DFB's Greenthumb Project

[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.

[DJM83]

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

[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.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

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

Seems they still make these -

https://www.mitre10.com.au/flymo-sim...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.google.ca/search?q=flymo...dpr=1.25#spd=0

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Five – The Honda.

In December 2008, after a little bit of cheeky encouragement from a college, I went ahead and replaced my well used Victa Razor with a new Honda HRU197 Buffalo Bull. I paid $719 after trade-in.





These were an alloy deck mower with a 19inch cut. The engine was the GSV-190 with 187cc, belt driven OHC and a cast-iron bore. Honda called these “Uni-Block”, meaning the cylinder head and block were all one piece, with the engine split diagonally.







I remember at the time Briggs and Stratton had a brochure pointing out how this OHC/Uni-Block design prevented easy maintenance or repair of the valve train. Honda countered with claims of being the lightest engine in its class and offered quieter operation. In operation, this was the smoothest and quietest lawn mower I would ever have. It was great on fuel as well.

However, my overall experience with this mower was not very positive.

First the buying process. The salesman was borderline arrogant and was very pushy. As I have mentioned previously, I had done my research and knew what I wanted. I was sure as hell not paying for stuff I didn’t want, like the mulching kit. I also took issue with having to pay more to have a snorkel air filter, something that probably should have been standard considering the Honda brand being THE contractors choice. But I pushed on, trading my old Razor in at the same time.

Things didn’t get off to a good start. Very first job it did, the thing would only run on the choke. I took it back and they blamed dirty fuel and charged me for the repair. When I got it back and ran it for a few weeks, I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t catching very well. Again, back to the shop, where I was told the standard procedure was to fit their mowers with two high-lift and two low-lift blades, this was apparently so their customers wouldn’t be working “in a cloud of dust”. Fine, but the thing isn’t delivering a clean cut and all MY customers have lush, irrigated lawns. Two extra high-lift blades were fitted at my cost.

Another thing that annoyed me was how the catcher would fall off due to a poorly designed flap and catcher setup. I also found the angle of the handlebars was too low, meaning it was uncomfortable to use all day long for my tall stature. Combining the handlebars, the heaviness of the machine and the skinny wheels, it was just something ended up hating to use.

I really, really wanted to like this mower. At the time, it felt like I had graduated and joined the big boys when I bought myself a Honda. Even my clients commented about it. Things didn’t start off well, and they just didn’t improve as time went on, in fact they got worse. I would finally give up and go in a different direction 18 months later.

Next – Another disappointment.

[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!!

[DFB FGXR6]

Next – Going BIG!!

Chapter Eight – A Big Learning Experience



It was Spring of 2013 and with my business busier than ever, I needed something to speed up my mowing time. At this point I will say that a ride-on mower does not suit my mowing run, often access is limited, nor does lugging a trailer everywhere I go appeal……..oh, and I can’t reverse one either! So, I decided to look at wider cutting mowers with self-propel. My focus turned to Toro and John Deere, both selling wide cut models with self-propel.

Price and feature count made the John Deere JS48 a really enticing proposition. The JS48 was the top end model, sharing it’s 22 inch cut and “MowMentum” drive system with the lower models, a system where the top of the handlebar pivoted, the further forward you pushed, the faster the mower would move. Over the front-drive JS38, the 48 had the Briggs 875 190cc engine with a spin-on oil filter, electric start and rear-wheel drive. The catchers were huge and in addition offered both mulching and side throw functions. For the price of $649, the price of a low end Victa, these mowers certainly impressed…………………………………………………on paper.

https://www.metropolitanmachinery.co...d%20models.pdf





My initial use was very pleasing. The wide cut was reducing my mowing time. The drive system was so easy and intuitive to use. The key start was very handy, and the engine was STRONG, so strong it would occasionally backfire through the exhaust after a hot and heavy session. I also liked how easily the fabric catcher emptied. But…………………

When I started to ask more of this mower beyond cutting the tips of a very well-maintained lawn, the fundamental design of the deck started to cause me issues. These mowers, including the Toro competitors, were designed for the American market. The Americans cut their lawns very differently to Australians. Much higher cutting heights and a preference for mulching is a very different to how we cut lawns, or how customers expect their lawn to look after a mow.





Starting with the blade design, these mowers were specified with one-piece blade specifically suited to mulching. Again, due to mulching, the rear catcher chute was very, very small. If the grass was slightly wet or just a bit too tall, the chute would block constantly, requiring the engine to be stopped, the catcher removed, the chute unblocked, the catcher re-attached and the engine re-started. Over and over and over and over again. It was the same story for the side-discharge chute. The height adjustment was also geared toward mulching, the only setting really suitable for my customers lawns was the lowest, and when on that setting, it would drag it’s axle/gearbox across the ground, often digging down and leaving bare spots. So, a machine that was supposed to be saving me time was actually no quicker, perhaps even slower, than using a smaller push mower.

