OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Collectors Corner Identification of Particular Machines Victa Rotomo Specifications

Can anyone tell me which model Rotomo the following mufflers are off (the third is likley not a Rotomo muffler)? They all vary slightly in size and shape, but the two on the left both came off of early to mid run Model twos. The one on the right - who knows. As for the clips, which is correct for a model 2?

The last three images are of a rear flap that came off a Model two in the low 15,000's. Has traces of original paint, and does appear to have been factory produced, rather than home made, but could be wrong. Anyone know much about these? I've never seen one until this, and am curious as to weather it is original to the mower.

Hey Unkie,
The mufflers are all technically correct.

The left is Rotomo aftermarket.

The centre is Rotomo Original" with original clamp and bolt.

The right is a later Replacement for the OEM muffler for Rotomo and also Original HG palmer 2 stroke utility. I think this style were around in the early 60s and onwards.

I wont attest to the flap being NON genuine as Ive never seen one before,but it looks well made... ( Also the screws and nuts arent period VICTA") Some HG Noble dept store Rotomos ran a flap set up but Im not sure if this is it. The later toe ring For Roto 2,2a and 3 you have probably seen im sure,and wrapped completely around the base. Ill check the HG noble and see if its similar,BUT Im not hopeful. Id put it on even if its not original for nostalgia, Run Victa 1/4 bolts and nuts,will look nice)The owner may have made it,and it shows initiative from the period

Thanks mate! I thought the middle one was the keeper. Was there any variation between model 1 and model 2 mufflers?

The middle one came off #15,100 , which had a bunch of other model 1 parts on it. Speaking of serial numbers, what kind of date range would that number suggest?

As for keeping the flap, I totally agree. I would love it if it were something rare and "genuine" though!

No worries Unkie,

Yes...Model 1 muffler is different,same style as the 2 but the outer half is larger/wider,making it look like 2 even halves.

I thought we did a date on yours? lols. It will be early 56. And yes, A lot of early Rotos had model 1 parts,in particular barrel, brass nut carb,unmarked Model 1 Engine and Other bits and pieces. Rarley see mufflers or heads on early model 2s though.

Agreed,if its real youll have something mighty special...Good luck!

Thanks to the helpful fella that found this add, trying to workout the correct specs for a Model 2 just became a whole lot easier!

This first appeared in the Women's Weekly, on the 3rd of October, 1956:

The next ad appeared in the Women's Weekly, 28th November, 1956:







The same ad with a variation appeared on the 6th of February, 1957. Notice the black wheels?

A few more undated Rotomo images that appeared on various Victa leaflets:

And finally, some model 3 pics that show a very nice straight bar spanner and cowel sticker. Again, all are from undated Victa leaflets:

The way your going Unkie youll have the whole range done in a week!!! Wonderful research and images again Unkie! Ahh finally confirmation of the straight bar on the spanner!. The issue of the straight bar was confined to the Automatic,But since the model 3 came right after it,It seems higly probable that it was actually released on the Auto. Well spotted! Seemingly another Myth Dispelled?.

Did you also note the use of the 2a pulley on the model 3 Unkie.
This is accurate to the early release of the model 3,Again As with previous models to use up left over parts. The model 2a run was one of the shortest of the Victas,so the pulleys were used up quickly,and are rarely seen on the Model 3 STD. Great image!

Since your delving in Rotomo,Check your archives some more when you have time Unkie,You should find some Ads on The Model 1 also.

The Model 1 Rotomo Is shown in many ads,one of the earliest being in the "Canberra times" for Sept 1955. This ad has been reproduced many times,also in colour. If im not mistaken, it was the first ever Rotomo Ad. Im sure you will love to add this to your timeline.

You mean this one? It first appeared in black and white in the Canberra Times, 6th October, 1955. It also appeared in colour in a Victa poster, as seen here:







The earliest Canberra times reference to a Rotomo I could find is this, dated 12th August 1955. It also appears to be the first mention of the Victa 125cc, so probably counts as the first advertisement of the Model 1 Rotomo (non-fan, offering a pretty clear indication of the release date for this model:





And the earliest single mention of a Rotomo? lol! Here it is...20th of September, 1952 in the Sydney Morning Herald:



And here is the earliest pictorial advertisement, from the 14th of April, 1954, in the Sydney Morning Herald:



Phew...

I knew youd find an earlier advert! lols. The one with the lady is the one I was refering to,yes. I always thought July was the release month,So since this Ad is August, Ive no doubt youve found the Earliest AD! Especially as you said its states the 125cc.

