Mowing ..

[janddbone]

That's correct. Have been for a long time now.

[FTE217]

Good ol Victa's.
I took over the ol man's Commando a 70's model.
As we know built to last back those days.
Used it for over 30yrs, I cried when I updated it but I always wanted a Briggsy 4stroker and still do.
Love em.

[Citroënbender]

I inherited a 1981 Rover Baron 45 four-stroke, it’s a veritable “Paddy’s axe” now but hanging on.

Thanks to posters here, I now would like a utility mower for my place.

[janddbone]

They are also different enough you can justify having both! Ha ha.

[FTE217]

I have no need for a utitility mower but IF I went the same grain as I do with detailing products I just could end up with one lol......

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by FTE217

I have no need for a utitility mower but IF I went the same grain as I do with detailing products I just could end up with one lol......

Careful, you might end up with a "collection" like this.

[DaveD]

I've also seen on YouTube that the older Victa two-stroke utility mower's can go down to dirt level as a cutting height. Guy was using it to scalp his couch green as part of a spring renovation.
But that's quite a specific use case, most people probably don't need to go down to 0mm height of cut

[DFB FGXR6]

Here is a couple of videos showing the use of Utility mowers.

The mower in this one is a Bushranger 53TKU7, basicalyl a re-branded Big Bob, even the same price. These are fitted with either a Honda GXV or the crappy Kohler engine.

https://bushrangerpe.com.au/browse-p...-utility-mower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWjNB15eFnU

This one is an older Two-Stroke Victa Mastercut, the later ones did not rev as hard as the one in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjGJZ08gblw

[Citroënbender]

I was waiting to see how he cleaned up that pool!

Lucky there wasn’t old fencing wire caught up in that feral Kikuyu. Or brown snakes!

[roKWiz]

Was watching a recent youtube vid showing the lastest innovations regarding councils (county) maintenance equipment and they stated in the US, Kubota bought Subaru and is building their ride on mowers using their old plants.
Is that true ?

[janddbone]

Some days they like a day off, other days thy are keen to go with half a pull. True Aussies!

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by janddbone

Some days they like a day off, other days thy are keen to go with half a pull. True Aussies!

Too true! Even the newer ones can be a right bastard to start sometimes.

If they don't start on the first or second prime/pull sequence, then they just wont! You end up having to take the spark plug out, clear the combustion chamber, wipe the plug, re-insert the plug and try again. And even then, they are not guaranteed to start. Cue many profanities.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Too true! Even the newer ones can be a right bastard to start sometimes.

If they don't start on the first or second prime/pull sequence, then they just wont! You end up having to take the spark plug out, clear the combustion chamber, wipe the plug, re-insert the plug and try again. And even then, they are not guaranteed to start. Cue many profanities.

Little petrol genset on the truck is like that.

[slowsnake]

Biggest problem with two-strokes is breathing!
I must of fixed a dozen of the damn things, the mufflers fill with a oily black thick gunk, next time it won't start pull the muffler off and it will!
Some of the early basic Victa Mowers had a muffler with the end squashed nearly flat, they need opening up, use a brazing torch and gently burn the gunk out!.....use a bit of coat-hanger wire with little bend on end!
I remember as a kid, everything was de-coked.....


Cheers Billy

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

Biggest problem with two-strokes is breathing!
I must of fixed a dozen of the damn things, the mufflers fill with a oily black thick gunk, next time it won't start pull the muffler off and it will!
Some of the early basic Victa Mowers had a muffler with the end squashed nearly flat, they need opening up, use a brazing torch and gently burn the gunk out!.....use a bit of coat-hanger wire with little bend on end!
I remember as a kid, everything was de-coked.....


Cheers Billy

I had a lot of problems with my Stihl gear blocking their muffler screens with carbon. It would be a regular thing to remove and hit them with a wire brush to remove the carbon which would prevent them from achieving max revs.

That stopped when I switched to Synthetic Two-Stroke oil, seems like this burns clean. I have not cleaned an exhaust screen in years now. Expensive stuff though at $30 a litre. I run all my small engines on this at 50:1

https://www.stihl.com.au/stihl-hp-ul...ngine-oil.aspx



For some reason, Victa insisted on specifying a smoky 25:1 for their 160cc engine right to the end. I use the Victa branded oil for this, although confusingly, the bottle states it's for 50:1 dilution.

