(first posted 5/18/2013) Note : Burt only sells locally. He is retiring, is selling everything in his lot, and is willing to make deals to clear it out. He is located in Eugene, OR. on Hwy 99. Please Do NOT CALL Burt about information, parts, service, or advice.
Some of us have manged to fall in love with all sorts of powered machinery in our lives. Ever since I figured out how to start an ancient self-propelled mower and hook a wagon to it to ride around the Yoder’s barnyard as an eight-year old, I’ve been smitten. I’ve shared my motley collection of old lawnmowers here, and I’ll get to my riding mower soon. Our town is famous for its curbside classics, but if your fancy runs to classic riding mowers and garden tractors, we have that base covered too, thanks to Burt’s.
Burt’s has been a fixture here since well before I moved here twenty years ago, selling used Lawnside Classics and such to the cognoscenti for whom a modern badge-engineered machine just won’t do. Like with so many things (appliances, etc), today most consumer riding mowers are made by just a handful of companies. Burt’s is almost a museum, but you can buy whatever catches your fancy, like a Ford to match your blue Crown Vic. Let’s take a look around.
Or this very husky Bolens, which had a rep for making tough machines. Genuine gear and shaft drive to the rear wheels; no belts here, except to the mower.
Simplicity is one of the pioneering makers of riding mowers and tractors, and they’re still independent. This is one of their big ones, with a horizontally-opposed twin (Kohler, I’m quite sure).
Wheel Horse is also a pioneering brand, from at least the early fifties, when the growth of suburbia opened up a big new market for riding mowers.
Something a bit more modest: a Montgomery Ward 8 hp rider. It looks to have been likely built by one of the mass-producers of lower end equipment, either MTD or Murray.
An Allis Chalmers, to go along with your big AC farm tractor. After John Deere and International got into the riding mower/garden tractor business, smaller farm tractor makers like AC had to do. It wouldn’t look right, having a loyal AC customer riding a John Deere on the lawn. I suspect it was built by someone else, a very common practice in this business; then and now.
Inside the fence, it’s a bit of a jumble.
Lots of John Deeres, including this 112, a direct descendent of the first JD garden tractor, the legendary 110 from 1963. Kohler engines were used, and they deserved their rep as being the best of their kind.
I drove one of these “professionally”, in a short-lived job as a gardener’s assistant at a hospital in Catonsville, MD. It was a new-ish suburban hospital, and a giant expanse of lawn. I was sent out to spread fertilizer in the spring, but I wasn’t careful about my “lines”, and a week or two later, there were very obvious pale green strips between the lusher dark green swaths. That did not endear me to the boss.
Here’s a fairly early IH Cub Cadet. IH beat JD into the garden equipment market, with their original cub Cadet from 1960. The first three years of them had a belt drive to the transmission, but was then re-engineered to have direct drive, using the transmission from the larger four-cylinder Cub. Those Cub Cadets had a superb rep too. But IH sold the Cadet line to MTD in the early 1980s, so they’ve been badge-engineered for a long time.
More recent John Deeres are Burts mainstay, in terms of sales. They’re well built, and always in demand, although their lines sold at the big-box stores are not as well built as the “genuine” JDs sold at dealers.
A view of more machines, including a couple of Hondas (the two red ones behind the one in front). Although Honda is very successful with regular lawnmowers and such, their riding mower line didn’t catch on, and they exited the market in the mid-nineties.
A colorful collection of garden tractors, featuring a wide range of styling gimmicks.
But here’s the star of Burt’s collection: a Fairbanks-Morse riding mower that dates back to the late forties or early fifties.
Here’s how it looked in its prime. Fairbanks-Morse was one of the most storied industrial pioneers and giants, dating back to 1823. It made a huge array of industrial products, and its opposed-piston diesel engines were legendary as submarine engines, and used in FM’s line of locomotives. In the post-war era, FM expanded into consumer products, including a line of riding mowers.
This is a rather unusual machine, with its single powered wheel in the back. And its mechanical arrangement is rather different too.
This one has had its original engine replaced, which had a rubber wheel on the front of its crankshaft that drove the mower deck’s big aluminum wheel, via friction. I assume the engine could be tilted to engage/disengage the mower deck.
But the original round drive belt for propulsion is still there, looking a bit frayed. Good luck finding a replacement!
That takes power to the rear, where a rather complicated arrangement with a second (vee) belt, which has an idler to act as a clutch, and then finally a chain drive to the rear wheel. And it even has a tow hitch.
American ingenuity. Sadly, FM’s fortunes took a dive in the fifties, as the result of family squabbles and a changing marketplace.
David Bradley was another pioneering manufacturer of small self-propelled tractors and farm equipment. Their new Suburban line of garden tractors came out in the latter fifties, and was soon picked up by Sears, which sold it as their Suburban.
Here’s an early Sears version. Sears was (and still is) a big source of riding mowers, and their Suburban line was highly regarded. Back in those days, 10hp was about as powerful as it got in these machines. The early John Deeres and Cub Cadets started out with 7 and 8hp engines.
Here’s the rather complicated guts of a Simplicity tractor transaxle; a mixture of belts and gears.
Another Bolens. FMC was another American industrial company that went through a lot of changes since its founding in 1883. The Bolens line was also eventually swallowed up by MTD.
Another view, although some of you are probably more interested in that police-spec CV for sale next door.
See anything that catches your fancy?
If so, Burt’s the man to see. But hurry; some of his oldest machines are starting to be bought up by restorers/collectors. Yes, there’s folks who just have to have what they rode on in their youth, or saw Dad or Grandpa ride on. I understand about that…
Note : Burt only sells locally. Do NOT CALL about information, parts, service, or advice.
Would that be the same Fairbanks & Morse who made electrical components like magnetos?
I assume so, since they made a huge variety of products. What were they used on?
Early Harley Sportsters and the KR flathead racer I think
And Mercury outboard motors…
The Mrs. is wearing short shorts and sandals in the Fairbanks-Morse ad! No hearing protection or eye protection. There is probably no dead (wo)man switch in the seat if she falls off or burns her leg on the hot engine. The good old days before most product liability. How did we survive with no seat belts in cars and no helmets on bike riders? Maybe she will hit a rock and launch it at hubby.
It also looks like poor Burt may have had some finger parts removed by mower blades?
In fact, many people didn’t survive.
Touche Canucknucklehead.
Cool stuff Paul, Fairbanks Morse also built huge engines for ships and the like. Saw a cool Ford lawn tractor recently with Flathead V8 power at a vintage machinery show very cool and very quiet like a Henry should be
Give the flatheads notorious cooling issues; I wonder how big the radiator and fan were?
That looks like the “baby” flathead V8-60. And since it probably (hopefully) doesn’t need to run at much more than an idle, I suppose it can get away with a moderate sized radiator.
