OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Rare Finds & Donations Sunbeam Twin Rotor Electric Mower

While having a look around on gum-tree I found this,and thought wow how awesome.It's just a pity they want $100 for it.I like it but not that much.
Here have a look.
I just love the twin sets of blades.It does run as well.








If it was cheaper I'd be all over it.Anybody ever seen one before.There is something missing from the top of the motor I wonder what that would be?

Hi Blumbly and ODK members,

Apart from the Pye electric, the Sunbeam was the only electric rotary made that kept the
electric banner flying in the 1960s and 1970s.

It was a full 18" and it was a clever design - short wheelbase, twin rotor, and little
timing belts that coupled the motor to the drive shafts. They were super reliable.

An American design, they were introduced here in 1960. This is an early 'red' machine.

I have a stock photo showing the missing plastic plug here:-


Here is an early Australian advertisement:-


It is my belief that these early electric mowers will become increasingly collectable.
I hope to write something for the History Forum at some point in the future.
I hope this has been of some help.

All very interesting.
--------------------------------
JACK

i saw that too , felt the same and not sure why i liked it close by here too if i remember right

Yes very close only about 20 mins from here.Just a bit too much though.

if you want one of these be patient. ive seen quite a few come up now and again.dont know why but they always seem to want a lot of money for them????

Those were quite popular in the states.. So Much so you still see quite a lot of them for sale..

In Fact.. I saw this one on Craigslist (Like Gumtree pretty much) Just earlier this year..




Kori

Hi Jack, Blumbly and ODK members,
Thankyou for posting this follow-up information Jack, and I will look forward to your upcoming post in the History Forum.
I saw one of the little beauties at work on a lawn on my way to school in Clayfield, when I was a kid. Must have been a powerful little motor..

it's only $100, cant take it with you when you die

Thanks guys for all these awesome reply's makes me want it more,but not going the 100.Even if I restored it I couldn't see it being worth that. Jonesy what? Who's dying?

thats what I tell the wife when I spend too much.

Oh I see,does it work? I still myself don't want to see 100 leave my hands for it,I just don't see the value in it for that.

Hi Blumbly and ODK members,

I'm new to these forums but I was surprised by the interest shown in this little electric machine.
Blumbly, I can really understand your view - that, "I just don't see the value in it for that [price]."
That's a respected personal choice.

I guess it goes down to what collectors like to collect.
From my perspective, vintage electric mowers are the great forgotten of our vintage mower history.
I mean, Scott Bonnar's first mowers were not petrol, and their most-famous precision mowers weren't either.

My prediction is that this will not remain the case. I say that because electric mowers are now
- clearly - here to stay. There is a certain irony in that Australia's electric rotaries succumbed to
the petrol rotary - but there was a fight back, and the electric Sunbeam is any early example of that.

This 'Red Machine' electric Sunbeam is an example of that. This is their first Australian model.
I hope this electric goes to an ODK member.

All very electric.
---------------------------------
JACK

p.s. note how many times I have bolded electric in my post.
This is a subliminal message technique. You now want to collect electric mowers.

Here here I agree Jack for if it wasn't for the electric rotarys who knows maybe there would be no petrol rotarys. I do see that there isn't many collectors of the electrics. Myself included. Although I do have a 400 electric and a fairlight. Only due to there close connection with the twin,lightweight & compact family. I do have an interest in these types of electics,but am not keen enough to dive into my pocket that much. I am however going to get in touch with the seller and make an offer that I would be happier to pay.

I agree it's not worth $100.. Maybe $70 Or $80.. but not $100..

Kori

Hi All,

This baby takes me back to when I was 8 years old and we had one. It was a rather unique machine where the handle flipped back and forth so you didn't have to turn the machine around, just flip the handle over and go back the other way.

Also these had a dedicated black power cable that plugged in to the main receptacle and had a short lead come off of it and plug into the side of one of the hand grips with its own special plug which was for the switch arrangement. To this day I still have the original power cord which I use for my garden lead when I require something really long and boy is it long (now now I know what you're thinking). Somewhere I still have the original instructions for it as I never threw them out.

When we retired the mower it was replaced with another favourite on this forum, the ever popular Victa VC-160 Auto Drive with the Green Catcher. That one has long gone to Lawn Mower Heaven as I hated it with a passion as I became the main person to mow the family lawns after Dad passed away when I was only 15 and I replaced it with a Scott Bonnar 720, finally a quiet mower that felt solid in the hands and not flimsy with all those joints in the handle and two stroke smoke belching out of it.

Anyway just thought I'd add my experience with the Sunbeam 18 of which I have fond memories of along with Dad and me draggin' the cable around behind him.

Cheers,
BB

Hello BB,

I love these stories!
Early experiences seem to play a key part in later interests and hobbies...

The sunbeam Electric was such a clever machine. It showed us what electrics could be.
They should be considered important and collectable.

I hope to present information in the history forums in the New Year.

All very electric.
-------------------------------
JACK.

Hi CyberJack, Blumbly and all ODK Members

You are so correct on that point Jack, it's amazing how our childhood generally comes back to play a major part in our adult life. The same is for the model 45 as many Parents or Grandparents had them and their kids end up with them or want one to restore to bring back all those memories.


As time went on there were also two catchers available for the Sunbeam's, now that would've been a pain to deal with.

Cheers,
BB

As mentioned in a few posts above that I still had the instruction manual for the Sunbeam, well I found it today and as such decided to take a quick pic of it and post it up.

So here it is in ever living colour.



What a swanky looking fella eh !

Awesome BB it looks in great condition.Show us more please.It makes me wished I had of got it,but I never followed up on it.