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K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
  • Image 4 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
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    Image 5 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
  • Image 6 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge
  • Image 7 of 7, K798 Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953. Click to enlarge

Victa lawnmower, first off the production line

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 …

Summary

Object No.

K798

Object Statement

Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953

Physical Description

Victa 'Rotomo' rotary motor mower, Victa's first production model lawn mower, metal, designed and made by Mervyn Victor Richardson, Concord (Sydney), New South Wales, Australia, 1953

The mower has an upright handle, 4 wheels, motor above blade plate, petrol tank, and gear lever on the handle. It is finished in green enamel paint with red maker's plate.

Short URL

https://ma.as/263540

Dimensions

Height

400 mm

Width

800 mm

Depth

900 mm

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Victa Ltd, 1983

Acquisition Date

27 February 1983

Cite this Object

Harvard

Victa lawnmower, first off the production line 2022, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 24 March 2023, <https://ma.as/263540>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/263540 |title=Victa lawnmower, first off the production line |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=24 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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