Is anyone else being driven insane by mowers that don't cut ?

[Kim Luck]

My old Victa "Standard" got cranky over winter a couple of years ago and became very difficult to start. A complete new carby fixed the problem, and it now purrs along from first pull. When I broke my wrist recently I called in a professional mowing man who turned up with a 4-Stroke that invariably ran at about 6000 rpm, in the process filling it's catcher up with as much sand as grass clippings, (we live in the bayside sandbelt.) The Victa two stroke virtually idles in comparison, cuts cleanly and doesn't have to rev it's guts out to mow the lawn or fill the catcher, it's engine having been designed specifically for that job, unlike 4-stroke "off the shelf" industrial motors used in dozens of different applications with no engineering changes!

 

[DoubleChevron]

My old Victa "Standard" got cranky over winter a couple of years ago and became very difficult to start. A complete new carby fixed the problem, and it now purrs along from first pull. When I broke my wrist recently I called in a professional mowing man who turned up with a 4-Stroke that invariably ran at about 6000 rpm, in the process filling it's catcher up with as much sand as grass clippings, (we live in the bayside sandbelt.) The Victa two stroke virtually idles in comparison, cuts cleanly and doesn't have to rev it's guts out to mow the lawn or fill the catcher, it's engine having been designed specifically for that job, unlike 4-stroke "off the shelf" industrial motors used in dozens of different applications with no engineering changes!

Will the replacement carby work for more than 12months before all the rubber and plastic bit disintegrate though ?

 

[Kim Luck]

Will the replacement carby work for more than 12months before all the rubber and plastic bit disintegrate though ?

Amazingly, the Australian made parts have lasted more than 15 years of regular use. I have no doubt that the genuine replacement parts will continue to perform for as long as low octane petrol and two stroke oil are available here in this great green state of Victoria!

 

[Andrew Watkins]

Its that time of year again .... I thought I'd whip the old victa super 600 out to edge around all the trees with. Its starts on the 2nd pull and roars to life ...................... for 3seconds.... That's all I can get from it .... 3seconds. It looks like the "new" carby face plate and primer ... and probably all the "O"rings I fitted last year ... have all shit themselves from 12months sitting. Seriously, you should be more than "one use" from replacement parts. Not being able to buy quality would drive you absolutely insane.

Is the carby gummed up with fuel residue after sitting all winter?

Don’t ask me how I know

Either stripping it and putting it through an ultrasonic cleaner or giving a good blow out of everything may get you back in business

The amount of residual crap in modern fuels is amazing. I had a fuel leak on Lurch ( Haflinger ). Tracked it down to the fuel pump ( electric substitute for original mechanical ) which was well hidden away ( complex beastie). The giveaway was the grey stalactites hanging 3-4 cm down from the pump. Even I could not miss this.

Best Wishes

Andrew

 

[RINGER]

No matter 2 or 4 stroke don't use ethanol fuel ever! Even in our old vehicles.
At the end of season run mower fuel dry (or drain) doesn't matter ethanol or unleaded.

 

[DoubleChevron]

Is the carby gummed up with fuel residue after sitting all winter?

Don’t ask me how I know

Either stripping it and putting it through an ultrasonic cleaner or giving a good blow out of everything may get you back in business

The amount of residual crap in modern fuels is amazing. I had a fuel leak on Lurch ( Haflinger ). Tracked it down to the fuel pump ( electric substitute for original mechanical ) which was well hidden away ( complex beastie). The giveaway was the grey stalactites hanging 3-4 cm down from the pump. Even I could not miss this.

Best Wishes

Andrew

It sure could be... I'll whip it apart later and check. I just noticed the "new" primer/side of the carby is heavily perished around the primer button. So iwll need to be replaced ...... "again". I might see if I can find some NOS parts so I get so use out of it. I don't use the push mower unless nothing else will do what I want. I have a slasher for the tractor, a flail mower for the tractor and a ride-on mower that does a shit jjob of cutting the grass no matter how often I try to improve it. The old victa is the only thing that can cut aroudn the trees and under the sides of the deck.

The best option woudl be to find a broken zero turn mower and whip the motor off the ride-on and use a small zero turn to do everything the tractor can't get too (the ride-on has no diff and is hopeless for cutting around stuff).

 

[Armidillo]

....

The best option woudl be to find a broken zero turn mower and whip the motor off the ride-on and use a small zero turn to do everything the tractor can't get too (the ride-on has no diff and is hopeless for cutting around stuff).

