OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Reel Lawn Mowers, Atco & Villiers etc. Morrison Reel Mower

Hi Guys,

Been doing a bit of reading around here the last couple of days after I decided I would rather restore an older reel mower than buy a new one as a bit of a project.

Long story short I was looking at a Scott Bonnar 45 but after speaking with my neighbour he said he had one I could take that hadnt been moved in 10 years that he bought second hand from a mower store here in perth 27 or so years ago...
so here she is, looks to be a Victa Imperial 16??? but has a Kirby HK25 on it as it looks like it was rebuilt before my neighbour bought it:


The odd things with this particular mower that seem to be different to the other Victa Imperials I have seen is the cross handle style, the single length blade not split and the clutch seems to be a weird make.

Now to the issues I had stripping it today, if anyone could give me a hand on how to do this it would greatly appreciated

1. I cant get three of the sprockets off, does anyone know which way they turn and if there is a way i can get the off without smashing them to pieces??


2. The clutch assembly seems really different to any reel mower I have seen previously, when I tried to undo the 2 nuts on the outside to get it open they just spin and I cant for the life of me open the thing up. would this be because of the shaft on the drive sprocket and undoing the sprocket with slide off the clutch?

Hi Jimmy, welcome to Outdoorking.

From the illustrated parts list it looks as if all three sprockets screw on. That necessarily means that the one on the engine/clutch shaft (a driving sprocket on a shaft that turns clockwise viewed from the far side of the engine) must be a right hand thread, and the other two (driven sprockets) must be left hand threads. They can usually be unscrewed without damage by use of a brass or hardwood drift against the bases of the sprocket teeth in conjunction with a hammer applied to the far end of the drift. You have to hold the engine/clutch shaft from rotating with a gas plier or Stillson. The reel can be jammed with a softwood plank. A rather nicer process involves wrapping the chain around the sprocket then gripping the outside of the chain using a Stillson with aluminium packers under the jaw teeth.

I agree that clutch does not look like the one in the parts list. I can't guess how it comes apart from this distance.

Thanks Grumpy,
I Managed to get the front cutter and the drive sprocket off with your advice but Im having a hell of a time with the drum roller sprocket, might try soack it in CRC and if that doesnt help ill probably start using some rather keen tactics involving my oxy torch....
Other than that im looking to replace the clutch in full seeing as i cant find any record of what it is or how its assembled, frankenmower ahoy!
does anyone have any experience with the front wooden rollers, im thinking I might custom make a 1 piece steel roller but thought there might have been a reason behind the 4 rollers?

also, apologies for the newbie questions, will a new briggs strattion engine be a direct replacement for a kirby hk25? in the interest up a resto-upgrade im thinking a new engine is in order..

Jimmy, here is the parts list page for the rear drum and its shaft:


I'm now less confident than I was that the sprocket simply screws onto a left hand thread and that is its only retention: there are some bits I can't account for. Can you post a close-up picture of the center of that drum sprocket, so we can try to understand how that bolt, no. 36, fits into the picture? It may be a complication.

A multipiece front roller has an advantage when turning the mower to follow a curved path, since the turn radius is different for different parts of the roller, and they should each rotate at slightly different speeds so they don't have to skid on the grass. This is the same principle that leads to the rear drum being in two pieces. I can't clearly recall whether ATCO used a multi-piece front roller like that, but I think they did. However Scott Bonnar 45 mowers have a single front roller, and seem to work satisfactorily.

A Briggs engine is a direct replacement for the HK25 except you need to check the crankshaft extension (PTO) length and diameter. There are both 5/8" and 3/4" diameter versions, and different lengths. However I do not know how the original Victa 2 stroke engine mounted: there has probably already been conversion work on that mower to fit the HK, so you may need to review that.

Hi Guys, I think you might find that that machine is not a Victa Imperial. I would hazard a guess at it being a Ransomes or perhaps a Morrison mower.

