I was looking at one of my Super 24s to work out what could be salvaged and what is scrap. The chassis on this one is too far gone but I’ll strip down the motor to see if it’s salvageable. I think it was originally a 1973 machine but I can’t be certain.
Strange thing with this motor is that the engine number is on the front, not the side. Also the number that is stamped on doesn’t follow with the conventions I’ve previously seen.
It reads: 23 7 VD 31
I did a bit of reading but I couldn’t find anything.
Hi Ironbark, easy fix by bolting on a 50x3mm flat ring around the outside. Please don't scrap it, has a lifetime of work left in it. I'm under the pump at the moment I have to build one for a bloke who wants it to do a job on the weekend, and I only have 3 stripped down bases sitting here at the moment
23 7 VD 31 Without seeing the numbers or the head number or the complete mower it can be a lot more difficult to decipher as the number can be 23 with a 7 on it's side then a 1 then a haft stamped 0 then 31.
You may have the correct stamping or it could be a re conditioners stamping but I have seen too many mis-stamped numbers.
Going to be very hard for you to ever ID any of the 24's I have built over the years Max, I just grab whatever motor I can off the shelf and fit it. Whatever starter I can find that will do the job. The one I am building today is being picked up Sat morning and the motor I will use is a sidepull that at the moment is still on a rear discharge catcher mower.
The motor out of my other Super 24 is sitting on the workbench as I’ve started refurbishing it. I had a look for the engine number and it is also stamped on the front side of the crank case. So, perhaps with Super 24s around this era, they stamped the numbers on the front? It certainly makes reading it easier as that area is clearer of clutter on the Super 24 as their air cleaner assemblies are quite bulky on the right side of the engine.
The number is: 537214222
On the left side of the head is the raised number 4.
Going to be very hard for you to ever ID any of the 24's I have built over the years Max, I just grab whatever motor I can off the shelf and fit it. Whatever starter I can find that will do the job. The one I am building today is being picked up Sat morning and the motor I will use is a sidepull that at the moment is still on a rear discharge catcher mower.
Yep I think we've both changed tons on motors so a lot aren't original.
I find it hard to believe I just emptied a trailer load of mower axles and it weighed 480 kg and I still have more to go. Must be why I never count the number of mowers just count the weight.
You are scrapping a lot more than I am Max, but I do go to the scrap on a more regular basis. I haven't been picking up any quantities of mowers for the last couple of years, just trying to wear down the piles of stuff I have still here
Yes half a tonne was a lot ,I must have wrecked a few hundred mowers in that lot.
I haven't picked up many either Norm in the past 3 years maybe 10 ,threw out a lot of good red rover bases just didn't have catchers for them and even if I sold good running mowers for $20. it would still take too long to sell so I don't have that amount of time to get rid of them and no one wanted a good complete mower base with wheels but without an engine for $5. I've seen guys with 20 Victa 2 stroke mowers for $2 each and they don't sell they just go to scrap in the end.
I see a lot of people going electric around here and a few houses up from me there is a robotic lawn mower.
I'm Just keeping engines and wheels off the later rear discharge mowers.
Hi Max, if you see anybody wanting to dump 2 strokes for $2 I will takes as many as I can get. I don't bother putting motors on alloy bases, they are worth more to me in scrap alloy. If I get a good running motor on an alloy base I scrap the base and put the motor on some Chonda body I have here with a catcher. I think I have a few Rover catchers here that I will probably never use now, I used to be scratching for them. Haven't seen anybody in my street with an electric, corded or battery. The old 24 that Gadge put me onto at the Morwell tip some years ago for $20 is now up and running and off to the new mower man in the morning. He is hanging out for it because of the type of jobs he is picking up. He rang up at 6.00pm tonight wondering if I could bring it up to one of the jobs he needs it for urgently. They never last long here because there is not much alternative out there for the really rough jobs. My mate in McKinnon uses his quite a bit because he has a number of customers that only want their back yard cut twice a year. Front yards are maintained but the back yard is only for a clothes line and they don't care about the grass
Bearing in mind its a culdesac, there is a masport olympic cyl, ohv briggs victa, old vertical pull briggs rover, ohv briggs masport, Quantum masport, Powertorque, one guy with either a lawnkeeper or full crank victa (whichever will start I think) and a thoroughly knackered john deere ride on (lucky if theres 100sqm lawn).
