the Vic dealers, at least. It was held at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne, and the dealers and their families were put up there at company expense for the show night! This was a first in the garden machinery game, for those days.[/quote]

Briliant!

I loved the sepia-tone, nostalgic look and the whimsical
soundtrack. Creative & Clever. Enjoyable.

The titles were ... ... ... ambitious!
I predict a telly movie, then a mini-series ('Meet the Masports').
This will be followed by a blockbuster movie: George Lucas'
'Masportation: Return of the Vulcans'.

Merchandising will be huge: SuperDooper brand ice-creams, T-shirts,
SuperDooper Man action figures in McHappy meals ... BIG!

This will be followed by personal audiences with Obama, the Deli Lama,
and a snake charmer - who once met the Pope (and I don't mean the mower...)

All the way with ODK
------------------------------
JACK

Hi Mod Gadge

That's great information ... and we see the return of 'the shivoo'
So, early '70s for the Vulcan-Masports; but the Vulcan Supa-Swifts continued.

I don't suppose you have any info on the Masport-Vulcan association?

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

Sorry, don't have any real knowledge about the Masport-Vulcan setup, as we were never Vulcan agents.

We did have a Whirlwind agency though, so we came into the Masport fold when the takeover occurred.