OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Two Stroke Lawn Mower Frames Update to an alloy deck?

Hey all,

I have a Victa tornado 300 19 inch that I bought in 2006 when I first bought my house, and it is still going perfectly. It has a silver steel deck, and while it is still in pretty good condition, I have been debating whether to try and source a 19 inch deck for it to prolong its longevity, and also possibly add a mulching plug to it as well.

The reason I ask is I am also mowing my parents lawn these days, and use their old Victor Corvette they bought in the late 70s, which is still going perfectly, and it has an alloy deck, while a lot of people I know have had their steel decks start rusting eventually. I would hate to see this happen to my mower while the engine is still in good nick, so...

Would it be a good idea to change decks?

Does anyone know a good place to sort a good Victa alloy deck to suit a 19 inch power torque engine? It is a VS160 in case that is important.

What sort of prices should I expect?

Is it an easy operation? Or something I should farm out to someone more knowledgable? My knowledge in this area only goes to some minor repairs like changing carby rings and so on. If so, what sort of cost should I be reasonably looking at?

Failing that, perhaps just buying a second hand Victa already with an alloy deck?

I live in Penrith, western sydney if that helps. And usually get spares, etc from Emu Plains mowers.

Any advice is appreciated.

G'day Sapper,

I think the PowerTorque that goes on the Tornado has a longer shaft coming out of the engine than on other Victa models and I'm not sure if there is an alloy equivalent of your base. I know the Mustang of the same era is a 19" cut and is alloy but they have the regular (ie vast majority of mowers) shorter shaft.

I do know the PT two stroke will generally bolt straight on to a same era Victa deck carrying a four stroke engine. The exhaust port on the deck for the 2 stroke like yours is blanked off with a plastic plug on four stroke models. You just remove it.

I think your best bet if you really want to get an alloy base to fit your two stroke into is to look on websites like Gumtree, Ebay or Facebook marketplace for a cheap complete Victa mower from around the 2000s -on with a crook engine and do a swap.

I hope somebody around here can clarify whether the shaft length on yours is the longer type and whether there was an alloy model that takes it.

If your existing deck is still sound, you can prevent rust by checking the underside for caked up clippings after every mow, especially in the nooks and crannies, particularly in the notorious handle mounting spots, and keep it clean.

Hey MF,

Thanks for that. I know when I was buying the mower, they had upper tier models there with an alloy dark metallic, hammered look deck with VICTA embossed on the front, wash port and plastic strips on the side, with I think a VSX160 on them, so assumed mine could possibly be retrofitted to one of these, but if what you say is correct, this could be a real PITA.

I have been pretty anal about keeping it clean of crap, though I wonder at whether I can get 40 plus years out of it like my parents Corvette, and also the fact a mulch system is ruled out does annoy me. I will see if I can get some pictures up of it later just in case anyone here doesn't know what the mower looks like, but any more info anyone can think of is definately appreciated.

If Victa made a 19 inch alloy deck and I haven't come across one so they will be scarce and a bit hard to come bye. Motor will fit fine but it will need 20mm spacers fitted under the motor to raise it up. No big deal just a little pain

Hi NormK and Sapper,

Sapper I think if you wanted a mower for life, a Victa steel deck was not the best choice. I've seen some discarded bodies with whole sections eaten away by rust, particularly the later stuff.
Those upper tier mowers you descibed were the ones I was talking about. Many have OHC (opposed to OHV) Honda engines which I have heard are nowhere near as good as the legendary OHV Honda four strokes. We might see a few of them die in the years to come, making the base available for a bolt in transplant for a two stroke. The handles should have the hole placement for the powertorque air cleaner/throttle control snorkel to go on without drama. Doesn't the Tornado have a unique centre mounted throttle control snorkel and handle set up or is it mounted to the RH side like the bulk of PT Victas? If so, you'll have to either swap out the snorkel and throttle cable or hope the handle assembly will fit on the replacement alloy base.


NormK, do you need to get longer engine mounting bolts when you fit the 2cm spacers?

Hey guys,

My tornado has the normal side mounted snorkel.

Basically the same as the tornado classic with the blue deck but mine has a silver deck, and a blue and grey catcher.

Yes, I should have splurged for the better mower, but I was a lot dumber about these things, had a budget, and just new I wanted 'a victa 2 stroke' like the one I used at the oldies house for years.

I guess I will just have to pick up a second hand one from somewhere if this turns out to be to big a bridge to cross.

MF,
some of the Tornados have the mid mount throttle with the impossible to find air filter cover, others are the standard type. Problem with the Tornados is the body metal is thinner than the standard PT's and are prone to rust and often they get full of dents because the metal is so thin.
Snapper just keep your eyes out for an alloy body something will turn up.

Hi NormK and Sapper

Sapper, it sounds like you've got plenty of time to find your ideal alloy base of your dreams to whack your baby on so don't despair. It's a very doable proposition.
Make sure it's free of damage and wear and that the axles don't flop around. I've seen alloy bases where years of vibration has taken it's toll on the axle location points of the base, although this was on decades old mowers.

At least you made the best choice in the engine dept!!

NormK, I wasn't sure on that. Thanks for clearing it up.

Hi Sapper ,MF and Norm,

Might have to buy a complete mower to get a base https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kyogle/lawn-mowers/victas-2stroke-razor-lawn-mower/1240310450

A nineteen inch alloy Victa base should not be too difficult to find , a Mustang and Razor base are 19 inch alloy decks.

https://collection.maas.museum/object/349067

https://collection.maas.museum/object/364560


Cheers
Max.

MF,
I did repair an alloy base a while back that was badly worn on the front axle, so much so the front wheel had worn a hole through the base where it had been rubbing. I made up bits of 3mm angle to hold the axle in the right position and clamps over the axle to hold it on, then painted it with fish oil. Should last a lifetime now, it was a lot of work, but I believe worth it in the end.

Hello all,

Max, thats the deck I have seen, both with that funky middle snorkel/controller and the normal handle configuration. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for one of these that are closer to home. Thanks for the heads up. That Razor in the museum is almost the same colours as mine. Same catcher colours and wheels, but with a silver steel deck and a Vs160 instead of the VSX in that picture.

I know I will inherit the old Corvette from my mother, probably sooner rather than later, but I also want to get my unit in a good position to last through the decades too.

Maybe get a spare piston and ring set too.
I came across a bloke with a late model 2 stroke on his trailer and said to hold onto it as it's a top motor. He laughed and said oh really mate. I wish I could have stayed and expanded on it but I had to do other stuff.
I'm going to spread the gospel where I can.