OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Rotary Hurricane 4 - What is this mower?

I have been asked by someone on Facebook identify there mowers so they can sell, It was an easy task, with most mowers given a name, rought date and rough price. But one mower i could not identify. I am sure someone on this page, most likely Jack, will know what this mower is. So far the only other one i have seen was on ebay, it started at $30, but over a couple months it droped to $15 and another engine was added to the sale. I did not want to tell them that that is what its worth until i knew a name and some info behind it. What i find very interesting about these mowers is the "4" on the front of the base, i have seen plenty of mowers with an "18" on the front but never a "4". I have asked the seller to get a picture of the engine plate.

Front on picture.


Side on picture.

Thanks for any info you give!
Thanks for reading!
Kye

We just got a picture of the name engine plate, perhaps if we darken or brighten the image we can see if it has faded words on it. We now have some codes though.

has been cleaned up

Hello Kye

The "4" is for 4-stroke.

These bases (and variants) spawned a number of store brands across Australia.
I do believe I am the first fool to identify what it is ... [drum roll] ...

It's a Hurricane 4 (the same people who made the Hurricane engine).
Date: early to mid-1960s.

This does not necessarily mean it was sold as such.

Most interesting feature: the central height adjuster.
p.s. another one of Patrick's Kirbys.

Hope this helps.
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Jack

Thanks for that Jack, do you have any idea what they would be worth?

Hi Kye

Sorry, I'm useless at monetary valuations.
Say, a million? (I'm guessing).

Hope this helps.
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Jack

Haha, all good Jack, i will just have to tell him about $20, that's what i would be willing to pay at least. $10 if it won't turn over.

Hi Kye and Jack,

Kye I'm surprised you didn't pick the name plate to be similar to mine!

Anyway I've had a play with the image from the website, can't improve it much, unlikely to add much to what you already know:

"LA?SON" = LAUSON
"... PETRO? EN?INE" = ... PETROL ENGINE
"... SERIAL..." = ... SERIAL NO
"LV30 109472" = Model + Serial No
".... INSTRUC?ION" = ... INSTRUCTIONS

Sometimes if your lucky it will say the company who the engine was made for, like Victa or HG Palmer, i doubt this one said anything though

Here's a rather dark pic of an LV30 data plate, from THIS past ODK thread:



Good enough to get an idea of what info yours originally had, anyway.

I have just found out that Seanw has bought this mower!

OMG

If Sean wears his Mowear� then he will have a Hurricane that
could potentially produce a tornado, or even a ... Seanado!

The Hurricane 4 is collectible (and rare).
Hurricane turned to 4-strokes to take advantage of the 4-stroke
revolution that occurred here from 1960. That Hurricane should use
a mid-mounted, single-point height adjuster is quaint.

One to be preserved I think.

All very cyclonic.
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Jack

I saw one on ebay a while back and i wanted it really bad! It was too far away though, i was shocked that it went from $30 to $20, then another engine was thrown in, then it went down to $15, and only then did it get 1 Bid! $15 for a mower that is complete (only problem was it didn't run for long) and another engine seems like a bargain!

Probably doesn't add too much, but here are some 'enhanced' images of the plate Gadge posted a couple of posts up. Just some more readability/legibility.



Cheers,

What I was hoping for was a brand name, on my Ambassador the plate said "Made for Victa ltd", or something similar. Now this problem has been solved and SeanW owns the mower, so this thread can be closed, or at least we don't need to say anything else. We just need to watch what SeanW does with this beast!

Gday Kye. this is the faded plate on the front of the motor LV30. 109472.


as for what i plan with this mower. slowly slowly i recon. the blade plate needs removal and refurbish. the bore looks nice and smooth(after cleaning the top of the piston) but for now i have just put a cap of oil in the pot and turned over by hand a couple of times, cleaned fueltank.and removed carby. would anyone know of a muffler that would be original? i recon i have no chance finding the original colour.
sean

Hi sean,

My Eric Anderson has a Lauson serial no only 7000 or so after yours. Yours doesn not seem to have had the sticker mine does, and yours is held on by screws (rusty) whereas mine was aluminium pop-riveted (I suspect).

The muffler on it is a small cylinder similar to yours but with a square aperture and two bolts on the outside face. It's a silver/tin colour, not rusted and I suspect it's not the original. But it does seem to be designed to fit and has been in use (carbon deposits around exit).

I note the engine colour of yours seems less faded than mine but more chipped.

Good luck with your restoration!

Cheers,

My Victa Ambassador had the same rivets to hold on its plate. Sadly, the engine is 100% rooted and the plate is very hard to read because of the scratches. I have a muffler but it is rusted out and stuffed, if you need to see what the mufflers looked like i can dig it out for you.

Hi all Contributors

The standard VK30 (LV30) used a two-bolt hot dog job.
There were after-market ones aplenty in the day.



Patrick, This might be the closest replacement:- HERE.

Kye, the most common plate was as per Eric.
Kirby and HG Palmer are the exceptions because they were the
big accounts. In Victa's case I feel it was because Victa
wanted to disguise the engine - that it was a Victa-Lauson.

Hope this helps.
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Jack

Oh wow! That's cool, never realized they did that. Any tips for getting the plate off without damaging it even more?

thanks for that jack it will be most useful i am sure. i do have another muffler
Kye use a centre punch and a small drill bit.
sean

Will have to get that plate of soon, it is bent and scratched up but i want the original plate if i find a Kirby for my Ambassador, i want one bad now so i can have both the viceroy and ambassador! I will also have the envoy in print press form, just need the Cadet and i have the whole 62-63 victa season done!

I reckon you'll find that the fasteners for the plate are 'drive screws', like these:



It's really hard to get them out without damaging what they hold - best bet, as seanw says, it to try centrepunching the head, and drilling it off.
If it's too hard to centrepunch, a very carefully used die grinder/Dremel type tool and a suitable stone would be the best bet, to remove the screw head.

Well i have the plate out, when i washed it all of the paint washed of but at least i have the codes for my Ambassador now!