Picked up a Victa Contessa Not sure if it's a store brand but doesn't have any other reference to retailers of the time and it does have a full set of Victa wheel caps which some store brands I've had before didn't, but in saying that my Mustang and a couple of others have genuine wheels which don't have the V logo on the cap so don't know if this makes a difference in spotting Victa models from store brands ? The high-lite of this mower for me ( other than the colour ) is the catcher which has no damage or previous repairs.
It's the first freebie I've managed to get, I usually suffer from Maxwell Smart syndrome when it comes to the free stuff. The fuel in the tank and carby was exactly the same colour as the mower ! flushed it through with some old fuel I keep for cleaning. Was a bit worried that they had left it out in the rain so pulled the plug, all clear, tipped it on it's side, bit of oil in the cylinder and hand wound over. Plug back in and fresh fuel, runs great, first pull start every time. Has a crack in the deck behind the right front wheel as does my mustang and another I serviced for a chap recently, not surprising as things are probably near terminal speed at that point heading towards discharge. One very good reason to check ones lawn for debris before mowing.
wce, the wheels have no bearing (excuse pun) on whether it's a store brand. Both regular Victa models and store specials received the ball bearing wheels without a logo in the centre and the cheaper nylon sleeve wheels with the pointy V imprinted in the centre. This looks to be a hybrid store brand like the red Monaro with the same base and engine cover style. An unofficial complementary Victa model for stores and not part of the official Victa range in the brochures.
I'm not surprised that catcher is undamaged. That particular shaped thumb latch catcher design seems to have proven the most robust. Great score all round. I'd advise you to drill a 2 or 3 mm hole at the end of the crack to stop it's spread as an interim measure before you get around to repair it.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
I usually have 'the real maxwell syndrome' - missed it by a mile
Great to hear its running well. This was my last freebie mower (line trimmers are another matter) - absolutely covered in muck and needed a muffler, blades, fix catcher spring, axle bushes, etc.
Good result for 3 hrs work though - runs like brand new - had the cleanest exhaust port I have ever seen on a Victa - and a spotless piston
PS - that lawn was back when we had that weird rain even back in feb - I fertilized it and sea-sol'd the day before the rain and this was the growth in 8 days. It wasn't short before that, and I am only now at back at height 5 (gave it a solid scalp and got about 8 wheelbarrows of thatch out). I mowed the whole of summer at height 10 or so to stop it dying.
I was leaving Bunnings Belmont at somewhere around 3 or 4 that day and turned the radio onto 6pr. They had guys ringing in saying shopping centres are flooding, etc.
I turned left onto Hardey road (facing north west if you don't know the area) and I saw it coming. Raced back home, and got under the carport, shut the gates and it hammered down. Rain coming in pergola sideways whilst I am trying to throw tarps back onto mowers even though they were under cover
Just looked at the video of the Pope and your lawn looks mint. What fertiliser do you use?
Thank you very much. I like to keep it looking nice and as healthy as possible. I used to use either Bailey's 3.1.1. or Eco Growth Emerald before I put down some fine leaf Zoysia. The prill size was too large for the Zoysia, so it would just sit on the leaf. So I then switched to The Anderson's PolySports 150. Can get that into the canopy that way, but when it runs out I'll try Eco Growth Emerald Greens Grade. It has an even smaller prill size, and is made in WA. (Like Bailey's, but The Anderson's are from the USA) If you buy from Bailey's direct, you can get bigger bags for less $ than what you can at Bunnings, etc.
But because it is winter now, I've switched to liquid for foliar absorption. Using stuff from Floratine.
I have security video footage somewhere of the storm front hitting. It was like a grey wall approaching and everything got blasted as it ripped through. It was awesome to watch.
MF, thanks to you, I've had that song in my head for a day now.
I don't collect mowers. I just require Multiple Mowing Solutions™.
I Didn't have trouble with the music in my head but getting the lovely Perth beauty Karen Pini out of my head is a different story. Boy did she wreck the sleep patterns of many a young buck in her time and when she did the centerfold for the first Australian edition of Playboy..... OH LA LA ! OK, I'm off to church to wash my eyes in holy water before they close !
Now I remember what I was going to post, Tyler, Baileys 24 Beach St Kwinana.
My memories of Karen Pini were in the days she presented the weekly lotto in the 1980s. She'd become more proper and housewifey by then. I had no idea she had had such a racy past. Very pretty girl.
It seems we appreciated more real women back then with full round firm derriers! We could learn from back in the day.
Ahh, if only victa had kept producing the thumblatch catcher series, they would be in better shape today!