Thanks Deejay,
I was looking at the Morrison mowers for replacement parts if necessary as the 16 morrison seems to be a rebadged victa? ill also have a look at the ransomes mowers as I havnt looked yet. I was going off this picture from Gumtree in SA as a reference, seems to have the same cross handles and a Kirby engine? does have a split blade though, i think mine might have a morrison replacement.


Grumpy,
that bolt '36' screws into the end of the drum roller shaft with a washer on the front of the sprocket, ill take a photo tonight when i get home from work, would this suggest it might infact not be a reversed thread and I've been trying to go the wrong way? damn i would feel like a goose then hahahaha

If it is an Imperial, it seems to be a vastly customised one Deejay: the drum clutch as well as the engine, engine clutch, and handlebars seem entirely unrelated to normal Imperial parts. However I can't imagine an English mower having a Kirby Lauson engine, or an engine deck height that would suit one, either. How about one of the slightly obscure Australian reel mowers from the 1960s-70s?

Anyway, we still need to get the drum sprocket off. If it isn't an Imperial, and since it has a drum clutch, it doesn't make sense to expect it to attach directly to the drum axle. We need some more pictures of the detail of the sprocket's hub, and/or an actual identification of the mower so we can try to find a manual.

Does the sprocket rotate freely on its own bearing, or is it rigidly attached to the drum? I can't visualise it directly driving the drum, since it has a clutch mounted on it.

the sprocket I have left on is directly connected to the drum though it is chain driven from a twin gear reduction where you see the hole on the second picture at the top, this also has a hand leavered clutch as part of the assembly to get the drive gear initialised, i will put some of the pieces back in place and get some pics but you can see the large clutch sprocket in the first picture. this does seem to be a bit of a frankenmower and I was going to put it back together and just get it running and sell it but I've now become attached to its character.... I have texted the SA seller of the one pictured above maybe they can be a top bloke and send me some info, i would buy that thing if only i didnt have to travel 2500km

Two suggestions, Jimmy.

First, if there is a hexagonal bolt head visible in the hole in the middle of the sprocket, use a socket spanner to remove it (normal right hand thread). You may find a washer underneath it. After removing that washer, you might see the end of a shaft the sprocket rotates on. If all of that happens, you might try just sliding the sprocket outward off that shaft.

Second suggestion: I notice that you live in Perth, the home of Alroh. Alroh products are most common close to home. The reel mowers Alroh currently makes, use a belt drive and are not all that similar to yours, but they've been around a long time, making various models. You might try talking to them to see if they made your mower. If they did, they will still have some parts and information. More importantly, if it is an Alroh you can expect to find it is a considerably better mower than an Imperial, which was no great shakes.

there is no bolt, the bolt in the end did have a washer underneath it, i can see the end shaft through the sprocket, i might give the back of the sprocket a degrease and see if i cant put a wedge in and see if it slides off. cheers for the help guys i really appreciate it!

Once you clean it up and inspect it, if you conclude there is nothing holding it on, you could use a gear puller to pull it off. There may be a ring of hardened crud holding it on.

Hi Guys, sorry to be a pain in the ar#e, but this thread is seriously off topic. This is the Introductions area.

Good point, Deejay. I've moved it to Reel Mowers.

apologies, it was an introduction that quickly turned into an Identity / Repair help thread hahaha.

Seems the sprocket is threaded on as i put the gear puller on it 2 nights ago with a bit of pressure on it and left it for a couple days, nothing came of it so ill have to try undoing it again, hopefully i loosened it....

Side note, as this frankenmower doesn't have an official Identity I made the executive decision to purchase an old Scott Bonnar 45 17" to repair as well, keep an eye out for the restoration thread

Jimmy, please don't apply impacts to the sprocket if it is connected to a gear train - you are likely to damage a gear. If the sprocket is directly on the axle of the drum, it is likely to be either screwed on, or lightly pressed on over a key, but if there is a gear set inside the drum like on the Scott Bonnar 430 and 590, there will be an obscure way to dismantle it without damage.

Victa Imperials:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=72511


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