OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum The Old Soap Box Those powertorque fins!!!

So, I recently became aquanted with a chap who worked for victa around the turn of the century, and during conversation today, an interesting annecdote came up in relation to the change in cooling fins that the powertorqes suffered around 05...

He was no longer there when the fin number was halved, but he remembers specifically those fins being a massive point of contention...

It indeed was a cost cutting issue, but the cost of metal for the engine block was not the key issue, it came down to the Die's... The intricate nature of the cast moulds around those find was cause for them to wear out much faster in that area, and the dies themselves reguarly required costly and annoying replacement, however, the engineering side was persistent that such fin density was best for adequate cooling... Something my old wirk shop agreed with, many overheated later engines, a problem seldom seen in the powertorques built in the 90's!!!

So just a little tid bit of historic retoric to shed a little more light on why those fins were so quick to dissapear when production moved off shore!!!

Yes well all I can say is it won't be long and there won't be anymore made.
I have slowly watched over years the decline of the 2 stroke,and now the Briggs & Stratton own it we are now down to only 3 models left.
The Commando $589

The Hurricane $599

...amd The Mustang $769

I don't even understand why they change there names anymore.They are just different handles and wheels,but on the same base and a different colour.Just the same to me.No thought went into the design except the mustang but only because it's on the alloy base.
Just look back to say the 70's a VC-Mustang was a completely different looking mower compared to the VC-Sports.They pretty much had the same base,handles and engine,but they were worlds apart in the way they looked.
Long live the 2 stroke,but I think there not long for this world now.
I believe is due to marketing as people are being told four strokes a easier yeah right.
Up the mighty 2 stroke.

Hi Blumbly,

Honestly I think over the years the rotary mower has pretty much been perfected and there's not much else that can be improved within the budget price range.
Most people consider a mower as a necessary evil and have absolutely no interest in them what so ever, it's just a tool that one has to use to get the wife of one's back and after that it's just shoved into a corner until next time.

BTW that's not my opinion at all as many of you would know but that's just the most common theme for the humble mower.
I've had people bring them to me asking if there was anything I could do to get it running again and if not they'll toss it out and buy a new one and only after removing the air cleaner and a single pull of the recoil starter the thing springs into life and runs as it should. Turn the Air cleaner over and there's about 5mm of gunge all over the exposed foam basically strangling it from any air.

That's sadly the basic mentality out there about lawnmowers.

Cheers,
BB

Yep your right they just don't care.In-fact I had a guy that hounded me for weeks to buy his 2 stroke off him.I kept saying no not interested after 6 weeks I said fine you deliver I'll pay $20.It was just 3 years old and all that was wrong was he kept filling it with the Castrol Self Mix 2 stroke oil thinking that it was all that was needed.The poor thing was choked with 2 stroke oil no fuel at all.Cleaned the fuel system out fresh fuel first pull and away she run,a bit smokey to start with.I transferred that engine onto an alloy base and still use it today.The best $20 lawnmower buy yet,but yes you can see the lack of knowledge or the lack of wanting to know how to use them correctly.I guess that's why four strokes are taking over as for those whom just mow,you pour fuel in it,use it,stick it away.Bugger the servicing wait till it stops and then just replace it.
Still long live the two stroke.I'll do my bit to them them going.

For interest, an American self-promoter, racing driver, and showman called Barney Oldfield, immediately after setting the world land speed record at 131 mph in 1909, said he had travelled "As near to the absolute limit of speed as humanity will ever travel." He followed this with a line of showman-tripe about how his vision was fading in and out and he was experiencing respiratory problems, while travelling at that speed.

You may get the idea from this of my opinion of the line that mowers, or anything else, have been "pretty well perfected".

Pollution laws that apply to emissions from small engines are what has killed off the 2-stroke mower, in a lot of markets. Yes, technologies do exist to make them low-emission, but these are way too exy for the lawnmower price range. Outboard boat engines do use these techs, but then they're in a much higher value bracket.


It's just marketing tactics for the domestic market; the 'newer = better' bullshite.

You'll notice that they don't do it with their commercial user 'Pro' range - I think that speaks for itself.