OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Tip & Curb Side Finds My Victa And Some Hard Rubbish Finds

Could be from any of the cheap rubbish that is kicking around these days. I used to grab any catcher I saw thinking I would end up finding a mower it would fit. I ended up with probably a hundred catchers and then I decided I needed to get rid of them as they were only taking up space. I started cutting them up with a grinder into flat sections and usually getting rid of 4/5 a week through a couple of rubbish bins. The pile has been greatly reduced but there is still a lot I need to get rid of, so what I am saying is only collect Victa and Rover catchers if you feel the need. I used to put good catchers for free on Gumtree for nesting boxes for chicken farmers but not once did I ever get rid of one for that use.

Hi Converse. You will probably find this is for one of the many types of GMC mower from the early 2000's

They arent a awful mower, provided you get one with the dual swing back blades (they take honda blades).

The catcher flaps are quite weak - often end up cracked

With a 3.75 or 4 hp briggs on them, they are a good mower to use for when you don't want to risk buggering up a good victa - I have a old 1993 3.5 Briggs Masport and a 4 blade Viking mower with quattro 40 for those purposes

I think this is the same as your catcher

G'day NormK and Tyler,

Hi NormK I have quite a bit of space out behind the shed for storing some various catchers for now. At least they are more tolerant to the elements just sitting there, unlike complete mowers that as i've learnt can rust away in no time when left uncovered from the elements. It can sit next to my collection of broken and cracked Victa catchers that i've found over the years...lol

Hi Tyler thanks for that mate yes it's spot on for a GMC lawnmower! I googled some images of GMC mowers after I read your post and found a few more pictures of GMC mowers with this same rear flap and catcher.

It makes me wonder they are throwing out these catchers from the one house, but where are the mowers to go with them? lol

Cheers!

The GMC catchers were somewhat useless - they dont catch anywhere near as well as a victa.

Perhaps the Catcher got chucked in the shed early in the piece, mower died later on, and just in a current shed clean out the catcher was found.

I don't think I have come across a GMC mower that was worth salvaging anything from

I have almost picked GMC's up twice from the tip - but ended up getting a Victa each time

Have to get your priorities right

The briggs had a leaking lower main seal and running quite rich - all good now

And of course the PT started first pull and continues to

G-day Tyler,
I think you could stick a powertorque on that old gold thumb-latch base.

Isn't GMC an American pickup truck maker?

G'day NormK, Tyler and Mowerfreak,

I think I did once see a GMC at the tip a while ago but it was really trashed and buggered. Deck was bent wheels were broken and most of the engine was stripped to bits. But I do remember it had that sort of blue base with the GMC decal on it.

Nice mowers you have there Tyler, that older gold coloured Victa you have there has the exact same style Victa sticker on the front of the deck as my older red powertorque mower, good thing is you can get this sticker from ebay if it ever needs replacing.

I still don't know what to do with that other mower, I was going to take it all apart and give the deck and handles some new paint. But now it's too cold I think I might leave it until spring when the weather warms up a bit again.

Have any of you guys ever done a special order through Bunnings online before? I have ordered one of their 2 stroke Victa fuel taps thinking that maybe they might supply me with one of the older style taps. Anyway it's been over 2 weeks and I have heard nothing yet. I emailed them and they said they will contact the supplier and see what's happening. Still haven't heard back it's been 3 days now. It's only $8.90 for the tap and when you choose pick up from local store you don't pay for shipping. It will most likely be a new style cheaper tap they now supply but it's worth a try.

Cheers!

MF, I think you are tricking us you know what GMC is but the other GMC was Global Machinery Co, now defunct
Converse I have ordered a few bits from special orders over the years and no problems, I see no reason why you would expect to get an old style one.

Yes Norm, I was gagging.

It's because they used to sell them a few years ago then they removed most of the 2 stroke mower spares from the shelf. Also when I put a new latest style fuel tap on my mower it wasn't flowing properly, but the older style filter works great. I just ordered one to see what they supply. Anyway still haven't heard nothing. I think I might have to chase this one up again.

Also speaking of Bunnings, I was in there earlier tonight just having a browse in the mower aisle, and I noticed that all 3 of the Masport mowers that are on display all have buckled bent front wheels. It looks like the axles are slightly bent and I don't know if it's also in the wheels where the bearings are but they really look like cheap s**t sitting there like that in the store. I mean if you look at that in the store you won't want to buy a Masport mower, yes they look that bad!

