Mowing ..

[danzvtil]

Equipment update.
My husqvarna telescopic hedger has been getting a bit gravelly in the gearbox of late.
On a whim I bought one of these
https://www.husqvarna.com/au/hedge-trimmers/525ihe3/
Non telescopic, 90% of my work is at ground level, so this is perfect, and only half the weight.
Right on cue, the old one threw a gear linkage out the side of the gearbox cover (again), it’s like it knew.

[Citroënbender]

Thank you Mr B. I didn’t write that post very well, sorry.

The suckers are adjacent to where I poisoned exposed lengths of root - I didn’t inject poison into the suckers themselves.

It’s interesting to watch the progress of this herbicide. First the mature leaves wilt a little. Then, emerging leaves start to look a bit scrambled, like a head of Cos lettuce. Immature leaves brown, rapidly blacken at their tips. Then the mature growth wilts heavily and the whole lot starts to dry out/shrivel/blacken. Quite different to the way glyphosate poisoning manifests in most weeds.

[DFB FGXR6]

After countless hours researching, parts shopping and learning on the fly, I now have the little Victa 18 Special running again.

After rebuilding and refitting the carburetor, cleaning out the fuel tank, rebuilding the fuel tap, installing a temporary intake snorkel and fitting a new blade carrier, two pulls of the cord and the engine came to life..............briefly.



Sadly, it just wouldn't run smoothly. It would rev out super strong, then fall on its face. It got to the point where it wouldn't restart. Thinking it was fuel related and assuming I'd have to pull it apart again, I decided to cool off and plot my next move before tearing into it again.

A few hours later I'm like, I never did inspect the spark plug. So, out I went and pulled the plug and instantly found the problem....................



I promise, there is an electrode in there somewhere! Testing it with the plug wire connected, it was only achieving a very mild orange-white spark. Connecting another plug, it then produced lovely blue-white spark.

Luckily, the replacement plug I ordered showed up first thing this morning..................



I even fitted a replacement plug boot........................



New plug installed, fuel tap opened, a few tickles of the tickler, two pulls of the rope and boooom, she erupted into life. I let the engine warm up a little before kicking it in the slats and was rewarded with a consistent, strong revving engine. For those that don't know, other than the throttle, these engines effectively have no governor so you can rev them as hard as you like. So, problem solved, it just wasn't getting enough spark.



I also tracked down some vintage cable clamps for the throttle...................





Pictured here with the temporary intake snorkel, which will make way for the standard low-mount pod assembly. I also removed the fabric sheath covering the throttle cable, it was in tatters and looked disheveled. With everything tidied up on the handle, it looks so much better.



As it stands, I'm waiting on the specific NOS bolt set so that I can fit the blades, then I can cut some grass with it!

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

As it stands, I'm waiting on the specific NOS bolt set so that I can fit the blades, then I can cut some grass with it!

And hopefully not your toes!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

And hopefully not your toes!

Ha ha, you aren't the first person to say that!

Victa designed these to have an exact 18-inch cut, but for some reason they didn't design the deck to fully enclose the blades, so they poke out the side of the deck by 5mm each side.



They did offer a dealer fit accessory called the "Clip-on Safety Rim"...............

[LG17]

My old man had one of those early Victas, without the safety rim. I don't remember exactly what he was doing but he ended up slicing the tips of his fingers, blood everywhere. He wrapped his fingers in a hanky and we walked to the tram stop to catch a tram to the hospital where they managed to fix them all. This would have been late 50s or early 60s.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by LG17

My old man had one of those early Victas, without the safety rim. I don't remember exactly what he was doing but he ended up slicing the tips of his fingers, blood everywhere. He wrapped his fingers in a hanky and we walked to the tram stop to catch a tram to the hospital where they managed to fix them all. This would have been late 50s or early 60s.

Geez, I doubting my plans to put blades on it now.

