OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Southern Cross

Hi All besides collecting mowers I also collect engines and this has led to starting a register for Southern Cross Engines

The old web site collapsed and I have had to start all over with a new site (with help)

http://southerncrossregister.nqmp.org/

I have been collecting engines and mowers for about 37 years with some of the mowers I picked up back then were worth nothing, About 2/3 years ago I started to do something with the mowers (never knew I had so many)getting older helps as the engines are becoming to get to heavy
I also collect anything else that looks different and being a Fitter & Turner have a big collection of old tools
Ian

Hi Ian,
And congrats for getting the site up and running again, many thanks also for posting the link.
The theatre slides are brilliant, I would like to see full size pics of those mate.

Fantastic Job Ian! I remember this site,from that OTHER place and the Images of the restoration you did on one of yours. At that point id never even heard of Southern Cross until you posted Your example...KXD was it? Im not familiar with the SC mower models,and I cant Imagine there are many left to see,so A register will go along way to the Historical preservation of more Australiana. I especially love the Period Avertising Images.

Wow thats a really clear and precise website you have there. so easy to follow.
maybe Victa needs a similar treatment. it would be a better thing to have all the victa info in an easy to find and follow register like yours.
well done IanOz

i have these pics of a southern cross lawn mower if you want them.

Hi Gizmo
The first 3 pictures the mower is a KX-D
Picture 4 and 6 are a KX-C this one was only made for 1 year
Picture 5 is a KX-A
All the above mowers have a EC-B engine and from the engine number I can date the mower
The EC-B engine
2hp at 3000rpm.
9 cu ins (150cc)
Bore x Stroke 2 1/2" x 1 7/8"
Thanks for the pictures
Ian

Hi Gizmo, with Victa mowers, with so many different models and of course the number ( from the billy-cart to the Special 18) being produced over so many years, it would be a mammoth task to catalogue them all...and would never be complete because some people will not share the information for whatever reason they have.

Just look at the Victa Model 4 Automatic
Specifications thread, we are still hoping that people will contribute more serial numbers, so as we have a definite end date of that model run.....and that may never happen.

yep it sure would be a mammoth task. i certainly am not volunteering for that one.
it would be nice though.
i cannot understand why people want to take their info to the grave with them.
what i really do think, is that those of us who are so passionate about our hobby will always eventually seek out the info we are looking for .
i know i always share any info i have and appreciate others doing the same for me.
cheers bazz

I would like to see full size pics
Hi Deejay
Did you click on the picture? it goes to a larger size
How much bigger do you want them
Ian

Hi Ian,
So sorry mate, I didn't realise that the slide images were clickable...All good and nicely sized when clicked!
Sorry...

Came by this the other day. Interesting how the tin itself looks identical to the ones supplied by Victa with the Special during the late 50's. I'm curious to know who the supplier was if anyone has any leads. I'm assuming this one also dates to '58 to '60 era - perhaps one of our resident gurus can shed some light on which SC model it depicts

Hi bestseller

Can't help with the can manufacturer, but I date the
can to the mid-1960s. The engine is a Villiers Lightweight
4-stroke, sold on Australian mowers from about 1962.

The earliest SC ads I have found with this engine date from 1964.

Hope this helps.
---------------------------------
Jack

The Villiers engine

Is a 147cc 4 stroke engine specially designed for rotary mowing. It has a large capacity cooling fan to prevent overheating with positive lubrication to top bearing , lower bearing being submerged in oil

They also fitted a Villiers 2 stroke engine a Heavy duty 140cc 'Torque-Major'
Ian

Cheers Ian and Jack. I knew you guys would recognise it - think I need to find something a little more obscure to challenge you both

It's there somewhere....

I used to sell God awful copies of Lister and Southern Cross stationary diesel engines. Made in India and the biggest crap I've ever had the displeasure of handling.