Sorry to disappoint you Converse, but both my local bunnings still actually stock those taps, and you will be getting (most likely) yellow handled tap blister packed on a lawnkeeper cardboard backing. I was really stuffed around by special orders - it all depends on the incompetence of the person putting in the order - if they don't word things right you are in a world of pain.

The lawnkeeper stuff is progressively being cleared - I got the camlocks for victa upper handles for $2 a piece last month - normally $8. One bunnings they never clean out the shelves - I got 50m of lawnkeeper 2.4mm trimmer line for $1.50 last monday. It went off market early last year

They also have a bottle of Talon/McCulloch chain bar oil from several years ago

Hi Tyler, tell ya what mate, you should try and grab some of those old 2 stroke goodies while you can mate. The only thing my local Bunnings still stocks for 2 stroke mowers is the zipcord string and handle, handle bolt and nut, long air filter and cutting blades. That's about it.

I ordered this item online and it says they will email me when it's ready to be picked up in store. Over 2 weeks now still waiting. Maybe I should try another store around here they might have some things still on the shelf.

Cheers!

The demo mowers live hard lives - they get bits picked off them, kids jump on them, and they get hit by the guys on the big electric moving things. I have seen a guy hit one of the hondas whilst reversing because someone left it out behind him whilst he was filling the shelf - just skimmed it. Front wheel quite bent

There is a ryobi with a subaru (robin) engine on it (which looks strangely like a chonda) on clearance at one bunnings I go to - $250 down from $399 or 499. The throttle cable is bent in half, the primer and air filter caps been nicked.

That being said in january I bought a clearance Victa VCE1640 chainsaw - 16 inch, toolless tensioning, oregon bar and chain, for $99. Was $279 new and still in as new condition.

I promised myself to buy a new hedge trimmer and chainsaw and look after them my way - although I do have an old Poulan Woodsman and $1.50 Talon Hedger. Bought a Homelite full crank trimmer on clearance sometime last month for $85 down from $169 - and has no damage.

The new Homelite trimmer is half crank, shorter bar and feels awful (and is $149) - the FC doesn't feel too bad

Air filters going up to $9.48 in some stores progressively. The quantum ones are now $23 - insane.

I bought 2 of the handles and rope sets from there and they are fine. But the mower shop has the handles for $3 or $4 and I use some 120kg rated utility cord from bunnings - $5 for 20m.

PT starters are so easy to restring that for my own use its worth seeing how robust it is. With zip start, 120kg is plenty I am hoping.

Yes I think you are right but gees all 3 of the Masports have bent front wheels. They haven't been looked after. The Honda,Victa and other cheaper AEG brand mowers there all look nice, neat and straight that are on display.

I bought a Victa whipper snipper years ago but I have never really used it all that much, I don't know if it's a full crank or whatever, it's 2 stroke 25 to 1 mix same as the mower. It has the head where you have to change the line when it breaks away. I used it a few times years ago then I just left it in the shed. I think in the end what this thing really needs is to change the head on it to one of those bump feed types. At least that way you can start and finish trimming all the edges without having to stop and manually change the line all the time.

If the pull start handle is on the back of the engine, its a full crank, if its between the shaft and engine, its a half crank. Most likely, it will be FC. GA spares Speedfeed seem pretty good universal match up - and you dont have to rip apart the head to put more line in

Would you believe they want $45 (from memory) special order for those cast alloy single line heads

If the starter is on the rear of the engine, it's a full crank. If it's where the engine meets the shaft, it's half.
I don't know why professional mower men insist the manual heads are best. They are wasteful as some line has to be thrown away with each of the many changes. A bump head only wastes a fraction after metres of the supply has run out. So what if the bump feed head only lasts a few months of commercial use? The convenience and time savings make it worth it in my books. I think it's just stubborn adherence to a silly tradition that is long obsolete. Mower men are a funny bunch and I don't mean hahaha belly laugh funny either!!

G'day Tyler and Mowerfreak,

I managed to move some heavy old boxes in front of the whipper snipper in the shed to at least get a look at the engine and get the model number. It's a Victa Tornado Line Trimmer with the bent shaft model number TTB2226AB. It's also got a date underneath the model number and I am assuming it's the date of manufacture maybe? It's says 8/12/10.

