OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Other Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Pope's First 2-stroke Rotary Mower - the 320-01

Thank you Norm! They Must have been a rich persons mower

Hi Pope, Norm & Kye

Yes Norm, and that may be new information to some younger members.
In the day, the lawnmower was a serious purchase. There was a lot of pressure
to consume the new post-war consumer products: fridges, washers, mowers.
I know that things like electric shavers (Ronson, Philips, Sunbeam) and handyman
drill kits (KBC, Black & Decker)were all the rage in the fifties and sixties.

For younger members, HP was 'Hire Purchase'. Many lawnmower stores, for example,
would have in-store hire purchase schemes whereby after an initial deposit,
owners would repay in weekly installments. My folks bought most stuff on HP
as well. How else could you keep up with the Jones' - I mean, with their
fancy new Kelvinator or Pope fridge, their fancy Turner or Pope washer,
their new Victa Special... Holden in the driveway ...

Here's something interesting. Victa factory advertisements always appeared
in pounds (not guineas), until ... the Victa Automatic arrived. After that,
most Victa advertising expressed prices in guineas - until 14 February, 1966.
As a side-note, Victa Accounts changed their pricing a week and a half earlier,
on 1 February, 1966.

For the record:
Victa's recommended price for the Automatic? 56 guineas.
The Pope 320-01 was dearer than an Automatic!

The rest is history.
---------------------------
Jack

thanks for that Cyber, needed that info

Sorry, I didn't want to remind you of the Pope that got away.
I can't get that jingle out of my head ... from the video.

Whenever I mention the changeover to decimal currency, more mature
folk start singing the jingle I haven't slept for days.

Cheers
-------------
Jack

i don't mind that i lost it, i have no room anyway. I'm only 14 anyway so i have no idea how the old currency works haha

Hi Jack, just on the bit about the HP and my parents, I remember my mum discussing this HP agreement with the bank manager, being in a small country town you discussed all sorts of things with the bank manager.Mum said to him that she would not be buying anything else on HP. Bank manager was horrified saying that if everybody took that attitude this country would never be able to grow. I thought it was quite a statement back then and here we are 50 years later with most of the population up to their armpits in debt

Hi Norm

I love those stories.
It shows the generation change in thinking about debt.
I guess it also shows the special relationship bank managers had in
rural communities. I think your mum's bank manager was an armchair
economist - part of the 'new bread'.

Kye, the understanding of pricing in old currency is educational
for you then. Victa's pricing of �49/18/- meant 49 pound, 18 shillings,
no pence. So, almost fifty quid (pound).

Pricing is important in understanding vintage lawnmowers.
The video shows how complicated the old currency really was.

----------------
Jack

Firstly, thank you Jack for your historical research. Always interesting.

Not sure that you said the 500-02 mower engine in question, and following series, were made at the Morley Park (now Morley) factory in Perth. This continued to 1964, when engine production was moved to Dudley Park.

Were mower chassis every made in WA? A 1964 newspaper article relating to the closure of the WA factory, says they made �sealed units for refrigerators and engines for motor mowers�.

Eric

Hi Eric

That's all good, new information to me!

It makes sense to me that engine production would be centralized,
and lawnmower assembly would be centralized, but at different plants.
It makes no sense to duplicate processes that could be better effected
by economies of scale at a single plant.

So, great new information there, Eric.

-------------------------
Jack

eBay pics of the one that got away, can't seem to add them ? Here is the link

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-MOWERS-southern-cross-/111853345825

May be Jack could add them from his end of things before the auction disappears :-). It's my kind of mower, very "Jetson"

Thanks Jack :-) it's good to have a record of rare mowers.

Cyber,must congratulate you on your vast ,thorough knowledge on this site

Thanks Pope

I know I have your blessing.
There is enough reading in the forums for even the most
acute forms of insomnia.

I also think we are starting to break the view that there
is only one type of vintage mower make (starts with 'V').

The reality is that Australia has a rich and interesting
vintage mower history, and it is only being recorded here
in a serious and methodical way.

The rest is history.
----------------------------
Jack

new owner of the pope 320 01 that got away last time,HAS IT ON EBAY RIGHT NOW.i was going to get it last week,but freight was going to be HIGH. GO FOR IT KYE

hello all.... i too have one of these old popes .it has a few parts missing though. has no fuel tank or carbie.
dont think i will ever find one for it either?
heres some pics of mine.

:great to see you have one also gizmo.brings a tear to my eye not seeing it complete and sparkling though.dont give up .hang on to it .does it turn over ok.

thanks Pope.
despite its discouraging looks it runs pretty well.
when i first got it(as with most of them i get ) i got it up and running using a victa carbie.
this is one of my favourite ones and i have quite a few mowers.
one day it will sparkle like yours.

It has much more bids on it then last time Pope! I will probably leave this one, hopefully another member gets it! Also is it just me or does it look like someone has bought that pope fuel tin and is trying to make $30?

There was two on eBay .one sold for $12 (I bought it,and am waiting for deliver from SA. The other is advertised at $40 for the 2nd or 3 rd week with no takers

I will keep my eyes open for those parts you need gizmo.would love to see you get it back on its own feet .