OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Reel-Type Mowers Great Australian Push Mower - Crowe Engineering

Hi Jack
A friend has found this
Great Australian
Have never heard of one
Ian

G'day Ian
I have no records - until now - of the Great Australian.

I feel we need more detail images that may help identification.
I'm guessing 'Great Australian' is a play on the famous 'Great American'.

Things are not clear...
The ad (below) shows how confusion can propagate.
Headline: 'Australian Made Mowers'; Reality ... Not really!



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Jack

Hi Jack
Asked for some more pictures and got these plus some info
***
Hi Ian on the cutter bar where the blade spin it has GR14 or Cr

*****
Ian

G'day Ian

Many thanks for the images - hand mower recording is really
about the detail: the more the better.

I feel I can now identify this one...

If it's okay (I hope it is) I would like to say something first - about 'pushie' research: -
it's a mine field ... of good leads and positive ID's, to red herrings and dead ends.

In this case I had done enough research over the years to recognise the clues.
Who made the Great Australian was detective work, dating it was easier.

The advertisement (below) took a few hours to analyse, correct text, categorise and record.
It is a great example of how research is so time intensive!

This is an AUS Crowe Engineering machine made from the interwar years,
and most likely from the 1920s (given the clues).



I compared your images to known makers' machines.
I found a match with the Sidar mower from the same vintage.
I knew that mower was made by Crowe for John Danks, a large Melbourne store.

It is not clear whether the Great Australian was a stencil or store branded mower.

Obviously more work to do.

Cheers
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Jack

p.s. Note the Baroba mower in the ad.
A very nice clue embedded in the name itself.

Thanks Jack
Ian