OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Picked up a Masport 400 with a Quantum choke start

Hi all,

I picked up a Masport 400, a light grey mower, chrome handles, black grip, alloy base from a deceased estate sale. The old fellow must have really looked after it. It has what looks like a Quantum 35/40 or thereabouts (stickers missing off the engine, only thing missing), and I couldn't work out how to start it at first, as there was no primer bulb. Anyway, after some research, I found it had a choke system, where you put the throttle lever all the way towards you, wait a few seconds, then pull the cord. It came to life, then I moved it into run. Engine is in excellent condition, as is the base, with virtually no bit of rust anywhere, no wheel play, and has definitely been kept away from the elements it's whole life.

Anyone know how many of these choke type briggs were sold? Are they fairly reliable? I haven't run across any before I picked this one up, and am tempted to keep it as a personal use unit since it has only had the one, obviously caring, owner.

Very similar to this unit:



Also, anyone think a Masport 18" mulch plug might fit this?

Hi Sapper,

I've had a lot with the choke and never had a problem with them ,they are more reliable than the primer system.

I've never tried the Masport 18" mulch plug in a Masport 400 but you could check part numbers on both plugs to see if they
are the same.

Cheers
Max.

Hi Sapper, give me one with a choke any day of the week

Norm, in a recent thread, you mentioned that you have converted some Briggs with these primers to a choke system because.you were having problems with the filter housing not sealing properly against the carburettor, rendering the primer inoperable. AVB mentioned they warp and Tyler had resorted to using two gaskets to get them to work.
In other words Sapper, you're on a winner. These Briggs Quantum primer systems can be a problem child.

Hey MF,

This reminds me of a video I watched about a year ago;




I am guessing this is the problem you are having Norm? I made a mental note of this issue after I watched the video, just in case I had to do any surgery myself.

I'm very happy I managed to get this mower, even more so after what you guys have said. I have been watching a few videos on how the system works.

What decade do you think this mower is from? 90's?

That was a great find Sapper. I recently swapped over a carbs and primer box from a discarded Rover onto the Briggs on a Victa that refused to run and now it runs.
I will now re -torque the two screws after seeing the clip in case I have over tightened them.

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone has any knowledge on what blades this mower would use? I have tried finding the manual online, but it keeps giving me the Masport 400 reel mower manual.

Depends if its a 2 or 4 blade. I have had one of each. If its the 2 blade bar, it takes ga spares bnc5345 and if its a 4blade disc it takes 2 pairs bnc3237.

That's handy for me too, as a lady I know is going to get me to change her Masport blades for her.

Hey Tyler,

2 bladed bar. Thanks very much for that.

MF, that is info specific for this model. if it is a 'quadcut' or 19inch it is different again

What would this new one I took at Bunnings the other day take? It's a two bladed model.

Hey MF,

This is the spec site for the mower. There is a download of the manual on the page, but after a quick scan it doesn't appear to say which blades to get? Maybe I missed it.

https://masport.com.au/outdoor-gard...ther-petrol-models/bunnings-s18-470-2-n1

Hi MF, that one would take bnc5345 as well.

That one is actually a new model only released in the last month. Hers would most likely be a 470 series with briggs and stratton 140cc. To make matters more confusing, if the 470 series is before 2020, it will have 4 blades. Bunnings got masport to despec the 470

Is Loncin the same supplier of the non Briggs ohv engines to Victa?

The small rear wheels, same as the fronts scream another cost cutting measure.

No, Victa ohv motors are made by sumec, the same bargain basement crap used on aldi and yardking mowers

Sumec is a part of sinomach, a CCP owned and operated group of machinery/industrial manufacturers. The motors are made to the lowest price point

Loncin is a company in itself, who also make motor bike engines for BMW among others.

Loncin make good motors to the point where I would seriously consider taking one of their cast iron liner equipped 159cc over a briggs of similar size

Masport have run same size wheels on a lot of models over the years, the main negative about them is they are plain bushed wheels not ball bearings

Here's some I took in another hardware chain yesterday. The undersides appear in the order of the mowers.
I also discovered the mower shop a few doors down the road had closed it's doors permanently. There were a lot of discarded items to pick through. Among those I scored were a few large AF sockets, a ring compressor and even a new pack of Masport blades as well as a spare Victa later type fuel cap and a grill for a Victa dress cowl.