Somewhere I have pics of it with the bonnet up yep V860 and it carries no weight so I doubt it works hard at all, major computer problems have kept these shots off the cohort but I’m doing a deal for a rebuilt computer so ya never know. Damn found the shot doesnt show the radiator sorry
The guy who owned was driving it around all day along with lots of prehistoric stuff I couldnt identify it was a hot day I never saw steam coming out of it
A friend of mine had a deere 130 or 210 that he bought when he was 13. For the first couple of years he used it as transportation and for its intended use. When he got his liscence he treated his old deere to a complete resto/custom job. he painted it jd green bought the factory stripe kit and even got a NOS seat. He had it all shined up and original when he decided to add a two foot long two and a half inch stainless stack to it. He has since let it get a bit faded but he gave it too my eleven year old car guy nephew who is in the middle of restoring it again. The stack is being retained and is still as awfull(IMO) as ever but hey at least it still shines.
Help!!!!!!!!!!I have a Blair 5 hp riding mower with hard plastic tires, yoke steering, forward reverse and a clutch for the drive only. I cannot find any reference to it. Any ideas? Thanks, Fran
I have a old old mower that resembles this one in picture, but it is called a “Snaper”-I will take a picture and send hope I get a reply to update things.
It has a lot of grass around I was wondering it anyone has ever heard of this name brand.
Thank you Gail
“…Fairbanks Morse also built huge engines for ships and the like…”
The Fairbanks-Morse Opposed-Piston diesel engines, developed in the 1930s, each had two crankshafts, and each cylinder had two pistons . They were the power for most US diesel submarines, the backup power for nuclear submarines, and were used in locomotives, some of which are still in service today. It is still in production.
It was reverse-engineered by the Soviets, but not entirely successfully as some of their engines had dismal reliability, unlike the real ones!
I recently struck a deal with a BIL he has an ancient ACTOS reel mower I offered to rebuild it for him rebuilding me a computer, a local friend has a 4 car garage you cant enter for old lawn mowers so I know who to see for advice/parts etc I’ll send a pic when my electronics finally work again might even write something for ya
I believe the heavy duty lawn/garden tractors for Montgomery Wards like the one pictured were built by Gilson . First lawn tractor my dad ever bought was an orange and white 8 horsepower Huffy from the local (pre-big box) hardware store with a 36″ deck , chrome moon hubcaps and a pull start rope through the dash unlike the electric start model (pictured below) which also had headlights . Had one of those liquid cooled 3813 Hondas too for 20 years . Indestructible engine and drive line , but just a so-so cut and way expensive parts . I’m much more satisfied now with my 8 year old Simplicity Broadmoor , but the old ones bring back so many memories . Great article Paul !
Just went back and read the Montgomery ward item I still have that olde drill start Morrison with Campbells soupcan muffler loud and obnoxious it still cuts my and a friends lawns luckily it has an old US made B&S not a modern Chinese B&S which dont last and its gained a few feet of mig wire recently too.
I’ve got my eye on Dad’s old John Deere 112 electric lift from circa 1973, 46in deck, newer cushy seat, and chrome hubcaps. 12hp Kohler that was replaced in 1987 because mom was doing most of the mowing and wasn’t as religious about checking the oil like Dad. (Oil starvation is a bitch!) Still going strong and pressed into weekly duty around their 3 acre lawn.
Dad may not be ready to part with it yet but I’m not going to let it disappear like HIS Dad’s mid 60s 110 did during the estate sale when Dad couldn’t make up his mind about whether he should buy it or not.
My favorites are the 70s to 80s John Deere’s that had “unusual” configurations like a John Deere 118. 100 series body and frame but 18hp and a 46 in deck, sort of like putting an SBC in a Chevette.
Heh, I’d love to have one of the IH Cub Cadets in running order. My grandpa had one. Here’s me and my brother on it. I’m the one with the eye patch.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep soldiering on with my 1999 Craftsman tractor.
That looks like a solid machine; old school Cub Cadet. Gear drive, or hydrostatic?
Hydrostatic. But I only know that because it says so right on the side of the tractor in the picture there. 🙂
Models that end in an odd number are hydrostatic. The above beauty is a 147: 14 = 14hp.
My father, somewhere around ’71 got tired of push mowing the lawn, walked to the dealer in Lombard, IL, bought a new 147 and drove it home (down Roosevelt Road!). It was a very expensive tractor and my mother hit the roof as it was well over a thousand dollars…but what a fine machine it ended up being.
He bought the snowplow attachment and used it for many years, plowing out our driveway & sometimes our neighbors too. The mower deck rasied and lowered via an electric switch on the dash — it operated the hydraulic cylinder you see just below/in front of the Grey Brothers’ right legs.
When our problematic Mark III Lincoln conked out a block away from our house in West Chicago years later, he towed it back home with the Cub Cadet with my mother steering the car. What amazes me is that he had to pull the car up a pretty steep hill: he said it was no problem for the tractor.
The huge generator (black cylinder) in the pic is also the starter and I always loved firing the 147 up. It’s a wonderful sound: the gentle whirring noise as the engine turns over (no loud gear teeth to mesh/clash!) until the first few explosions as the engine came to life. I could count probably 10-15 individual explosions until the engine actually smoothed out & began running on its own.
I wish I could scan the pic of me riding on his lap when I was two-ish! Jim’s pic brings back fond memories. My father may still have the 147: at least I hope he does. He never took care of his equipment and it was in terrible shape when I last saw it. It’s the one thing I asked him to leave me.
A few years ago I bought a coworkers old 169 after it blew out its front oil seal (bad news on a Kohler so I’ve heard). It came with a non-running 107 (or 109?) “parts tractor” although not a whole lot will interchange. I’ve got the oil seal but have put off installing it…and so it sits in a shed now.
I can’t find a pic of the 169 (it’s a Hoss) but here’s its poor lil’ brother the one whose model number I cannot even remember.
I’m not a Harley guy but these things are the Harley Davidsons of lawn tractors to me. I’d could see myself slapping a Cub Cadet bumpersticker on a few of my rides….(and I don’t care for bumperstickers!) 🙂
Dang man, you’re making me wish I’d taken Grandpa’s tractor after he passed. I’ll bet with care it’d still run. That photo was from 1971, btw.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add, the last time I saw my father’s 147 tractor it still had three of its original tires. They still held air and did not have any dry rot cracks in them. Incredible.
I have a 1980 wheelhorse211-5 lawn mower if intetest contact my e- mail make offer
Good looking rig ! .
I hated those eye patches as a child .
We had a “Planet Junior” .
-Nate
PS. Paul, did you damage your camera somehow?
I was wondering when someone would notice. The electric lens cover on my third Lumix started being erratic, but I didn’t notice it until afterwards. But it’s toast now: I carry my cameras in my pockets (work pants) that are also always dirty, and dirt inevitably gets past the lens or casing and on the sensor.
On my previous Lumix cameras, I could take them apart and blow off the CCD sensor with bottled air, but this one has a different design, and I couldn’t get it apart. It’s sitting in a pile on my desk.
So I decided to ditch it and get a smartphone, so I would always have a camera at hand, and one without a moveable lens that lets n dirt, but it’s been a very frustrating experience so far. I accidentally had it set to video mode, so all my shots from the Iowa trip are useless videos, mostly of the ground and the inside of my pocket.
