MF, that still would not make it collectible , just another mower, be better off selling the thing either in parts (Victa twin catcher) (Victa twin base) who knows what those parts would fetch to somebody wanting to complete their twin project. Plenty of bigger cut PT Victas out there for a fraction of what people pay for these twins
Yeah good point. It would be a waste to bastardise one if they are valuable on the second hand market untouched. Better off selling it and just make do with an 18" cut and put up with a miniscule difference in catcher capacity. Wonder if I should go to the effort to get the rear cylinder working again, helicoil two stuffed bolt holes in the aluminium that retain the metal engine cowl, and source the right snorkel and throttle cable for it, or just dismantle and sell the pieces? Are snorkels from any other models the same as what this came with or is it unique? I was thinking perhaps the snorkel from the cheaper store brand low arch models are the same.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I have been reading about these Victa Twin cylinder mowers and I hear they are nothing but trouble. Also I would have thought a twin cylinder engine would be firing one cylinder at a time? A bit like a twin engine on a Harley Davidson motorbike etc?
I have read that both cylinders fire together on these Victa twins? How did they manage to get a crankshaft design that looks like it has a cylinder on each side of the engine to fire at the same time? It doesn't seem like it would work like that? Also i'm assuming a total of 170cc means both cylinder sizes are added together, meaning the 2 cylinders on these engines are smaller in size than the standard 160cc single cylinder 2 stroke Victa engines?
Also i'd like to hear from anyone that has used one of these twin cylinder mowers when they are working like they are meant to are they much better than the standard 160cc single engine? Are they more powerful and less likely to slow down in tall grass etc? It would be good to know how much better (or worse) these were than than the standard 160cc Victa's from the same era?
I have only ever used a standard 160cc Victa 2 stroke full crank mower from the early 80's.
Cheers!
Last edited by Converse; 04/02/1912:47 PM.
Zip a dee doo dah, zip a dee ay, another trash picked Victa, hip hip Hooray!
Converse, I have no idea, never had one and not interested in them because of the problems. I believe when they are running they are smoother but at the end of the day they still only cut grass. There is one on Ebay or Gumtree at the moment, they are only for collectors who must have one, nothing wrong with that, people would clamber all over an Edsel or a P76 if it came on the market these days. I also saw a half brother of the twin for sale, it is the 85cc version, I think that one was on Ebay Your 160 F/C is among the best value for money mowers ever made
Hi Converse. I guess by now you have got your answers, but in case... The twin has a crankshaft with two big ends, 180 degrees apart. Hence both pistons go through the same strokes. So you have two pistons compressing the fuel/air/oil mix in the crankcase, at the same time. Both are on the compression stroke at the same time, and fire at the same time. That means that the firing strokes oppose each other. The engine is smoother than a single cylinder of the same size for this reason. If I remember correctly, and I will accept a counter-argument, that the two spark plugs are wired in series, similar to a wasted spark ignition, as used for example on the Commodore "Ecotec" engine. This should almost guarantee both plugs fire, or if there's an open circuit, no plug will fire. Trouble is, the rear cylinder (on the twin) runs colder than the front cylinder so that plug fouls up first. That creates a short circuited plug which means the front cylinder still runs. Many of these twins ran on only one cylinder for that reason. Victa did several (!!) mods during their life to alleviate the many problems they had, including running a "hotter" plug in the rear cylinder. I wonder how many back-yard mechanics didn't know this and while attempting to fix a "running on one cylinder" fault, swapped plugs... I have used my twin on several occasions. It is very smooth! It cuts my lawn heaps better than my old Jetfast (but I think a pair of scissors could do that too!) I can mow my lawns MUCH quicker with the twin. I intend to put mine up for sale soon, I have one complete and three other engines plus various other parts. That will be after Christmas when i can get some clear air. Hope that all helped.
Hi victatwin Can you give me a reason why the rear cylinder would run cooler, was it something to do with the cowl design. There would have to be some major reason for this to occur because just the physical position would suggest the reverse
I've seen the technical bulletins but it doesn't fully explain why.
The twin had a problem equalizing the fuel supply to both cylinders Norm,I haven't seen it completely explained anywhere but I think the rear cylinder being lower to the front cylinder makes the rear cylinder run richer (the fuel mix will take the easiest path) being a richer mix this would foul up the rear plug so a higher compression piston was used in the rear cylinder to help burn the excess fuel.The crank was also modified to help in equalizing the supply of fuel to both cylinders.
Hi Max, That sort of explains it but I'm sure there was a fix there somewhere. I guess Victa had spent so much on the R&D on developing it and the subsequent warranty claims they would have been reluctant to spend further money on trying to solve a problem on a mower that was probably costing them more to build than what they were selling them for
Yep, great points made there. I was thinking your thoughts today.
The tech bulletin explains nothing about ... why? And the 'solution' always smacked of a compromise in using different shaped pistons.
My thinking is that the fuel reed valve would have favoured one direction. Again, how many opposed twin cylinder two stroke designs were made with just one carby?
I feel the design was flawed, and the solution a compromise.
Thanks Max for your expertise here.
Norm, I think you nailed it - for me. The Victa Twin was always a Ford Edsel in my books. Pity.
On Google Norm ,those 3 mowers above are American mowers.
The offset must be because the twin 2 stroke motor must have the pistons at the top of the bore at the same time when it shares the same crankcase also the descending pistons are compressing the fuel-air mixture trapped beneath it in the crankcase.
Where do you dig all this stuff up Max, there is a huge offset between the cylinders.
G'day Max and Norm, Norm, all I know is that 'Max has his ways' [said with German accent ...].
Max, Many thanks. Twin 2-strokes are not that common on lawnmowers. I have done quite a bit of research on Leonard Goodall. The Maytag twin is the only other two stroke engine I know of used on a lawnmower.
I'm not sure whether the first two images incorrectly describe the engine make as a lawnmower brand. I do not think Maytag made lawnmowers ...?
Goodall certainly did, and he used Maytag engines. Maytak were big on washing machines and still survive to this day.
G'day Jack ," duck for cover" if Jack is on a Plane, these days if you say "Hi Jack" on a Plane you will get arrested .
Yes I agree Jack Maytag is the engine not the mower ,it's just that I name my mower images so I can find them in the folders, a lot of the time a put a Z or an A at the front of the name to find the image,the mower names are on some of the images,just a little deciphering is needed , Velva Cut, Monitor, Goodall.
The early Maytag washing machines are a classic you literally had to give them a good kick to get them started, what a great idea of putting a kickstarter on a washing machine.
Here are some images of a 2 stroke Skylark ultralight aircraft engine ,note the use of a few Victa mower parts.
I see you can buy a CDI setup for a twin for about $100.
I have not seen a triple cylinder rotary lawn mower yet.
