OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Chrome Vortex at Kenny's Mowers in Sydney.

Does anyone remember the Victa Vortex with chrome engine cover and dark charcoal base on display in the front window of Kenny's Mowers in Victoria Rd, Drummoyne for many years? It had a plaque detailing how it was presented to Kenny's by Victa on such and such a date.
Kenny's Mowers of Drummoyne was somewhat of a Sydney landmark until the early 2000s when it shut up shop and moved to smaller premises down the road after decades as Sydney's
most prominent mower dealer.
It used to be featured on radio ads on a regular basis at the same time as Victa was touting it's guaranteed to start system on its flagship Mustang GTS in the late 1980s.

Kenny's showed signs of decline when I visited not long before they downsized and moved up the road. Their pride seemed to take a back seat and they appeared to become money focused ( change of ownership I suspect) and I saw this one off Victa Vortex that once stood as a trophy for the business, now being loaned out to customers as a courtesy mower!! It was a real shame.
I would love to know if it still exists somewhere, unlike Kenny's these days.

Who would want to own a mower shop these days trying to sell and deal with the public who can see cheap mowers at Aldi/Bunnings and ebay. For the cost of a service it is cheaper to buy a new one. Sure once they have been caught a couple of time when the cheapy plays up and nobody will help they are a bit more selective in what they buy or just get the "Jim's" man to do it. Once upon a time you could make a living in a milk bar or mower shop but not anymore unless you have a good mowing contractor base to work with

I just noticed the long standing mower shop down the road has closed in the last couple of months.
Outdoorking is probably not helping haha.

A lot of service type businesses are doing it really tough. A friend of mine who has been in the refurbishing of Washing machines and fridges has just shut up shop 2 weeks ago. He claims business since January this year has just gone south and he still needs to find $500 each week to pay the rent on the workshop before he gets a cent in his pocket. He's been in this industry for 30 years now and he's never ever seen it so bad.

I feel that as we have a second hand dealer or two in every street now selling on Gumtree this has had a severe impact on the secondhand / repair industry. It's also happening in the vehicle industry as many car yards are shutting on a weekly basis due to cars being listed and sold on Gumtree for nothing, mind you most car yards are also using Gumtree now, either free or with an account.
Sadly the Internet is a lot to blame but that was always going to be the case, that's evolution I guess in a rapidly changing world.

Cheers,
BB.

TV repairs, gone, car repair shops, gone, because cars became far more reliable and more specialized, the list goes on and on, always has and always will. Remember the thousands of people who once worked in all the big factories in Ballarat producing all the things we look at in amazement at old historic display days. The world moves forward and things and people become obsolete

That's it in a nutshell, Norm. Mower shops can only survive by selling to and servicing pro OPE users, who have to make their living with their gear, and can't afford extended downtime. Only the top end of domestic users will buy there; Joe Public on a suburban block will head to Bunnings or Aldi.

I bought my last mower off eBay! A ~10yo Masport Maxicatch 550 alloy deck with Briggs Quantum 50 engine.
Final bid $56, for what would still be $500+ for an equivalent new Masport...

Yet for 20 year old Victa domestic grade mowers made from thin steel , many start at over $100 for what you can find for free on rubbish piles from time to time.

3 things kill a Victa, base rusts out,carby plays up and the wheels wear out.

Or some ignorant subsequent owner runs it on pure petrol.

Wow that is truly a sad story Mowerfreak.It's sad to read that something that would have been such a honor (and a one of a kind) to receive could have been used to cut someones lawn.Sad very sad.

You would have loved it Blumbly. Imagine what it would fetch now if it had never been used. The engine cover had the same mirrored chrome finish as the Victa wheel caps on many models.
I used to always look at it whenever I paid a visit and then one day one of the sales staff told me it was being used as a loan mower and even his face seemed to suggest what a daft decision that was.
It would have made for a priceless exhibit at the Powerhouse Museum who already have a collection of milestone Victas including a never used red Vortex.

It certainly sounds awesome.I take it that there was never any pictures taken of it?
It does sound terrible to destroy something that had so much pride and hard work put behind it.

It was there for years sitting beside other display models for sale. You could see it from the bus as you passed the dealer. It may well have been a milestone unit, 5 millionth mower or something.
Wish I took a detailed picture of what the plaque said.
There must be a picture out there.

It does sound really great.It's a shame you don't have any pictures.