1 Makita battery and 1 ryobi battery mower
So we are beginning to see the battery 'revolution'
Can’t say I’ve seen anyone with an electric mower around here, probably not practical for our type of terrain or amounts of grass. I did cut a couple of acres of lawn for an older relative a year ago using an electric Cub Cadet ride-on. I went down to see her because she was recovering from an operation. It felt very foreign. When I found out how much the mower cost I just about fell off my chair. You could have bought a nice used car for that sort of money.
I see a few for free , I can message your gumtree account next time Norm , Gumtree ,Zilch and Facebook market place I see free ones every now and then.
The other thing Max with any Victa mower base it is always worth $5 to me, the 2 bushes on the rear axle I use for the front axle. If I have to buy new ones they cost $5 a pair. I am also thinking of getting some blade carriers for the 24's laser cut out of 4mm plate. Not sure if there is any interest but the more I get cut the cheaper they are
I've seen good complete Victa power torque mowers at the side of the road Norm but haven't bothered picking them up , until i get all the mowers out I don't know how many bases I have to give you could be 20.
I wouldn't buy new bushes for $5. I have a heap of them.
Yep the 24 blade plate is worth a bit if buying new even second hand.
Cutting the plate out with a angle grinder then using the lathe I would have thought would be cheaper than laser cutting as long as the lathe is big enough to fit the blade plate.
I was thinking you could adapt another victa plate to fit by welding a small centre flat plate on then machine the centre out.. Rover have a big plate that may be adapted.
Nothing I have seen anywhere is close to being big enough for the 24. I will get my last one out tomorrow and take some measurements. It needs to be fairly heavy because it is the spinning mass weight that makes these machines so good. Don't stress about getting the bases out, in no rush. I probably have 50 here, I just have to repair and paint up another batch before the weather turns bad. I haven't bought any bushes because I have a small supply of bushes left but can never have too many
Hi Max, Thanks for that, $64 plus postage from GA Spares I will see what getting them laser cut will cost. As for the raised bit in the middle I would just get a hole cut to clear the spindle nut and then weld a disc over the hole, that will give me a 5mm recess, hopefully that will give enough clearance
The images were for the size comparison ,14 .5 inches ,the old rover is basically the same size the later 21 inch rover has a slightly smaller plate but may still work.
Yes I was thinking you would need to machine the centre out and machine a cap up then weld it to the plate.
Old Rovers are anywhere from Free to $20. for a cheap one.The Rover plate looks about the same dish or hollow as the Victa.
The problem may be how big a Lathe you are using to fit the blade plate in.
Thanks Max, the Rover plate is very close but probably not enough weight for what I want but good thoughts, I probably have a couple of those big plates here I could play with
Picked up 2 x 24's tonight, bit of a drive but there is still a few out there. One has a F/C the other a PT. PT doesn't look original so be interested to see what they have done with it. Thinking about it just now I'm sure I saw the sliding plate the F/C's bolt onto on the PT, so that should be interesting
Hi MF, I picked up the 2 x 24's a PT sidethrow and a F/C high arch no catcher all for $100 but it was an hour and a half drive each way, but well worth the effort I believe. None of them are running but the 24 bodies seem in reasonable condition with fuel tanks and good rear wheels
Hi NormK, Your are almost guaranteed to profit well from that haul. Here's a thumblatch catcher I successfully mended using my hot staple set you put me onto. I added a bracket on the end as it's a high stress point as it goes on and off the mower. It would fit on your FC high arch unless it's an early 70s VC series.
The beauty of this is you can't see it externally. Cutting the staple stems is the only down side and it leaves a sharp spike of metal, so you have to watch where you do it.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Sorry to disappoint you MF but the high arch with no cracks or damage is worth $7 in scrap and the motor has already been removed and is now on one of the 24's which hopefully will be finished tomorrow and ready for a test on long grass to make sure it is ready to go. The PT sidethrow runs and will need a refurb to freshen it up and I haven't looked at the PT 24 yet With the High arch motor it had a G3 carb so I turned up a G4 manifold and fitted that and it fired up first pull
I have the original mower it belongs to from 1986 so I'm anything but disappointed. I'm ecstatic. Good work getting it to run on a G4. G3s are overrated fiddly ass things that so many worship for some odd reasoning.