[John 13]

Originally Posted by LG17

My old man had one of those early Victas, without the safety rim. I don't remember exactly what he was doing but he ended up slicing the tips of his fingers, blood everywhere. He wrapped his fingers in a hanky and we walked to the tram stop to catch a tram to the hospital where they managed to fix them all. This would have been late 50s or early 60s.

I used one of those mowers, cutting overgrown yard, in the early 1960's. One time pulled it back over my sand shoes (Tennis shoes in some states) and severely bruised the toes on one foot.
Using the same machine a year or two later, in the same yard, it started to vibrate seriously and became hard to push. Turned out one blade had let go and speared into a back wheel, blocking it from turning.
In this case the owner (property on Roach Creek in central QLD) fashioned two new blades out of hoop iron, managed to make the bolt holes using a punch from both sides.

[John 13]

Ref. DFB FGXR6 and his old Victa.

My father having a mowing round in that era used Pope mowers. They were always cantankerous to start. It was largely because they specified a fuel oil mix (SAE 30)of 1/2 pint to the gallon, While Victa used 1/3 pint to the gallon. Anyway he soon learned to always have a few spare spark plugs with him. He cleaned on set them methodically. Some of them could be disassembled and therefor very easy to clean. In addition, always after a few unsuccessful pulls on the recoil, he removed the spark plug AND the front plug in the crank case, tilted the machine forward and with a few pulls cleared out unburnt fuel . A replacement plug and with one pull the machine would burst into life.
Probably because of the richer fuel mix the Popes invariably outlasted any Victa of the day.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by John 13

Ref. DFB FGXR6 and his old Victa.

My father having a mowing round in that era used Pope mowers. They were always cantankerous to start. It was largely because they specified a fuel oil mix (SAE 30)of 1/2 pint to the gallon, While Victa used 1/3 pint to the gallon. Anyway he soon learned to always have a few spare spark plugs with him. He cleaned on set them methodically. Some of them could be disassembled and therefor very easy to clean. In addition, always after a few unsuccessful pulls on the recoil, he removed the spark plug AND the front plug in the crank case, tilted the machine forward and with a few pulls cleared out unburnt fuel . A replacement plug and with one pull the machine would burst into life.
Probably because of the richer fuel mix the Popes invariably outlasted any Victa of the day.

They had a crankcase drain plug on the Victa engine as well, first time I've seen such a thing on a 2-stroker. I actually removed it when I was having troubles re-starting the engine but nothing came out.

[mad2]

welll ..... only got the front yard cleaned up with the whippersnipper. so now i'm doing the back yard. just had thunder and then after a coupla minutes ..... showers!.


already 20 degrees & on it's way to 41!.


need a mower thingy for DFB big boss


anyway ...... i'm goin back outside for more....

[OneMadMan]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

They had a crankcase drain plug on the Victa engine as well, first time I've seen such a thing on a 2-stroker. I actually removed it when I was having troubles re-starting the engine but nothing came out. image

Speaking of the crankcase plug.. I picked up a freeby Victa when I was a lot younger, whacked in a new CJ8, and the bugga still wouldn't go.

It had spark and comp.. so I figured the donator of the mower to me flooded it way badly. Turns out the float had a hole in it..

Anyway, I removed the plug, up ended the thing, then chucked some thinners in there, and what da ya know, couple of pulls on the zippy, couple of coughs later, and yes a couple more plug cleans to, she fired up good as gold.

Good idea that, the drain / sump plug I'm alluding to.


One Mad Man

[DFB FGXR6]

I’ve been reading and researching early Victa’s quite a lot over the last few weeks. The research and parts hunting element is probably what I enjoy most about this hobby. I haven’t managed to put an exact date or year that my Model 5 Special was made, but it’s somewhere between 1957 and 1960.

In my travels, I came across images of the original Victa prototype. In 1951, Mervyn Victor Richardson built a prototype lawn mower in his Sydney home garage. This rudimentary machine had a hand-built frame, a Villers 2-stroke engine and famously used an old peach tin for the petrol tank. If you thought a Victa 18 had sketchy looking blades, they have nothing on this arrangement………………….