My son has a Husqvarna tractor style ride-on with (I assume) no diff, but a very tight turning circle. If I can get the front wheels to bite in (it'll wash out if the grass is too slippery) I can actually get the thing to oversteer quite noticeably - feels like 4-wheel steering - which does a nice job around tree guards. Probably not great for wear on the rear tyres...

That said, it's the only ride-on I've tried that will do it - must be unusually light at the rear.

 

[jaahn]

Hi
I have taken to using fuel stabliser in my drum of fuel for the small engines and motorbikes. It is cheap and since using it I have not had to clean a carby, and I only buy 98. The cheap fuel we get now is full of varnish and crap and evaporates to leave a deposit that can be impossible to remove short of using thinners which will destroy plastic parts.

I do not use E10 in any of them, but use it in my newer Captur with no problems but only buy Mobile94 from the cheap SS. 94-95 the knock sensor sorts that out OK. The modern fuel system is resistant to the alky.

Armidillo you might be skidding it around like driving a Kart. They worked better with the locked axle if you drive them harder. But a lot of ride-ons did have diffs. The transaxles all had diffs built into them.
Jaahn

 

[DoubleChevron]

Hi
I have taken to using fuel stabliser in my drum of fuel for the small engines and motorbikes. It is cheap and since using it I have not had to clean a carby, and I only buy 98. The cheap fuel we get now is full of varnish and crap and evaporates to leave a deposit that can be impossible to remove short of using thinners which will destroy plastic parts.

I do not use E10 in any of them, but use it in my newer Captur with no problems but only buy Mobile94 from the cheap SS. 94-95 the knock sensor sorts that out OK. The modern fuel system is resistant to the alky.

Armidillo you might be skidding it around like driving a Kart. They worked better with the locked axle if you drive them harder. But a lot of ride-ons did have diffs. The transaxles all had diffs built into them.
Jaahn

THe mower here is one of the last australian made rovers. Its a heal toe system the same as greenfield with a solid rear axle. Its was waht I needed before I got the tractor as I wouldn't be always pushing it when it got bogged. Now its the worst sort of mower for its use, as it only does the yard around the house and all the trees. It big and heavy and would never slide (other than to understeer plough the entire length of the yard, even on dry grass).

Zero turn is what you want ... what everyone wants. imagine being able to edge all the trees with the press of a lever

 

[bob]

Its a heal toe system the same as greenfield with a solid rear axle. Its was waht I needed before I got the tractor as I wouldn't be always pushing it when it got bogged.

my Greenfield drive system is a PITA to unlock after finding a crook patch and flicking the diff lock into action, there's likely a secret to it that makes it easy but I can't find it....

Bob

 

[DoubleChevron]

my Greenfield drive system is a PITA to unlock after finding a crook patch and flicking the diff lock into action, there's likely a secret to it that makes it easy but I can't find it....

Bob

diffs usually unlock if you go straight and release the load. failing that. try backwards in a straight line

 

[309B6D]

THe mower here is one of the last australian made rovers. Its a heal toe system the same as greenfield with a solid rear axle. Its was waht I needed before I got the tractor as I wouldn't be always pushing it when it got bogged. Now its the worst sort of mower for its use, as it only does the yard around the house and all the trees. It big and heavy and would never slide (other than to understeer plough the entire length of the yard, even on dry grass).

Zero turn is what you want ... what everyone wants. imagine being able to edge all the trees with the press of a lever

A hydrostatic transaxle as found on many ride-ons has differential action. Get one with a diff lock option and you have the ideal unit for trimming around trees and going through boggy patches.

Zero turn mowers can be a bit of a handful on steep slopes. Steering and braking all done through two wheels. Loose traction on one wheel and the slope takes over.

I used a Deutscher H26 walk-behind for a long time on my steep NZ property. Good strong Australian made walk-behind. A 26" cut with 11hp Honda.
It required surgery to the front so that the blade tip could cut the grass rather than it being pushed over. The original was OK up to about 6'' grass but most of mine was usually knee high and that was a bit much for it.
The extra intake made a great difference. Until then I hadn't heard the governor kick in and give that extra surge of power to handle the load. From then on the engine often dug in and gave its full power.
Harry Deutscher designed the light compact 2x forward and 1x reverse manual gearbox/transaxle. It had no diff lock but the front wheels could be pinned to lock up the castor action. That made it stable when mowing across slopes.
I extended the handle bars by about 20cm so that I had more purchase for swinging around the base of trees using the castors.

A ride-on has taken on the hard work now. Rear engine, 2wd with selectable 4wd and rear diff lock, and 4 wheel braking. It cost more than any car I have bought. It can now mow places where it is hard to walk and do it quickly. It gives me more time to work on other things such as the 309 SRi.

