Mowing ..

[danzvtil]

Been enjoying my husqvarna hedgers, but today was working low in a tight spot and managed to take a chunk out of my left leg above the knee through my shorts!
9 stitches,a tetanus shot and antibiotics later, I’m home. Be careful with your tools guys!

[Citroënbender]

Could have been worse! Glad you were in a spot to get treated promptly.

[.:4:.]

So the last time i ran my mower, mid mow it got very loud. So its a 2010 18' victa vantage with a 158cc briggsy. So not the quietest, but deffinately not the loudest. With the loud tinny noise my first guess was the muffler was shagged. The fix was simpler then that. A bolt backed out that holds a heat sheild to the motor.
For the domestic its been a very reliable mower. Maintenance wise its had a couple oil changes in its life and replacement blades. Still cold starts first pull every time.

[CFOUR]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Happy mowing!

Would you mind posting a couple of pics of the blades and the shoot without the catcher fitted? I'm not familiar with this generation of Victa's.

as requested. any questions just let me know.




2nd use today this time on damp grass, was a champ again, full catcher every time and wide cut made fast work.

[DFB FGXR6]

Looks like Stihl are branching out into the hair care industry......................

[DaveD]

And Dyson are coming out with air-purifying headphones with active noise cancelling. Just what every lawnie needs!



https://www.dyson.co.uk/wearables/dy...s/announcement

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I have a commercial lawn that I have been doing for about 21 years now. This is a double sided nature strip that flanks both sides of the business's driveway and are about double the length of the average nature strip on each side. On the left hand side, the lawn continues into a neighboring mechanics business.

I have been doing the neighbors side out of curtesy the whole time. Partly because it just looks better, partly because it's only an extra 6 meters or so and partly because I'm a generous person.

I do this job on Sunday's so that I'm not contending with the usual traffic flow on week days, as such I never come in contact with the neighboring business. Today, the mechanic who owns the shop pulls into his driveway as I'm mowing towards him. He then gestures to me to do his part of the lawn! I mean, I have been doing his lawn for 20 years without charge, what made him think I would not do it again today? Or even perhaps stop me, and perhaps say thanks for doing the lawn for me.

I think from this point on, I will draw a line with roundup to mark the boundary and leave his part to grow as high as it wants until he figures it out! Put another way, would the mechanic do mechanical work for free for someone for 20 years without charge? No, of course he wouldn't. Nor will I from this point onwards!

Ok, so I didn't do the roundup trick, but my point is slowing being made.





Pity the growth has started to taper off as the difference would be much greater by now.

I'm a petty man.............

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Ok, so I didn't do the roundup trick, but my point is slowing being made.

image

image

Pity the growth has started to taper off as the difference would be much greater by now.

I'm a petty man.............

Your not too petty. Throw down some cow crap or other unpleasant fertiliser for that small section to make it grow like nuts.
Anyhow. After a few other maintenance things for my mower yesterday, i cleaned a lot of caked on grass crap from the underside of the deck of my mower. Thats something ive never done. That seriously made a world of difference towards the catcher.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Your not too petty. Throw down some cow crap or other unpleasant fertiliser for that small section to make it grow like nuts.
Anyhow. After a few other maintenance things for my mower yesterday, i cleaned a lot of caked on grass crap from the underside of the deck of my mower. Thats something ive never done. That seriously made a world of difference towards the catcher.

Worthwhile doing as it improves the airflow and therefore catching efficiency

Best thing for the job is a paint scraper and a wire brush.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Worthwhile doing as it improves the airflow and therefore catching efficiency

Best thing for the job is a paint scraper and a wire brush.

image

I used a preasure nozzle on my hose. I have good water preassure.
The amount of caked on crap was 2 to 3 times that amount. Domestic mower with domestic half arsed user.
Anhow, swingback blades swing back, blades not beat up. Oil, golden coloured. Level, a tad low, topped up to a tad below full but not by much. Green bin night today so a quick run over my grass that didnt need to done, but might aswell fill the bin. Its the 1 time.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

I used a preasure nozzle on my hose. I have good water preassure.
The amount of caked on crap was 2 to 3 times that amount. Domestic mower with domestic half arsed user.
Anhow, swingback blades swing back, blades not beat up. Oil, golden coloured. Level, a tad low, topped up to a tad below full but not by much. Green bin night today so a quick run over my grass that didnt need to done, but might aswell fill the bin. Its the 1 time.

I find using a pressure washer for this to be very messy, I end up wearing the grass I'm trying to remove.

[Rockabilly74]

I haven't been on this forum very long but I just found this thread.

Thank you all!!!

I have been in the horticulture / landscaping / excavation industry for over 30 years.

This ongoing conversation has just made my day.

