Your favorite lawn and garden tractors Past and Present

[jeffinsgf]

I bought a John Deere 455 this Spring, and have been very impressed. It has done everything I've asked of it, and that is saying a lot. I love the little diesel. It is much quieter than an air cooled single cylinder and the fuel efficiency is incredible. I've filled the tank twice since March, and I mow an acre twice a week and use the tractor to pull wagons and implements quite a bit, too.

The 455 purchase led me to the Weekend Freedom Machines (JD's old slogan for their GT's) website http://www.weekendfreedommachines.org Following the stories of the collectors there has got me itching for one old JD in particular. I really would like to find a solid old 140 H3 that needs some cosmetic care. That itch got worse after going to the tractor pulls at the Ozark Empire Fair a couple weeks ago. A 140 outpulled several tractors that were far heavier and more powerful. If the puller had been allowed to add a little more ballast, I don't think it would have stopped at all.

 

[Fordlords]

I just got a 300 model for free in poor cosmetic shape that is basically the 140 in hopped up form. I went over it and the overall cost to restore it to immaculate shape would not be worth it, (it was abused, not used) so I have decided to do an a'la Chip Foose Overhaulin' job on this 300 of mine. I think it can be a beast of a hydro class puller.

I have already started working on my Cub 782D, and already have no doubt- Kubota and Yanmar diesels are simply a couple of the best small HP engines made- it is wicked how solid these engines are- they were well worth their cost in the new tractors they were put in, yet didn't sell so well as opposed to gas engines- but IMHO are light years better engines- a lot of which is found when it comes to rebuild time!

I will be posting the 782D CC Kubota rebuild work and pictures exclusively here at TBN for those interested in the subject.

-Fordlords-

 

[neverenough]

Old: 1973 SEARS S/S twin 16 w/Onan 16hp motor. Still works to this day, but the carb is going and it's almost $300 to replace. Ouch.

New: X585 Deere. Oh what a smooth operating handy little machine. Love the ergo's, hate the PTO back up safety switch. My 425 was nice too, but the 4x4 with the HDAP tires is almost unstopable in the snow.

 

[Egon]

Old: 1973 SEARS S/S twin 16 w/Onan 16hp motor. Still works to this day, but the carb is going and it's almost $300 to replace.


As previously stated I had one. I think it may have been about one of the best ever made so far.

Egon

 

[neverenough]

Old: 1973 SEARS S/S twin 16 w/Onan 16hp motor. Still works to this day, but the carb is going and it's almost $300 to replace.


As previously stated I had one. I think it may have been about one of the best ever made so far.

Egon

It was the end of a truely great era. Back in the late 40's to the mid 70's it seems like everyone made quality stuff. Now day's too many companies are building junk and using a good name from the past to sell it.

 

[RobS]

My favorite was purely sentimental. 1966 Wheel Horse 654. It was my grandfathers and I sort of inherited it. Had a rear discharge mower deck and a snow blade. I was in high school and my mom was patient enough to run me over to the dealer fairly often for the various rebuild kits I was sure I needed.

Didn't have a manual for it, so I wrote to Wheel Horse in South Bend, IN (lived in Indy at the time). They sent me a new manual, no charge, and this must have been 10 years after the thing was made. I eventually moved to South Bend and used it to move a lot of snow.

Had an odd quirk in the transaxle. Would occasionally hang up between gears and the shift lever would jam. Don't know how I picked this up, but a quick hammer blow to the input shaft would always solve it.

Nothing terribly special about the tractor itself, but the memories and link to my grandfather made it the best thing in the world for me.

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

Hands Down The JD 140H W/A Johnson Loader.Second The 318 Garden Tractor.

 

[bontai_Joe]

Although I mentioned before my personal favorites were Deeres, and I've enjoyed seeing what other folks like, I am surprised by the fact that no one mentioned the old Power King/Economy/Jim Dandy tractors. I'm always looking for one with a 16 or 18 HP Kohler and the dual 3 speed trannys, cat. "0" 3 point in decent condition.

 

[ACKBill]

Back in the early 70's my family got a Sears (made by Roper) SS14, same as the 16 but with a Briggs 14HP single cylinder gas engine. It did everything and I made a lot of money as a kid, going around the neighborhood cutting lawns, tilling gardens and plowing driveways! I had it untill just about 2 years ago when I finally admitted that it was just getting too hard to find any parts for it anymore. A sad day when I rolled it out of the trailer at the dump! Come to think of it, I think that I learned a lot about what it means to do an honest days work, sitting in the seat of that tractor when I was growing up. Kinda funny, those unintentional lessons that you get...

BILL