OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Wanted Victa 18 Model 4 Auto 4 Std & 3 Rotomo

Hi All,
As some of you know a few members are compiling factual and concise information on the Model 4 and Rotomo series. A section of the research includes accurate serial sequences that correspond with transitional dates,model changes,and series start finish dates.

As you can see by the topic views of 140, 000 plus in a mere 3 months, that this Model holds incredible desire and significance to collectors.....So Im seeking help from any members willing to contribute.

Currently we are working on the period which covers the latter part of the model 4 Automatic and start of the model 3 Rotomo. As well as being a valuable source of info for collectors, it will also ensure the Model 4 Automatic is not replicated and sold of to unwary buyers. An accurate series end will ensure enhanced collecability and erradicate the fakes.
So Im asking for additional help in finalising this topic....If any member holds any automatic or model 4 std complete or in part with a serial between 128, 000 and 148, 000 could you please post an image. Also any model 3 rotomo with a serial of between 126, 000 and 140, 000.
Any help.will be greatly appreciated and go along way to resolving one of the last pieces to the Auto puzzle and ensure Perfect Automatic accuracy....

Images can be posted here and transfered to the archive upon confirmation of accuracy.
Regards Mal.

Hi Mal,
I no longer have this rather sad looking mower and I don't know a great deal about early Victa models but it appears to be in the range of numbers you're looking for. My apologies if it's not what you're after.


I believe I have a disassembled model 2 and model 3 rotomo also. I will check the numbers.

Cheers, Michael

Thankyou michael,This is a great start!

Its been played with a fair bit,but it still appears a basic Model 4 Non Auto as expected with this serial....137223/6 This number sequence is exactly what Im after.

Any condition is great,but preferably Im looking for unrestored/untampered with original Model 4s where Predicta evidence can clearly be seen. Ie Broken axle housings,worn front predicta rail grooves,front body wear and rust marks under axle housings,rear body wear marks,unplugged twin carby caps,dual cable cowl wear,anything that would indicate it having run the Predicta set up.

Automatic badges,starters/pull knobs,skirt cups and bolts,groove covers and bolts,are NOT enough to tell if it was once a Predicta. Only serial numbers and wear evidence are accurate,as these parts were used on many model 4 STDS after the demise of the AUTOMATIC,right up until the Start of the Model 5 S1 SPECIAL

heres some of mine blue.from info i gathered from here i have 3 model 2 numbers. 57586
78185
99186
then next i have two old auto lookalikes that have all the odd auto bits but are bitzas from left over auto parts?
180322
21258? bit of a messy number situ on this one.cant make out last digit sort of see its there.its pretty original looking .

the next is pretty sure a model 5 its number not much higher than the previous one
265497
put a pic of the 21258 messy one as its hard to see so someone will know maybe?

Hi Gizmo,

Yes the first 3 are rotomo 2s. Tin wheel mid run,And two plastic wheel models. The last being in the last 1,000 rotomo 2s Built.

Model 4 180,322 appears accurate in serial and possibly still would retain some of the automatic parts this late on,But it is Well out of the Automatic Range. Remember Model 4 Std mowers ran beside the model 5 Special right up into the 300,000 serial run,but any left over parts were depleted well and truly by the end of the Run,and more likely before the 200,000 serial.

The Model 4 shown in the Image is in fact running a Normal serial sequence for A Very Late Model 5 Series 2,But more likely a Model 5 Series 3.....The Serial should read ICAA 21258.

This has clearly had an engine change and is the incorrect Serial No for a Model 4 Of any type. My interest though is in the rest of your mower. Does it have any of the wear indicators of it once being an Automatic?. A full Image may tell a little more.
But Ultimately Im looking for The serial sequences That Ive posted on Model 4 Examples.

The 265497 Serial is Perfectly Accurate for a Mid to late Model 5 Series 1

Thankyou very much for your Imput Gizmo,im very appreciative of your contributions. And who knows your little IACC may well have began life as an Automatic

well i am sure i am not the only one out there who finds the whole serial identification of some of these older mowers still quit confusing. all the letters and combinations of numbers above and below the crankcase.i am still trying to get my head around it all.
its really a great value you do us all by providing this informative information so one day it will be a complete and accurate database of identifiable serials for us all to use.
Thanks again

some more pics you asked for.



i cannot see any evidence of wear grooves.

Yes its hard to tell Gizmo...If your really keen,you can pop the front anxle housings off and check for groove wear on the base.
Other than this I would say its a STD Model 4 NON AUTO most likely somewhere in the range of the 130,000 and 200,000 serial,when it was sold.

Thanks again Gizmo for the images as this is the style of mower we are looking for from members,just with the serial number range previously Stated.

This is an perfect example of the Model 4 We are looking for.

While this model 4 does not fall in the serial range we are looking for it is a classic example of a STD Model 4 NON AUTO.

This mower would have been sold in almost exactly the condition you see it in,and is pefrectly correct for this Serial. Leftover Automatic parts fitted : Badge(unseen)Series 2 starter and pull knob,groove cover and bolts,Cap Assy and twin port carby cap assy.

Note the highlighted image of the front axle mount,clearly showing remnants of paint and no wear marks. This is one of several main points of identification for whether or not it is/was Originally an Automatic.


So please if anyone has any example of a mower in this similar condition,with the serial range stated,could you post a few Images as it will go a long way towards our ongoing research.

Thanks to ODK Member Gman" for this contribution.

Went through a few clippings this Morning came across this Feb 1958 pic of auto. being given to Q.V Hosbital struth its the 150000th victa and its a AUTOMATTIC

Nice Original Gaz...Ive come across this ad before in the archives. If only we could see the serial no.

This is one reason Im asking for examples up to as high as 148,000 to cover some peoples claims of having Automatics up to this serial.

We would assume that means this particular automatic is serial 150,000,but this cannnot be the case. Rotomo Model 1 started the with a serial of 0,But it was not the first victa produced. There were 3 models prior to this and they totaled numbers up to and possibly in excess of 10,000 units. Where did Victa start its first inventory of serial numbers? From his first mower I would say,since the prior models were also using serial numbers.

This is the main point of this excersise,to see how far the Automatic really went and to guage how many were produced especially when they ran side by side the model 3 Rotomo.

Thanks for Another very important piece of Information Gaz,as it certainly adds more fuel to possibly hihger than thought Production run of the Automatic.

Keep the examples coming Guys and hopefully soon we can finally pinpoint an end and a close production amount.

Great post Gman. I've also seen mention of this in other newspaper articles, but I've not seen that particular photo before. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, would you be able to scan the picture and caption and post it in the Automatic Specification thread? Also, just to confirm, is the date Feb 8, 1958?

I've thought about that particular mower before, and as Blue said, I feel It would be unlikely that that particular mower had the serial #150,000. Exports and models prior to the Model 1 would easily amount to a good many mowers. A clearer image of the starter on that mower would also give a good idea of its serial number, but one thing I can see is that it has unpainted axle housings, so it's certainly after 118,000.

February 28, 1958



Once again, great post