My latest addition to my collection

Today I collected my latest Ebay purchase.  It is a Qualcast Superlite Panther, and will go with my Qualcast EP (12") and Qualcast Punch EP35 (14").  It cost me a whole £1.75, and does need some attention.

My particular interest in this is my involvement in designing the model as a variant of the Qualcast Super Panther family when Birmid merged with Qualcast.  The cast iron Super Panther sideplates were made in the Qualcast foundry in Derby.  It was now possible to cast aluminium sideplates at the Birmid plant in Birmingham, thereby making a lighter weight lawnmower.

What was first considered to be a simple change of material threw up a number of issues, the main one  being the rear roller did not rotate reliably with the fixed handle.  The handle design was changed to a pivoting one to solve that problem (not an obvious solution).