OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa Special Edger Attachement

There's been quite a bit of speculation about the fabled Victa Special edger attachment over the years.
How'd it work? What did it look like? This may help answer those questions:



If anyone's interested, I have a fair bit of info on it.

Hi Bestseller, and many thanks for posting this info....and yes mate we would like some more info on it....
This edger has had people on this forum (including myself)talking about it for years.
Global Mod Cyber Jack, our Forum Historian, I'm sure will be very interested as will many Victa Special owners.

Many thanks again,

Hello bestseller and Admin Deejay

Well, it is amazing what turns up on these forums!
Thank you bestseller for supplying this most valuable image.

It appears to be an illustration that accompanied a
patent application for the edger. Any any information on
the document would be appreciated. Do you have a full copy?

This diagram has explained an unknown - that the PTO did not
require a modified crankcase, but power was taken by the
meshing of exposed gears driven from the blade holder!

Like the Predicta a bit of an awkward folly.
I'm glad this one never went into production.

All very on the edge.
--------------------------
Jack

You're welcome fellas. I hope it dispels a few myths and confirms a few others. I'm happy to attach the relevant pdf, which will need a mass of dissection and investigation to really appreciate, but the file manager won't allow me to upload it. Any other options?

Off the bat, I find it really interesting that the original concept application, designed by both Merv and his son Gary, was lodged to the patents office in July, 1957 but not finalised until July, 1958. In addition, the publication and approval of the design wasn't completed until June 1960, around the release of the next generation chassis.

As speculated, it appears Merv never gave up on the concept - stubborn bugger!

Hello Bestseller

That's fantastic!
I will send you a PM with my email address (look for blinking envelop on menu).

Here is a Victa patent for a bladeholder:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=63370

-----------------------
Jack

A full twelve months before Merv and his son lodged their design, an inventor by the name of George William Strong submitted his design for a rotor mounted edge trimmer. The application lapsed and it looks like Merv pounced on the idea, securing the patent only a few months later. Cheeky bugger:

Hello bestseller

Yes, or it lapsed because it was bought by another party ...
That is a significant related patent and the similarity in concept
compelling.

When I looked at the Richardson patent and the accompanying references,
the other reference that struck me as most profound was 27177 of 1957.
This is the purpose-built edger:-



The idea of a lawnmower with an edger attachment has never worked well.
Scott Bonnar did it on their reel mowers. Platypus did too!

It would appear that the purpose built edger won the day.

Thanks again.
-----------------------
Jack

G'day all,

The Australian patent bestseller has located is No. 29516 of 1957.

A PDF copy is attached below.

It's clear from the description that this used a friction drive from the blade disc. However, it sure looks like a gear in the drawing!

But it would appear that the edger design for the Victa Model 5 may have been a bit different, as the one described in the patent had an outrigger bearing at the outer edge of the deck. It would have needed quite a big cutout in the deck to accommodate the edger blades, too.

It would be most valuable if bestseller has info on the final edger design, for which the Model 5 deck was originally cast.

Thanks for attaching the PDF there Gadge.

Regarding the final state of the edger, I'd agree it must have had quite a few design amendments after the patent was first lodged.

As for further information about what those amendments were, I've heard so many conflicting stories that it's difficult to separate fact from fiction. Some say blueprints exist, some say none were ever produced, some say anywhere from 1 to 250 were made but never sold. I know that a few enthusiasts have attempted to make their own, with one example clearly based on the patent design.

I may be able to shed further light on the topic down the track - fingers crossed.

I was just doing a Google search for info on the Victa18 edger attachment, and saw this post.
I've joined the group now, but the link to the picture you put up doesn't show anymore.
Are you able to re-post it?
Someone else put a link to some patent info, and that doesn't show now either.
I'm really stumped as to how the edger was supposed to be driven, and what it looked like!
Any info/history you have would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

G'day Old Machinery

A warm welcome to these forums.
We are having problems with some image linking at the moment.

I'm sure we can help though.
I'll see if we can fix the issue.

All the best.
----------------------
Jack

Yes its happening to me too, same with the Platypus rotary thread

Hi all,

Can you please PM me with the image errors so that I might be able to correct them. I have corrected these ones in this forum but need some help with other forum links so that I might correct them.

This is a better document of the edger,it is just not showing a thrust bearing that pushes
against the friction drive for engagement.

I have a lot of documents but I haven't checked them all and I checked some
and found this.



Cheers ,
Max.

Hi Max

That's a great find in another drawing.
I'm glad Victa never proceeded with this one.

----------------
Jack

Hi Jack,
this image shows how the friction drive engaged and disengaged but the other Victa drawing did not
have this detail.

It's a little dangerous if a blade comes loose,I read about a blade that snapped off and flew
25 feet from a neighbour's yard,shattered a glass window and severed an artery on a 38 year
old's neck,there were lots of reported deaths from mowers on Trove.

Hi Jack,I said before " this image shows how the friction drive engaged and disengaged but the other Victa drawing did not have this detail."

That previous statement is wrong ,the other drawing never made sense because on the alloy base it makes no use of the Edger slot,if you look closely at the first patent drawing that base is a steel base,it has a flat top where the engine bolts on.

So the first patent image has a totally different setup for the steel base and my image is for the alloy base.
On the alloy base the friction drive is closer to the edger blades and on the steel base the friction drive is closer to the engines crankshaft.I hope that clears up a few more myths about this edger.
I do not think the first Patent pic for the steel base is gear driven,it looks like it is a hard rubber drive wheel that lifts up so it disengages.

Cheers, Max.

Hi Max

Totally agree.

The inception for this devise arose when Victa made only steel bases.
The edger design became 'serious' as the company introduced its alloy bases.

You have uncovered important documents of another Victa folly.
What it shows, I think, is a fertile manufacturing imagination.
This is a good thing.

All the best.
-------------------
Jack

Hi Jack,the Pace Edger I have not seen on a mower or a detailed image of one but I would agree
with your summery that it was just a sharpened blade that has an adjustable height mechanism.

It looks like this type of edger would have little manufacturing imagination.

I have seen an American Edger Patent with a very similar operating principle to the Pace Edger.

Regards ,
Max.

Hi Max

Yes, only one small photo shows them at a Pace launch:-


SOURCE: Vintage Mowers website.

I have since found a few ads that suggest these were
offered from late 1962 for the 1963 season. This is consistent
with the models in the image. Price was about �3.




I guess they were no easier to use than the most common
manual edgers of the day ...



-----------------------
Jack