OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Model Histories ENGINES VINCENT BROS. - Vinco 125cc - c1957

Hello ODK history lovers
The Vincent Brothers Company, originally from Wentworth
Park-Road, Glebe, and then of Victoria Road, West Ryde,
was originally an interwar inboard engine and boat maker.

Post WWII, the company diversified and The Vincent
Brothers Company developed their successful floor polishers
and introduced a home gardening system [The Vinco Blitz].

Less known, is that they did make a small [125cc]
air-cooled engine in about 1957.

Originally the engine was not fan-cooled and little is
known about that early variant. That engine has been
recorded on ODK as appearing on early Atco rotaries.

The engine has been examined by QLD collector
Paul C [see Related Links].

At some point the engine was introduced to
fan-forced cooling. My best guess is that the engine
was upgraded when, and for, the Introduction of the
Vinco Blitz in about 1960.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO – First Model Vinco 125
The first model Vinco 125 had no assisted cooling
and I have found no primary documents about it.

That is odd; given the company’s propensity to advertise.

We have good evidence of the engine’s existence
thanks to a couple of examples appearing on early
Atco rotary mowers. Maybe that’s the clue …
the difficulty of Atco Australia importing the little
Atco-Villiers engine. Who Knows?

The engine was a basic 125cc air-cooled
loop-scavenge 2-stroke not unlike the first
Victa 125 engine. Both used a Wico
flywheel magneto system and both had
a removable alloy head and cast-iron barrel.

There were differences though. The Vinco
has scavenge porting that did not need
transfer port covers, and the head and barrel
were secured by long bolts to the crankcase.



Sincere thanks to ODK member and Qld
collector Paul C who has given us the only
detailed images - and commentary - of this
rare engine. [see Related Links].

TO BE CONTINUED …

PART THREE – Vinco Fan Cooled Engine
The mysterious first model Vinco 125cc air-cooled
engine was developed and modernised to have a
shrouded cowl and fan-forced cooling. It would also
accept a recoil starter.

My best guess is that the engine was
developed for a key project – the Vinco Blitz
home gardening system of about 1960
[see related links].



The thing is that the Blitz also offered a governed
Kirby 4-stroke and that engine seems to have
been favoured over the 2-stroke in Blitz advertising.

In fact, the final model Blitz dropped the 2-stroke altogether.

This eleven-page Operator Manual for the Air-cooled
Vinco Industrial Engine dates from the early 1960s
and it is in poor-to-average condition; with some
water staining. Beggars cannot be choosers in this case.

Interestingly, note the only image in the
booklet [inside cover] of the engine has been
pasted in upside down…

Also note the Victa-style recoil starter.
[I wonder what the story is there…]

As always, I make this booklet available to
members for viewing or as a quality download.