DFB's Greenthumb Project

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Very well explained. A couple of points I will add.

Clover is often also an indicator of too much moisture, something a bit hard to control during the cooler months.

As mentioned, feed the lawn in spring or once the days are consistently warmish. Don't bother feeding now as it won't offer much effect or benefit during winter.

Avoid "Weed-n-Feed" type products. These simply burn away broad leaf weeds (clover inc) and leave the root system behind, allowing the weed to recover and return. Good stratagy for selling more product, hey?

Using a broad-leaf weed killer will kill the whole plant. Which you use will be dependent on what type of lawn you have. For most situations Couch, Kikuyu and Fescue are treated differently to Buffalo. So, if you have a predominance of Buffalo, make sure to choose an appropriate product.

We sell Searls products, so that is what I know. For general lawn weed control, look at Bindi and Clover Killer or Lawnweeder.

https://www.searlesgardening.com.au/...or-lawns-500ml
https://www.searlesgardening.com.au/...n-weeder-200ml

For Buffalo, use Buffalo Master.

https://www.searlesgardening.com.au/...edkiller-200ml

Only trouble with that will be actually getting some. A lot of these have been on back-order for months now. Another Covid casualty.

Just adding to this post.

Applying these selective weed killers, I generally mix them up in a separate weed sprayer to avoid cross-contamination. Make sure the lawn is hydrated beforehand, but without water/moisture on the foliage. Then spot spray the areas that need to be treated. You may need to do a follow up spray in 7 days to ensure a good kill.

[FTE217]

haha I should be working might I add
I'm sure DFB will add far more than I did and different products most likely.
Main thing is feed the lawns early spring, easy job, that will build strong lawn and reduce heaps of weeds trying to grow.

[Citroënbender]

I see clover as a pasture plant - food, not a weed. The bees love it.

[FTE217]

Cheers DFB and agree Searls is a good product used it before.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Two – Supplemental.

These are a couple of pics of the Victa brochure from that era.







You can see this mower cost $420 back in the day. A similarly powered model today would be the $599 Corvette 200 or de-contented Classic Cut offered at Bunnings for $449. That $479 would not include assembly, oil and initial inspection and start up.

https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...vette-200.html
https://www.bunnings.com.au/victa-18...mower_p0079521

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Three – Victa VC Mustang.





I can’t remember the exact year here, but it was the very early 2000’s, perhaps even 1999. When my grandfather decided to replace his well-used Victa, he replaced it with a Rover Quick Start, similar to the one below -





That mower was a shift for him, moving from a 2-Stroke to a 158cc 4-Stoke Briggs and Stratton, dubbed the Quattro 40 with 40 referring to 4hp. My grandfather would go on to give me his old mower, clearly he knew what it meant to me.





This mower, a 1970’s Victa VC Mustang fitted with the 160cc engine. Victa in those days made three different configurations of their 2-Stroke engine, the 125cc, the 160cc and the 170cc Twin cylinder. These engines are different to the engines made from the early 80’s onwards, featuring a full crank shaft compared to the mono-block half crank “Powertorque” motors. The older full-crank engines revved much, much harder than the later ones too.





The mower was very much a reflection of my grandparent’s era, working with what you had and fixing things along the way. The wheels were screwed back together, the catcher patched up a few times as well.





This is another sentimental keepsake. I used it occasionally after I got it but has sat largely un-used for a very long time now. It still ran strong, but I don’t trust it from a safety perspective. And every time I use or hear a Victa 2-Stroke, it reminds me of him.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Four – Getting Serious.

In mid 2006, my business was growing and I took on a large group of high-end customers. In fact, they were one of the richest families in the country. In many ways, I was intimidated by them and pretty much continued to be up until I decided to move on at the end of 2020. As such, I made sure I did everything to perfection. Up until this point, I was using my trusty little red Victa, but I could see that I was going to need something better, something more powerful and something more professional.

Once again, I knew exactly what I wanted. The choice was another Victa, my focus lasered in on the new alloy decked Razor.



This was a range of mowers with a new design 19 inch alloy deck, one that is still made today with a few modifications. The Razor was unique in having a rather different handle design. The mounting points to the deck were familiar, however the handle angled in and rose up before looping out and around to for the upper handlebar. Uniquely, it had a molded plastic holder for a drink bottle. I absolutely loved that idea; on long hot day’s it was very handy to have some refreshment so easily accessible. I don’t think I have used a mower as ergonomic to maneuver as this Victa with that handle. Sadly, Victa phased it out a while ago, along with the nifty drink bottle holder.



