OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Turner Model A Lawn Mower

Hi Paul, Max and all
I have recorded the earlier 'traditional' Turner cans, but had
no idea just how advanced Turner was with their later plastic containers.

Many thanks for the record.
-----------------------------------------
Jack

Good Evening ODK Members,

Happy to have found a catcher for my Turner Model A, it’s missing it’s grass flap but I’m pretty confident of being able to make one. Happy days 😀

Hi Max and Paul
I was a bit slow on the uptake here ... Max, credible speculation in my books.
I think Victa and Sunbeam were not close enough for the Lawnkeeper to have been
made in any Victa factory.

But I do feel the Lawnkeeper is proof that Victa and Sunbeam had an undisclosed
association before Sunbeam's 1970 takeover.

Secret deals were, after all, in Victa's DNA.

Paul, I can't help but appreciate - now - just how handsome the Turners were.
Victa seemed to have a classical modern style in the 1960s ... but more
conservative than Turner.

Turner seemed to comprehend the zeitgeist of the space race and the Moon landings!
If Victa and Sunbeam had a degree of collaboration, I'm sure Turner
remained a staunch competitor with its nemesis, Victa Mowers!

Brilliant thread and work by Paul and Max.

Thank you
--------------------
Jack

Gidday Jack and Paul

Just found this image of a Turner Concorde 4 stroke and thought I would add it to
the ODK records.


Regards
Max.

Hi Max and all

Thanks for posting the image Max, that looks to be one model my nos Turner catcher will fit.

cheers
wce

Hello ODK Members,

I have just received this Turner price list from July 1969 and the Model A is on there



Just need to find a 1970 price list if one exists.

G'day Paul, Max, wce and all

This is a great addition to the record!
It is interesting - but not exceptional - that prices changed with
the new year, but new models arrived in spring.

Paul, It is sensational that you have identified the A70 - the mysterious Turner.
Maybe, the 'A' was the designation for the new decade's models.

1970 would be the final year of Turner lawnmower selling.

Brilliant!
-----------------------
Jack

Hi Jack,Paul WCE and mower people

Paul said "Just need to find a 1970 price list if one exists."

The 1st of July 1969 price list is the 1970 model price list.

If there was a next price list it would be out in July 1970 for the 1971 model mowers,I would
think seeing that Turner ceased production of mowers in early August 1970 that no
1971 model mowers were made meaning no price list for July 1970 for new mower models.

Just clearing up any confusion here and reiterating that the price list from Paul has the last model
mowers Turner made before ceasing production.


Cheers
Max.

G'day Max and Paul
I would think that is spot on, but ...

The announcement date presents - to me - as a strategic date...
that there would be no 1970-71 designs.

Although, I see no reason why a revised price list could not occur in July, 1970.
It just means the 1969 models (for 1970 year) would be sold at a revised price
for the last Turners of 1970 and 'while stocks last', for 1971.

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

G'day Jack and Paul + All,

So from what I can see the Rocket on the front of the base was not on the 1969 model Valiant that was released
for sale in 1968.



Cheers
Max.

G'day Max
That's the way I read it, too.

The mystery is the A70 job with the cast rocket.
Was it released to celebrate the 1969 moon landing?

Also, my thoughts on Valiant.

The Valiant was Turner's equivalent to the flagship Victa Corvette of the 1960s.
The Corvette gave way to the VCs of 1970.

For me - in the same way - the Valiant gave way to the Concorde in 1970.
The Valiant [name] was given to the A70 mower. It was second fiddle.

I'm thinking the A70 appeared in 1969 ... to celebrate the moon landing ...?
Is that silly?

Cheers
-----------------------
Jack

Many thanks for keeping history honest.