Last edited by Mowerfreak; 13/06/2209:38 PM. Reason: Felt like it.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Got another one of these 24's fired up this one is fitted with a PT on an early F/C base. It has a modified F/C adjuster plate to take the PT and I fitted a cut down PT edger pulley with the 10mm plate welded to it ( I believe this is factory) but it was too big in diameter to fit on the 24 so I cut it down to 135mm which still left it heavier than a standard boss and blade carrier with blades fitted. It starts easily no sign of kickback and now it is a good slasher. Only downside is I can't imagine the hours I have spent on this machine but at least I now know how to set up a PT on an early base. To do these I need to get F/C slider plates and 10mm discs laser cut and then I need to find a supply of pulleys so I can weld them to the 10mm discs. Now I have to decide if it is all worth the effort
Hi MF, I have another 24 that came with a PT on it, I have only had a brief look at it and tried to start it but it kicks back so I am now on the lookout for a weight and pulley that I can fit on that one I also have a couple here with Hondas on them that I can't get running so they will probably end up with PT's on them if I can get this pulley/weight plate sorted for them
MF, I got the ones with the Hondas on them from a mower shop down in Gippsland that was closing down and the motors had had bits ratted from them. I think they had tried to get them going without success so they ratted bits off them
Hi Max, I still pick up the occasional F/C, but I don't actively go hunting them these days. I have only built the one PT on an early base and that is because I picked it up with the slide plate modified to take the PT. I have kept pics and drawings of it just incase I have to build one at a later date when I have no F/C's left here. The one thing that might make the F/C's hard to come by is the lack of pull starters, both the cup type and the sidepull. I have probably over 50 tested PT's here and probably another60 that have been straight fueled or would not run for some reason. If supply dries up I can start to re-ring some of those in the future. If I had to use the adapter plate, that lifts the motor nearly 20mm so that means I couldn't use the standard PT pulley because it will run the belt 20mm too high I have to come up with a different pulley design for them. I do have the idea worked out I just have to find a pulley I could use to make it work. I doubt anybody would bother looking at the pulley underneath, most people just want these to work and start easily
Yes I also don't look for mowers ,haven't for at least 4 years ,but I did find about 5 FC victa mowers one day on the way to the post office. I don't think mowers are worth picking up for free these days unless you're selling them for scrap as a mower I got $100. for years ago now only gets $70 and if I sell the $70 mower in the off season, I'd get $50 and either way takes over a month to sell one mower.Probably just worth selling the 24's and larger self drive mowers etc.
If using a Power Torque motor lifts the engine 20mm and you can't use the standard pulley then I guess you use a Victa Tornado motor with the longer crank and then use the standard pulley.
Yes Max, that is an option I had thought about but then I still need to hunt down the standard PT/4 stroke pulleys but at the moment I have enough bits to build 8 of these 24's and they do take me a lot of hours to get them ready to sell. It certainly isn't worth doing it financially but it keeps me busy and getting another one up and running makes me feel good and keeps me occupied even though the float needles drive me insane
I found one full crank pulley but looks a different length to the 24 pulley ,I guess you could cut one end off and weld an 1/8 th of an inch plate to the cut end then machine out the hole for the hub ,it's an option if you need something to work as I won't need it.
Hi Max, I'm almost at the stage of fitting PT's to them all, now that I know how much weight has to be added to the pulley. The supply of PT motors is also making me think along those lines, the F/C motors and pull starters and coils are only going to get harder to pick up. It is a bit of a pain making up the slider plates to fit the PT's to the F/C bodies but just the way it goes. There is nothing else like the 24 out there anymore
Yes the power torque mowers are easily found and aren't worth much ,I haven't mostly been able to sell perfectly good serviced 2 stroke Victa mowers for many years here as it's just not worth fixing them to sell for $50. when you could sell the parts for $50. (stater and wheels)
I sold one mower about 5 months ago as it was too good to wreck and the guy payed but still hasn't picked it up.
These days people only want to pay $25. for a serviced Victa 2 stroke here and about $50 for a 4 stroke.
At least the super 24 will sell for a decent price still, as there isn't anything else like you mentioned like it for the price.
Yes Max, With those prices for the parts it makes it hard to bother fixing a mower to sell it. I will probably build a few more to sell once I get caught up a bit. Even with the 24's for the amount of work I have to put into them they are a borderline proposition to sell but they certainly keep the grey matter working overtime which is probably a good thing even though they drive me crazy at times
The pricing of mowers and parts are a little strange Norm ,I recently couldn't sell a good cheap mower and after a month of advertising the mower I gave up and wrecked the mower for parts ,ended up more than doubling the price I was asking for the mower by selling the catcher and wheels.
I don't think some people want an old mower that lasts they want a new looking mower as a way to show off one's wealth and social status.