I also don’t think I’m going to be able to use it on the go as easily as my Lumix, which I could power up, zoom and shoot with one hand while driving. It’s avery frustrating situation. I’ll try the Galaxy for a while, but I’m kinda depressed about the whole thing. I haven’t shot anything to use for almost two weeks now. I’m used to shooting constantly wherever I am.
Maybe I should get a come kind of really rugged camera, that can stand up to my abuse? Or just get used to the Galaxy?
I’ve been using my Android smartphone but it’s often frustrating, takes forever to get into camera mode and certainly doesn’t take as good a picture as any real camera. Drive-by shots are impossible, low light often results in the blurries. I’m getting an iPhone as soon as my two years are up, hoping that camera is better.
But recently Lily got a Panasonic Lumix and it’s a dandy little camera, super quick, easy and always successful. Cheap too. Real cameras have things like motion stabilizers that phones don’t have (yet). For my selfish CC enjoyment I urge you to go back to real cameras.
(Cartoon stolen from the New Yorker.)
I use my iPhone 5 for my roving CC shots now and it’s fine as a camera. It doesn’t handle as easily as my Canon S95, which is a very fine little point-and-shoot. But when I’m in video mode on the iPhone, I know it, because pressing the shutter button doesn’t lead to the “shutter blades” on the screen and the camera-click sound. And my iPhone lets me go to camera mode right from the lock screen with a swipe.
That said, I prefer the S95 day to day. The iPhone lens is at 28mm I think and so it makes cars look longer than they are. The S95 can quicly be set to 50mm (equivalent) for better proportioned photos.
However, the iPhone fits in my front pants pocket (in a slip case), and so it has become my go-to camera.
If you really want to use a regular digicam, consider buying entry-level Canons for about $100 and when they break, just go get another one. An entry-level Canon will take fine outdoors CC shots all day long.
Agree on the Canon suggestion. I still use an older SD850 and it takes really nice photos. I have a smaller and newer SD 780 that is easier to pocket but it doesn’t have the same quality. My Android takes terrible pictures by comparison.
Interesting story, Paul, as usual. I’ve never been to that lot but I’ve driven past it a few thousand times by now.
Paul, I no longer carry a camera; my HTC phone has an incredible camera. If you haven’t done so already, just put a camera shortcut on your home page. When I turn on my display it’s right there next to my thumb, allowing me to one-hand it.
Smartphones can be overwhelming. It takes a while to weed out the crap you don’t need, find some actual useful apps, and get everything configured the way it works for you.
Don’t give up yet!
This is from my phone:
My avatar was taken and edited with my then new galaxy s2. while my skills are poor I think the pic is one of my favorite self shots. I think my phone even has very primitave image stabilization and it seems to work decent enough as long as the camera limitations arent exceded in low or bright light.
You might benefit from the Lumix TS4, the “rugged” model. I use my iPhone 5 for almost everything but I still own one of the larger, clunkier Lumix cameras for the really fine work.
I scored a mini galaxy takes good shots but I cant upload them yet
Local guy was selling a Honda rider last year….very cool machine! watercooled engine and so, so quiet. Had to pass on it, but very cool none the less. very pricey when new likely hurt them a lot
A picture of the 7hp beast that saved my bacon a few snow storms this winter…right after I dug it out of a 15 year storage to move it to my house. The snowblower attachment came in VERY handy this winter. Now I just have to rebuild the mowing deck so I don’t have to push most the half acre.
Ironic that the lot is so weedy.
Ha! Didn’t even think of that.
+2
🙂
99% sure that the picture of the David Bradly transmission is actually a Simplicity. How do I know? I spent a fair amount of time looking at that on the Simplicity my parents own. Actually chipped a tooth on the pulley which is on the bottom right of the pic when the seat closed itself while my head was still in the way, hurt like no other. The nearside belt is whats used as the clutch for the tractor, the far side is to run the attachments. Ours had a 2 speed planetary reduction to give an extra set of lower gears that was mounted on the input to the transaxle. Really durable tractor, able to tow way more then you think it would.
I’m 99% sure you’re right too, come to think of it. I shot these a few weeks back, and I got mixed up here today. I’ll fix it.
While I have always had more than an acre to mow I never had a ride on mower until my until 2004 when my grandfather passed and left me his 99 craftsman. while Ive never minded mowing the lawn everytime I get on it I remembet him teaching me how yo use his old snapper when I was 5. So I keep it cracked hood and unfinishplow and all. It still looks just the same crack in the hood unfinisheded hydraulic snow plow mount(he was working on this the day before he passed) and all. Its kinda funny that the battety has never been maintained nor have I used a maintainer but every spring it starts right up like it was never in hibernation yet my mothers husbands two year old craftsmant has been through three batterys in its two years… all I do is keep its oil and filter and belts changed and replace or sharpen the blades every year.
I’d go crazy in that yard. I don’t know if it’s the colors or just the myriad of styles but these tractors are very photogenic! I’d love to have one of these shots blown up & hanging on a wall…as crazy at that sounds.
Besides the Cub Cadets, I picked up an older blue Ford lawn tractor for $35 at an estate auction but haven’t torn into it yet. An older John Deere 110 Hydrostatic was pulled out of the scrap pile along with a raggedy Craftsman tractor just because they looked like they’d run (they did!) and well…they just appealed to me.
I very much like the angular styling of the late 60’s to mid 70’s lawn and garden tractors — they are so handsome and car-like with their metal or fiberglass hoods and many had actual sealed-beam headlights. My 169 has taillights and a cigarette lighter just like a car 🙂 In contrast, all the current products look like giant insects with wheels.
It’s ridiculous that the old lawnmower collection is starting to catch up with the car collection here but it’s hard to not like all things mechanical.
It really had a cigarette lighter on a lawn tractor? You’re kidding?
I’ve never had one, we always had a lawn guy, but I remember our school had a fleet of Fords, 3 little ones like the one in the first photo, for the grounds around the buildings and a big Ford for the athletic grounds, I remember we would climb all over those while we were hanging out after school that’s as close as I ever got to driving one. The steering wheel in the big Ford tractor was the same as the one on the Ford school bus.
“It really had a cigarette lighter on a lawn tractor? You’re kidding?”
Not kidding. Lots of the older lawn and garden tractors had them. Some newer ones still have them, but of course they are now called “12V accessory outlets” and lack the heating element.
My grandfather’s 1970s AMF lawn tractor had a lighter as well.
As a kid, OF COURSE I had to test it – hmmm, it popped out, but the element didn’t look hot; the circular burn pattern that temporarily served as my thumbprint for the next few months proved otherwise!
The most amusing location that I have ever found a cigarette lighter in was in my 1969 Cadillac M+M ambulance. There was the standard Cadillac combination ashtray/lighter on each side in the back – one for the attendant(s), and one on the other side for the patient! Of course, there were large “NO SMOKING” placards, as there were oxygen tanks back there as well. If you weren’t on the O2, I guess you could smoke on your way to the hospital (not much else that they could do for you back in that time anyways).