The 1952 Advert for the Rotomo will be for the Billy Cart" as it is known,(But its correct name was Rotomo) And was The First Production Rotary Mower",as I believe a Reel Mower was the First Production Victa

The last Ad which im sure You now know is for the Fan. Possibly a late MK1,as its Ad date is april,Id dearly love to see the base clearly to confirm if it has the Flat base and legs(mk1).
(I think,And its only theory at this point ) that the Mk2 started its run later in the year,possibly around sept. But so few remain its hard to get an accurate pattern. Ive been told production run for the three Villiers powered Rotomos was around 5,000. But we can research this down the track

Man,Unkie Youre doing an amazing job!!!! And also confirming a couple things id only known by word of mouth! Thankyou for your efforts!

This is the next available pictorial advertisement, and dates to the 5th of December, 1954




Looks like the dog-leg was still selling at least until the start of December '54!

Well I think I may have found something that may cause a few waves...bare with me. So here is the supposed earliest pictorial advertisement for Victa, dated (apparently) to the month of September, 1952 (yet to be confirmed):



And as I mentioned earlier, the first mention of the term "Rotomo" appeared in the above pictured, small advertisement of the 20th of September, 1952. It all seems to fit pretty neatly, and according to bio's on the start of the Victa company, that small advertisement represents the earliest evidence of the company's establishment.

This is where it gets interesting; the following ad is from the 17th of March *1951*



To clear up any doubt, the next is from the 31st of March, *1951*




So Victa was selling mowers a full 18 months before previously thought...release the dogs

This december ad for the Mk1 fan,Im thinking would be for the very last,and maybe they kept the same image? My fan mk 2 is Definately October 1954 engine build and my Mk1 engine is august 1954,so they may have intersected?.

Your assumption is correct,This is the First production Rotary Rotomo the "Billy cart" This is all accurate.

BUT do you remember my reference in the previous post to the Reel mower being the first mower Mervin sold? Read the Ad Carefully...What do you see? Victa 14 Inch Petrol mower...No reference to Rotomo or rotary...You are correct in the fact that he sold mowers before The Victa Company Was founded. But As far as im aware they were heavy cumbersome and very pricey and didnt suit australias needs. This is where his ideas for the Rotary came about,and the Prototype was Born....Focus your research now on the Prototype and the reel mower...This is where the Victa story comes in handy,im sure all the info is in there. I will see if i can find a pic of the reel mower for you...Hope this helps. So YES your assumptions proved correct,he sold mowers Prior to the First Ad you found.

Ahhhh, reel mowers, I get it. This entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography explains it pretty well:


Would love to see one of those reel mowers! Has one ever been seen?

Ahhh I see the extract,Yes thats the story...So they were sold under the Victa company name,my appologies I thought the company never started until the first Production Rotary, The Billy cart...Need to stop relying solely on my memory alone lols.

But seriously 60 mowers in this time was pretty poor. I guess this is why Victa wasnt really recognised until the Introduction of their first production rotary. And why the Victa story For most really starts here Ive only ever seen one reel mower Image,just need to find it for you:) But man its UGLY!

This Rotomo bill of sale is up on eBay at the moment, and has some interesting info on it:



It's a little hard to read, but states a sale date of 15/9/1956 for a Victa 18" Rotomo with serial No. 38952 and a sale price of 49 pounds 18 shillings. That serial is a little later than I was expecting, but helps pinpoint a date/serial correlation quite well.

Yes unkie they have.....

Photo courtesy of Martin (MVC), a member of OutdoorKing.
See the thread Click HERE

Amazing! Thanks Deejay. Great link to that thread also - It's all starting to build a pretty detailed history of Victa's early days. Keep em' coming!

You Found it Deejay! I looked for an hour. lols.

Unkie,Do you mean you think the serial number is way to low for this date? If so I agree totally.
The first ad you posted for Sept,shows clearly the plastic wheel rotomo( check the wheels carefully) and also the plastic metal throttle control,Both features of the Later Rotomo 2. And since many mower examples have also shown clearly that the plastic wheel Rotomo started around the 75,000 mark,this puts The Rotomo Production of "38952" much earlier on in 1956. Now since this is a sales receipt NOT a production date,then I would have to say that through transport,consignment and sale it could have been sitting around for months before it was sold. Hope This is what you meant by the serial?

Have a look at the Ad that follows the Sept one..Nov womens weekly. See how all The Images are showing the Tin wheels AFTER the Sept Plastic Wheel Ad? Odd isnt it. But the Add is very flashy and maybe it was already held by womens weekly and reused,as its only a month difference from the Original Victa AD . I think ive said before they sometimes recycled or used the same ad for longer than they should have after new models were released,as we saw with the 2a and the model 3...What are your thoughts Unkie?