If I have a newish mower half worn out and a older mower that mechanically is like new and I sell both mowers for the same price and I tell the buyer the older mower will last longer they still take the newer half worn out mower every time.
People don't worry about polluting the planet ,More than 50% of new vehicles sold in the country last year were SUVs, a share that has almost doubled over the past decade.
Yesterday I saw a Super 24 on marketplace for $100.
Hi Max, That one has been on Market Place for a long time and will still be there for ages. There is 2 for $100 on the Bellarine Peninsula but it is a big drive and I just don't have time at the moment to drive down there.
Yes I can see it wouldn't be worth the time for you now Norm,the $100. one would be a 3 hour trip and the other 2 are 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic.
Hi Max, I only pay $50 for these 24's not running and even then when I get them up and ready for sale they usually cost me at least a week. I usually have to make up new Delrin bushes and clamps to hold the front axel in place (90%of the time they are all flogged out in the body) turn up new bushes for the front wheels or replace them, replace the motor or get the existing one running again, fix the height adjuster, fix the rear axel and or bush the rear wheels, new blades and maybe repair the blade carrier if the holes are flogged out, the list just goes on and on. And then if I am using a PT motor that requires extra weight to be added to the crank by whatever means I can. Then it is modify a carby and get that all working and that alone usually takes me a couple of hours. Are they worth it, of course not, but I just keep doing them to fill in time and keep me occupied
It's a shame the second hand mowers aren't worth much these days ,I still remember you taking 2 days refurbishing power torque mowers to sell for $80. and I remember about 10 years before that mower shops would refurbish second hand mowers and sell them for more than twice that. About 5 mower shops have closed down around here over the years and I spoke to one shop owner and he basically said when Bunnings came out and sold cheap new mowers his mower shop business suffered financially.
Not many people are left these days that repair equipment as I hear people all the time go to shops with barely used equipment that just needs a little work to get running but the shops tell them they need to buy a new replacement power tool and then there are the shops that first dismantle the customers mower knowing it's no good then after it's all in parts charge the owner as much money for taking it apart as they could have bought a good second hand replacement ,then telling them they need a new mower.
Hi Max, Yes I have picked up a number of 24's that were traded in to mower shops that were closing down and a couple of them have said that this year it has got even worse with one saying he has had customers who could not afford to have new blades fitted to their mower. He was saying that this year there were some days when not one person would come into his shop. He was going to try and operate from his home and do mobile repairs around his area in Gippsland
The last time I bought new blades at Bunnings they were about $14. but just had a look online and now they are $28. for 2 blades.
Just shows how cheap a $50 to $80 mower is with 4 good blades.
Not sure how much a mower shop would charge for 4 blades and fitting them but probably at least $70.
I've had a few people bring me a mower to repair and the blades are only half the size and I've just given them good second hand blades and fitted them for free.
These days for some, Australia is the lucky country where the rich get richer and the poor get their homes repossessed by the banks.
I did talk to one mower shop owner that went out of business and he was living in his car.
Hi Max, The blades I get for the 18 inch Victas cost me about $5.50 a pair and then the prices for the other mowers creap up slowly depending on the size and what mowers they fit up to the 24's which cost me about $13 a pair. These are the most expensive blades I ever buy. Of course I have to buy them in bulk and I would have hundreds of dollars sitting here in blades but I need them because I never know what the next mower coming through the door will need. I have said for a long time that it is not an industry I would like to try and make a living from.
Yeah I haven't needed to buy new blades for a long time as I would just buy a mower at the tip shop for $10. that had newish blades, but I've definitely scrapped a lot of mowers for blades and have probably used most of them by now so good to know what you can buy them for in bulk.
It's sad to see them disappearing. I scored a lot of mowers and bits from their scrap bin over the years. I found a fully functioning green 1970s Mustang with G3 carburettor in the early 2000s as well as a white 80s Mustang at another. Also got a VC 160 behind a third store dumped in an alley which ran beautiful.
Have found some good stuff of late here outside Sydney but both the mower shops I would get them from have closed down.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Hi MF, The only way I would class a 24 for wrecking would be if the body was broken in half. All the other bits I can scavage from stuff I have here, or fabricate what I need as long as I have blade carriers for them all other bits I can cover
Beautiful MF, cleaned up no problems. I keep an eye out for any bits that turn up, and sometimes I drive a long way chasing these things. Sometimes I can spend most of the day picking things up, probably makes them not worth it but I do what I do
Hi MF, and all, They stopped making the 24 about 5-6 years ago(am happy to stand corrected) and parts are a real PITA to get for them. I've had 6 blade carriers for them on back order since last April (yes, almost a year and a half ago) and the response from Victa is always the same, "yes, they'll be here in the next 4-6 weeks".