Great piece! I grew up with two different Lawn-Boy push mowers, one after the other, and a Snapper – seemed like back then, in our corner of Southern Indiana, every rider that wasn’t a Cub was a Snapper. Dad then picked up a used M-F 8-horse, which went well, but he traded it on a new 2-cyl Cub Cadet some years later. After that, it was a big Kubota diesel, which they’ve now owned for twenty years or so. I bought a used Honda rider last week – and sold my needed-a-starter 12 hp Craftsman to the guy who sold this thing to me. It is a rear (mid?)-engined beast, and I’ve never seen engineering like this on any mower before. I’m not quite sure when it was made, but it does appear to be well-built. I’m just hoping that it works well.
Heres my lawnmower story; years ago, (late 60′s I believe) I talked my dad into buying a gas mower, as I was thoroughly tired of pushing that old, heavy wooden reel mower, so it was off to the local WT Grants (remember them?)store, and we came home with one of the store branded gas mowers with a 3 hp B&S on it. Well, I cut grass with it until I got married and moved out in 1979, and he kept cutting with it until around 1990 when it wouldn’t start anymore, you couldn’t even rotate the engine, it had seized up. I checked it out and found nothing resembling oil in the crankcase. I asked him when he last checked the oil, he replied “never.” I told him to go buy a new mower, but being a thrifty child of the depression he simply put more oil in it and kept squirting it into the cylinder and working the blade back and forth until he freed it up and got it to restart, to my amazement. He used it for 3 more years before he broke down and bought a new one.
I’m disappointed – no Gravelys (Gravelies?).
Gravely was one of the first with homeowner-sized walk-behind tractor (pulling a riding sulky if one wanted to take it easy). The IH Cub was much too large for the acre-and-a-half country home; but the Gravely filled the bill perfectly.
Later, in the Studebaker years, Gravely came out with riding tractors – cleverly incorporating the Model L all-gear drive on a conventional-looking lawn tractor chassis.
Now, of course, it’s just another brand for Ariens. A shame; and it was one of those “quality” products sought after by discriminating buyers. Those things lasted and lasted…I worked with a 1953 Model L for years, up until 1980 when I got far away enough from home to not be called on to run the damn thing. It started with a STRAP, you see; and my late-fifties father was in no shape to be reefing on it.
But, I guess, memories of Gravely are slipping over the horizon as well.
Oh, and, an aside:
Anyone else know…Wheel Horse was an American Motors brand?
Yup. Studebaker had Gravely; AMC had Wheel Horse. Ford had its own brand…probably made by MTD. IH had Cubs, CubCadettes, CubCadetteJRs…
That only leaves GM and Chrysler out
Really? I remember the Wheel Horse plant in my hometown (South Bend) and it wasn’t far from the AM General plant.
Oh yeah, and the company’s slogan was: “Get a horse! Wheel Horse, of course.”
Likewise on the disappointment. Dad always had Gravely’s, the original one was a belt-start Graveley engined model, later replaced by an electric-start Kohler engined job. Reel mower, rotary mower deck, sickle bar, sulkey and plow. Then, after I left for college, he got a Wheel Horse lawn tractor.
I inherited both, but was never comforable with the Graveley so I sold the setup off to a collector. Kept the Wheel Horse until 2004 when I was hit by a pickup while snow plowing the driveway. Bent it in half. As luck would have it, the Toro/Wheel Horse dealer in Lynchburg, VA was also my Triumph dealer at the time, so I traded the remains (transaxle, mainly) to cover the cost of my Trident’s 66k service.
By the way, that electric start Gravely didn’t have a charging system – after you finished the day’s mowing, you parked it in the garage and hooked up the battery charger. As to it’s age, well, the VIN plate said “Gravely Division of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation”.
Hmmm, I do think you’re confusing the two.
The strap-start Gravely could easily have come from the Studebaker-Packard era…keep in mind, the “Packard” part of the name was dropped in 1961 or thereabouts. And there WERE electric-start Gravely-engined tractors; they didn’t have a charging system, as you note.
The Kohler-engined ones started appearing as premium models in 1967, by which time the parent name was “Studebaker-Worthington Corporation.” The base Gravely-engined model soldiered on until 1975, when a Kohler 8-hp engine replaced the Gravely 7.5 engine. Much more compact, but also less torque. A revver.
I believe the electric-start models with Kohler had onboard chargers. In any event, by that time the company was “Clarke-Gravely Corporation.” They sold their soul in choosing off-the-shelf power; and sortly became a plaything and finally a brand to sell Ariens equipment under.
As for using it: I’m completely comfortable with a Gravely, but only because I’d been using one since I was ten. Mowed lawns with it, as well as a 30-degree pitched field. Pushed snow with a blade and threw it with a wicked-looking snowblower. Plowed a garden with the Rotary Plow…if you knew what you were doing, there was no better way to turn sod.
But that’s all gone. We’re in the age of the stamped-steel Rototiller and of Big-Box MTD-built styled garbage. There doesn’t seem to be a market for quality anymore.
I’ve had a very serious crush on Gravelys since way back. I was quite aware of them as little kid; they were not uncommon in Iowa back then, especially on farms. I later found a Gravely dealer in the early seventies, and inhaled the brochure. That was during the time that they still had their own engine (7.6 hp), but I think one could already buy a 10 hp Kohler too.
The Graveley’s massive all-gear drive and configuration, as well as its tough motor was very compelling.
I own a BCS tiller (Italy), which in its configuration is quite similar to the Gravely, with all-gear drive. Mine still has the Italian Ajax (6hp) engine, which is the most amazingly consistent one-pull starter I’ve ever seen, even after sitting all winter (two years even, one time). I used to have a sickle-blade attachment when I had a 2 acre lot; I let the grass grow and go to seed, then mow it down so effortlessly; could have baled it.
Damn yer right I used one of those awesome weapons cut anything where are they.
I see a John Deere rear-engine riding mower in the same picture as the Crown Vic, probably my favorite riding mower-smooth riding, and quieter and cooler as the engine was behind you. Not very good at trimming-big turning radius, and you had to shift gears-but that’s what the younger kids with the push mower were for! Lost track of that one in Dad’s farm sale.
Almost competition for that Fairbanks-Morse was a three-wheeled contraption we had on the farm in the late ’60’s, early ’70’s. Can’t recall the name-maybe a fellow flatlander out there knows, they were all over the place for a while-but it had a big plate-steel deck with the vertical shaft engine in the middle, two blades running off of belts from the engine shaft, two trailing wheels attached to the rear, and one drive wheel in the front, which rotated vertically to change direction, with a horizontal steering wheel. (So, you could easily pivot around trees, and go just as fast in “reverse” as forward.) It was driven by a belt running from a pulley on top of the engine, with some kind of control shaft attached to the steering shaft that you could flip over, gave you a high/low range. Maybe there were two belts and pulleys you exchanged with that lever, I can’t recall. But they connected to a chain that ran down and ran the drive wheel. You sat on a pan seat with your legs straddled over the engine. Quite crude, but it cut grass and, when you were a teenager,was better than walking. With a hitch on the back, you could attach a little trailer and haul apples or feed to the 4-H calves. Big limitation was there was no adjustment for height, no gauge wheels, and if you hit a gopher hole you gouged a good bit of the lawn.