The Razor could be had with three engines, the 6hp VSX 2-Stoke, the Honda GCV160 and the Briggs & Stratton Quantum XTS60. I went with the 190cc B&S, which like the 2-Stroke, had a snorkel air filter. I remember the first lawn I mowed with that machine and was immediately impressed with the big increase in grunt it had compared to my little red Victa.





I paid $650 for this mower after shopping around. A similar mower now would be around $1000.

Victa would later go on to make these in a blue and grey colour scheme -







I would run this mower for nearly 2.5 years. It did plenty of work, to the point I had to replace the rear wheels. I remember showing the guy at the mower shop the worn-out wheels, his response was that I had “done some miles”. It owed me nothing in the end, I traded it in on something newer after it started to get a touch smoky. This is a mower I wish I had kept; I know you can’t keep them all, but these machines were not made in the sort of numbers that their cheaper brothers were and I rarely see them for sale on the used market.

Next – Moving on up.

[roKWiz]

With all the buzz (sic) around electric mowers these days do they still make the ol Flymo plug in.

[FTE217]

can't say I've spotted the ol Flymo in the market since the ol days......

DFB its interesting re the beloved Victa.
Once massive market leader, IF I recall right once GUD Holding sold it off the brand went on the nose and backwards in QC being Made In wherever.
Its great seeing the brand has really come back into the fold and great offerings.
Someone within the management got their act together thankfully to get the brand back where it belongs.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by FTE217

DFB its interesting re the beloved Victa.
Once massive market leader, IF I recall right once GUD Holding sold it off the brand went on the nose and backwards in QC being Made In wherever.
Its great seeing the brand has really come back into the fold and great offerings.
Someone within the management got their act together thankfully to get the brand back where it belongs.

There was a lot of backlash when the company was sold to Briggs and Stratton, a lot of people went elsewhere. The reality is that the things that made them good mowers did not change, the deck design and the airflow path in particular.

I think you need to choose carefully from their range right now. For some reason, Briggs and Stratton have allowed Victa to start fitting non-Briggs engines on various models. The only reason I can think of is that Briggs own the company that makes those motors. They also make some very cheap entry level models with poor deck design and associated attachments.

From their current lineup, I would avoid choosing the Ultralite and Corvette V127 or any of the "Victa 4-stroke" engines with 127cc, 144cc or 170cc.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

There was a lot of backlash when the company was sold to Briggs and Stratton, a lot of people went elsewhere. The reality is that the things that made them good mowers did not change, the deck design and the airflow path in particular.

I think you need to choose carefully from their range right now. For some reason, Briggs and Stratton have allowed Victa to start fitting non-Briggs engines on various models. The only reason I can think of is that Briggs own the company that makes those motors. They also make some very cheap entry level models with poor deck design and associated attachments.

From their current lineup, I would avoid choosing the Ultralite and Corvette V127 or any of the "Victa 4-stroke" engines with 127cc, 144cc or 170cc.

Thats it BS bought them.
Made good points DFB Thanks.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Six – The Short Lived Masport.

The disappointment that was the Honda gave me an excuse to trade it on something different. This time I went looking for something lighter and more ergonomic for my body. For whatever reason, I went away from Victa this time and ended up considering Masport’s.

I still wanted to a 19inch cut and Masport offered both steel and alloy bases with powerful engines. I decided on the steel base and remember being offered the old Briggs 190cc side-valve, the all-new Briggs DOV 161cc (more on that in another chapter) and the then new Briggs 850 series 190cc engines. Me being me, I went with the BIG ONE! After trade of the Honda, the Masport with the 850-engine cost me $599, good value for the power and features this mower offered.





Mapsort still sell this model largely the same as the one I bought in October 2010 in both Platinum Series (Silver) and President Series (Green) –

https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...st-s19-2-n1-ic
https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...t-s19-combo-ic



Right from the get-go, the 850-engine won me over. Nothing stopped this engine, especially after I had given it a little tune-up. It would rev hard and smash through just about anything. I mentioned in a previous chapter how Briggs went away from horsepower ratings for their engines at about this time. The 850 series was right at the top of their lawnmower engines, in fact there would also be an 875 variant too. These were aimed at commercial users and had an OHV head and cast-iron bores. The 850 produced 11.5 Nm or torque, and it showed. The horsepower would have been at the 6.5 mark. To give some context, the DOV option produced 10.2 Nm and the ancient 190cc side-valve only 9.1 Nm. I also liked the wide and smooth-running wheels. The catcher didn’t fall off either.