 

[DoubleChevron]

A hydrostatic transaxle as found on many ride-ons has differential action. Get one with a diff lock option and you have the ideal unit for trimming around trees and going through boggy patches.

Zero turn mowers can be a bit of a handful on steep slopes. Steering and braking all done through two wheels. Loose traction on one wheel and the slope takes over.

I used a Deutscher H26 walk-behind for a long time on my steep NZ property. Good strong Australian made walk-behind. A 26" cut with 11hp Honda.
It required surgery to the front so that the blade tip could cut the grass rather than it being pushed over. The original was OK up to about 6'' grass but most of mine was usually knee high and that was a bit much for it.
The extra intake made a great difference. Until then I hadn't heard the governor kick in and give that extra surge of power to handle the load. From then on the engine often dug in and gave its full power.
Harry Deutscher designed the light compact 2x forward and 1x reverse manual gearbox/transaxle. It had no diff lock but the front wheels could be pinned to lock up the castor action. That made it stable when mowing across slopes.
I extended the handle bars by about 20cm so that I had more purchase for swinging around the base of trees using the castors.

A ride-on has taken on the hard work now. Rear engine, 2wd with selectable 4wd and rear diff lock, and 4 wheel braking. It cost more than any car I have bought. It can now mow places where it is hard to walk and do it quickly. It gives me more time to work on other things such as the 309 SRi.

Did you buy a Grillo ?? those things look incredible!

 

[Greenpeace]

My young fella bought a Hustler zero turn, it's pretty impressive.

My mower on the other hand doesn't cut well at all, probably because I don't get it out of the shed and actually start it.

Winter's just round the corner, the grass'll take care of itself.

 

[309B6D]

Did you buy a Grillo ?? those things look incredible!

Grillo Climber was my dream for years. When I finally had enough money I opted for the Canycom 1402.

The Canycom had 975mm cutting width - Climber is 900mm. The biggest factor to change my mind was the shaft driven deck.

You can see some details at this link: https://www.stihlshopwarkworth.co.nz/canycom It is a well thought-out machine. Very adjustable and finished to a high standard. Japanese attention to detail.
I've had it for a year. I see it has gone up in price by more than $1000. Covid transport costs, I suppose.
Sold as Razorback in Australia.
Action videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=canycomx.com

I do have a Grillo. It is an older model - Rolly . It is rear-engined with a twin blade deck with a timed belt. Left side driving clockwise, right side driving counter-clockwise. It feeds back through a central tunnel to a hopper that has a hydraulic lift.
It gives a good finish and the collection gives heaps of mulch for around the fruit trees.
It is a funny looking thing but its design shows some good Italian engineering.

 

[bob]

razorback, impressive mower, but with the base model at $13,490 AUD they'd wanna be on special....
Love to try one out...

Bob

​

 

[309B6D]

Hi Bob,
We could have spent the money on a more modern car, but a trip to the nearest town is only about an hour every two or three weeks.
I often mow for over three hours in a morning.
It was really just a choice of which was going to improve our lives more. I never thought I would put a mower ahead of a car or a motorcycle. Times change.

If you get a chance to try one out....... jump at it! Like a lot of specialised machinery it takes a while until you realise how capable it is. I am now cutting areas that I didn't think were mowable - and still feel safe and in control.

 

[bob]

what we really need here is probably a zero turn, SWMBO likes making new garden beds, a zero turn would make life a bit easier around the things - maybe... new skills to learn I understand, likely with some garden beds getting reshaped.... We got a new Toro 48 at the local cemetery that developed teething problems in one drive, result was a 70yo driver doing doughnuts and the motor howling.....
I like the idea of the low centre of gravity, doing the drain sides is not good for the nerves on the Greenfield.
Bob

 

[DoubleChevron]

what we really need here is probably a zero turn, SWMBO likes making new garden beds, a zero turn would make life a bit easier around the things - maybe... new skills to learn I understand, likely with some garden beds getting reshaped.... We got a new Toro 48 at the local cemetery that developed teething problems in one drive, result was a 70yo driver doing doughnuts and the motor howling.....
I like the idea of the low centre of gravity, doing the drain sides is not good for the nerves on the Greenfield.
Bob

Don't let her plant *anything* in the middle of open spaces. I've flatly refused to plant anything in the middle of paddocks. If she ever does it will be "accidently" run over with the tractor next time I cut the grass .... .woops!

 

[bob]

Don't let her plant *anything* in the middle of open spaces

you're a braver man than me Gunga Din....
Bob