Serial Number/Year ?

[wheelbuilder]

Is there a source for finding the year of a Bolens/Iseki by its serial number ?

 

[Thomas]

Maybe tractordata.com might help.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Serial # information related to production year is scarce, if even available outside of Iseki. The best indicator I've found for year of production is sometimes it is stamped on the wheels. The problem with that is knowing the whether or not the wheels are original to the tractor. Model years did not typically bring about any changes, model numbers did. For example the successor to a TX1500F is a TX2160F. When Bolens brought over the Iseki's they did not follow this pattern necessarily. So both of those examples were labeled as "G174".

 

[wheelbuilder]

Tractor data didn't have numbers, I'll check the wheels.
The Bolens plate says tx2140, the side of the frame says TX1410, and the hood says 1502 (no H). It does have the K3A engine. I wonder if Mitsubishi had number records...
I'll get at the wheels tomorrow, i need some fresh air.

Thanks !

 

[ovrszd]

Not sure this would help.

Back in the day with Automotive stuff you could look at the tail light or turn signal light lenses and find a date. That assured you that it was built after that date.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

Tractor data didn't have numbers, I'll check the wheels.
The Bolens plate says tx2140, the side of the frame says TX1410, and the hood says 1502 (no H). It does have the K3A engine. I wonder if Mitsubishi had number records...
I'll get at the wheels tomorrow, i need some fresh air.

Thanks !

I'm still confused about the TX1410 and TX1510 models mainly because I've never seen any personally. It is clear they came with the K3 series of Mitsubishi engines but I don't know if their transmissions are identical to the TX21x0 models which came with the "position control" 3-point configuration. There must be significant differences somewhere otherwise there would be no need to declare subsequent model #s. At a minimum the transmission bolt pattern must have been different to mate up with the 3-cylinder engines but it still may initially have maintained the non-position control 3-pt. Tractor Data lists the TX1410 and TX1300 as having the same production years which technically would have made the TX1x10 series the first successor to the TX1x00 tractors and not the TX 21x0 series as I stated in my prior post. I have a service manual from Bolens that lists it is for the "TX1502, TX1504, and TX1704" tractors but then as soon as it gets into the specifications the model labeling switches to TX2140 and TX2160. So that adds to the confusion. The manual may be a compilation of multiple manuals too so who knows...

 

[lens12]

I've had both a TX1410 and TX1510. they are comperable to the Bolens 152/157/174 models.

 

[wheelbuilder]

Is there a preferred manual for these models ? I see one listed on southern-global, and one from sheaftractor.

 

[lens12]

one manual covers the Bolens G152/G154/G174 models

 

[wheelbuilder]

I finally found a year on the wheels. It looks like it's a 1988 based on that. The rims are reversed for a wider track. I kept checking the part I could see, but ended up in the same spots. Murphy's law I guess.