OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Cylinder Alex Grahame - My Ugly Duckling

Hello GeeJay and ODK members,

I, too, am a lover of these ugly ducklings, and I so admire such an old company.
They sold every type of mower:- Arunco, Godiva, Atco, Shanks, Ransomes, Pennsylvania,
Greens, Scott Bonnar, etc. They were the sole Dennis agents for decades.

In the 1930s they described themselves as 'The Great Eastern & Western Lawn Mower Hospital'.
A little bit later and Alex Grahame would refer to themselves as the 'Lawn Mower King'.
And they were! They were retailer, repairer, parts maker, importer and . . . a manufacturer.

I think I have enough evidence to say that Alex Grahame were Sydney's largest specialty
store (excluding the Department stores) in NSW in the first half of the 19th Century, and
their main address was always 1 Whiting Street, Leichhardt.

I don't know when they started manufacturing mowers but, best guess, is it was post WWII.
They were making rotary mowers - 18" and 21" - from about 1956. They made a 'Litter-Vac'
in the mid 1960s that became . . . the Victa VictaVac a decade or so later.



GeeJay's excellent photos show that the reel mowers were solid machines, the squarish
shape resembling the British Automower from the '30s. The thee-part roller
clearly signifying an expensive machine.

My person view is that their reel mowers are unrecognised and under-appreciated.
One machine of special interest that did sell (finally) was one that came with
two NOS reels and a box of spare parts. Amazing!



It's nice to see one of the Alex Grahames saved by an ODK member.

All very interesting.
------------------------------------------
CyberJack