OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories VICTA Models VICTA – SPARE PARTS MANUAL – c1965

Hello ODK history lovers
Folks with a serious interest in Victa know about Victa’s
‘Green Books’; a two volume Spare Parts Manual published
for their dealer network in the early 1970s. These are
considered as ‘bibles’ and appear from time-to-time at auction.

But what is less known is that the green Books precursor
was a single volume introduced in c1964. I have coined
this the ‘Orange/Black Book’.

This Mower and Engine Spare Parts Manual (intended just for
dealers) was most likely released alongside the Mower and
Engine Workshop Manual (intended for dealers and the public).

Consider their respective covers: -



This book is important because it was published much
closer to the earliest days and it covers all Victa models
from the Model 1 [1955] to the 1965 season models …
just over a decade!

Second, it gives us information missing in the Green Books.
It clarifies issues as to model identification and it gives us
minutiae; like some fastener sizes, missing in the Green Books.

If you are interested in collecting, restoring, or even just
understanding Victa mowers from 1955 to 1965 then this
is the manual for you.

CONTENTS: -
SECTION A – Complete Products
SECTION B – Engines
SECTION C – Crankshafts
SECTION D – Magnetos
SECTION E – Carburettors
SECTION F – Throttle Controls
SECTION G – Starters
SECTION H – Air Cleaners
SECTION J – Chassis
SECTION K – Blade Holders
SECTION L – Grass Catchers
SECTION O - Miscellaneous

TO BE CONTINUED …

Section A – Complete Products
Section A is a great resource for identifying Victa models from
1955 to 1965. It’s more user friendly than the Green Books …
simply because the model line-up was more manageable for a
parts book in 1965 – from a single model per year in the mid-1950s;
to two models per year in the late 1950s; to four models per
year in the early-to-mid 1960s.

SECTION B – Part 1 – Two Stroke Engines
Of course, Section B is one of the two largest sections of this manual.
This part covers engines and moves chronologically, from two-strokes,
to four-strokes, and then back to two-strokes.

Reflecting this, I have divided the manual into three parts that
preserve the page numbering sequence. This is the first part of Section B.

SECTION B – Part 2 – Four Stroke Engines
This section covers the 4-stroke engines used by Victa from
1960 to 1965.

Note that the first engine – the LV22 – is described as a ‘Lauson’,
whereas all other engines in the part are described as ‘Kirby-Lauson’.
I wonder whether that means the little LV was fully imported...?

SECTION B – Part 3 – Two Stroke Engines [Cont’d]
This section covers the final 2-stroke engines used by Victa from 1960 to 1965.
Also note that the last pages are devoted to the Victa Industrial Engines.

SECTION C – Crankshafts
Always the shortest section in Victa spare parts books,
this section lists the evolution of the Victa crankshafts
from the Model 1 thru to the 1965 engines.

Note that the difference between the Model 1 and Model 2
crankshafts was the change in the top half crank to
accommodate Victa’s own magneto and flywheel.

The Model 3 crankshaft changed the bottom-half crankshaft
to accommodate a change in taper from Morse 2 taper to
a 15-degree taper.

The Model 4 crankshaft was primarily designed to accommodate
the demand for PTO side, parallel shafts on Victa horizontal
shaft Industrial Engines.

SECTION D - Magnetos
This section covers both the original British Wico Pacy magneto
used on the Model 1 and Model 2 Victas. We then see the Victa
2-stroke magnetos, and then the North American 4-stroke ones.

SECTION E – Carburettors
This section covers both the North American Zenith and
Walbro carbies used on Victa 4-strokes, and the Victa
‘Mower Type’ Model 6 and the Industrial Engine Model 4.

Interestingly, The Amal carby is not included; at least in my copy.

Note the final page of this section: spare parts were a money spinner!
Victa’s repeated advertising push in promoting genuine spares did
have multiple agendas …

SECTION F – Throttle Control
In the development of throttle controls I guess the state of play
represents that cables were moving away from flexible multi-strand
wires using rotary controls to solid wire cables using linear controls
as the interface between handle control to carburettor.

SECTION G – Starters
Recoil Starters during this period are not controversial,
but reflect a reality: that consumers were demanding
easier starting systems.

Victa’s own recoil starter was an expensive, necessarily heavy
duty, and necessary response to a 2-stroke engine design that
lacked a decompressor. Victa would sort this – but years’ later.

It is no surprise that Victa used mostly North American designed
‘wind-up’ starters in their impulse and trip-release variants on
their lawnmowers in the 1960s.

SECTION H – Air Cleaners
Merv Richardson is given credit as the actual inventor of the
snorkel for 2-stroke lawnmowers in a mid-1955 patent. However, many
Victa designs from the early to mid-1960s used very short snorkels.

I think there are three reasons for this: the advent more efficient
air filtering using foam or paper cartridges; second, the potential
for snorkel kinking with folding handles using rubber snorkels; third;
the production speed gain of engine-mounted filtering. You decide.

SECTION J – Chassis
Alongside the Engine Section this section is the other big one.

After ten years of continual development (since the Model 1) Victa
were making, arguably, the best, feature laden, rotary lawnmowers
in the world. And the pressure was on; with a commitment to release
more new models every September of every year.

I rate the 1964 Corvette chassis the best-styled of Victa’s 1960s
offerings. What do you think?

SECTION K – Blade Holders
This short section belies Victa’s effort in developing blade
holders and blade designs that offered both safety and efficiency.

At this point in time – 1965 – Victa’s view was that there
were three distinct blade designs – cutting blades, side
discharge blades and rear discharge blades.

History would show that all these designs could be safely
combined into a single design – the fluted cutting blade –
and without any real loss of efficiency.

The big difference was in the choice of blade fasteners.
Victa’s early-design blade discs had cumbersome,
air-dragging long bolts running in bushes and protected
by felt washers and washer cups. It wasn’t simple nor elegant.

By the mid-1960s, Victa took advantage of purpose-designed
high-tensile shoulder bolts and tension washers for affixing
blades to blade discs. Brilliant!

SECTION L – Grasscatchers
This short section represents Victa’s development of the
grasscatcher as at 1965. These were simpler days; when
grass catchers were magically crafted from sheet metal.

These steel catchers are decidedly ‘old fashioned’ today.
I love the sidecar side-catcher!

SECTION O – Miscellaneous
This section is a catch-all section; encompassing Victa
Combination Packs, legacy Villiers Parts, and Victa Service
Tools offered as at 1965.

There is a lot of interesting stuff here...

Consider the different gauge blades offered by Victa at earlier
times; consider the legacy Villiers offerings, and the Victa/Villiers
parts that were part of the ‘Fan mowers’ that were pre-Model 1.