However, after about 10 months, the thing got progressively harder and harder to push. The cut quality was getting worse and worse too. I can’t remember if it was me or the shop who found the problem; completely worn through front axle bushes that had then allowed the axle to flog out the actual chassis. New axle bushes and a repair sleaves were installed, but it was too late, it was just too far gone to be sufficiently effective.

I limped it through until September 2012. I remember that day quite well as I had cracked the sh.ts and drove down to the mower shop and bought a new machine right then and there! I explained the problem with the Masport, that the chassis was root.d but the engine was strong as an ox. I left that day with a brand-new mower (more on that next chapter) and the plan of putting that 850 engine on a second-hand chassis.

I was shown a few second-hand chassis that were traded in with worn out engines. I eventually chose a 18inch steel Rover base. The big 850 engine dwarfed the chassis but made for a handy backup machine, mainly for slashing down empty blocks. The best bit was making use of that engine again.

Next – Victa’s Return!

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter 7 – The Return To Victa

I bought this mower in a bit of rush and it would end up being an interim solution. I needed something right away, and after dealing with the pathetically weak steel chassis Masport, I did not want to repeat that mistake.

I thought I would add a couple of disclaimers at this point -

a) This recount of my mower history spans the better part of 22 years.

b) While technically my machines would be classified as "commercial" use, they are not being used all-day-every-day like a full-time contractor would. My usage case would sit in the middle of a homeowner and a contractor's usage patterns.

c) The worn-out Masport chassis was abnormally high wear. While I do use my machines to their fullest, I don't abuse them or neglect their upkeep.

The mower in question here was the Victa Mustang 750 DOV, which I paid $690 for in September 2012.



These DOV engines were an oddity, both in design and market positioning. Instead of pushrods for OHV actuation, these engines used lever arms driven by a geared camshaft. There were claims of less moving parts, reduced noise, lower oil temperatures and lower oil consumption. These were made with either cast-iron or aluminum bores and were 161cc in capacity.





This video shows how the valve train worked on these engines -



This engine pre-dated Briggs and Stratton’s move into having OHV’s across their lineup. As such, the DOV was aimed at more premium or commercial applications. But then so did the larger OHV 850 series. Looking back, the DOV engines make little sense, especially now that the rest of the line-up has moved to OHV. Briggs tried to rebrand the DOV as “Vanguard” to little success. They still make this engine for some reason. As for the claims of lower noise, I found that they sounded different rather quieter, having more valve-train clatter. Coming from the big 850, I certainly noticed a drop in performance, the DOV noticeably weaker on thick Kikuyu.

The mower itself was one I was already familiar with; the Mustang shared the same 19inch alloy chassis as my Razor from a few years ago. So, a proven formula, although sadly it lacked the Razor’s genius handle design.



I would use this mower for a period of time, becoming my backup and then being lent to my sister when she bought a new house. I would then sell it privately so I could get the exact machine I wanted when I bought this DOV Mustang but was not available at the time.

Next – Going BIG!!

[DJM83]

That VC Mustang.
We had one of those as a kid, recognised the picture

[Tonz]

no disrespect, I applaud you for your indulgence but I would love to hear your clients comments when you stop work and take photos of your mower(s)

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Tonz

no disrespect, I applaud you for your indulgence but I would love to hear your clients comments when you stop work and take photos of your mower(s)

None taken.

Some of those pics are taken at home, some at clients. When I'm mowing, I'm not on an hourly rate, so no cost to the customer. I also make sure there is nothing identifiable in the pics to protect their privacy. You will note I also don't mention names or locations and, in most cases, the owners are usually at work.

No harm done, I would not do this if I knew it would be unethical.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter 13 – A Ture Workhorse.



This purchase was much more functional, although mixed with a little “I want it” factor as well.

After reading about Victa Mulchmasters and how good they were, I began looking closely at getting one. The Mulchmaster is very much commercial grade mower, and for decades they have been prized for their durability and cut quality. These machines are very expensive and sell in low numbers, making used examples in decent condition very desirable. The earlier versions were called the Mulchmaster 550 and mostly powered by the HO 2-Stroke.







