OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories AUSTRALIAN Power Reel Models BARTRAM FINECUT - c1956

Hello ODK History Lovers

The Bartram Finecut was an Australian-made 14" power reel mower, made by
J. Bartram & Son of 601-607 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne.

I know the Bartram through one single advertisement I acquired at auction.
It was advertised in the Australian Home Beautiful of December, 1956. That's
all I have.

The company - J. Bertram & Son - is an easier matter. They were amongst the
pioneering forefront of the dairy industry in Australia. My research indicates
that the company seems to have commenced business in the 1870s as a butter and
cheese merchant and exporter.

It seemed a natural progression that the company would commence importing
and manufacturing dairy equipment, but the company quickly expanded to all sorts
of industrial products.



Bartram's became a large company, exporting produce to overseas markets, and with
offices in London. Its heyday was clearly the early 20th century. I can only
speculate that post WWII, in a new world order, the company consolidated.

It may be that it entered the lawnmower market as a diversification of its
manufacturing works in order to survive in the modern world.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - The Finecut

The advertisement from the then popular Home Beautiful magazine is telling.
In colour, it is beautifully illustrated, and it gives us a half-decent idea of
the Finecut and its specification. Note that there is no dealer network - buy
direct from the maker!

The specification is interesting, and it includes ...
- Fan-cooled Villiers engine (or electric)
- 14" cut with an eight-blade reel
- Variable speed landroll clutch
- Reel safety clutch




One unexplained question is how variable landroll speed was achieved?
Was it simply via throttle alone, or by a more sophisticated clutch arrangement?

I might say also that an eight-blade real is exceptional for a 14 inch machine.
I wonder whether this old company really understood the industry it was venturing
into. Perhaps they were struggling to re-invent themselves in the post-war, modern
era? I guess they didn't quite make it ...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - COMMENT & ANALYSIS

Whilst the records for the company are numerous, I can find no records for the Finecut.
Whilst I am hopeful we will find some, this seems to indicate that the Bartram was
short-lived and sold in very few numbers. The reason also seems obvious ...

For me, the significant omission in the late 1956 advert is the ... rotary lawnmower.
The presented alternatives are the reel hand-mower and the powered reel mower.

It is as though it was not clear to Bartram's the rotary posed a threat at all by
late 1956! A more understanding approach (and interpretation) is that Bartram's
understood the situation very clearly: Folk, post WWII, were buying their first
powered lawnmower - would it be reel or rotary?

There is another mystery?
I found one record in a Repco catalogue from 1960. It mentions a Bartram Model 60
rotary, fitted with a small Villiers engine. I haven't seen any of them either!



So the Bartram mowers remain a mystery. I am hoping this article will be found
on the web, and an owner will come forward (it's worked for me in the past).

Clearly Bartram was a small player, but one that came from a once-giant company in
Australian history. I wonder whether anyone will remember the little Bartram Finecut.

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

A Bartram Finecut reel mower was listed on an auction site in early 2018.
These are the first images I have seen of one. I hope it is saved.

AUSTRALIAN POWER REEL MODELS


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In late 2020 John Wentworth contacted ODK with an
amazing story. His father, Desmond Wentworth, had
worked for Bartrams in the 1950s...