OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds Victa side pull

My wife spotted a mower in a hard waste pile at the bottom of our street last night. I went and picked it up, it had no spark plug in it, had obviously been outside for a while going by the leaves all over it and it was raining at the time. It was always going to be good for parts,sidepull,coil,spark module, all the little bits that some are getting harder to find. I figured I would put one of my modified carbys on, put a plug in it and it started first pull. Can't get much better than that. Now I have to work out which slasher to put it on

I not surprised what people throws away any more after doing scrap metal pickups for ten years. Some very nice is just thrown out in those roadside trash piles. Sometimes it is brand new still in the original packaging.

That is how I actually learned my 2 cycle repairs by repairing those throwaways. Sometimes it took a while to find enough donors to get one complete unit as people got the strange habit of removing a part so no else can repair a piece of equipment that they didn't want any more. The can't stand it that someone got something off them for no money attitude.

My customers have learn that I can repair those of the handhelds so I see more of them in my shop than what I once found. I just in one that someone tried repairing and they didn't have a clue what to do. Finally gave up, brought to me, and I just finish it up late Saturday. Reworked the carb and replaced the primer; runs like new. Hopefully he still got the air cleaner and filter.

The old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure." can be true.

AVB what you wouldn't realize is that this mower was built somewhere between 1974 and 1984 and being a Victa 2 stroke it has years of life left in it. It is not economic for anybody to get it repaired and I doubt you would get anybody to do it, but to me it is gold, the fact it runs well is a bonus

Yes, it's amazing what people will throw out, it probably only ever needed a spark plug but they never got around to doing it.

I actually restore 2 strokers at are older than I am and I am 59 now. As long some take care any equipment they last well what some think are an useful life. I recently repair 1965 garden tiller that only needed the carburetor cleaned and it was a 4 stroke L-head (side valve) Briggs.

As far as 2 strokers I put in the same family as diesels when it comes to their longevity. I even repaired a couple kerosene power ones over the years. Once I learned how 2 cycles work and how to troubleshoot them they are actually became easier to fix for me.

Personally I like the reliability of the older stuff myself. Probably why I am driving a 2000 pickup truck now. Plus it not complicated as the new stuff when it comes to repairs.

BigTed, could have been because of the spark plug or the fact one blade had broken off, bit of a vibration there, easy fix put another blade carrier on and no more problems

Hi Norm,
fantastic high when an apparent old wreck actually works.
The side pull Victa with electronic ignition was introduced in 1980. They are fast becoming my official favourites as they start so easily, look good and take a lot to fail. I had one sitting in an old leaky chook shed unused for about three to four years with rain hitting the handles from time to time. I decided to take it out as I wanted to demolish some weeds and to my surprise, it fired right up as though I used it last week!
It smoked a lot but eventually cleared and it was the height adjuster that wouldn't work. A week of WD-40 soaking in did the trick there.

Hi Norm,

I picked up a Victa Super Star a week ago from the dump and it was only missing it's carby front plate that holds the float and needle and seat. It was left upside down with the fuel cap unscrewed but that was laying with it.

So I screwed the cap back on and put it on the back of the ute and brought it home much to the non approval of the wife, "what another piece of junk" she said, well I felt I had nothing to lose as I had the missing carby bits at home laying on the bench so that was a few bits that went to good use.

I'm not a Victa specialist but am I correct that the engine on this is a full crank as it looks just like the VC-160 style engine and not a Powertorque. It also has the side starter on it that I've never seen, remembering I'm a 4 Stroke man due to them being fitted on Scotty's ?

Cheers,
BB.

Yes Bonnar it certainly is. Many people seem to mistake them for the power torque probably because the hi tech looking covers appear similar in style with the criss cross plastic mesh at the top, but note that it carries over most tell tale features of previous FCs. Notice the side mounted pull start requires less pulling effort due to gear reduction in it's set up.

Hi BB as MF said it is a side pull full crank, great motor and as MF said easy starters with the gearing in the side pull setup.Only problem with them is they are not about in big numbers, the coil and pull start is unique to them so not a lot of parts about. Did you get yours running? just the fact the primer cap was missing indicates the float needle was causing it not to start so people just have to dump them

NK, have I been lucky then, when you say there are not many about as I have come across a few here and there in the last two years. I now have four (two working, two unsure).
I came across one in appalling shape surface rust wise, so I took the useful bits off like starter, wheels and float chamber cap. Now wish I took the entire machine home -oh well some spares to show for it.
I came across another complete with catcher but couldn't get the handles to fold as the knobs were seized. I could have borrowed a ute but didn't bother. A shame as it was in very tidy nick all round with no bits missing. Won't do that again haha.

MF if I get one I can't fold the handles on I just put it in the boot and tie the boot down on it. Grab any you see because the parts are getting hard to come across

Thanks Norm K I shall!!!

I do have a number of steel bodied full cranks here and I don't think any of them have suffered from the dreaded left corner rust problem that the Powertorques do. Has to be something to do with the steel or the treatment of the underside of them

Someone said they are thicker steel. He came up with the idea of making an adapter plate to fit a Powertorque to them by cutting out the centre off a rust affected PT base and carefully grafting it in.