But I still want to get an old JD 110 like the one Uncle Mello had on Grandma’s farm. Not quite as tough, maybe, as the old Cub Cadets, but we were green tractor people, and that was a sweet tractor. The belt-driven speed control level made adjusting to changing road or lawn conditions really easy, didn’t need a fancy hydrostatic drive with that thing. Do they still make Kohler 7/8 horse engines for these things?
Made me curious; so I hopped over to the Kohler engine site. I don’t RECOGNIZE those engines; their big recommendation is that they meet Tier II emissions limits.
So, I’d guess not. Too bad; the later Gravely walk-behinds ditched Gravely’s own 1927 engine in favor of Kohler eight, ten and twelve-horse units, bolted into the gear-drive transmission.
The advantage was, for a few hundred bucks, you could quickly re-power your old new-style Gravely walk-behind. Last forever.
Except, of course, in the end, they didn’t. I haven’t seen one in decades.
Maybe a Huffy Big-Mow? Porter-Cable? I’m not too good with those early riders.. They all looked the same.. give or take a bit.
Great commentary and photos by Paul, nice job! Very good point about folks wanting to recreate their youth in restoring these machines. My Dad’s Simplicity 6216, a 1982 model, is still going strong as the day he bought it. You do attach an emotional attachment to these things, thus we are loathe to trader her in on a new Simplicity. The Briggs and Stratton flat twin cylinder 16 hp has a different sound to her compared to these modern Vee twins; sort of the poor man’s Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer engine of the lawn-cutting crowd!
Alvin Straight would have smiled at this article…..
Hmm, about 11 years ago a member of the Bay Area Engine Modelers (BAEM) hauled out pictures of his “new” lawn tractor. No recollection of the brand, but it was a tracklayer, with a single track. I think it was derived from a motorcycle. Not a riding mower, mercifully.
FWIW, anybody in the SF bay area interested in small engines would do well to check them out. baemclub.com Looks like they’re meeting at Chabot College now (I lost track when we moved to Oregon in late ’03). Lots of interesting projects, including half and 1/4 scale Rumley Oil Pull engines (the original has a 12″ bore) and some wild variants of the old Wall 4 50CC engine. (One guy gets 10K RPM with an F head design.)
A Struck Mini-Dozer?
http://www.farmcollector.com/tractors/mini-dozer-garden-tractor.aspx#axzz2TiFQDul4
No, nothing quite so “conventional”. The picture was of a single track machine, no recollection if it had a steering wheel or if it used tiller handles. Rough guess is it’s a late ’40s or ’50s design. There seem to be a bunch of walk-behind tractors of that vintage, but not too many people bothered with tracks.
A search on Bing showed one collector who has a half-dozen of the tracked beasts; no pictures, unfortunately.
Love this piece Paul. My (and apparently lots of others here) interests definitely span from classic automotive to classic mechanized lawn and garden. There seems to be growing interest in this area as more and more people are recalling and acquiring the yard machines they remember from years past.
I also believe a contributing factor is the increasing realization that, as with the current automotive world, the good old days (of the ’60s and ’70s) are over. Today, badge engineering is rampant, and even some of the “premium” machines sold now are just not made very well, and will never last a decade of hard use.
For nostalgia sake, I love the old Sears Suburbans as seemingly every neighbor in my early 1970’s typical suburban neighborhood had one. They were actually pretty well made (for Sears by Roper, I believe), and quite robust machines.
But, for me, nothing beats the older (IH era, which was pre-1983) Cub Cadets. I still use a late IH (1982) Cub Cadet 682 to maintain my property. This thing just keeps going and going and is built like a tank. Cast iron front axle, shaft drive, transaxle derived from an actual farm tractor. Indestructible. And, it’s used VERY hard. Absolutely nothing like the new MTD “Cub Cadets” sold today. Kinda sad actually….
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166896/?ref_=sr_1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUsoZrhu0Do
Ironically I recently watched “The Straight Story”. David Lynch did a really nice job with this. A truly touching film. Check out “Big Ed” from Twin Peaks as the tractor dealer.
+1
Great movie! As if Norman Rockwell directed Blue Velvet.
My Dad had one of those 8HP Montgomery Ward riding tractors for a short time in the early 70’s. We had a steep hill where we lived, and I remember moving boards we put in the street so he could climb the curb while he was mowing (I wasn’t old enough quite yet to be trusted on the steep part of the lawn, though I did mow much of the rest of it…one time it flipped over on him, I had to shut off the engine quickly (no fuel cutoff switches then)…he sold it after that, and we got a self-propelled lawn mower (probably also Montgomery Ward…we shopped there a lot back then; I miss having them around as a choice to buy things like that.
We still get some of the Honda 3811 and 3813 tractors in the shop every season. Talk about incredibly overbuilt and over-engineered! The water cooled twin in those makes your average Briggs and Stratton or Kohler powerplant look positively stone age and pathetic.
The downside of those rigs however, is that I’ve never seen one go out of the shop with a less than $500.00 repair bill. They last just shy of forever, but when they break down, they break down big time.
Wait until you see a 1970’s Wheel Horse, or an IH Cub! Yet, for being modern, the Honda’s weren’t bad.. but I can mend my W-H with a brick and some duck tape.. total cost, about 5 minutes of time…
Fantastic subject. Thanks.
I’m sorry, but now I can’t see a riding mower without thinking of this guy:
I had some doubts as to the authenticity of that. But when I saw that there’s a whole series of these videos with “I know my rights” Steve, my doubts were quickly confirmed.
It’s a series of comedy sketches, although judging from the YouTube comments, some people took it seriously. The first video was the best, IMO:
Hey Niedermeyer, how would you like some pics of an I6 powered AC?
As long as I can get parts I’d rather have one of these golden oldies than a new one. Seems all the grand old brands from Cub Cadet to Bolens to Troy-Bilt are built by MTD…cast iron axles with grease fittings are in short supply. Not to mention with all the emission controls used today, it takes 26HP to accomplish what a 14HP model used to.
For now, I’ll stick with my late-80’s Craftsman 14HP, 6-speed tractor.
Yeah, MTD kinda cornered the market on that stuff.
Not sure how it happened – in the 1960s, MTD was a very-small newcomer. I know, a neighbor worked for them; all their yard equipment and the kids’ bicycles were all made by MTD.
For years afterwards, I never saw any others. Then, with them buying the CubCadette brand…they’re everywhere, all known brands.
I had a Lawnside CC Effect today on River Drive. I saw a vintage Cub Cadet very much like the one in pic 9.
Great subject Paul; many makes I’d never heard of, such as Simplicity and Bolens. I was aware of the Stude-Gravely connection, but not the AMC-Wheel Horse tieup. Fascinating!
So did GM ever build anything lawn-care related?
They built the old oven in my house as well as my ultimate dream washing machines.
One beautiful variation of a control panel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQMhSBIe1dE
Here’s one operating in all its cycles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjPsb5oqPTo
Skip to 4:45 to see the spin cycle take off. Clothes are almost dry when the unit shuts off thanks to an incredible 1,140 rpm spin cycle(!) (Most top-loader spin cycles average around 600rpm). Yes: my bucket list includes a washing machine.
No, to the question.