I have a new Farymann K34 small stationary diesel in my shed. Made in Germany and amazing quality.
One day I'll find someone with a compactor/vibrator (for concreting) that needs it and sell it.

Leo, nothing has changed Indian crap is still Indian crap

Hi Norm and Leo

Norm, India makes good machinery too, doesn't it?
As an after-taste, I love their food.

Nice subliminal message in the artwork Leo G
I guess its titled "Diesel smoke over India".

All very atmospheric.
--------------------------
Jack

Jack I haven't come across any good machinery from India yet but I could be wrong. I have been really soured with Indian rubbish after rebuilding countless Indian built Enfields many with less that 10,000ks on the motors. Built properly with good parts from England and they are a good machine, well as far as Enfields can be.

"Lister and Southern Cross stationary diesel engines. Made in India"
I did know there was a Southern Cross made in India, what do they call it
With Lister made in India I have been told do not start them before pulling them apart to clean out the sand removing burs and reset the clearance and then they are a OK engine
Ian

No subliminal message, it was one of my few photos with the Southern Cross clearly visible.
If I were to title it I'd call it "Storm front over Bowenfels" (south of Lithgow, NSW on the highway)

Same tree, same day:



Same location/time:




The Aussie version I used to sell (bosses insistence) were branded Metex and they were absolute CRAP. No two identical spares fitted the same or even fitted. The cranks continually cracked.

I used to recommend customers purchase the nice little Chinese stationary we sold for just a few dollars more. We made bigger profits on the Indian junk but every engine/part I sold there were always issues. I never had a Chinese industrial returned for warranty but had every Indian piece of rubbish returned at least once.

Someone may find the Southern Cross in the following two images but I'm not even going to try and look (you'd never guess, I'm into photography and astronomy)




All my own shots.

Lovely photography!
can you give details of the camera, lens, exposure, aperture, etc? Tracking mount?

Are you involved with any observatories? One or two in the Blue Mts from what I remember...

(sorry for off topic)

Thanks,

Hi Leo G
The only Metex I could fined looks more like a copy of a small Petter
I would like to track down which one was Southern Cross
This site is about the best out of India
http://www.vidhataindia.com/wpeter.html
Ian

They had the petter copy too.

I wouldn't know where to track one down now. My bosses company (LPM) was the Aussie agents for them back in the early 90's. That was in Newtown, NSW but the boss sold out, retired and died. The company moved but went more gas sales (gas kits for vehicles) whereas when I was there I was responsible for all forklift and industrial spares which somehow went to the metex and other Indian made crap.


My camera is an old Nikon D80 10.2MP. The lens varies for the job obviously but the Milky Way was shot with my Samyang F2.8 14mm ED (an excellent value wide angle ED lens),30 second exposure (ISO 800-1000) and the lightning was shot with a Nikkor 18-55 F3.5, ISO 400. As for aperture and exposure times I have no idea on the lightning shots but it likely would have probably been F3.5 and bulb exposure. I release the trigger after the lightning has appeared. I use an adequate quality tripod (it's no Manfrotto) and an intervalometer for remote triggering to avoid shake. I could check exposures but it would be near impossible to find original images to read the data (I shoot in RAW mostly). I have thousands of images which I mostly don't share anywhere.

I'm a member of an astronomical society but have no involvement with observatories. I instead use my collection of telescopes in my back yard on a computerised GOTO mount.

I have refractors in 80, 90, 102 and 152mm and reflectors in 130 and 200mm

Here's the identical lightning shot I posted above as shot by my son on his mobile phone (LG 13MP camera) and it was his first attempt with me. It's an amazing photo and while not having the camera and lens quality of my shot it's a wider angle shot and shows the mountains.
It was quite coincidental that we both got the same shots of the same strike at the same moment.
I think it's a striking shot, especially since my son has little to do with photography due to fine motor skill problems and the inability to hold a camera steady (he does however love my somewhat large-ish collection of antique cameras and equipment).

Thanks Leo!