OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds Auto-Drive MKIV???

Ive got an auto drive here. Well the base and diff and crankcase, has the cable up to a plastic lever.

It takes the clip over the back type catcher, the 3/4 width one. Ive only got the later twin grip large type catcher, off a 505 Mustang, and its a struggle to get in, its tight between the handles but just fits without touching anything.
Does not have the hooks under the handles.

Mr Davis, Would that be the mk4 VC-160 Auto Drive you speak of?? Or would it be later. Did the mk4 still have the hooks??


Also, one of the VC sports i got had the auto drive wheels but with no teeth inside. Was this a standard thing??

Hmm, that does sound odd, the 4th gen VC-Auto drive still had the hooks, and the catcher flap was still lifted by a sprung metal strap arching to a lever handle on top of the base.

is it possible the hooks have come off (rivet holes?) or that the handles have been swapped at some point.

i cant think of any self propelled model between the last vc-auto and the 550.

As for the sports wheels, thats news to me, i will see if i ever notice anything the same, i only thought those wheels came with teeth. its not the white walls they released in the late 70's, large white border around the cap, but no gaps or "Spokes"??

If you have the mowers handy sometime, could you put up a pic or two, i'm rather curios as to both of these mowers.

The white-walls i'm speaking of are in the 4th picture (the one with the 2006 date stamp)if that helps

I have just recalled one mower that could fit the bill, 1978 - 1980 Power-Plus Self Propelled (WV 173 A8) or the 1980 - 1981 Power-Plus Self propelled (WV 155 A0)

These used the small plastic lever control, had no catcher hooks, and did not have the sprung strap lifter.

To identify (the original dress cowl was similar on these to the sports) you will not find the 3 lugs fitted into the front of the hi-arch chute for dress cowl mounting (Nor the raised lip running behind them)



Also, you can identify the Power Plus Engine in 2 ways (this was the High Compression version of the Series 70 Engine)

1) The exhaust lip of the muffler will have a hole punched in it to identity.



2) The Cylinder head will have a different interior shape.



Does this seem like the mower you have?

Sadly the best pic of the mower itself I can find is this:

And this may be a better shot of the late 70's white wall tires victa released (these are mot self proppeled wheels.

Is this the wheel on you sport?

Here we go, a much better pic of the Power Plus Self Propelled.

Yeah thats what ive got. A power plus.

No cover, no muffler no none of that.
Now that i see the picture i will have a look at the mufflers in my crate, ive had a few power plus super 24's here.

Sizing it up with a catcher i had here. Sorta just works, bit tight round the handles.




As you can see its pretty rough.



And a spare diff that come with some parts. Its different so im not sure what its off.


These are the wheels off the sport.


The ones above are the same through to almost current. Theres the other 'solid' rubber ones as well. Got some of them here too. Keeping some aside as well as the solids off the rear of the earlier mowers to use on my 505's in place of the hollow plastic. Is that 7 and 8 inch?? I think thats right.

I picked up a steel base with a side yank full crank on it today.
Also a green mustang G3 but sitting on it was the white cover for a side yank i think these only work on the later alloy base. So im thinking i might try that motor with the cover on this base. Not sure if it will fit.

Wont look too flash but at least it will go.

Ive promised my mates mum a self drive mower. Shes getting on and its a bit of a struggle pushing the mower about.

The spare dif is the Victa VC-160 Autodrive MKI Gearbox, this was the one with the full metal drive control.

The mustang engine will not fit, the self propelled engines use a longer crank shaft to accomodate the pulley above the blades.

I do have a mower that would help you, its the 1980's side-starter version of yours, it appears somone had issues with the drive, so the belt has been disconnected, and the controll removed, I will make sure the original engine is on it (long shaft) but if so, would you like it (it has spark & Compression, but i have not tried to start it yet)

it is a power plus, it does have the dif still in, and it has many interchangable parts with yours, enough that you would have a complete mower between the 2. if you want it, we can work out a price (I'm more for trading than cash if that helps, and i'm not after much for it) and i could meet you 1/2 way, say Aulbry? (Not sure if you like driving as much as i do, but that would make a nice day trip for me)

I'll have a look at the one i have tonight, and let you know if i think it will help you, if its in the condition i think it is, you will need to transfer your mowers dif (not the spare)wheels, control lever and belt, onto this one, then you should be good to go.

Also, your side yank motor, will move happily across to the green mustang, and it should have no worres, provided the white cover fits the mustang base properly.

If you do want the power plus self propelled i have here, I'd swap it for the Spare MKI diff you have there, the purple catcher, and the G3 engine once removed from the mustang base.

Let me know if you are interested, happy to negotiate if you dont want to part with something of the above (to give you an idea, the mower cost me $20, and i'd sell it for that, but as i said, I'm more for trading)

Id be all for trading too, but i hate driving. 15 years of up and down the highway and now i hate going anywhere.

Its all good, stuff just turns up. If its good, or might be good to someone, i put it away for a another day.


Never know, we might cross paths. I do own half a car thats up in Wodonga.


Ive got a guy not far away that can rebuild my crank.
I got a crank off him a while back, seems theres an early and a late one or something, the angle of the taper on the bottom is different. Something like that. I noticed it when i was stripping out all the junk ones for scrap.

I also got a utility in that had the belt pulley on it, i seem to recall something about the spacers to the deck. Think i still have that motor here, the rings were shot.


I usually keep the side pulls to put on Utilitys and the like in place of G3 or older. Then open up the steel base the side pull came off, drill it and put a 4 stroke or power torque on it.

Not that i dont like the G3. Its just that the throttles and cables are hard to get and not worth the messing about when the G4 motors are so much easier.

I need a good G3 for an old alloy base utility ive got here that i want to 'restore'. By that i mean fix it up the way i want it. With that purple catcher i got a white wind up starter lid and tank, new spring in the starter the guy said. So wind up starter and G3, if i rember right its got a pea shooter muffler. There was a pic of it on here somewhere, Bruce did say what year it was, cant remember. Its got a G4 motor on it at the moment, my uncle has a lend of it.


If that mustang can be saved i will get it back up and running, with the right green cover, its not lonely, theres a couple of others and a sport as well.

Bob.

No worries, if you do get up to that 1/2 car of yours let me know, and I'll see what I'm doing, i have family in Albury i should probly visit one day.

As for your wheels, i have done a bit of digging, but at this point, I'm stumped, they are definalty the self propelled stile, but the teeth were suposed to be part of the integral cast, and yep, they are most definatly not! If i find anything out, I'll let you know.

Like i said they were on an orange sport. It had a G3 motor on it.
Ive seen a pic of another with the same wheels on it.

Perhaps they were used between the large solid rubber and the white side rubber coated plastic wheels.

That may well be the case, these were clearly made for a non-propelled, and if youve seen them on that model more than once, then thats most likely it. good thing to know for restorations of those models too!!

And Bob, heres a few shots of that spare diff in its place!



And, the Power Plus Self Propped i picked up, its a later model than yours, same base, but series 80 engine, and a black version of the white mustang top of the era!

Thanks for the pics.