Rear Finish Mower mystery... what kind of finish mower is this?

   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this? #1  

Dan Newbery

New member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Messages
6
Location
Wytheville, VA
Tractor
Ford 8n
I've posted this question on a couple other forums... no definitive answer as of yet.

I got this finish mower with my second 8n Ford tractor. I cannot for the life of me find out who made it. I've searched through literally thousands of pictures on google... to no avail.

Some say Landpride... some say Woods... some say cobbled together homemade from a John Deere deck.

This is what I know so far:

The lift arm connections look like Woods (just straight pins, not the dual sided notch as Landpride units seem to have).

The welds are all professional looking, and it's not been re-painted, and deck and frame are same color and same state of weather... so the homemade thing is highly unlikely based on that (I would think).

The top link connection is very different from anything else I see in pics of Woods, Landpride, John Deere, and even others what aren't necessarily yellow.

The unit really works well... it is missing the belt guard, and of course the labels which would have had the model name and number on it. We hooked it up and pulled it through some 2 to 2 1/2 foot field grass, and it chewed it right up and left a mowed lawn looking path behind it. It has "gator" type blades on it, probably an update from original, but maybe not (?)...

Maybe it's a foreign made thing, but the apparent age of it tells me it's probably been made here in America. Maybe it was made by a small outfit that went out of business shortly after starting up. It's a mystery, for sure. I was able to match up a belt for it at TSC today... but if I ever need pulleys or a gear box, I'm at a loss.

The gear box does have the numbers: 1f.141.a and series code number 141.303.00 This search did lead to "one" dead end post that referenced a Landpride mower, but I couldn't get anything definitive from that link.

Here are some pics...



 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this?
  • Thread Starter
#2  
here's another pic...


I do see the resemblance of the deck to a John Deere deck... I wonder if there was a "conversion kit" available to make a belly mower deck into a 3 point rear mount (?)... if it's a JD deck, and I can find out what model it is, that would help. But it shouldn't have decals up front (you can see where the decals used to be)... so this is driving me crazy. :(
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this? #3  
The strange hitch system, with the a-frame over the gearbox, makes me wonder if it might be a well-done conversion of a belt drive mower to a gear drive.

Bruce
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
The strange hitch system, with the a-frame over the gearbox, makes me wonder if it might be a well-done conversion of a belt drive mower to a gear drive.

Bruce

Yes, the hitch is done differently than anything I've seen in the thousands of pics I've looked at. I guess it could be a conversion of some kind. But the odd thing is there isn't any evidence (grinding spots or holes) on the deck that would have been part of the previous mounting system for a belly mower or whatever. It's clean around the edges, front and back, nothing other than perfectly welded brackets that hold the 3 point system and dolly wheels.
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
maybe so... what would be some names of foreign mowers that I could google to see if I can figure out what this is? I'm just figuring that sooner or later I'll need a pulley or something and I won't even know where to go or what to ask for. :(
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
just looking at the deck itself... can anyone say if it could be a JD deck... or Cub Cadet... or... ?
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this? #8  
It looks johndeer to me. Even the a frame. Only thing that don't look the part is the angle brace going back to the gearbox area. JD mosers had two diagonal round bars. But nothing on your angle straps are welded, just bolted on using existing holes.

So my vote is a JD mower that someone either lost or bent the round bars on, and replaced with flat straps off another mower.
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this? #9  
maybe so... what would be some names of foreign mowers that I could google to see if I can figure out what this is? I'm just figuring that sooner or later I'll need a pulley or something and I won't even know where to go or what to ask for. :(

Maybe check if it is metric. You may also check with generic parts suppliers for items that may fit or that can be fit with minor modifications.
 
   / mystery... what kind of finish mower is this? #10  
maybe so... what would be some names of foreign mowers that I could google to see if I can figure out what this is? I'm just figuring that sooner or later I'll need a pulley or something and I won't even know where to go or what to ask for. :(

Anything that mower may need, I wouldnt go OEM for anyway.

You need a spindle pulley, measure it. Belt pitch, diameter, and bore. You need a bearing or seal, same thing, measure it or use the number on it. Same for belts. If the gearbox goes out, buy a whole new generic one. No need to know who made it to keep it functioning
 
 

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