OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary "King" brand Italian 40 cc two stroke rotary

I downsized houses in 1991 and acquired a "King" brand 40 cc two stroke rotary with a 35 cm cut when I traded in my Honda self-propelled for it plus some cash back in the deal.

The engine says "Made in Italy" and the carby is a Dellorto.

Bought it from Artarmon Mowers -- still in business although I'm advised that the original owner who sold me the mower passed away some two years ago.

I stopped using it about 12 years or so ago when I got the back yard paved, and it's been sitting up the back of the garage ever since.

I was prompted to dig it out the other day and after pulling off the rag covering it I was pleased to see it's still in very good condition. Glad to say that I had drained the petrol from it before putting it into storage.

I intend to check it over and get it going again. First task is to pull the carby apart and clean it out, etc.

I have yet to determine the manufacturer of the engine. I can't find anything about this model in the web. I'm assuming the brand "King" was owned by whoever imported these mowers from Italy.

It's very lightweight. The deck is thick orange plastic.

I'm wondering if there's anybody else who has (or had) one of these -- or if I have the only example left in Oz.

I'll take some photos when it stops raining here. Meanwhile, here's a photo of it from the owner's manual which I still have, too:

Hi GTC
I have one with a few parts missing
Ian

Wow, so that's two we know of!

Did you buy it new, or acquire it as is? Do you happen to know which dealer sold it?

Pity yours is unloved looking, but it does show me what's under the pull starter cover. Can you see a maker's name or model number on the engine barrel? It's been suggested that there should be a model code near the intake port.

Mine is complete, including the catcher.

I got mine from the dump cost me $10 which I thought was to much BUT seeing I had never seen one before bought it
The only clues is what is on the back and the carb as you say Dellorto
Ian

Thanks for the additional info. I think $10 is okay for a rare model like this one. Problem is that rarity means you'll probably not be able to source the missing bits.

I gather that the carby has to be removed in order to be able to see the engine model code on the barrel.

I'm now kicking myself for not attending to mine earlier when the guy who sold it to me all those years ago was still alive and would have been able to tell me who made them, etc.

I intend to ask around at other old and established mower shops as there may be still some old timer out there who is familiar with this model.

Here's a trimmed down copy of the specs from the owner manual:

As for the fuel mixture, the following sticker has been placed on the manual:

Here are some photos of mine in full regalia:

Got a chance to remove the carby between showers today. It's as clean as a whistle, but could do with a new O-ring on the float bowl -- I have a gasket set on order from Melbourne. Fuel line has gone hard and brittle.

I couldn't find any manufacturing code on the engine barrel but there is what appears to be a small trademark beside the inlet port. Not sure that I'll be able to photograph it clearly with my camera. I might have a better chance of reproducing it by making a rubbing of it with graphite powder.

Engine serial number is: 429452625

Passing through Collaroy, I stopped to grab a hamburger for lunch today and parked in front of a mower shop. As I was returning to my car on a whim I went into the shop and asked the youngish guy in attendance if he'd ever heard of King mowers. Came the reply: "Yep, two strokes on a plastic deck. Good little mowers. Ran really well."

My next question was if he happened to remember the distributor: "Yep, Parklands Trading. Still in business. Import Tanaka products."

Given his apparent age, I was quite surprised that he knew this but he said he's been in the mower business since 1991, which just happened to be the year that I bought my King mower.

So, I'll now see if somebody at Parklands can help me with information about the manufacturer. Fingers crossed.

Hi gtc,
on getting a solid lead there mate....you never know where you can gain information from, especially from a youngish guy in Collaroy!

Hopefully some in Parklands may have some info and maybe some good literature on this little machine which would be great for this archive.
Well done mate....please let us know how you get on.

Parklands should be able to help with some information but here is some more regarding the mower:

1. Engine is an Oleo-mac 40cc
The online store still has some blades in stock for that model as well but not listed on the site.
2. It was bought in under the EFCO brand (which is basically an Oleo-mac)

The mower is no longer bought into Australia.

G'day gtc .I have a horizontal shaft example of this type engine mine is 30.5 cc and is a strong little two stroke...Its has made in Italy on the engine case..

Well, he looked at least 10 years younger than me, so that qualifies him to be "youngish" looking. :-)

In fact, when I saw him I said that I was looking for an older bloke -- I really didn't expect him to know anything about this mower.

Wow, many thanks for that engine info! It will provide me with prompting material if the Parklands personnel need some memory jogging.

G'day Chris. Many thanks for that info and the photos!

Little by little the story is coming together.

I note that the EMAK Group (Italy) website covers these brands:

Oleo-Mac
Efco
Bertolini
Nibbi

http://www.emakgroup.com/

And here is the Italian company that, according to the patent number on it, designed the handle:

http://www.misellisrl.com/en/contacts

Both companies appear to be based in the Province of Reggio Emilia.

And speaking of the Province of Reggio Emilia ...


http://eurotowns.org/sic-amet/#.U5V563ZmfTo

Thes machines are Almost identical to the Tanaka lightweights of the late 80's and early 90's. Cool little machines but definately for a minority market, even though the idea seemed practical.

One of the mower shop owners I have spoken to says that he frequently gets asked about availability of small petrol-powered mowers, such as this one, by people who don't want electric or battery mowers -- which is all that is available in that size nowadays. This is the result of new suburban housing having much smaller grassed ares than we were used to in the past. In fact he said that he's mulled over with his partners the feasibility of bringing one to market himself, with deck and handle made in China and a small reliable, supportable 4 stroke fitted here.