Each of the major motor companies diversified at some point; often what they moved into and when, depended on the economy and the whims of management. GM was into locomotives; refrigeration, including home appliances. Ford was into ag equipment, moving onto the edge of the lawn-tractor field. As well, they’d bought into Philco…and regretted it almost immediately.
Chrysler, meantime, got involved with outboard motors and boatbuilding; and their Airtemp subsidiary moved into home air conditioning. AMC bought Kaiser Jeep and Wheel Horse; and fifteen years earlier, Studebaker bought, using Lark profits, a whole satchel of businesses – the only central feature they had was that they were for sale.
But GM, being invincible as they seemed…during their Golden Age, they felt no need to diversify. Electro-Motive was purchased as a startup company, not long after GM itself came into being; and probably the only reason GM hung onto it is that from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s it was the world leader in railroad locomotive manufacture.
Interesting info: thanks! I’ll have to do some searching on the Ford-Philco merger since you brought it up.
Yup, you could buy a Philco-Ford Fridge, TV or radio.
Not to mention the tons and tons of component manufacturers that GM owned too, almost every piece in a GM car except the tires was made by some GM company, from the light bulbs to the wheel bearings.
Thanks Paul. Great article.
I have a local handyman I use from time to time… who seems to need money from time to time. (Same guy I got my ’89 Camaro from.) A while back he needed some cash badly enough to offer me his Yard Man tractor mower for $250. Very cheap, but it’s pretty old (1980s at the latest) and not terribly reliable. Anytime I go to crank it, I have at best a 50/50 chance that the motor will turn over. It’s not the one in the picture, but it looks just like it. At 14hp, it’s a fun machine when it actually runs… which, unfortunately, isn’t all that often.
No cigarette lighter, but I do have plans drawn up to attach my Pep Boys cup (beer) holder to the right side of the hood. And the raccoon plush toy that my Camaro’s previous (female) owner had safety-pinned to the rear seat, is going to be the Yard Man’s hood ornament.
Thats about a 1985, give or take a year. If it turns, but doesn’t keep rolling, its probably your starter.. they were pretty finicky at times. Thats a Briggs 14HP, Correct? Your valves may be out of adjustment…
I drove a Bolens 1050 (very similar to the one at the top) one summer when I was helping out at a Northern Ontario resort my family used to stay at. We used it mainly to deliver firewood and pick up garbage from the cottages, and it seemed to run forever. When we visit the in-laws I usually cut their huge lawn for them with a much larger and newer Craftsman. It does the job, but it’s nowhere near as tough as that old Bolens.
I’m looking for a two headlights for a 710 allis chalmers… do you have any?
Nice pictures. I have just visit this page and I have read the posts it’s really very much informative. I want to thanked all of you for the helpful post.
Who made this? I can’t find anything online about it.
Can’t tell exactly, but it looks like a private label job most likely made by one of the big mass producers: MTD or Murray, I’d guess. Does it have any ID label anywhere?
Do you wanna sell it. If so what’s the price. IDK what it is but I had one almost like that. We turned it into a racing mower and sold it. I wanna build one for myself now and that was a very fast and tough mower. You can call or text 704-207-6026. My name is Mitch. Thanks for your time
It’s out at the farm it’ll be a while before I get it home. All I have is pics for now.
One more for good measure
What you have there is an old American Machine and Foundry (AMF) lawn tractor.. mid ’70’s. They were widely sold under the Dynamark name. We still run one from ’68.
I was wondering where you was located? State and county, & zip please.
It says right in the article: Eugene Oregon. The phone number is on his sign; area code 541.
I wish it was’nt that far. I collect only odd mowers, but im from southern Indiana.
Do you still have old mowers?? Daniel 606 862 1541
I have a snapper rider lawn mower . It’s 1978 model 2650 Serial # 855204 still has good compression have not started it . Looking to sell it . Live in New Jersey any reasonable offers will get it. If interested email me back.
i am looking for a gas tank for 1965 big ten allis chalmers garden tractor, with out any holes in it . Would”nt happen to have one you would want to part with ,or know any one else that would? Needing one to complete my restoration. Thanks, and i would be like a 52 year old kid in a candy store if i had half the collection of tractors you’ve collectected,some fellas are just lucky thata way. Phone # 641-660-6035 .
I have a 1960’s Gilson M-7. I used to have an older sears like the on in the picture above but sold it to my uncle. Lots of nice tractors.
Interestingly I notice the absence of Case lawn tractors. Well, I didn’t even know they existed till we bought our current house in 2007 and I persuaded the seller to leave his early ’70s model 220, complete with mower deck and ‘snowcaster’ snowthrower. It’s a finiky beast but is bigger and has lots more power than the John Deere that I got to replace it in 2010. And yes, I still have it. I put an ad or two on Craigslist each year to try to find one of these mytical tractor collectors to buy it. So far I’ve only had scrap dealers inquiring and I hate to see old ‘Thunderchild’ be scrapped out! ^_^
I picked up a Montgomery Ward Garden Mark riding lawnmower model # IMO-60A and would like to know where to get a shop manual. It runs and cuts well but has a problem when turning. The back drive axel is straight ( no differential ) and it pushes straigh forward when turning. I took out a key on the back axel to assist in turning. I am not sure if the front wheels are original. I would appreciate any information or help if you can.
Thank you,
Tony E
This makes me feel a little sad.. all of this is familiar. I run a small lawn care business, and am the last person in the state commercially using a 1968 Wheel Horse.. probably last in the world.. Everything in the fleet is pre-1980. Newest being a ’79 Toro 2 cycle GTS. Oldest being a 1927 Eclipse walk behind mower with a WHOLE 1/2HP engine! (POWER!!) I have 19 runs on my schedule.. and everyone loves it. All of my machines are fully restored.. and I’ve only had two breakdowns in five years! (Both being an old Sears Suburban.) And they were minor.. I love my old stuff, wouldn’t use anything else. I cant tell you how many times I’ve had people wanting to buy my whole fleet.. you don’t see the old stuff anymore.. especially working! And the best part? EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT CAME FROM LOCAL SCRAPYARDS! I love the feeling of making something good out of nothing.. (And the look of horror on the owner’s faces when they see the stuff running again is priceless..) Oh, yeah. The transport truck’s a green 1931 Ford 1 ton model AA! I love to see the old stuff.. it’s disappearing as we speak. Good post!
I am trying to find out in estimate on 1970s- 1985s john deere lawn mowers 2210 can someone please help me. my email is not working you can contact me via txt message 9903-556-5320
An estimate for what??? Year, price…?
Can anyone identify this ride on mower? It is a 4 foot cut with 3 blades, it has an 18hp Briggs and Straton motor, a heal toe operation for forward and reverse, an aluminium trans axle, a fiberglass bonnet and the original color was a slightly lighter green than in the photos. There were never any stickers or identification on the mower. I have had this mower for many years but have never seen another like it and no one can identify it.
That one looks like a 1980’s Deutz Allis.. but not quite the same grille. I’ve never seen that one before.. it sort of looks like the Ford LGT’s as well.
