OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa Commercial 21" 850 I/C SP

Who doesn't love a good spreadsheet!!!

This is a comparison between Victa, Rover and Bushranger's commercial grade mowers.



The above dry weights for each engine confirm what I have suspected for a while, the Honda GXV 160 is a heavy beast. That's not a bad thing, probably explaining why they live so long. The GXV 160 has always felt nose heavy to me as well.

Looking at the performance numbers, I would take those with a grain of salt. While the Krohler appears to have more torque than the Honda, in the real world the Honda is much stouter than those numbers suggest. However, the Briggs is in another league.

Fuel economy has the Honda first, closely behind is the Krohler, leaving the Briggs as the thirstiest, exaggerated by the smallest tank capacity...........its a big block after all. The Krohler is the easiest to fill, owing to the largest tank opening here, followed by the Honda, with the Briggs bringing up the rear.

I have always hated Honda's method of measuring oil on the dipstick as it makes accurate readings variable. The Krohler's dipstick has always been hard to read. The Briggs has the best dipstick here, easy to read, easy to remove and install. The oil filter on the Briggs is a nice touch, but largely unnecessary.

The Honda is also the quietest and smoothest running, the Krohler is easily the loudest of the trio with insufficient muffler performance, the Briggs sits somewhere in the middle.

And finally, the Rover's High Zone / Snorkel filter arrangement is a worthwhile addition, and a disappointing omission on the Honda and Briggs.



The Victa here has the widest range of cutting height, with the Rover offers more finite adjustment. The Bushranger has always annoyed me with the large gaps between positions.

I have always preferred plastic catchers, which the Rover therefore stands out in that category. The Victa's lowest capacity is disappointing but has the superior dust cover, extending further down than the Bushranger and has leather corners.

Weight wise, the Bushranger's ultra-heavy-duty construction is easily felt in use. The Victa seems noticeably lighter.



The shaft drive on the Bushranger gives a much more abrupt and audible engagement but does at least mean no belt changes in the future. Speed wise, the on-paper figures don't mean much as all three have had the engine speed lifted, which in turn speeds up the drive system. ( NOTE - I did that after running in the engine and changing the oil)