The above is why I am quite vocal on discouraging people from buying these American style mowers, Toro’s and certain Honda’s included. I think it’s quite telling that John Deere no longer sell these machines in Australia. It's reviews are not good either -

https://www.productreview.com.au/lis...-j-series-js48

In many ways, these mowers are quite like Americans in general, all-talk, more-is-more and bigger the better mentality. If nothing else, the JS48 taught me a lesson in “you get what you pay for”. I moved it on in less than 7 months for a mower that I would keep for a very long time.

Top Tip – this mower actually still exists in Australia. It’s called the Stihl RMA 510 and has an electric motor in place of the petrol engine. My boss has one of these and it has all of the issues my John Deere had.

https://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Produ...Skin-Only.aspx

Next - A Ute.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Nine – My first Utility Mower.

This purchase was another case of me cracking the sh.ts and buying out of frustration. One of the selling points for me regarding the John Deere was the side throw function. I had a few jobs on the docket that were simply a case of slashing down growth.

In such situations, a catcher is not needed and the ability to have the clippings thrown to one side made the cutting process so much easier. Basically, you start on the outside and work your way inwards, each pass throwing clipping on to the part you had mowed previously. This makes it easier on the engine as it does not have to deal with un-mowed grass along with freshly mowed clippings. Progress is therefore faster. However, the John Deere couldn’t even do that. I was half-way through a job and getting more and more frustrated with constant blockages. I got in the Ute and went and bought a real mower!

I was offered two utility mowers, the Super Swift Big Bob and the Masport 530 Utility. Both brands also made smaller 18inch utilities, but I wanted the bigger 21inch cut. I was open to either of these two mowers, to the point where I asked the salesman which he would choose. He instantly pointed to the Masport, and this wasn’t a case of the Masport being more expensive either. I think that instant response was telling. In actual fact, I had been researching both of these machines for a while, the Big Bob seemed to get a lot of bad reviews for cracked handles. In fact, you will note the two braces in the pic below; those were added to mitigate the problem.





The Masport would end up being a great mower. While like the rest of their range, Masport offered a choice of engines, my choice was again the Briggs 850. This engine would smash through thick, wet and tall grass with no problem at all. Although, the governor on this particular engine was initially very sensitive, it wouldn’t take much to put the thing into a canter of surging revs. It got better as it broke in though. I was especially impressed with how tough the thing was after accidentally dropping the thing off the back of my ute, handles first! (DON’T ASK!). A quick tweak and the thing was as good as new. A true commercial mower.

The Masport 530 Utility cost me $749 in late 2013. These are still available today, along with the smaller 480 version –

480 - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...460-st-s18-625

530 DOV - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde.../utility-530-3

530 Kohler (Please don't!) - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde.../utility-530-2

President 530 DOV - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...sident-ute-530

President 530 850 I/C - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...utility-530-ic

Pro-Power 530 850 - https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garde...21-utility-850

Next - Arguably the best mower I ever owned.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Ten – A Very Hard Worker!

The disappointment that was the John Deere led me to researching a replacement that would not have its failings. I still wanted a larger cut and with my body was starting to protest, I absolutely wanted self-propel. I don’t remember looking at many options this time, there are very few 21/22inch self-propel mowers on the market. Victa was ruled out as they had dropped their commercial catching mowers. I looked at what Honda was offering, they had just started selling their HRX217 with the NeXite (plastic) deck, but after the trouble I had with the JD, I was NOT buying another American mower. Their other machines were also compromised by having a half chute. After reading good reviews from other commercial users, I would set my sights on the Rover ProCut line.





At the time, Rover offered both 19 and 21 inch alloy deck commercial grade mowers, with or without self-propel. I narrowed my focus to the larger deck and self-propel, I then had to decide on the engine. In previous years, these mowers were fitted with pretty stout Briggs & Stratton engines. However, I was given the Chinese 196cc “Rover” engine or the 173cc Kohler which were also Chinese made, just without the Chinese price tag. I went with the lesser of two evils and paid the price premium for the Kohler. The engine was the only thing about this machine I did not love, more on that soon.

Older 850 powered ProCut -



The "Rover" engine -



The Mighty Kohler -





The machine itself was very well built, especially the chassis and wheels. The belt driven gearbox was mounted above the chassis, meaning it did not take up space in the discharge chute so that it would catch glass clippings with ease. I mean, what a concept! The catcher was suitably huge, so much so that I would often be using this mower as a vacuum during the autumn months. This mower also mulched brilliantly, a time saver on certain jobs. Although it didn’t have the brilliantly intuitive personal pace of the John Deere, the Rover’s single speed gearbox was fast enough for me. Another quirk, this machine had an engine brake or dead-mans-handle. I rigged a cheap clamp so that I didn’t need to re-start the engine after emptying the catcher.







