Ronaldson & Tippett Equipment Story

Increasing volumes of imported tractors were dominating the Australian market and in view of this, production was discontinued in late 1938. This lead R&T to fully concentrate on its stationary engine manufacturing, achieving the marque of the largest manufacturer of engines in the southern hemisphere in the 1940s.

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY

Fundamentally, the firm of Ronald-son & Company was established to build agricultural machinery in June 1903, although the advent of engine production was just around the corner.

Dave Ronaldson's vast experience gained at Jas. Smith's permitted him to further improve on these designs. Particularly in chaff cutters were his 'patent knife holders' of great advantage, enabling quicker, simplified changing.

Long after the company had entered into engine manufacture and almost to the very end in the late '60s, agricultural/horticultural machinery was a vital component of their production efforts. From 1903 and as late as 1957, chaff cutters were produced, with an enviable reputation. To illustrate the range and diversity of their agricultural machinery would require volumes, but to give some indication of their product range, the following manifest could offer some depth; chaff cutters, corn crushers, drag saws, horse works, hay elevators, milking plants, pumps, pump jacks, rotary pumps, saw benches, shearing machines, spray plants, sheaf elevators, sheep jetting plants, treadmills, tussock grubbers, tobacco planters, threshers and wool presses.

The Scrub Hill property of the firm's co-partner, the Tippetts, is credited as being the proving ground for some of their machinery, this particularly applied to their tractors and ploughing tests carried out at Scrub Hill. Dave Ronaldson is reputed as having a farm in Invermay and it was here that R&T mining machinery was sometimes tested along with some of their early machinery.

LIGHTING PLANTS AND POWER GENERATION

To the reader not familiar with the State Electric grid development, electricity in many instances was not available in rural areas well into the '50s and '60s. Country dwellers and farming communities generally owed their livelihood to their isolation in the vast outback and scattered agricultural areas, i.e. Wimmera/Mallee.

For these folk, the rhythmic beat of the electric lighting plant was a common sound of an evening, many rural families placed their faith in these plants, for the comforts they provided. An advertising slogan used by Ronald-son & Tippett in reference to their plants' As dependable as the sunrise' would emphasize the reliance placed on these lighting plants and typifies their role in rural life.

From the early days of engine construction, R&T kerosene engines could be supplied with 'electric dynamo flywheels', this feature ensured steadier operation than would have otherwise resulted owing to the speed fluctuations of 'hit & miss' governing. Early plants were belt driven. With the introduction of their petrol engines in the 1920s direct coupling was prevalent. Company policy favored belt driven plants, as this permitted the engine to be unbelted and used for other purposes, further enhancing the engine's usefulness thus attracting increased sales. Traditionally these home Electric lighting plants were 32 volt and usually battery charging in varying outputs from 300 watt to 2100 watt for use in larger situations. With company progression, their plant range expanded, Diesel engines with automatic start were offered and 240 volt plants underwent construction on the R&T 'lighting plant' shop.