Hi Jack, Paul, Max and members

Thanks for posting the Turner price list Paul, I think it gives me great clarity identifying the all gold colour model Turner I have which I have previously posted on the site. I'm certain now that it is a PR70 Vulcan, the deck front is identical to the image and mine has the 4 stroke Kirby, white with white fuel tank.
Then just to make things even better is the image of my NOS catcher, GC9 which fits the X and M series mowers, no idea what the X series looks like but the M is pictured. I should be able to find plenty of those to fit the catcher to, LOL !
Thanks for the great work and information from you all.

Cheers
wce

G'day WCE,Jack and Paul,

Yes Jack I totally agree the A70 appeared in 1969 ... to celebrate the moon landing and the A representing
a new decade.

Turner used the rocket logo while SupaSwift had the Galaxy model.

Quite a few manufacturers around 1969 used the moon landing to represent the leading edge of technology.

Cheers
Max.

G'day Max
Many thanks - again - for myth busting and keeping folks (like myself) honest.
Your thoughts are ... thought provoking ...

Many thanks also to Paul C and wce for this topic conversation.
Your posts have driven this topic.

I apologise in advance for a long post...

I would love, some day, to write on lawnmower naming conventions.
Their is such a parallel to the auto world - including overtones of jet and rocket.
But there is a particular reason for this post, and my engagement with it.

I taught advertising at a senior secondary level for many years.
Advertising fascinates me because it can transcend rational thought.
Good advertising will grasp the zeitgeist with 'reason why'.
It's a sort of trick - like magic!

Post WWII, folks were quickly introduced to the Jet Age.
[The de Haviland Comet first flew in 1949.]

But after that famous Kennedy speech of 1962, the focus extended
thought to the Rocket Age.

Max, as you say, some makers were attuned to and represented
"the leading edge of technology". These were the science ages.

Now, I would like to add a different dimension to this: -
The best inroad to my though may be found here: -

https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/61540/newsprint-cartoons-avoiding-work.html

Traditionally, the lawnmowing zeitgeist was one of lack of power, energy,
and poor expenditure of energy over time.

Lawn-mowing was simply not fun to do!

Post WWII, the power-mower revolution, expanded the franchise
to the great 'un-washed'. Working Man, for the first time, did not have to
be the beast-of-burden to cut grass at his or her castle.

I guess the trick was about labour and class then ...

Of course, mower makers smelt the grass here - and their advertising
reflects this. The great examples include Jet-Fast, Mofast, Supa-Swift
and Turner. Their naming conventions reflect this.

Victa, as the leader, is a special case, at least for me.
Victa was always conservative.

I mean, Victa [c1950s] used the old standards ... 'Standard' ... 'Special'.
By the 1960s, we had Maritime and class branding ... 'Viceroy', 'ambassador',
'Corvette', 'Cadet', Envoy' ... and the like. I mean, really!

Victa knew very well their 'aspirational' working class market. Brilliant!
Victa delivered a more conservative message ... mowing was fun to do.

But the few 'believers' looked to technology and the future ...

Cheers
-----------------------
Jack

Hi all

Was looking at Turner material and thought I would post a few links which may have been posted before, apologies if they have.
March 6 1969
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107081987?
Turner X68 model ? there is an X model mentioned to suit a catcher advertised but not shown on Paul's price list. As for the Lawnmaster Mark X1, the picture is clearly a Valiant and I dont know of any Turner of that name but could very well be wrong. Obviously there was store brand names of certain models of mowers but they would usually have the name on them ?
Jan 3 1969
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107074625?
Another ad which caught my eye was this one with Pace and Victa advertised with the manufactures name but the Turner is advertised as a Tornado without reference to Turner other than the picture.
Once again apologies if this has already been posted but thought it interesting.

Cheers
wce

Looks like Waltons had the Tornado exclusive to them in 1968, that's a big design change from 68 to 69.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/106987460?

G'day all,

I believe a lot of the Turner Valiant pictures in the newspapers are wrong, advertisers don't
always update the mower image when advertising new models.

X68 means 1968 model released in 1967, I would guess X69 for the 1969 model but I haven't found the codes for 1969 models.

The Turner Valiant images below I believe are correct.

Cheers
Max.