Good grief, I found a treasure trove and didn't know it. Don't worry Norm no hard feelings. Glad to have got rid of them and sent them on to someone who could use them and get something for them as well.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Hi BT, Yes I a still interested in the blade carriers if they ever turn up. Eventually I will have to get some laser cut but that will be a pain because I will have to weld the recess in the centre to go over the bearing. It means I have to get the big disc cut and another disc cut to cover the bearing. Is it worth it I doubt it but eventually I will run out of alternatives. Thanks MF much appreciated besides the fact somebody put 71 stamps on the box, it was good for a laugh
Hi BT and MF, Last week I paid $50 for about 14/15 mowers, 2 trailer loads and there was only one in the pile I wanted. It was a 22 inch Victa self propelled slasher and all I wanted off that was a fuel tank to fit a 24, they are that hard to come by
I recently threw out 10 motor bikes but still have some fuel tanks if you need one ,they are cheap on eBay ,the original Victa tanks aren't very strong when they get old ,I usually adapt a tank from something else ,even an old stainless fire extinguisher.
Hi Max, Yes I could just stick any tank on them, I could even make up my own to fit between the handles but they look better set up with an original tank
Strange isn't it Max, I haven't had one with a split tank but I do get them with no tanks and then the ones I get with 4 stroke motors don't come with tanks so that means I am constantly on the lookout for tanks. Luckily MF sent me a couple from memory and a couple of blade carriers so that was a big help
Yes Norm it's strange , I had 5 Victa 550 mowers and 3 had original tanks but the original tanks all leaked and were split where you couldn't see the split because it was in behind the handle bar bracket cover and I thought the other two with aftermarket tanks were replaced because the original tanks failed also ,maybe they had a batch of bad tanks at some stage or they just don't last well when they get old.
Hi Max, I had a bloke here a few months ago and when he spotted the tanks he wanted to know where I had got them from because apparently they use them in Ultralite aircraft
I don't think that would be legal Norm to use a mower fuel tank in a Ultralite aircraft, as far as I know there are regulations for what you can use.
I wouldn't be spending time and money to repair a tank when I can just fit another tank quicker than repairing one and if the repaired tank ever leaked and someone caught fire etc they can file a lawsuit against you if they can prove you repaired the tank. Different story if you're repairing the tank for yourself to use a mower.
I picked up a lawn beetle today and got it running ,eventually the smoke cleared and it ran well then I cut the mower up and in the bin it went ,a few years ago I would take 3 mowers to make one but these days it would cost me $20. more than what I can sell the mower for ,if I add up the cost in fuel to pick up 3 mowers and parts to do the service I'd be minus $20 when I sell the mower for $50.At least I can use the wheels on a Victa 18.
Hi Max, I find those Sanli motors are not bad but in most cases the top of the air cleaner is missing and the filter itself is worth more than the mower. I have a heap of those Lawn Beetle wheels here and I have never found a use for them. A few days ago I set up a Sanli and fitted a Briggs air filter to it. Looks ok
I kept the motor and drained the oil after it was hot Mf .If I throw the motor out in scrap I'd still keep the coil, starter and carby.
Yes the Sanlli wheels fit well on a Victa 18 Norm , one below I put some on many years ago ,from memory you just slightly drill them out.
I've had 10 to 20 Lawn Beetle mowers with the plastic base and always cut the base up and put it in the bin and at least 10 motors I've put on Victa PT rear discharge bases .
I don't remember ever picking up the 10 to 20 free Lawn beetle mowers and them not having a good filter with the cover ,this Lawn beetle I took the filter and cover off to spray some fuel into the carby to start the mower as there was oil in the combustion chamber.
I only look for mowers from places where the median house price is about 1. 2 million and up and they don't bother taking parts off.
If you want lots of free good mowers Norm, I'd go along the coast from Seaford to Mentone on hard rubbish days.
Hi Max, I don't want anymore mowers, I and clearing out what is here and getting it down to the scrap, I am pretty much done with the Victa 2 strokes because of the float needle problems, they are just chinese garbage and not worth the problems they cause. I still have a number of Deutschers and assorted slashers I can work on