I doubt any difference in the thickness of the steel would have made any difference and visibly you can't see it so it would be minor, I think it is the type/grade/quality of the steel used. As for fitting a PT center in a FC base that sounds like something I would do just to prove it could be done but a totally pointless exercise, much easier just to repair the PT base, certainly take less time

It's the quality of the steel that makes a difference, the older ones were definitely better but i have seen them rust out in the top left corner but nowhere near as often or as extensive as the later Chinese bases.
As for the adapter plate idea, it's already been done and i believe they were a factory item primarily used for base swaps for full cranks after the power torque came into production. (Well, at least thats what an old Victa dealer had told me)
I've got one here and if anyone is interested I'll dig it out and post a couple of photos of it.

BT, 50 years ago I had a Hurricane toe cutter mower I was using and I really wanted a catcher. I picked up a fairy new Pope with a side catcher with a leg through the side of the motor, paid $12 for it. Cut a disc out of 3mm plate, bolted that on, bolted the Hurricane onto it, and I used that mower, probably 20 years, till I decided I deserved a rear catcher and I and foolishly bought a new Victa with a Honda on it. Wished I had kept the old Hurricane/Pope

Very true. I spotted a very nice old 70s Rover base on top of a metal recyclers bin at the back of a mower shop recently. It still had the 4 old style of chrome wheels in very good condition. These wheels are getting hard to find. I went in to the shop and asked about it. I would not have minded paying a small amount for it. Considering it was basically scrap, I thought the owner would let me have it for the same cost that he would get from the recyclers. Instead he wanted $70 for it. I drove past a couple weeks later and it was still there on top of the bin. Some people do not believe in giving stuff away, even when they are going to throw it away anyway! I'm not sure what the guy will get for this mower from the recyclers? I'm guessing probably no more than a few bucks?

VM, lot of fools out there but I guess he thought he had some sucker there who wanted it at all costs, if you paid $7 that would have been enough, a tenth of what he was dreaming of . You have to be ready with a punchline like "bit like the Castle" and when he asked what you meant you hit him with "tell him he's dreaming" and walk off.

Hi Guys,

Sorry that I haven't responded to this thread since I last posted the story about the "Super Start". I to date have not been able to start it and I'm starting to feel that it is spark related and it's the coil on it. As Norm has mentioned the coils are pretty unique to these engines only and thus this will make it had to get it going again.
Regardless I'd like to see it go again opposed to disposing of it as these full cranks are getting harder to find as you've all suggested.

The only modification that's been made is an extra kill switch has been added in line as the previous method has failed. Sadly this one hasn't been a fully loved machine, which is not uncommon with any lawnmowers of today as they are basically a disposable commodity nowadays.

Only this morning I was helping my brother in law move out of the rental he was in and the neighbour who left on Saturday has left a pig filthy neglected 18 month old B&S powered Victa from Bunnings and one of those multi-foldable ladders behind as trash along with other real rubbish that was put in a pile in the rusty shed to leave behind as they normally do when vacating quickly and couldn't care less about their bond as the Government will fork out the next lot. I said to the BIL that I'll take the mower plus the ladder and clean them up and go halves in the proceeds. He couldn't be bothered with it so instead the Real Estate agent handling the property will most certainly flick it on to someone that he knows within minutes. Oh well that's life these days.

Cheers,
BB.

BB, sad and crazy isn't it what some people do. A couple of houses up the court people were moving out and along with the rubbish was a late model Victa Briggs. I grabbed it but haven't looked at it yet but I doubt there would be a lot wrong with it. If the motor is a problem the rest of it is excellent for parts

Yes bigted, please show us. I find it odd though, that Victa would bring out an adapter to fit an obsolete engine over the current one.

Is this the same as you are talking about. I have just got hold of 2 in the past week after never seeing before in my life. This is in Perth June 2022. I have not yet tried ti get either going. The side pull strt is totally foreign to me. I am assuming that these are just about a 1 of.

They made a lot of those and in general the pull starter is reasonably robust. I love those

They allow the motor to be very streamlined to fit under shrubs better, like the Powertorque.
They also have a reduction effect making pulling effort less than the top starter.
There seem to be a lot of these side pull versions of the full crank, the final iteration before the half crank Powertorque engines were quickly phased in as the two stroke choice.
I generally find them very easy starters, even after prolonged storage for years -at least in one case!

They were the first to get microchip electronic ignition and the last full crank. The best of both worlds converged in the relatively short production run of the early 1980s.

When pulling them off the motor you need to carefully note where the metal shim is positioned, particularly in relation to the spring stems sticking out inside. I would never been stuck a couple of times if I hadn't had a second mower to use as a reference.

Hi MF,
yes the sidepull is a very crude piece of equipment but when working they work well.

NormK I remember you calling them a ratty design. Victa must have churned out a load of them as there are quite a few still out there for such a short period of production. Maybe the better quality steel decks that a lot were built on and electronic ignition helped.

Mowerfreak, I understand what you are talking about re-metal shim when I went to tighten the pull cord. Both mowers when I picked them up needed to be tightened and I did this after I read your post so I was very careful to keep my eye out. Once you know It is quite easy and it makes the design much more effective when tight. Now I just need to find why I have no spark. I did get one to fire with a quick squirt of starter fluid but no spark now.

Mowerfreak, I understand what you are talking about re-metal shim when I went to tighten the pull cord. Both mowers when I picked them up needed to be tightened and I did this after I read your post so I was very careful to keep my eye out. Once you know It is quite easy and it makes the design much more effective when tight. Now I just need to find why I have no spark. I did get one to fire with a quick squirt of starter fluid but no spark now.