That prototype is part of the Powerhouse Collection in Castle Hill, along with the first production Victa. The original Victa 18 “Billy Cart” went on sale in 1953 using a steel base and a Villiers engine. The first of Victa’s own 125cc 2-stroke engine went on sale in 1955 as the Model 1 Rotomo. By 1957, Victa introduced an alloy chassis for the Model 4 and 5.

https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/158738
https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/263540









I liken these early Victa’s as the Holden or Model T of lawn mowers. The Victa became the byword for lawn mower as Australians sidelined their manual reel mowers for the convenience of a “motor-mower”. Unlike those old reel mowers, the Victa could cut longer grass and vegetation. The 2-stroke engine was also suitable for cutting on sloping lawns that would leave a 4-stroke starved of oil. By 1965, the Victa made Mervyn Richardson a millionaire.

"With the Hill's hoist clothes line, the Victa lawnmower is considered an Australian icon as almost every household would have owned both at one time. The development of the Victa rotary mower, an Australian innovation, coincided with the country's post-War housing boom as demand for homes on quarter-acre blocks in the suburbs escalated."

She starts on one pull, something my Krohler powered Rover would often struggle to do.



Having a vintage lawn mower in my collection was never really on my radar. Spending the last few weeks recommissioning this piece of Australian history has been super satisfying. It simultaneously shows far we've come and how far we haven't come. And to think we once made things like this from the ground up. These days, Victa is owned by the greedy Americans, Briggs and Stratton. And while the mowers are assembled in Australia, most if not all of the parts come from China. Even the cast iron 2-stroke blocks and heads were made in China from the late 1990's, then Briggs bought them out in the late 2000's. Victa is now just another faceless American corporation focused purely on making as much profit as possible, no matter the price.

[DFB FGXR6]

In May 2018, I had a rush of blood and decided I needed to buy one of the last 2-Stoke Victa’s. Actually, I had already done that exactly three years prior in buying a 2-Stroke Mustang. By 2018, the 2-Stroke was in its final days and I wanted that engine on the classic Utility format.





These steel chassis Ute’s have been in production since the late 1970’s and marketed under various names within the Professional line and generally available from Victa dealers only. In the late 90’s, they were called the Pro Utility 460 before becoming part of the Master Series and renamed MasterCut 460. The 460 reference is the 460mm or 18-inch cutting width.





Powering these Utilities, Victa used the full-crank 2-Stroke before switching to the PowerTorque 2-Stroke in the early 1980’s. For the PowerTorque, Victa did make some specific changes for the Pro level engines, namely a different (straight) intake manifold and a redesigned cowling without the fuel tank. Some models also got higher compression and larger main jets. For the Utility, Victa typically used the lower powered variants, be that the VSP160, V40 or VE40.



At some point in the 90’s, Victa added the smaller Briggs & Stratton 4-Stokes such as the 158cc Quattro, as well as the Honda GCV160. In recent times, with the 2-Stroke now long gone, Victa is using the 140cc and 163cc Briggs OHV engines. But the one everyone wants is one of the 2-Stoke. In a commercial application, none of the 4-Stoke engines Victa offered had/have a cast iron cylinder. Whereas the PowerTorque has a full cast iron block for longevity, as well as allowing for it to be re-bored and an oversized piston fitted.

https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...-460-500e.html
https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...60-725exi.html







What I love about the Victa Utility is how bloody light and maneuverable they are. The large pro-grade double ball-bearing wheels combine with the low weight to make this mower very easy to use. For the 2-Stroke variant weighs in at 27kg, the Briggs only 26.5kg and the Honda the heaviest at 29kg. On 2-Strokes, there was a large 3-litre capacity fuel tank remote mounted on the handles, in fact the 4-Stokes look naked without it. I actually snapped the plastic fuel tap on the tank very early on, dumping the better part of 3-litres of 25:1 fuel into the tray of my Ranger. I was filthy angry over that, not only did I break the tap then footed the bill for its repair and lost fuel, but I also made a giant mess that took ages to remove from the tray.



