OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa VC Series Blade Plate Colour

Hi All,

Recently, a discussion on the original blade plate colour of the Victa VC-160, VC-125 and related mowers of the same family took place in both Blumbly�s VC-160 Restoration thread and his VC-125 Restoration thread.

Aside from the fact this conversation became intensive enough to draw away from the original thread tpics, it also gave light to the need to focus on this issue further, as there is much left to be learned here, so the comments relating to this issue have been braught together below, in order to crate a trhead to pool information, and help further our knowledge in this area

This is the original post by Blubly that started the topic:
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I decided that I should do these restores properly so I took the cutting discs off and painted them the right colour.
So here they are.
Mark I.




Mark II.



Mark III.




Don't they just look so pretty,I bet the grass isn't thinking it looks good.Not that the grass will ever see it,but the grass doesn't know that.

-Blumbly
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Here for a good time,not a long time.

how sweeeeet is that !! looking great so far . but grey ? but its sure to be right thought the disc's were light green same as your 125's handles ? i'll whip off the disc on mk1 and have a look

No they were a creaming colour(not grey)and all the VC range had them this colour. I guess they did them this colour as they are easier to see.I think.Their are other models as well that used this colour.

Hmm, I will have to have a look, I've been finding myself rather confused by the blade disc's, it is starting to seem to me like there is variation. Both you and I have seen enough cream discs on VC's of all Marks to surely satisfy that it was an original occurrence, and not a later change, but to my recollection, the NOS VC came along with a black disk.

Mind you, this could again be just Victa testing different idea's, or even just based on stock availability, I've noticed two different spark plug boots original to the VC-160 as well!

The nos vc160 seems to have had a galvenised/bare steel disc

Sorry, yes, I mixed it up with the black discs Blumbly originally had. Bare steel, top and bottom, flat surface (no vortexing fins aside from the blades) yet i have seen this set up far less than the cream paint set up, it's not impossible to assume the unpainted disk an abnormality, test, machine failure or emergency stock part based on what i have observed.

Alternatively, maybe the bare disc was originall, but overly prone to rust at the blade holes in a short time, which would be potentially very dangerous, I'll see if this era is covered in my Victa recalls listing.

Here is another NOS victa, (this time an msaa craftsman) indeed some had painted discs and other didnt, either way having some kingd of paint on a disc looks better than rust. The only trace that would be on an original blade plate now would by chance be under whee the blade boss sits, and in reality, thats a chance ...

Hmm thanks Joe that is very interesting I must admit,but I can see that that disc isn't quite the same.As you can see more in the middle their is a line going around where it has been pressed into shape.Where as any of my VC disc I've seen and had don't have that line on them.I don't suppose it's possible to find out whether it has Victa's part number or the Victa emblem on it? I'd really like to know.As the bare (non painted) part number is 9-210 and the coloured part number is 9-252.I'm also curious about the blades they just don't look right.All the original ones I've seen and have have the fold goes all the way through them.They don't seem to.
Original part number is 9-263.
So yes thanks Joe for correcting me I did know their was to different ones painted and non-painted but when I was talking about colour I was referring to the colour.Thanks for pointing that out.Didn't mean to confuse anybody.

I've seen cream on at least the VC-160's, VC-125's, as well as the MKI VC-Mustang & Sports, and MKI&II Auto Drives, as well as a number if S70 Utilities.

I'm still curious about the blade disc on my NOS VC-160, which as Joe pointed out, is bare metal, which in my observation, and yours I beleive, is abnormal.

I have a few theories:

1) variation based on availability (at assembly there was less than needed painted discs, or a failure of some kind)

2) variation based on experiment ( like the 3Q, 3S and G2 carburettors being released in batches on the same mowers in a post release test)

3) variation based on recall (perhaps some, or all of these machines were released with plain discs like my nos one, but some time, say maybe 1974 or 1975, there was a recall, perhaps the paintless ones rusted to easily in use, too much rust at the blade hole could weeken yhe thin metal area betwwen the blade and the edge of the disc, or it may have been as you say visibility)

Or, maybe there was just a mistake on that mower.

As for the blades, next chance I get, I'll stare close at them, i recall a victa stamp on the bolts, but i cant remember if there was one on the blades...

Also see if the fold goes all the way down the blade,as all the originals I've found do.Also in my books it does to,curious to see what it has.

I have been told (can't remember by whom) but at that time Victa used a couple of suppliers to manufacture the blade disc.I know I have no written prof of this but maybe this explains to two different varieties.

It would be interesting to know.I mean who knows maybe they all started with no paint ones and all got replaced,although that could and would be a very big if.

Hmm, I was under the impression Victa manufactured all their own components, well, as far as chassis and 2 stroke engines where concerned, but maybe different plants, or perhaps they had a contracted company that took orders when demand exceeded their own capacity.

I'll start by checking those reall notices I have at home, if that shed's no light, perhaps we can see what can be dug up about Victa's different manufacturing locations during the period 1970 - 1974, that might give us something to go off.

That's actually one of the idea's I'm getting at.

I'm not sure all of them getting replaced is that big of an if, if you consider a factory recall, if the non-painted ones had a fault, a safety recall would have seen almost all replaced.

It culd also be a fault not relating to the paint, the paint, in particular the colour, might have been used to help destinginsh mowers that had been repaired if there was such a recall.

It could well be.So when I removed the discs of these mowers I could clearly see that was this creamy colour.These is also a very good possibility that their will be no known prove of which was right or wrong (so to speak),a bit like the Model 6 model 9 id issue.As their could well be no documentation to say what was what.That's why I painted them that colour as I could clearly see that colour under the boss part.

I think you'll find that they did have different manufactures for different parts.Same as a lot of motor company's of the same era didn't make everything they needed.Very much like today even.

I certainly think you made the right choice, if you wanted to get very technical, you could leave some bare and most cream, painting the ones with the right part number, as you discovered the part number difference yourself.

Honestly though, I would go cream to, even if it was a recall, and not on the initial production line, it was early, very early, I would say within 2 or 3 years, so close to the start, but to be honest, overflow seems also likely, as does experiment.

We can look through recall notices from the era, i know how to find them now, it's just a matter of waiting for them to cone up, as a recall of that magnitude would be documented, there might even br documentation if it was an experiment, there is for the late 60's carby experiments, but in general, untill evidence is found, yes, we rely on observation.

Yes well this is true and so far I've only ever found the creamy coloured ones.

This is the end of the edited thread, please feel free to add to the discussion from here on in!




Just a note to add, Ty, on the editing and well done mate!

Thanks Darryl, I have some information I'm working on to add to this... found out a few interesting things this week that might explain a few things, just need to try and sure up some details.