The Mulchmaster was updated in the early 2010’s and renamed the 560, powered by a variety of engines. The 2-Stroke was included in the range but phased out a couple of years ago. This version was the VEX60 variant and had a large capacity remote fuel tank for extended use.





Likewise, Honda engines were used on the Mulchmaster but discontinued a couple of years ago. Both the OHC GCV160 and the OHV GXV160 were offered depending on how Victa was feeling at the time.







There were also two Briggs and Stratton engines offered, initially the 190cc 850, followed by the rebranded DOV Vanguard, before returning to the 850 again.





Once again, the Victa website made choosing and ordering difficult. In September 2016 when I went shopping for one, both Vanguard and 850 engines were briefly sold side by side. Except Victa did not represent the 850 for sale despite there being a model code which dealers could order against. I eventually managed to get an 850 ordered in for me, the shop having never seen them before!



As mentioned earlier, the Mulchmaster is a commercial mower, suited to larger open spaces and where catching was not important. They could be operated in mulching mode or side discharge mode with the bung removed. Despite only having two blades, these mowers mulched brilliantly, and I could get finished results nearly equal to using a catcher. You can imagine how much time and effort that was saving me not have to bag and dispose of clippings. The large 21inch cut was also appreciated.





Victa sold both push and self-propel variants of the Mulchmaster and considering how heavy these mowers are, respect to anyone who ordered the push version! The belt driven gearbox was labelled as variable speed, offering a walking pace from 3.4 to 5.7 kph.



It took me a little while to learn how to “drive” this thing, mainly due to the heaviness of the machine and trying to mauver around corners or obstacles. I also had to remove the goofy side discharge shroud, it just got in the way and ground out too much.



This machine was the most expensive mower I had bought up to that point, costing me $1249 in 2016. The Mulchmaster range has been rationalized down to a single variant now, the self-propel 850 at $1749.

https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...aster-560.html

Maintenance wise, I have replaced the belt twice and had the driveline refurbished. I have also gone through three of the rubber leveling flaps at the back of the machine. Apart from that it’s been the usual oil, filters, blades and plugs. I also added some bike handlebar padded tape to the handle to make it more comfortable to use, a strange omission in my opinion.



This saved me a lot of time over the years and has paid for itself many, many times over. I have no intent on replacing it any time soon!

[DFB FGXR6]

Ok, so a little break from the machinery.

Work continued on remodeling the fernery creek line this week in between customers, weather and dealing with new stock.

As mentioned previously, this area had been neglected for a long time. My work on it in recent months has been to bring it back to spec by trimming or removing overgrown plants, digging out a matting of roots, reprofiling the edge with rocks and topping the rest with river stones. I have also had a lot of fun making little water falls within the creek itself.



Over the last two days, I moved and redisplayed stock away from the lower creek line to allow customers to better see this feature. Previously, we had been putting stock along the length of the creek to disguise its messiness.







This job has been very rewarding, hard work but worth the effort. Next, I plan to move upstream and continue the process.

Also this week, joy of joys, it's now rose pruning season!





I love rose pruning, it's one of those jobs that can do for hours and still want to do more. I can almost do it with my eyes closed.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

I love rose pruning, it's one of those jobs that can do for hours and still want to do more. I can almost do it with my eyes closed.

Cool, we're only 3hrs away so rock up here for a day. The Dragon Lady's got >60 of the English weeds and always has trouble finding someone to prune them

[FTE217]

DFB great work on the fernery creek line, we havee used pebbles here and there and the wife has liked making a rock bed garden around sucklings, I''l get a pick of it when we finally get some better weather.
I've rebuilt our small split level sandstone retaining walls and re planting (mostly natives) another hang in there for pics.
I/we also love doing this work very satisfying

[DFB FGXR6]

This Camellia is putting on a show at the front gate of my favorite customers. I planted this specimen and while it took a while to get established, it's really looking good at the moment. I should remember, but I'm pretty sure it's 'Emperor of Russia'.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter 14 – The Classic Victa Utility.

As a child, I vividly remember my neighbor mowing his lawn with very well used Victa Utility. These mowers did not have a catcher and simply discharged the clippings to the side. You could hear the thing screaming from four blocks away!



In May 2018, I decided I wanted one! This was another indulgent and sentimental purchase masquerading as a business expense! With the 2-Stroke engine being on the cusp of retirement, mine is of the last made. Once again, I had to special order this mower, trading my Masport Utility in on it. The mower shop I buy from by this stage don't even question my purchases, they just smile and take my money.









