Victa 'peach tin' prototype rotary lawn mower
Object No. 97/5/1
In 1951 Mervyn Victor Richardson hit on a winner when he built a rotary mower in his garage in the Sydney suburb of Concord. His prototype model had a hand built frame and a peach tin petrol tank. Tired of pushing hand mowers around their lawns, Australians flocked to buy the new Victas. The first production Victa mower was made in 1953 and by 1965 Richardson was a millionaire. The advantage of the Victa over the hand mowers was that it could cut long grass, rough vegetation as well as roots and could be used on sloping lawns. With the Hill's hoist clothes line, the Victa lawnmower is considered an Australian icon as almost every household would have owned both at one time. The development of the Victa rotary mower, an Australian innovation, coincided with the country's post-War housing boom as demand for homes on quarter-acre blocks in the suburbs escalated.
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Summary
Object Statement
Victa 'peach-tin prototype' lawn mower, power rotary, with a two-stroke Villiers petrol engine, metal, designed by Mervyn Victor Richardson, made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, 81 Bray Street, Concord, New South Wales, Australia, New South Wales, 1952
Physical Description
Victa 'peach-tin prototype' lawn mower, power rotary, with a two-stroke Villiers petrol engine, metal, designed by Mervyn Victor Richardson, made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, 81 Bray Street, Concord, New South Wales, Australia, NSW, 1952 Lawn mower consisting of a lightweight rectangular metal frame with a metal wheel at each corner. A two piece metal cross bar supports a Villiers single cylinder two stroke petrol engine mounted vertically which has a manual rope pull starter at the top and at the bottom a metal arm with two blades attached to it. Also on the cross bar is a petrol tank made from a used preserved fruit can with a screw lid soldered into the top. Attached to the rear axle is a handle bent from a single piece of metal into an inverted 'U' shape. On the handle is a hand operated accelerator lever attached by a cable to the carburettor.
DIMENSIONS
Height
840 mm
Width
470 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed by Mervyn Victor Richardson at his house at 81 Bray Street Concord on about 1 August 1952 Made by Mervyn Victor Richardson in his garage at 81 Bray Street, Concord, about 1 August 1952. Very close to or on 1 August 1952 as estimated by Gary Richardson
HISTORY
Notes
Used by Mervyn Richardson to demonstrate the principles of his rotary lawnmower design and later kept by the Victa company in its boardroom. Retained by the Victa company for display purposes
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Victa Pty Ltd, 1997
Acquisition Date
20 January 1997
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