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!!