The Utility blades are smaller than typical, in fact they look worn out from brand new. These are fitted to the classic Victa oval 2-blade disk and provide no lift, so they are purely for slashing and dashing.



So, I mention all this because I now own one of the first Victa Utility mowers, and also one of the very last fitted with the 2-Stroke engine. I’ve told this story before, but my childhood neighbor had a 1970's Victa Utility, a mower I was always fascinated with. He would be out there on a Saturday cutting the grass with the engine screaming its head off. Ever since, I’ve been into Victa’s, 2-Stokes Victa’s to be specific. That’s why I bought one back in 2018, and now I have its grandfather for good measure.





Both offer an 18-inch cut, but there is a significant size difference going on here. The newer model is larger because it actually encloses the blades for safety, has larger wheels, wider and taller handles, and a plastic discharge chute. The MasterCut also has a physically and internally larger engine.





The Victa 18 is fitted with the OG Victa full-crank engine displacing 125cc. The MasterCut with the 160cc PowerTorque has a large single piece cast-iron block and cylinder, topped with an alloy head. Both direct exhaust gas into the muffler and down through the deck where its dispersed by the blades. Looking at the specs, all 2-Stroke Victa’s used the same stroke measurement, be that the full or half crank. In fact, the 160cc full-crank and 160cc half-crank share bore and stroke measurements, although I’m not entirely sure how much interchangeability there is between them.

(Those numbers look a bit weird because they are converted from inches)



Check out the HP numbers between them. You would expect with an extra 35cc and being 60-years newer there would be a major advancement in performance. No doubt Victa’s attempts at containing emissions had the effect of choking the potential of the later engines. They also dropped the engine speed down from 3600+ rpm to about 3200 rpm for final revision called VE40 and VEX60. At this point, Victa started recommending a 50:1 fuel blend in an attempt to lower emissions, which coincided with a new 50:1 FormulaV oil. Despite all that, the fuel caps and stickers all said to use 25:1.............go figure. Although it means carrying a second 2-stoke fuel can, I use the 25:1 ratio in all of my 2-Stroke Victa's, although I have tried the Stihl 50:1 full-synthetic and noticed it offered some additional power.





And so, that is what a 60-year age gap looks like!

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I’ve been reading and researching early Victa’s quite a lot over the last few weeks. The research and parts hunting element is probably what I enjoy most about this hobby. I haven’t managed to put an exact date or year that my Model 5 Special was made, but it’s somewhere between 1957 and 1960.



Having a vintage lawn mower in my collection was never really on my radar. Spending the last few weeks recommissioning this piece of Australian history has been super satisfying.

And this is where it starts. Nice work.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

And this is where it starts. Nice work.

Well, I'm now on the hunt for a Victa Twin from the 1970's. Horizontally apposed 170cc twin-cylinder 2-stroke. Super rare and hard to find.

[Interceptor]

Fantastic timing actually... I've been eyeing off an old MSAA "Big Bob" utility mower thats been collecting spiders in my back yard for some time now (motor missing, but that model was also the first mower I ever used) and I'm wondering....

Whats the purpose of a "Utility" mower?

I mean, I have a great HRU196 set up to mulch my back yard, and a gorgeous HRU194 for my front yard (hey..... gotta be seen by the neighbours with a chrome handle classic on a sunday morning) and they both do their job swimmingly, so I dont really understand what a "utility" mower can achieve that a regular mower wont?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

Fantastic timing actually... I've been eyeing off an old MSAA "Big Bob" utility mower thats been collecting spiders in my back yard for some time now (motor missing, but that model was also the first mower I ever used) and I'm wondering....

Whats the purpose of a "Utility" mower?

I mean, I have a great HRU196 set up to mulch my back yard, and a gorgeous HRU194 for my front yard (hey..... gotta be seen by the neighbours with a chrome handle classic on a sunday morning) and they both do their job swimmingly, so I dont really understand what a "utility" mower can achieve that a regular mower wont?