[janddbone]

I am old school. Everything gets castor oil at 20:1 and a tune to suit. Needs regular cleaning, however next to zero wear and lots of power. Plus the smell is from heaven.... Ha ha.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by janddbone

I am old school. Everything gets castor oil at 20:1 and a tune to suit. Needs regular cleaning, however next to zero wear and lots of power. Plus the smell is from heaven.... Ha ha.

Not castor oil?....Cazzy R...or Castrol R, and I loved the smell of Cazzy R, I lived near Eastern Creek race track, and if I heard the 2 strokes I would head over, be a week day so promotion or practice, this is about 15 years ago, one day I just drove in and parked the car and walked over to the back of the pits, and there's Wayne Gardner sitting in a garage getting a TV interview!

Last time I went to watch the races it was an Australian Superbike round, and you could walk right along the back of the garages, too cool, but when the 125cc were warming up there was no mistaking that sweet, sweet smell of Cazzy R...


Cheers Billy

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by janddbone

I am old school. Everything gets castor oil at 20:1 and a tune to suit. Needs regular cleaning, however next to zero wear and lots of power. Plus the smell is from heaven.... Ha ha.

You have me intrigued now, so I need to get it clear in my brain?
So you mix castor oil instead of Castrol R?...
So it's used as a two stroke mix and lubricates the bottom end instead of let's say Castrol R, or are you talking about a fuel additive like "redex" for want of a better word added to fuel on a bike that has oil injection for lubrication and runs on a straight not mixed fuel tank of gas?

Cheers Confused Billy

[Pis-ton broke]

i remember at the servo, when oil was in the glass jars outside for the motorists. 1/2 litre or 1 litre. for engine oil top up. we didn,t fuss about its viscosity, it was there, you just used it without question..(well i did)

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Pis-ton broke

i remember at the servo, when oil was in the glass jars outside for the motorists. 1/2 litre or 1 litre. for engine oil top up. we didn,t fuss about its viscosity, it was there, you just used it without question..(well i did)

yep how easy it was, wish I kept a few of those nice shaped plastic coned jars.
Wasn't it 1/2 and 1 pint ?
Damn I can't recall.

Yes those tempramental 2strokes, love em.
You used feel like a wizard mechanic once you got the bugga going and smoke billowing out lol, after you've floaded it, pull after pull, then F it, out with the plug best way to beat it.

[Pis-ton broke]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yep how easy it was, wish I kept a few of those nice shaped plastic coned jars.
Wasn't it 1/2 and 1 pint ?
Damn I can't recall.

Y.

yes , sound right, it was a long time ago.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by FTE217

yep how easy it was, wish I kept a few of those nice shaped plastic coned jars.
Wasn't it 1/2 and 1 pint ?
Damn I can't recall.

Yes those tempramental 2strokes, love em.
You used feel like a wizard mechanic once you got the bugga going and smoke billowing out lol, after you've floaded it, pull after pull, then F it, out with the plug best way to beat it.

Was a pint and a quart!

Cheers Billy

[janddbone]

Castrol R was definitely the traditional one. Personally I used Tritech, local oil from Dandenong.

[LG17]

Used castor oil with methanol to stop carbies gunking up.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by LG17

Used castor oil with methanol to stop carbies gunking up.

Well I been around a lot of 2 stroke engines and am going back to the 60's in the UK,
You could pick up BSA Bantam 125cc D1's for a fiver, but, never ever heard of mixing castor oil as a lubricant in the petrol mix?.....that's the first time I have heard that!.....amazing, Castrol R was the go to, but we were kids then, 12 or 13 years old!

Cheers Billy

[Tonz]

sure was pint and quart. I used to refil them from a 44 gallon drum. My dad bought a servo when I was 6 years old.

[FTE217]

yes it was long ago, thanks that it, quart !
Nice and simple.

[janddbone]

Sorry to confuse. I say castor oil, instead of a particular brand. As in any castor bean based oil, including Castrol R.

[DFB FGXR6]

I'm only 34 but I remember servo's still sold pre-mixed Two-Stroke when I was a kid, sold by the litre. You would take your fuel tin and they would fill it up for you.

BP Zoom 25 was the approved fuel for Victa's in those days.

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

image

is that $285 on the can? did you buy it for that? crazy I threw one in the dump 3 months ago.