SupaSwift was a pioneer in the introduction of rotary mowers sold in Australia. The Supa-Swift lawnmower was introduced in 1959 by the J.Swift Foundry of Mitcham, Melbourne and it quickly gained a solid reputation for quality design, build strength, and reliability.
During the 1960s, SupaSwift mowers became very popular with lawn mowing contractors because they were perfect for Australian conditions and reliable. They were also originally designed with rear handles that folded up, the catcher was then hooked onto the top of the handle to save space when transporting on trailers.
In the 1970’s Vulcan acquired the brand. SupaSwift’s Big Bob was originally designed using parts from the company’s hot water service unit. The design has stood the test of time and the Big Bob hasn’t changed much over the years.
It was because of this reputation that concreting company Fowler Rex bought the business from Vulcan. In the late 1970s the business continued to grow and many homes had SupaSwift mowers. It was also a boom time for concreting in Australia and Fowler Rex decided they needed to focus on their core business, concreting, and sold SupaSwift to King’s Parking.
Eddie Phillips ran SupaSwift for King’s Parking for many years and enjoyed it so much that in the late 70’s he bought SupaSwift and made it his own. In 1971 there was an association with Queensland’s Greenfield, with both companies wanting to expand their exposure and market share across Australia. At some point in the 1980s, NSW’s Bragg Jetfast acquired Victoria’s SupaSwift designs and name then in 1983, Allpower became the owners of SupaSwift.
SupaSwift are important to vintage mower history. They were one of the first to use 4-stroke engines on rotaries [Briggs, Kirby, and Villiers] and they were one of the first to introduce side-catchers, as can be seen in advertisement from 1959. They also appreciated the effect of larger wheel sizes on manoeuvrability. SupaSwift’s durability and longevity originally came from the quality of casting and skirted bases that has continued into modern manufacture. SupaSwift used advanced blade design for catching.
Today, SupaSwift is owned by Roy Gripske & Sons distributed through Powerup Lawncare & is still highly regarded as a mower of choice for both commercial and domestic users and with the back up, service and support the product has from the Dealer Network, is it any wonder this great Aussie brand is the success it is today.
Now SupaSwift is adding more products to the range with Log Splitters, Cylinder mowers and a 72 Volt Ride-on!