I found some photo's of the exact same one on the net and also the head that's on it where it only takes one length of line about 30 cm long at a time. Once this breaks you need to stop trimming and change it again to another length of 30cm line. I think in the end that was the main reason that I just never bothered with it and left it in the shed, I was sick of constantly stopping and changing the line on it. I think those bump feed lines are much better design, as you can just bump it and get more line and continue trimming everything. I have heard and seen others using the bump feed type head, if this trimmer had one of them I think I would have still kept using it.

Yes Mowerfreak I think some of these mower people are well.... Belly laughing hilarious!! LOL!

Tyler,
please don't tell me you are paying those sort of prices for filters, I think the last lot of Quantam filters I paid $180 each and the Victa ones lately I think I paid $2.50 for them, sometimes I get them for $2.00. The ones for the Briggs 375 etc are 60/70 cents at the moment I think

No Norm, I would never pay such an exorbitant amount for a piece of pleated paper. I ordered a few from over east a while ago (few $ each) and get the Victa ones $3 at my go to local mower shop and briggs foam about $3.90, Rover paper ones $3.75.

I usually re use the foam ones until they are on their way out

By the way Converse, that Victa Tornado trimmer has a base engine (I believe) the same as the sanli, yardforce, gardenline and other trimmers. Quite a good engine.
Be careful of the starter - they are renowned for breaking if you dont 'pull slowly until you feel resistance' to latch the starter pawls together. And it is one of few trimmers I have seen with snapped flex shafts - and the guy hadn't been clearing a jungle with the thing.

If its been sitting a few years, you may have to deal with a carby rebuild quite different to the LM.

MF, with that speed feed they have even less excuse - you can replace the bumper for $12 without buying an entire assembly

Thanks for that mate, I don't think i'll be using it in a hurry but if I do i'll remember what you mentioned here. From what I remember I never even took the original spark plug boot off at all from when I bought it. I just chucked some 2 stroke in it and used it maybe 10 times over 2 years then put it away in the shed.

Cheers!

Hopefully it didn't have any fuel in it when you put it away. They are quite a nice engine to start and smooth to run. But I have to stress again - really weak starter for some reason.

I have been sitting sorting out my boxes of spares - have the shell of one of the starters. And I have the throttle assembly, and whole split curved shaft from the snapped one in a 44 gallon drum with a lid down the back.

The genuine Victa starters are (were) $65.99 - another rip off.

The local bunnings had the chainsaw attachment out for $80 last week.

Hi Tyler yes I think I did drain all the fuel out before I put it away, much easier to do on the whipper snipper than on a heavy lawnmower...lol

I was outside earlier sorting out all the mowers trying to put what I could in the shed and what has to stay outside I covered up the best I can with some tarps. It's great now that we've had quite a few days of rain here and I thought it's time to cover the mowers up to try and keep as much of the elements off them until I get around to working on them again.

Cheers!

Converse, the most important thing if you have mowers in the open is to cover the airfiler/throttle assembly, water will get in there and run down the snorkel and in through the carby and then into the motor.

Hi NormK thanks for that mate, yes I covered them right up and over the handles completely. Also tied them down and to make sure they stay put and don't move around. Well it's not as good as being in a shed but it's better than nothing.

Cheers!

G'day everyone,

Found a couple more Victa catchers earlier tonight with hard rubbish down the road. The one on the right in the picture looks like it's a Victa catcher but the front opening is larger than the normal 18inch deck, maybe this one is suited to the 19inch or larger decks?

A funny one tonight, someone was pushing a Coles shopping trolley and they were doing some late night hard rubbish shopping down the road, the only reason I spotted them was the bright flashlights near the footpath...lol

Cheers!

Hi Converse, the 19 inch Victas take the standard catcher, there is a number of other similar catchers that are wider/deeper but look like a Victa one. I think one is a Gardenline and another is Talon, but the problem with Talon they have several catchers that look the same but are slightly different

Hi NormK,

Yes when I saw the top handle and the red sides I thought it's a Victa catcher, then when I saw the large square opening in the front I was thinking hmmm looks a bit too large and different shape for a standard Victa. I had another close look at the catcher and it doesn't have any Victa stampings on it at all.

The internal plastic grill and the design of the handles and how the sides join are all the same as the Victa catchers. It's like another mower company used the Victa design for the rear part and the front open lip area has been changed to suit their mowers.

The manufacture date stamping is also a bit hard to read on the inside of this catcher, it's the one that has all the months of a certain year and it also goes from 2005 to 2009. There seems to be more dots marked on the years 2005 to 2006 so i'm assuming it was made sometime in those 2 years.

Cheers!