As I said earlier, the engine would be my only gripe. Right from the beginning, it always seemed to burn oil. Not in a smoky way, however this is the only mower I have had that needed top ups between oil changes. I also found the muffler too small; it was a very loud engine as a result. And after having run a few 190cc Briggs, the 173cc Kohler did not have the unstoppable torque that would have been welcome on Kikuyu lawns. Having said that, the large fuel tank opening was a brilliant feature, something that ALL engine makers should look at.

The Rover was a machine that I would keep the longest, save for the “keepsakes”. This was mainly because there was nothing on the market to replace it with, and because this was a machine that just “worked”. After a string of disappointments, the Rover was a faithful working partner. And because I ran it so long, I had to replace a few drive-line parts along the way. That in addition to the usual blades, oil, filters and plugs. Check out the bald front wheels -







In March 2014, I paid $749 after trade of the John Deere for the Rover. I ran this mower into the ground, finally retiring it in September 2020. I actually keep a record of the dollar value each mower earns, you would be staggered at how much money this mower generated.

Next – A couple of helpful additions.

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter Eleven – It’s official, I have a problem!

This is where I start to get a little more indulgent. It’s now mid-2014, my business was extremely successful and I had more work than I knew what to do with. The Rover was doing the heavy lifting and the Masport Ute doing the rough stuff. My little red Corvette and green Mustang were not fit for regular use. The Mustang DOV was at my sisters. I did however “need” a reliable, lighter duty and more manageable mower that would be suitable for smaller properties.

By now, Victa were again making the 850 powered Mustang, a mower that I wanted a few years prior. I would end up swapping the DOV out at my sisters for the Frankenstein Rover, and then traded it in for the Mustang 850. I know, my thinking process is, let’s say, complex! I want what I want!



So basically, I was buying an engine in this case. This particular version of the 850 was spec’d with an automotive style spin-on oil filter and the fuel tank came fitted with a primitive gauge.



When I had to take some extended time off for surgery in early 2018, I ended up loaning this machine out so that my main group of customers could be serviced by another group employee. His remark when it was returned was of how much grunt it had, I just smiled in acknowledgement.

The Mustang 850 has been at the top of Victa’s domestic line-up ever since. After $250 trade of the Mustang DOV, I paid $550 for this mower. These days, this is a $1049 machine.

https://www.victa.com/au/en_au/produ...stang-850.html

[DFB FGXR6]

Chapter 12 – Sentimental Indulgence.

When Victa announced that their 2-Stroke engine was being gradually phased out, I knew I wanted to get one before they were no longer available. For so long, I never understood the point in a 2-Stroke mower. But as I got older, the sound and smell of a Victa 2-Stroke was a vivid reminder of my grandfather. Once again, I was being influenced by sentiment.

By this stage, Victa were only selling a small selection of domestic mowers with the 160cc 2-Stroke engine, the 19inch alloy base Mustang being at the top of the line-up. The commercial range continued to offer the engine as well, being available on the Utility MasterCut and the MulchMaster. There were two power levels for these EcoTorque engines, a roughly 4hp VS160 version for entry level mowers and the 6hp VEX60 version. The VS160 would rev quite low, the VEX60 version had the ability to accelerate under load, making it good for thick and wet grass. These later generation of Victa 2-Stroke’s were somewhat neutered compared to earlier engines, they didn’t scream their heads off due to emissions.





My local (drug) dealer did not have these in stock so I actually had to order my Mustang 2-Stroke. Demand for those engines was low by this point. In mid-2015, I paid $750 for this mower.



For the most part, I mainly bought this mower for sentimental reasons. Think of it as the same as those who went out and bought the last model Falcon and Commodore. In reality, this mower has been very helpful on jobs that needed some real power to cut down overgrown lawns. I would now understand what a 2-Stroke mower was all about! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will stop this engine. It can power up and cut through even the thickest of Kikuyu. All the while accompanied by a massive amount of noise and smoke! I love it!







It even makes a good shredder -



I still have this machine and intend to keep it as long as I can.

[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

[Citroënbender]

I’ve got a recipro?

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

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

I have a solution for you.........................

[Citroënbender]

Why does the last pruner not come back? Is the supervision a little intense?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Why does the last pruner not come back? Is the supervision a little intense?

Nah, they were just her clients, or clients husbands, no one professional or serious.

[Citroënbender]

I’m tempted, worst case is DFB says “Next year I’ll come and do it so he doesn’t butcher it again”…

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

I’m tempted, worst case is DFB says “Next year I’ll come and do it so he doesn’t butcher it again”…

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Nah, they were just her clients, or clients husbands, no one professional or serious.

Well, considering how hard I prune roses, I might get you in trouble with the wife and I would not be invited back.

I love the look and gasps of disbelief when someone, usually a female, sees me going full steam on a rose.

[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