Hey there got any idea what kind of mower this is in the picture ? I’m trying to rebuild it back to it original condition And i am get leads everyday but so far not any exact match i need a model and brand numbers also would like to find a owner manual for it and will pay for it …
..that looks like a Wheel Horse front deck carrier, on a Snapper frame, with a 5 to 8HP Briggs..? I’ve seen all those parts before, never on one thing though.. sure it isn’t home made..?
Thanks for the feedback Spence, The instrument panel is also fibreglass and the steel is all flat heavy sheet folded punched and welded not pressed light metal. It is professionally built and extremely strong.
i have a 1927 coldwell model m reel riding mower withn a red wing 4 cyl gasoline engine
what is it worth
I-HAVE-A-CUBCADET-B10-IT-RUNS-AWHILE-AND-CUTS-OFF-IT-WILL-START-BACK-IN-A-FEW-MINUTES
My dad bought a Root riding mower in the early 70’s. Anyone with pictures of one or any info please post. It would be great to see one again.
http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/uploads/monthly_02_2012/post-62-0-88610400-1329275286.jpeg
One of these? (Picture is not mine.) It says 1949..
Was it a Rugg, if not?
Thanks for the photo. That’s incredible. The one we had was from the early 70’s – (73 or 74)
After the Root, he bought a Massey Ferguson 8. Great machine with shaft driven blades. Wish I could find something designed like that today.
ENJOYED READING COMMENTS ETC …..STILL HAVE MOST TRACTORS IN PHOTOS.. BUT NEED TO CLEAR MY YARD OVER NEXT YR OR SO AND LEASE THIS LAND FOR OTHER USE… I’M PAST AGE 79 AND MY KID HAS OTHER INTERESTS..If you can visit with a truck etc and cash I’ll make the best low price I can ..Problem is SELL ONE-GET TWO…..I HAD TWO ”ROOTS’ WAY BACK-SMALL STURDY AND VARIOUS ”RUGGS”
THE FORD ”LGT’S ARE ON ”JACOBSEN” FRAMES WITH ALL PARTS FROM OTHERS INCL THE 2 SP HYDRO REAR -WHICH IS IN OTHER BRANDS AND NEVER ”FAILED” IN ANY (people search/call me for failed parts-I keep score).only.ONE SEARS roper (GT)6 speed failed..Hate that motors no longer horiz sideways as most brand 1st models were.
Hi I’m 14 and I have a 1976?? Huffy broadlawn 8hp that I got for my birthday last year that I found on Craigslist for $100 and I loved it. I cannot find any information and I’ve only seen 2 pictures online and I have looked hard. I’ve had my fun with it and I want it to have a good home and I want to sell it. Do you have a brief idea what it might be worth. I don’t have the deck. Here’s a picture of mine that I took. I have the back fenders/ storage spot. Thank you -Blaine
What if i told you i have a zero turn rider just about as old at the Fairbanks-Morse that you have with a 2 cylinder Wisconsin on it i will have to get a pic off it may be you can help me i.d. it.
I have a continental garden tractor. It has a cast iron hood. I would like to know more about it. I have not saw any others like mine. I also do not know what year it or anything that about it. What is it worth?
I am looking for a good gas cap that will fit a sears suburban lawn and garden tractor, thought you might have one. I bought this little tractor and it had been sitting out in the weather and need much repair. I am slowly restoring it. The gas cap is rusted so bad it can’t be fixed. if you have one or know where i can find one, please send me an email. i am willing to pay all shipping cost.
I am looking for a 1970s to mid 1980s sickle bar attachment for a Troy built 8 hp. Anyhelp would be greatly appreciated. Contact me at Above listed email thank you . A phone number will be provided if you so desire
Runs great! Amazing design for home made. Video on my Facebook page of it running and more pics. Scott Cason
Hello,
I just got married and my father in law fixed up a Snapper riding mower for my wedding present. It is a beauty! I’ve always wanted a mower like this since I was a little kid and my grandpa had a Snapper riding mower. I’ve been looking online and can’t find any information about fan clubs. Does anyone know of any clubs that specialize in Snapper mowers or vintage mowers?
Here’s a picture of my Snapper riding lawn mower I just got from my wife. Her dad fixed it up for me with a new motor, new paint job, and decals on the front and back
Does Burt’s Cubside yard still exist. ? Please give the location by email. i will like to go over and make some local purchases. Please send info to my email
Thanks
Yes it does. He’s located on Hwy 99 North, in Eugene, OR. But he’s clearing out his lot (so he says), and offering deals. He needs to get rid of it all.
I had to take his phone number off this post, because he was getting inundated with calls for free advice. But if you come to Eugene, you’ll be able to find him.
Can you give some prices of some of the 60s and 70s tractors. Im thinking about going in business of building and selling racing mowers and these years work great. It doesn’t have to be perfect as long as the frame is good and has most parts. Not interested in some of the better ones that wouldn’t take much to restore but looking for some decent tractors for decent prices. Thanks and I can receive photos and prices via text. I’m in NC so it would have to be worth it. Thanks, Mitch
Burt:
I saw on your website a 1971 Montgomery Wards 8 HP riding lawn mower. Do you still have one? Also, I saw a small red garden tractor with a front end loader. Do you still have it? What would you want for them? Thanks.
I’m looking for restoration projects what is the rough price range for what he has.
Where are you located
can mower decks be swapped model nos. 917.256501 to a 917.271022 craftsman both are 42″ cut
all them riding mower,s and not one eclipse ranger !! wish i could find one my self -that is what my dad had !! 1959 eclipse ranger model 14 – i currently reside in south florida 609-891-9186 .,
looking for a decks, john deere 210 (32″ – 38″) Thanks!
Hi, do you have any of the mowers still left? I am looking for one with a front end loader. I am also looking for a 3 point back blade around 48″ for my Craftsman FF 20. I am in Idaho so I’m within driving distance.
Thanks
Does anyone know who made an industrial lawn tractor whose drive shaft was part number 510448? Date on it says 12-4-1959
Hi
I found your web site somehow. Wow. What a great place!!
Love the pics..
I am so hoping you can find a used Drag Link for my ol hand me down 1998 Murray lawn tractor.
I rewired it and got it running but the ball joints keep falling out of the socket no matter how many hacks I try. I think I’ve tried everything possible to try to hold it together. It just won’t steer without a replacement.
Model # 464308a 42″/20Hp
The part # for the left side drag link # 93061E701MA
I’m a disabled Army veteran and it would take me 6 months to save the money they want for a new one. So I am so hoping you can help me.
There’s no mowing until I fix this and I cannot stand or walk to use a push mower. So yeah I’m screwed. Please help!!
873ED9B4-6506-40C8-B5E3-380DF514EA39
⬅️ hack
Thanks so much.
Happy Father’s Day!!
Scott
Anyone ever seen one of these? it’s a MTD model 132-380. 1971 I think. It’s a child’s mower, 25″ deck, 1 forward speed and 1 reverse. Pull start in the dash board and a 5 hp Briggs. I restored it a few years back but really don’t do anything with it. It runs and cuts great and would be fun for a kid to play with, of course the child would have to be 18, wear a helmet, safety glasses and ear protection. Wow, I miss the old days!