Utility mowers are typically used where ultimate finish quality isn't needed. You often see councils using Utilities, mainly in smaller spaces where they just need to cut the grass and run to the next job. Or if you have a larger property that you need something to cut around trees ect where a rider won't fit.

Having said that, I can achieve the same finish on a regularly cut lawn with a Ute as I do with a catching mower. So, if I can get the same finish, why would I bother with a catcher? Work smarter, not harder mentality.

I actually love using Utility mowers. Used correctly, you can reduce the amount of time you are mowing. In the Victa 18 instruction manual, they actually have section on how to "Victa Sweep Your Lawn". The idea being to start in the middle of the lawn and work your way out, directing the clippings further and further out.



I cover the subject in full here -
https://www.fordforums.com.au/showpo...&postcount=144

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

Fantastic timing actually... I've been eyeing off an old MSAA "Big Bob" utility mower thats been collecting spiders in my back yard for some time now (motor missing, but that model was also the first mower I ever used) and I'm wondering....

Thos Big Bob's usually had a Honda GXV 160 fitted to them, but SuperSwift have been also using Khroler and Loncin engines of late.

https://supaswift.com.au/products/la...ALw_wcB&page=2

Check out the price difference between the three engine options -

Loncin 196cc - $669
Krohler 173cc - $789
Honda 163cc - $1169!

You could by a Loncin powered Little Bob and a Big Bob for the same price as a Honda powered Big Bob. I really like that engine, but considering the GXV160 is also made in China like the Loncin and Krohler, you have to wonder how a an engine that had been on the market for decades can command a $380 to $500 price premium. All three are OHV engine, all have alloy construction with a cast iron bore. Which would I buy..............................the Honda of course. Or...................buy the Loncin, rip it off and throw in the scrap bin, then take the $500 I saved and fit a real engine.........................

https://www.smallenginewarehouse.com...0-series?gQT=2

[roKWiz]

Good stuff DFB. It starts with old mowers, moves onto tractors, then machinery and of course trucks to move the machinery to shows.

Usually ends in the D9 Cat-agory.

There's a guy who lives in a new housing estate in Wodonga with a completely restored Gallon roadgrader taking up most of the front yard.

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Or...................buy the Loncin, rip it off and throw in the scrap bin, then take the $500 I saved and fit a real engine.........................

Funny thing is, 30+ years ago, I'm pretty sure dads (secondhand, at the time!) Big Bob actually had a black 5hp briggs on it

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Thos Big Bob's usually had a Honda GXV 160 fitted to them, but SuperSwift have been also using Khroler and Loncin engines of late.

This one is actually old enough to have a metal MSAA tag on it, so is probably of an age to be quite at home to one of the few GXV140's I have kicking around doing nothing.....

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

Funny thing is, 30+ years ago, I'm pretty sure dads (secondhand, at the time!) Big Bob actually had a black 5hp briggs on it


This one is actually old enough to have a metal MSAA tag on it, so is probably of an age to be quite at home to one of the few GXV140's I have kicking around doing nothing.....

Ahhh, I forgot about that............................



I remember when I went looking for my first Utility, I was trying to find something used but wasn't having much luck, most of them are run into the ground. So, I decided to look at new machines. I had been looking at various brands but short listed the SuperSwift Big Bob (back when they were still painted red and had the upside-down handle) and the Masport 530 Utility.

(Latest model)





Both were on the floor at the same dealer, the Big Bob with the Honda, and the Masport with the 850 Briggs. The Masport actually offered a range of engines, including the DOV and side-valve Briggs, but the 850 was priced much lower than the 163cc Honda Big Bob. Both were 21-inch cuts.

My heart was saying the Honda powered Big Bob, but I changed my mind and went with the Masport after the salesman said he had a lot of the Big Bob's come back with cracked handlebar chassis mounts due to excessive flex. Take a look at the image of the new model posted above, it has two angled bars to strengthen the handlebars, the earlier Big Bob's didn't have them.

I ended up trading that Masport on the smaller Victa MasterCut 460.