Mount Louisa lawn addict Jai Ryan restores rare 1970s Scott Bonnar Verti
A self-confessed lawn addict has spent the last six months breathing new life into a derelict 40 year old de-thatcher.
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A self-confessed lawn addict has spent the last six months restoring a derelict 40-year-old lawn raker.
Mount Louisa dad Jai Ryan has invested $2000 into converting a 17 inch Scott Bonnar Verti lawn raker made in the late 70s into a 21st century machine.
The raking machine, also known as a thatcher, pulls up dead leaves from the bottom of the grass.
After sourcing a restored 20 inch Scott Bonnar cutter from Bundaberg last year, Mr Ryan said he couldn’t stop at one and sought out the matching thatcher.
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Being a rare machine, it took eight months for Mr Ryan to track down the Verti which he bought for $100.
It took Mr Ryan 60 hours to restore the machine and he sourced parts from all over Australia.
He said the restoration wasn’t all smooth sailing but was “rewarding”.
“It had its moments. It was testing, challenging and frustrating,” he said.
“It was hard getting the right parts to work being an older machine.”
Mr Ryan’s ‘go-to guy’ Chris Rigano owns 12 Vertis himself.
Mr Rigano said Mr Ryan had a “terrific passion for looking after his yard”.
“It is impressive that Jai has taken the time and effort to restore it and to have a husband and wife combination with his cutter and his Verti,” he said.
“It is a very particular machine as it only has one function but it’s paramount for any yard carer.”
It takes Mr Ryan one hour and 20 minutes every month to de-thatch his lawn.
Originally published as Mount Louisa lawn addict Jai Ryan restores rare 1970s Scott Bonnar Verti