OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum OutdoorKing Showcase Victa 125cc - Actual model and year unknown

Recovered locally before it was sent to scrap in bulky goods council collection. Missing the pull starter cowling, fuel line is missing and not sure how to remove last bit from tank connection, fuel tank appears to have leaks due to internal rust and have to work out how to remove starter pulley so I can disassemble the cowling and fuel tank. Condition of motor is unknown at this stage and not sure if it will go, but looks like an interesting challenge for me. This appears to be a rare and collectable model. Should it have an adapter for the side shoot? Have given it a wash since taking the photos and knocked the cobwebs off. :-)

Wow it would have been a big fight to get it back off the spiders.I'm picturing sword fights and a lot of gun fire to reclaim it.Hope no one was majorly hurt.
Anyway down to the id I think it is either a 1968-69 New Utility model 550 victacode V55 or a 1969-70 Utility Models 69VG or 69VG-1-2 victacode V58.
If you could read the engine number it should be easier to identify providing it has the original engine.
What's throwing me off is the muffler I believe is off an earlier model as this model had a similar type muffler not quite the same.
As far as pulling the starter off.Put a socket under the cutting disc nut and an open ended spanner on the nut just under the starter hold both and the starter nut should be (I do use that term loosely) should be not as tight as the cutting disc nut.It should come undone.
All in all yep that's a good find.

Hello Bushy260 and Blumby,

Yep, I think Blumby is almost spot on - a V55 or V58.
My assessment is that it is a V58 dating from the 1969-70 lawnmower season.
The difference between the two, I think, lies in the ring guard.
THe V55 had a full ring guard; the V58 had partial ones (like Bushy260's).
Is that right Blumbly?



Engine Numbers
The engine number might settle the issue but with caution:
The Victa Codes span the lawnmower season, that is, Start of Spring to end of next Winter;
Engine numbers span, I believe, the calendar year. Thus, a block stamped '69' could be
either a V55 or V58. A block stamped '68' could only be a V55, &c. This means that engine
stampings must be read with the caution of +/- a year, depending on other model identifiers.

Hope this helps.
-----------------------------
JACK

Thank you for the feedback Blumbly and CyberJack. I have added more photos, after it was washed and to help clarify model details, including engine number. Not sure which number identifies the year, but will search the site as well. Not sure what else is missing, but am missing the top cap from the air cleaner as well. Hope these additional photos help. The question is now, do I fix it and sell it "as is" with alternate missing bits or offer it for sale to someone who will restore it as part of a collection and, if so, at what value, being the collectable that it is? Have a great day. Daryl.

Bushy260 sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the collectible-ness (sorry for making up words.I couldn't think of any other way to say it) of your mower has now gone.It doesn't have it's original engine.The crankcase from my records is in-fact a Corvette 160cc crankcase from 1970.Sorry but there's to many collectors that want them fairly untouched and or original,with original parts,engines etc.I must admit I'm one of them.I've turned down many mowers due to having the wrong engine or changed from another model,unless I wanted parts from it.These models don't really get big dollars for them anyway.I bought 2 a little while back and only paid $20 for the pair.Admittedly one was only good for parts but the other one wasn't too bad for it's age.
I'd say the muffler has come from a earlier Utility,as it should have a muffler more like the one below.

In-fact I think that should be like what your was as this one is the Model 550 with all the correct parts on it.The one next to it was the spare parts one.
If you got it going you would get more for it but to how much I'm sorry I really couldn't give you a number.Yes collectible but not really getting big dollars as they are not considered to be rare as there are quite a few still around.
The last two that I seen on eBay that sold,one was for $10.50 and the last one was for $16.00.However there was one near me that was the model before (It was a 540) going and it sold for $50,but again it had it's original parts.
Sorry don't shoot the messenger I just want to know the facts about it before you think you've got something worth big dollars and then wonder why nobody wants to pay a large amount for it.
I hope this helps you......a little,and not getting you cranky.

Hello Blumby,

I do have a few questions
So this is a 125 with a 160 crankcase?

Are these the records you copied out by hand from an original many years ago?
I'm really keen to understand how the numbers are interrupted. Could you run
us through it? What do the numbers 57 70 0240 mean?

You can understand why this is important. To tell Bushy his machine does not
have an original engine does require a primary source as objective evidence.
Otherwise it's just hearsay. Can you think of a way that we can verify your
information as a factory source (or other source) , and can we get this
information on these forums as part of the Victa record.

Your photo does show a Model 550, but Bushy's has a deeper skirt, making it
the later utility, from 1969-70, (or later?). Is that right?

As an afterthought, I would also like to know when the 'red' utility base was
introduced? Was it a signifier of the 'New Utility". I do not believe this older
style cowling was ever used on a red base, meaning that Bushy's machine
cannot be an original match of engine to chassis - as you say.

Of course, I've been wrong before. I'd just like to separate hearsay
from what we objectively can say. I guess you understand the situation.

Cheers
-------------------------
JACK

Thank you for your information guys. Seems we have a conversation piece with more questions to find an answer. Interesting about the 160cc block. Why put a 160cc block on a mower with a 125cc head and (possibly) barrell? Wouldn't you just replace the whole motor with a 160cc? I'm interested in the serial number identification process as well. More specifically, what is the relationship between the 57, 70, 024 and 0 and the then the number 2 stamped on the upper crank? Could it be a cross-over of model in the factory, or a Friday afternoon "Run out of parts and it's beer-o-clock, so let's just get this one done" job? hahaha!!! I've seen photos of this base and fold-down handle bar configuration with similar motor, but exhaust is questionable. I'm guessing the red showing under the green is just the primer. Curiosity may have killed the cat but this cat is curious to find out more. My slogan for my Laptop hobby business is "Every day is a good day to learn" and relates to all facets of life. Appreciate the information provided and recommend this site. Be good if it had a short video section in the "Just for laughs" area. I could provide some. Got some more 70's mowers yesterday as well, including a grey VC Auto Drive. :-)

Ok so I have just discovered that I have 3 of these,one runs well and in good condition, only missing the recoil starter 2 in a fairly bad way, so the sugestion is in the scrap bin? not worth wasting any time on them?
Cheers Norm

No suggestions, so I'll pull the coil/points out of them and dump the rest, no point fixing something that is worth nothing

my tomatoes recon they like getting moved around. but you have to admit the mechanism for the handle is cool.
or maybe a wall clock or a letterbox? fun to mow with though
sean

Yes Sean you are right, the model 8 handle design looked great with smooth lines but they were a complete failure, the new utility style was very functional and it did what it was designed to do, not fold up as you tried to push it. I don't have enough space to keep these old mowers so 4 of them will go to the scrapper. Not even sure what to do with all the 160 motors either, doesn't seem to be much interest in those either