Good to see Masport have rectified their cracking blade carrier problem

MF, Mitre10 do stock quite a few masport silver range and one red. the boxer on the left has the quickcut bar and takes bnc5345, the 2 different 18in (flat front) ones both take bnc3237.

If they were 19in, the flat round discs would take BNC8445. Quickcuts generally aren't used on 19in but if they were you would use BNC6503

The curved shape carrier is the quadcut vacuum disc - having run one without blades just to see, i can confirm it makes decent suction on its own (same as having a 80% worn 2 blade disc - a bit of vacuum but not a tonne. This strength proves to be its undoing - its blades can be fairly shot and it will still half catch alright. With the blades worn and the disc picking up and throwing the grass, the divots in it build up with grass. this unbalances the disc and cracks it.

On 18in with these quad cuts, use 2x bnc5345 and on 19in use BNC6503

Then there is the 18in heavy duty chassis that looks identical to the 19in but is actually an 18... confusing hey haha

Norm, yes havent seen a cracked disc in a good while - I do reckon they changed the carbon content in the steel though as I am seeing more with rounded blade holes

I personally like the entry level red model with it's two bladed disc. I theorise that the smaller carrier (and bar blades) leave more room for clumps of grass and any other debris to move under the base without bogging up the motor and blade disc. My neighbour's newish Victa has a similar scrawny blade holder and it did a pretty mean job of sucking up a heavy carpet of leaves from the lawn, much better than expected.
I'm tempted to try the smaller disc with a powertorque mower.
Back to the a Masport, the only thing I'd like to change is to have ball bearing wheels fitted.

MF, the red one actually does have double ball bearing wheels as do at least the 2nd from right. the others have single bearing with rear bush wheels.

The scrawny blade carrier does nothing for power in thick grass - the lack of flywheel effect is marked. you also only have 2 vacuum producing blade lips as opposed to 4.
over thick leaves and tall thinner grass you won't notice and they are a fine choice for most people, but they dont shine in thick grass.

The tornado PT 19s did actually come out with a skinnier disc - they dont run as smooth but still hard to bog out.

If I had time during my yearly lawn reno, i would put a quantum with quadcut next to a quantum with quickcut, victa pt w 4 blade next to skinny 2 blade disc bar.

Ok, as a regular bread and butter mower, I wouldn't mind it. I should be able to fit a quad blade carrier to it later. This would be my mower for life if I got it.

If it were a mower for life you were looking for MF, I would spend the extra $100 and get a lawn marshall mulch and catch. Same thing but with a 159cc cast iron liner motor. Plenty of power and longer engine life.

As you say, you can always swap the disc out later if you found it low on guts.

I have one of these 159cc autochoke loncins on a 19in honda hru19 and can't fault it
Only complaints would be that you can no longer get them down to 1700rpm idle due to lean (and sealed) mixture setting, 2100 is min, and they stumble a bit at idle when cold as the air actuated choke pull off valve doesn't pull the choke off enough for the first 30 seconds

the 123cc and 139cc loncins are a nice motor as well

Why have they dropped the innovative smart flap that allowed it to be a side throw?
Where are they sold? I looked it up and found the specs here.
https://www.catch.com.au/product/masport-lawn-marshal-st-s18-hand-mower-18-460mm-cut-565764-6978613/

MF, any masport dealer can order them in - most would have one in stock as they are popular

Don't know why they dropped the smartchute, they were handy

thankfully they have dropped the chipperchute - they were bloody useless

Only thing, if I bought one, I'd want to preserve it and use my 20 clunkers instead!
I think the mulch function was considered the replacement of the smart flap and not considered worth adding to the price.
I had saved a smart flap off a mower I wrecked but disposed of it. May have been worth saving.

Realistically, there is no point of a smart chute for most of us - we probably have utility mowers anyway haha. I have seen so many of them crack near the spring and across the top.

I agree, no point in buying a new mower, I would rather sink the 550 into a top of the range whipper snipper or blower

That's the thing, in first use, that pristine paint finish underneath is damaged that instant you use it. The paint above doesn't take much longer.
550 for a day of joy only for your heart to sink and lapse into depression.