OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AUSTRALIAN Rotary Models CLYDE Minor & Major Rotary Lawnmowers - c1956

Hello ODK History Lovers

One of the most important Australian-made vintage rotary lawnmowers would
have to be the Clyde rotaries of 1956. Made by Clyde Industries of Clyde,
NSW, these are super-rare machines, and only a few have been found.

This was an 18" machine with a deep alloy skirted base, unusual for the
time. Wheels were large and thin, alloy hub with rubber outers, probably
influenced by the British Rotoscythe. Height adjustment, as expected, was
primitive 4-point.

The Clyde rotary was made in two variants; the most 'common' being the
Clyde Minor, powered by the bullet-proof Villiers Mk 3 Midget. The Clyde
Major had the same chassis, but was fitted with the larger 147cc Villiers
25C engine.

The most important feature, though, was that this was a rear-catcher
lawnmower ... on sale in 1956! I believe this to be, then, Australia's first
rear-catcher lawnmower. Indeed, the Clyde was advertised as, "The only
Household Rotary Mower with a grass catcher". Another advertisement
proclaimed, "First with a modern grassbox".




TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - Discovery

It was in November, 2015 that Member Paul C from Brisbane found a Clyde Minor
in original condition. Though showing clear signs of age, the lawnmower was
complete but was lacking a grass catcher. Close inspection suggests to me that
this machine was not sold with the optional grass catcher.



The machine's alloy wheels were also missing the rubber outer tyres,
but apart from that, it was all there. The colour scheme was yellow for
the motor and handle, and blue for the base. The blue appears to have
had a 'hammertone' finish. The Villiers MK3 Midget engine was stamped
243X. The Villiers documents I have confirmed this was the original
Clyde specification engine.




The front of the machine is beautifully styled, but the blue paint
is now all gone, suggesting a lack of priming at the production stage.
The front 'teeth' grill appears to have been American rotary lawnmower
inspired (e.g. Lawn Boy). The front decal is also missing.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Base & Catching

The Clyde rotary's historically most important feature was that this was
a rear-discharge machine capable of catching grass. With only one exception
(The Collect-O-Matic), this was years' ahead of other Australian rotaries
of the 1950s. It would only be in 1962 that rear catcher machines would be
introduced by the big lawnmower manufacturers.

It was general practice to make catchers optional extras for push reel
mowers and rotary lawnmowers in those days. Paul's Clyde seems to lack
the fitting(s) necessary to mount a catcher, suggesting this machine was
not optioned with one. Note that the base colour was blue, Clyde's signature
colour for many of its products.



Even though the base has no real 'arch' at the rear, the base skirt is
unusually high. Also of note is that the base casting is recessed to
accommodate the engine. The base appears to have a double skirt at the
front ... for cutting efficiency.

Of particular note is the blade holder. It appears that this machine
may have had two flat cutting blades, and two fluted lift blades mounted
on top of the disc. The two small holes in the disc were probably for
'jamming' the disc for holder centre nut removal.

Unless a user or parts manual can be found, we're not likely to know
exactly what the original blade designs looked like, but I believe the
configuration was something like described here.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - Significance

Australian lawnmowers went down two design trajectories in the 1950s.
The influential Victa skirt-less 'toe-cutter' base influenced a number of
later AUS manufacturers. That base design made it difficult - though not
impossible - for catching. I have written about the Emu grasscatcher that
was designed mid-1950s to suit these skirt-less bases. It was not an elegant
solution for grass catching efficiency (see link below).

The other trajectory was the skirted base, in side and rear discharge
configurations. In fact, our first rotary mower, the 1948 Tecnico, had a
skirted steel base, and this influenced the other half of the manufacturers
in the 1950s. Its primary benefit was safety - a skirted base could better
contain projectiles and direct discharge in a specific direction.

The secondary benefit of the skirted base was that it would permit base
designs that enabled efficient cutting and catching of grass clippings.
This is why the Clyde Minor (and Major) is historically significant: the
model was the first to offer a catcher for a rear discharge rotary mower
made in this country.

The only other historically significant Australian lawnmower from this
period (for grass catching) was our radical Collect-O-Matic. That more
radical mower would appear after the release of the Clyde (see links below).

In terms of design influence, the Clyde clearly took inspiration from
the British Rotoscythe County model that went on sale here in about 1950.
The County, however, could not take a catcher (see links below). The
Collect-O-Matic took inspiration from the similarly radical Rotoscythe
rear catcher machines first produced in the early 1930s, and sold here
from about 1937, before the interruption of that terrible Second World War.

It is for these reasons that the Clyde rotaries - the Minor & Major =
of 1956, should be considered highly desirable and collectible. I hope
more see light of day now that they have been formally recognized here.

The rest is history.
--------------------------------------
Jack.

The Collect-O-Matic:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=60207

The Humble Grass Catcher:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=51508

The Emu Grass Catcher:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=59746

The Rotoscythe County:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=69693


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