OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Identification of Particular Machines Victa crank start

Anyone know how old a victa crank start mower would be? It's two stroke, how much are they worth?

Not terribly valuable, wkithout knowing a exact model designation, Age is generally in the 1960's though.

Can You get pictures up?

Otherwise, the model, and engine number (stamped on the crankcase) would help.

There were a few different types of Impulse starter used by Victa, across a number of mowers.

the most common, and therefore most likely is a "Sure Start" impulse starter, this is the one that is wound up, then activated by pulling out a release trigger, it may or may not have a chrome housing, and was most commonly seen on Cortinas and Corvetes from about 63 to about 73.

Then there are the original Impulse starters, these are activated when you fold them back over after winding, and were used more around the early 60's, sometimes on fairly common mowers, thought sometimes on some more collectible ones, such as the early four strokes and the sheerline on occasion.

If you can get a photo and the engine number up here, we should have no trouble determining what, and when.

Hi Ty, if it is a Sheerline, even the handle bar badge would be worth some dollars.

Thats for sure, However not all sheerlines were impulse start, and a sheeline is rare enough in itself.

The four star also had a valuable handle badge that was quite similar, and located in the same place, that badge would be worth similar dolars I beleive, but it's even less likely consideing we know the mower in question is a 2 stroke.

It's probably a Cortina or Corvette, and Even some of them are able to pull a little bit with the collectors, a 1963 Crorvette with the corect Badging, right air filter, and a good base would be worth a fair price, I myself am trying to track the 63 base at the moment.

I bought it for $54 but I'll post pics upon pickup its running and everything, I'll prob hang it up in my workshop it looks to good to be pulling apart for parts!

looks like a cortina right? still cool though with the winding start and i like fords so its a cortina haha

Hi Michael, it would be handy to have a larger and closer photo....it would make identification easier.
Could you please upload another pic?
Thanks mate,

OK, what you have there is a real bitsa, looks like a true home made mower to me, or, at best, a mower with substantial replacements.

The base looks to be a 68-73 Store brand base, the cowl looks to be off a corvette, and I doubt it was originally gold, the catcher is of a corvette or Cortinas of the early 60's, and probably does not attach to that base all that well (it will however hold in place)

I'm guessing from the look of things the engine is perhaps original to the base, probably a g3 carby on there, the serial will help ID the engine.

As for the specifics of a value, it's a hard one to value as a whole mower, but I would say $54 for it running is not too much.

I'll post more pics when I get it and put serial numbers up

Thanks mate, looking forward to seeing the pics!!

ok so the serial number came out bad ill write it up when its sunny outside again

36801549

So is the motor a victa? What is a store brand base?

Yes its a victa motor, store brand bases are generally a victa base that has no victa markings and have a store brand instead....

Such as I have a "woolworths" mower, several "monaro" mowers, there were many many store brand mowers, I do know a guy who claimed to have them all once, he has a huge shed and the wide variety he had went all the way around the walls starting at one side of the front door all the way around to the other side,

Store brand are mowers that Victa made for various hardware and department stores.


Basically no frills base model type mowers with a different paint scheme and a fancy name.

I have a few different ones here.

It's a Store-brand Alright, It's like the electrical appliances you can pick up from woollies these days, woollies don't actually make them, they buy them without labels, and pop their own sticker on.

Most of the Victa store-brands would have the words "by Victa" somewhere, for example, I believe most Monaro's were "Made exclusively for Narta by Victa" or something similar.

This one is actually original, contrary to my assessment from the first picture, It is a 1968 Mayfair Deluxe 2 (V76) Model 559.




125cc Victa engine (Model 3680) With a Victa G2 Carby (this carby is quite rare, and you appear to also have the correct and full cut-out assembly) it uses the 12-189 "Sure Start" trigger release Impulse starter, with no decompression system.

The mower itself is not especially valuable, $20 - $40 i would put it at normally (that's based on what I would generally pay for one, if I was after it) however, with the G2 setup, i would put it more around $50 - $80 depending on detailed condition and running performance.

I spent $20 on a dead mower I in no way wanted the other day, just to get one of those carbies!

That's it alright! I like it still even tho it's not a (proper victa) my friends have never seen anything like it so I'll keep it as a ornement on the shed wall

Hi Michael, and thanks for posting the pics...Would it be possible to download a photo editing program ( there are free ones) so that you can rotate the pics...that makes it easy to see your machine in all its glory, without having to turn your head on the side!!

on your fine machine, and another 'store brand' for the archives!

Also, if you like Michael, i might be able to get a scan of a good Mayfair sticker, then send it yo you, you may be able to come up with a way of making a sticker out of the image for the front of your mower.

Looking at it again im thinking that the base itself might be something of a rarity as well.


Its not the corvette type base or the pace type. The base is basically the same as the later low arch but minus the slot for the muffler exit as its got the fishtail. Not real common i would have thought.

Sorry Bob, there actually not that hard to find, Model 559 base i think it's called, many storebrands 66-69 used them!

Hmm ok, ive never had one here, got heaps here with the slots, thinking about it a lot more are MkIV rather than MKIII or older.

Definitely not as common as the seventies one with the slot, and yes, this base was used most prolifically with the slot 1976 - 1979, on Commodores, Monaros, Chargers, Pathfinders, etc...

It's still not uncommon to find the above one, Just no where near as common as the one from the late 70's.

How common is the low arch base with a 4 stroke engine mountings?

Not particuarly, but you do occasionally see them, often they are home-drilled ones though.