Can you tell me about this toy given to me to restore as a gift
Where is your lawn tractor used yard located please? I’m interest in buying an old lawn tractor. Thanks.
Do you have any or an idea where to purchase a ford push mower?
Looking for a ford push mower any ideas?
Great read looking a seller like the Lawnside Classics: Burt’s – vintage and used riding mower and tractor heaven in the eastern Royersford PA zip 19468 are as I’m looking for a larger size used compact tractor or larger size front mount Mowers. Can someone send me info of someone in my driving area. Thanks Ernie
Where is this guy at?! I want to check this out. Someone please send me an email of the location if you can.
Hwy 99 in Eugene
Imagine my surprise when I saw the opening picture with the faded Ford lawn tractor! I had not seen one of those, or its Jacobsen “brother” in many years.
The two were identical except for color, graphics (decals) and front ends. There were not many engine enclosed lawn tractors in 1975 when I did the Industrial Design work that created the look for these almost twins. The side panel was symmetrical along its horizontal center line; therefore allowing the same dies to stamp out both sides. That tooling cost savings sold the design to both Jacobsen and Ford. DFO
It’s always interesting to hear from people personally involved with the design of any “Curbside Classic”. Thanks for sharing!
You all are so lucky. When I lived at home our yard wasn’t big enough for a riding mower. I got stuck with a beat up old White Stores push mower. When I moved out suddenly our yard was big enough for a riding mower! THANKS DAD! Same with the TV. When I lived at home we couldn’t afford a remote control TV. When I moved out, suddenly they bought a remote control TV. Man was I abused.
I feel your pain, when I moved out, my folks bought a new small tractor and new trucks. they said they used the money they used to feed me with to buy them…lol
A lawn tractor, completely overgrown with grass and weeds. Love it!!
I think I found that FMS Mower. It’s from 1955 and made for the “take it easy club”.
I just drove by there and he’s still pretty loaded.
Reading this article made me go digging for the attached picture. In April 1957, I was 4 months away from my 5th birthday. This would have been my first encounter operating something with four wheels & an engine. By the look on my face you can tell I was enjoying every minute of it. Anyone with knowledge of the manufacturer of this mower, let me know. Just for the record, I gave up wearing cowboy hats many decades ago.
send me ur phone number
do you guys want a couple more, I have a 76 White and a old craftsman I want to get rid of. I can deliver them.
I havent seen any thing about General Electric Elec Trac tractors .1970s? sears also had electric lawn tractors. High maintainance.
Recently ran across this mower and it was so unique, I had to purchase it. I have no clue who is the manufacture is, but did find a Toro Mfg Co sticker on it. Toro wants a serial number and that is gone from sticker. Can anyone identify it for me.
need a Peerless transmission 5 speed ty
This site is really good for viewing old iron. I have a Bolens Surburban 24 with the original briggs from ’67 on it. It’s perfect for my .16 acre lot that I live on. A buddy of mine found it out by the curb and gave it to me. Its getting really hard to find this old stuff anymore.
Anyone ever hear of a roof lariat 26. I have one but can’t seem to find any info on it. I found a old paper ad. Once from 1972. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.
Do have a steering kit for a roper yard tractor model # yth160cr? call me 812754289 i am kenneth Franklin The shaft has to be 23 quarters long.
id love to know were you guys are stationed at in the good old usa
Looking for parts 1975 26″ craftsman rear engine riding mower. 325-277-5179
Can anyone tell me the exact model of this hood? I can’t seem to find one anywhere! Only been able to find one and would like another one.
I admit, I have the sickness. Right now, I’m down to only 17 riding mowers. It all started 25 years ago with a Snapper classic. After I got the drive disk replaced, and the deck lined up right, it was all down hill from there. Some of my more obscure are one of those Allis Chalmers units, but built by Gravely. I also have a 1962 Wards with the giant saddle and the chrome swing bar steering arm. My favorite though is an Original from 1960 by IH, the first Cub Cadet. Mine is a very low SN and may be the oldest running Cub extant. BTW, the Kohler 8HP engine actually puts out “8” honest HP at 3600RPM. Today, the same engine would be rated about 18HP, but only run at 3450. A minor correction, the Original Cub engine drove a belt down to a jackshaft, which used a single disk clutch, and then by PTO shaft back to the axle. It was a hybrid belt, shaft, clutch, trans drive, unlike a slipping belt from the engine to the trans.
If you go looking for a vintage machine, here’s a few hints for you. Look for a B&S engine with a red cover. It will have “IC” printed on it(except if it’s worn off). That is an ‘Industrial Commercial’ engine, and highly prized. Made from 1959-1988. A very few engines came with black paint but must have the “IC” or “I/C” moniker denoting a very good engine. The engine and trans is everything on vintage mowers. Decks can be changed, tires, belts, spindles are avail. But – the trans is the next big player. Avoid the drive types that use a variable size, or Salsbury type rear pulley to change gears. These wear belts very fast, plus the pulleys often wear or get pitted, and then belts wear even faster! Rear eng Snappers are the best bet if one can find them for $100-300 range. Cleaned up, they will sell for $600 or more, with about $100-150 in parts to restore.
Hey Burt! Any chance you have a Peerless 2409 Transaxle? I am trying to repair on off a 1970 Ford 140. You may be my only hope. Thanks!!
Ken
He won’t respond to this. You can try calling him. 541-343-8358
Hi I’m looking for info on this lawn tractor I’m looking for a year,models any info would be great.
Thank you
I thought I was going to see some cool stuff none of this is rare I’m just being straight with you my father lives in upstate New York and and has delt in vintage lawn tractors for over 50 years I’ve seen riding lawn mowers with steel wheels from the early 1800s that were steam powered… Most of the stuff is pretty common rusted yard ornaments out that way…
One of my teenage gigs in the 70s was to drive an Economy-Power King tractor & mow about 4 acres of grass at a 1930s-era cottage motel. Had a 14 hp 1-cyl Kohler engine iirc, had double transmissions & shaft drive. 60″ mower deck with five rotary blades in the deck. The deck was run with an ordinary automotive-type V-belt off an electric-clutch PTO, didn’t have enough power transfer ability to adequately run the mower in heavy lawn. At least the transmissions offered a slow enough speed to manage the problem. Might’ve been a decent tractor for other duties. Tractordata.com says was built by Engineering Products Company (EPCO) of Waukesha, Wisconsin, which was not far from the motel site.
If Elvis were ever to go mowing
What happened to the Tesla article that was here yesteday?
There were certain limitations in the article; range and charging issues were not adequately presented. And as is all too common, the comments became increasingly inflamed and polarized. EVs = politics, and politics is a no-no at CC. So it was yanked.
Another fun one I must have missed the first time. Has Burt been retired for 10 years or is this part of the 2024 update?
My mother worked for IH in 1960 and she’d mentioned how excited everyone was about the Cub Cadet that year.
He’s still there. I dropped by a couple of years ago. He’s also got a large collection of other items inside the building that he’s selling off.
The funny thing is that Burt first announced he was retiring and selling off his collection like 25 years ago! It’s just what he does. But his kids are likely to end up with quite a bit of stuff.