At the end of the day the Victa element due to the fact it is on a snorkel means it is out of the way of most of the dust anyway. My mate wanted me to fit a snorkel to one of his Hondas yesterday so I used one off a Rover and fitted a Victa filter in it. I also had to repair the front of the alloy deck because it had just worn through it with the grass and rubbish hitting it. Done a lot of work this machine and the 2 speed hasn't worked for a couple of years
I'll have to show you an intriguing mod done to attach a snorkel to a Honda. It's now double filtered and the original one just sits there and never needs changing now!
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Exactly what I expect will happen with this one. He has 2 other Hondas, one has a snorkel already fitted but I guess now he will want me to do his third one
I notice they don't show the end that normally has Victa embossed. I guess the seller doesn't want you to see they are aftermarket. I have no problem though.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Bunnings do still technically have the short air filters, but from my experience, their special order procedure is enough to drive you insane.
For example, I inquired about the price and availability of some ozito parts. 3 days later 'their supplier' rings me. I always ask the price of a primer bulb - gives me a fair idea if they are rip off merchants. $18 for a bloody primer (rip), 30 something for a chainsaw guide bar (not too bad). Might be different for other suppliers.
And I just bought a shed from Bunnings. I asked for a greem 3x3m absco premier - only to be told it only comes in 'monument' (matt black). Eventually, their special orders told me the green is $100 extra, and a 1.5 month wait.
By the way - avoid Absco 'Premier' sheds like the plague - a pain to assemble and a level of quality that makes me ashamed to say its Aussie made. Maybe I got a lemon (just before the machines were recalibrated), but it was a pain
Yes they look like the original Victa ones who knows maybe they are made in the same factory but because now they can't use the Victa name on them (because they are owned by B&S and they don't allow them to stamp Victa on them anymore?) who knows but yes they are too expensive to even bother with. I think I used to get the genuine Victa ones from Bunnings for around $7 each a few years ago, and even then I thought it was too much..lol
About a year ago I just grabbed 10 of these air filters from ebay:
Bunnings do still technically have the short air filters, but from my experience, their special order procedure is enough to drive you insane.
Hi Tyler,
I just checked the Bunnings website and they show the picture of the blue air filter in the packet, that picture must be from many years ago as they don't look like that anymore...lol
As I said earlier Victa Australia (Or Briggs and Stratton who owns them now) some years ago ditched the original Australian made blue Victa air filters for some aftermarket imported red ended ones that don't fit properly, well at least I know the short air filter didn't fit properly. I think they still stock the Victa long air filter at Bunnings, but it also isn't the true blue Aussie made one anymore.
If you are going to get something like that, you might as well go aftermarket and buy them online or in bulk and save money. Much cheaper and I found they even fit better than the new dodgy "Victa Lawnkeeper" ones, that's if some retailers still stock them out there.
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 21/02/1911:11 PM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
I can't remember the last time I bought a replacement air element. I just take them out and give them a tap on a hard surface and put them back. Only if it's obviously caked in dirt it warped/ damaged do I replace them. I have done fine this way for over thirty years. I even read ibn an article on basic mower maintenance to do this, in the 1980s. I have never worried about replacing the foam donut at the bottom, as the filters I have used, locate tightly in place anyway, and the filter housing cap ensures it can't come off. If one fits looser than you'd like, you could try placing a piece of foam under the rear cap to hold it in position.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
Yes the Victa genuine ones used to fit nice and snug on the air snorkel and the cap keeps it on tight. But after I got that dodgy one it was loose fitting where it sits on the snorkel inlet, so the actual round opening on the air filter is a bit too wide than the bit on the snorkel, you could actually move it side to side a bit where it meets the snorkel inlet. So I thought now that I have to use these aftermarket ones that don't fit tightly on the inlet as the Victa ones used to. I probably need that foam ring on the bottom as extra insurance to help keep the dirt from going straight in through a fine gap where it joins.
I guess it's quite dusty when I mow around here, alot of sections of dry dusty dirt everywhere. I usually just see in through the groove on the throttle housing at the amount of dirt on the air filter. Also I get the air filters and the foam dust seals cheaply now so I just change them out when they look dirty.
I never used the foam dust seals when I used the original Victa air filters. But I do wonder even though they were tight fitting on the snorkel, how perfect they actually did seal where the filter meets the snorkel. Well at least I hope they were a pretty good seal..lol
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 22/02/1901:27 AM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
I had to buy another 10 last night, not happy because they cost me $2.60 each, I can usually get them for about $2 and get 20 at a time but even then they don't last long
I went into bunnings today, and sure enough, the victa long air filters are no longer the genuine ones. The last ones I bought (june/july 2018) had a little piece of paper in it, saying made on __/__/17 (don't remember the dates), and a couple of other things typed.
The GA spares ones from the mower shop also have this little bit of paper in the bag. Obviously the profit margin for Victa wasn't good enough, so they went with a cheaper supplier.
The 'genuine, genuine' Victa packaged ones (not lawnkeeper but blue Victa packs) are now even worse. The filters are made with both ends open ( regular sized hole at either end), then a opaque plastic cap is press fitted onto one. Great place for more dirt to enter.
Thanks again for that information Tyler I have never even purchased the Victa packaged ones as you say I only ever bought the "Lawnkeeper" ones that Bunnings stocked as they used to have the genuine blue aussie made Victa air filters in the packet.
I used to buy these from Bunnings pretty much from the time Bunnings opened up around here (which was probably around the mid 90's) up until I found out Victa decided to go cheap on their genuine filters which was probably around 5 years ago now maybe?
You know it's funny I was in Bunnings yesterday getting some other things and while I was waiting to pay I saw a Victa salesperson standing next to a table of their new products. I thought should I go over and speak to him about the air filters etc?. Then I thought na bugger it he looks too young and they are only interested in promoting and selling their new current products. I'm not going to bother even mentioning anything to him about the air filters. I already tried years ago and Bunnings and Victa Australia (Briggs and Stratton) don't care about it.
There are still some original blue new old stock genuine aussie made blue Victa air filters on ebay, but they are too expensive to buy and use now. They are probably just collectors items now...lol.
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 03/03/1912:12 PM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