The Victa Utility has been made barely changed for decades and are aimed at property owners and council maintenance crew, much the same as the MulchMaster. They are a 18inch cut mower with the oval blade disc and tiny little blades. These machines are extremely light and nimble, making extended use a breeze.



The MasterCut has mostly featured the 2-Stroke engine in low-spec form. Also take note of the large capacity remote fuel tank. I actually had to replace that tank pretty early on after I accidentally snapped the fuel tap that mounts to the bottom of the tank. The result was me emptying the better part of 3 liters of 2-Stroke fuel onto the tray of my Ranger. Was not a happy DFB that day! I will also state at this point that these engines are specified to run on 25:1 fuel, printed on the engine itself and the user manual. This is despite Victa selling their own brand of 50:1 2-Stoke oil. The result is a very smoky engine.





Other engines have been offered on the MasterCut over the years as well, usually lower power units. At one point Victa sold a Honda OHC GCV160 version, along with 148 and 158cc side valve Briggs and Stratton’s. Now, they are fitted with the newer OHV 140 and 163cc engines.



https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...-460-500e.html
https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...60-725exi.html





I have found they can leave a clean cut on regularly trimmed lawns, however these mowers are designed for slashing down overgrown grass or where catching is not really needed. The 2-Stoke engine does not rev as hard as the VSX/VEX versions, but it does have plenty of grunt to smash through thick, wet grass.









This is another keeper. It cost me $449 after trade in 2018 and has paid for itself a number of times, despite it not getting as much use as the others.

[ford12]

Hey DFB.
Is it not too early too prune the roses. I'm in Keilor Victoria.

Also, might be too much to ask but how about a how to on pruning roses.

Thanks in advance

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by ford12

Hey DFB.
Is it not too early too prune the roses. I'm in Keilor Victoria.

Also, might be too much to ask but how about a how to on pruning roses.

Thanks in advance

I know of and shake my head at people who prune their roses on the first of June. Quite often, roses will still have foliage and even flowers in June.

Ideally, it's best to delay rose pruning till the very end of July at the earliest, mid-late August at the latest. In colder areas, you risk having re-growth burnt by frost when roses are pruned too early.

People tend to get gun shy when pruning roses. The reality is roses are extremely resilient and forgiving to bad technique. Horticulturalists can also be very snobby when it comes to pruning roses, in a way talking up their skills. Any pruning is better than none with roses, and if you follow a couple of steps, it's easier than many believe.

The below image breaks it down into steps -



Remove dead wood, remove inward or crossing branches, cut the remaining stems back by two-thirds to an outward facing bud. Angled cuts like below are desirable but not always doable or important.



More depth to rose pruning here -
https://www.treloarroses.com.au/Pruning-Roses

[Tonz]

took one look at the pic before reading your blurb and my back screamed... 'oh the pain'
good thinking

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Tonz

took one look at the pic before reading your blurb and my back screamed... 'oh the pain'
good thinking

The weight of one of those bags with potting mix and the tree itself is not especially heavy on it's own, about 20 kg. But done over and over and over, the weight adds up over the course of the day.

[Tonz]

Ive spent 2 days removing formica and 22mm chipboard off an old timber dining table.
Chisels, elec planers, angle grinder with scotchbrite pad(s), nail pullers, flat head screw drivers, and the list goes on. Tonite was expoxy resin fill the holes etc and a hot soaking bath. Back is still complaining.

[Citroënbender]

Mower history question. My father's first petrol mower here was a wind-up start two stroke with catcher, for whatever reason I remembered it as a Sunbeam or Victa. But having a surf of Google Images it seems the wind-up petrol mowers are Singers.

Am I mis-remembering? (mad2 will probably say this happens every PM I send… )

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Mower history question. My father's first petrol mower here was a wind-up start two stroke with catcher, for whatever reason I remembered it as a Sunbeam or Victa. But having a surf of Google Images it seems the wind-up petrol mowers are Singers.

Am I mis-remembering? (mad2 will probably say this happens every PM I send… )

Victa / Sunbeam mowers did also come with the windup and release starter action.

[Citroënbender]

Some of that looks perfectly familiar. The starter release lever, engine cover shape and catcher hook arms. Don’t think it was that colour though. It was a freebie via my mother’s networking, from wealthy relatives of the academic Peter Singer.