Old Yeller
Model Year: 1976
I bought this tractor at a farm auction that was held for a lady going to a nursing home. She loved it so much that she asked me if I intended to soup it up and use it as a puller. She acted as if I was purchasing one of her children. When I told her that I was only going to mow with it and possibly shove a little snow, she was so happy. I am sure that lady has since gone on to her reward, but if she could see that 1450 today, she would smile. If anything, it looks better now than then. I have kept the chrome hub caps sparkling, and there isn't any rust any place on the tractor. A few years after using the tractor to mow a few lawns in addition to my own, the Kohler 14 hp engine needed to be rebuilt. I was talked into buying a new Kohler 16 hp. It has the power, but the 16 engines do not run as smoothly as the 14 engines. The original 44A deck still is in wonderful condition. I replaced the center pulley with a 44C pulley to make the blades turn faster. I use gator blades. The bearings are always greased, and I clean out the bearing caps at least twice a season. Probably, I could work on this tractor blind. I know I can talk someone through a troubleshoot on the telephone, because I have a son who has a 1450, and that is how we have repaired his a couple times. Before I would buy a new garden tractor (I detest ZTR contraptions!), I would rebuild this one and keep it going.
Pros: Tough as they come! It has paid for itself many times over and over.
Cons: Unless you know how, this is a tricky tractor to haul. I used auto ramps in the back of my truck bed. As I drive the tractor up the ramps, they help the mower deck clear the wheel wells. Never haul one of these backwards without tying down the hood of the tractor. The hood will be raise by the force of the wind and bye-bye hood!