I still have my old mans Victor toe cutter, which I used to help push as a kid. Still have all my toes. Hopefully I will have it restored one day.

Cheers,

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I find using a pressure washer for this to be very messy, I end up wearing the grass I'm trying to remove.

I use a pressure nozzle on a garden hose.

[mad2]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I find using a pressure washer for this to be very messy, I end up wearing the grass I'm trying to remove.

Originally Posted by .:4:.

I use a pressure nozzle on a garden hose.

i use a pressure washer



i make sure the water does NOT blow back at me

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by mad2

i use a pressure washer



i make sure the water does NOT blow back at me

A pressure nozzle on a garden hose. Theres a bit of a difference between that and a preassure washer. But who cares either way. Clean deck better mowing.

[Rockabilly74]

Clean blades, makes for a clean shave, just saying.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Rockabilly74

I haven't been on this forum very long but I just found this thread.

Thank you all!!!

I have been in the horticulture / landscaping / excavation industry for over 30 years.

This ongoing conversation has just made my day.

I still have my old mans Victor toe cutter, which I used to help push as a kid. Still have all my toes. Hopefully I will have it restored one day.

Cheers,

Hold onto the toe cutter, they were awesome.

My neighbor had a 1970's Victa Utility, you could here that thing three blocks away. He actually smashed a couple of car windows in the street using it over the years. When he died, his wife threw it away. I wish she had asked me as I would have bought it off her.



I went out and bought a brand new Utility before they stopped making two-stroke engines. Wish they stayed this clean.........

[Citroënbender]

I had two toecutters, one with the cast chassis, recoil starter and larger air filter/choke and an older one with pressed metal chassis (IIRC), wraparound starter pulley and the rubber snorkel with small filter screen. Eventually put both out for scrap, the scavengers grabbed them in seconds.

[LG17]

My old man had a toecutter from brand new.
His toes were safe but his fingers werent.
I remember one day we were on either side of the mower which was running.I don't remember what he was doing but his fingers ended up getting sliced.
He turned the mower off, wrapped a hanky around his fingers and we got a tram to PA hospital where they stitched him up.

[Tonz]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

I had two toecutters, one with the cast chassis, recoil starter and larger air filter/choke and an older one with pressed metal chassis (IIRC), wraparound starter pulley and the rubber snorkel with small filter screen. Eventually put both out for scrap, the wheeler dealer recyclers grabbed them in seconds.

edited

[Rockabilly74]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Hold onto the toe cutter, they were awesome.

My neighbor had a 1970's Victa Utility, you could here that thing three blocks away. He actually smashed a couple of car windows in the street using it over the years. When he died, his wife threw it away. I wish she had asked me as I would have bought it off her.

image

I went out and bought a brand new Utility before they stopped making two-stroke engines. Wish they stayed this clean.........

image

image

I am hopeful to have an end product looking like this:

[Citroënbender]

That’s like the newer one I had. The other was a super early unit - looking at pictures, a Rotomo series 1.

[Rockabilly74]

I am a fan of the old gear.

I keep close to all that connects me to my past.

[Tonz]

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Tonz

image

Yikes! No thanks!!

Trivia -

How can you tell a Chinese made vs American made Briggs side valve engine?

The Chinese ones have vertical ribs cast into the back of the block like the one pictured above. The American ones, about pre-2005, have smooth outer castings.

[.:4:.]

Ive made my verdict towards the ozito 51cc whippersnipper/has other attachments thing.
I like it. Im past complaining about how heavy it is because it takes a quarter of the time to get the job done. How long till the thing craps out? I dunno, but its domestic use. So probably a raging peice of crap if used for comercial work. But i like it. Well so far....

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Ive made my verdict towards the ozito 51cc whippersnipper/has other attachments thing.
I like it. Im past complaining about how heavy it is because it takes a quarter of the time to get the job done. How long till the thing craps out? I dunno, but its domestic use. So probably a raging piece of crap if used for commercial work. But i like it. Well so far....

This one?

https://ozito.com.au/products/51-7cc...-1-multi-tool/

It has a full crank engine so it should be last you a while.

[DFB FGXR6]

I got to pretend I was an arborist today. Best bit was playing with the chainsaws.........





I got most of it down with the MSA 120 and it did better than it had any right to. I had to get the petrol powered saw out to cut the last remaining meter of trunk level at the ground.



The chain fitted to the MSA 120 has pretty small teeth so it's ability to cut bigger material is limited. I got all the cutting I needed done with that machine on one charge.

The Stihl 009L may look small but it packs a 41cc engine so it's power to weight ratio is strong. It also has a more normal teeth size on it's chain.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Facebook Marketplace find:

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

This one?

https://ozito.com.au/products/51-7cc...-1-multi-tool/

It has a full crank engine so it should be last you a while.

Yeah, one of those.