Vintage lawn mowers

[Rebel SS]

Anyone else grow up using this mower?





Had this one, too...

[glenn57]

nope...not near that ancient!!!!!!!!

[HD]

 

I'm so old, I casted those aluminum decks for Toro.... 

[Rebel SS]

 

[Rebel SS]

What I REALLY hated was....after I was finished mowing, I had to trim around the whole backyard fence and wall. Wall was a 3' high 40' long block retaining wall, with every other set of blocks set in, then out, then in... and trying to trim in and out around them was something else, especially while using these dopey dull shears. They are the same ones we had. All to get my 50 cents a week allowance. 

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[Dotch]

We had a set of shears identical to that photo, same color and all. And yes, that part of mowing the lawn really did suck but cemented the idea that the job wasn't finished until that part was done. Thought I died and went to heaven when Dad bought the first Weedeater. 

[Rebel SS]

You got a weedeater?!?   

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[Rebel SS]

Then ya threw yerself into deep debt by asking for an "advance" on yer allowance, so ya could get that new AMT Munster's car model down at the hobby shop...

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[delcecchi]

1968?  Vintage?   

That's the year I started working at IBM after college graduation.....

[Dotch]

You got a weedeater?!?   

Yes, yes I am special. My teachers frequently reminded me how "special" I was...

We had at one point including the windbreak about 3 acres of lawn to mow at the Spring Valley farm, a lot back in the 60's. We also had rental properties to mow. We had a Craftsman push mower when we lived at the Stewartville farm. Before that Dad had one of the first attempts at a lawn mower , one of those two wheeled David Bradley jobbies. Could put a sickle mower out front on it and there was a cultivator I remember that attached behind. It was hard to start and equally as difficult to keep running. Might've been a Wisconsin engine on it. Those were infamous for being hard to start once they got hot as anyone who ever slugged a baler with one on it can attest.

Got rid of that then graduated to a DB Suburban rider that Dad got from his brothers' IH dealership. It had been taken in on trade for a Cub Cadet. Dad fixed it and we used that until the late 70's. He re-powered it in '68 with an 8 hp Briggs so he took the hood off. Looked like something from a Mad Max movie but it worked pretty good. 

https://todaysmower.com/history-craftsman-tractors/

 



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[Rebel SS]

Was that last one the inspiration for the creature in "Aliens?" 

[Dotch]

  Ya that one is not exactly like the one we had but it's pretty close. I remember the "teeth" up front. Pictured mower looks like it had a different motor on it. Ours had a 3 hp Briggs that was lower profile. The mower was unique in that it had a foot clutch to engage the blade. There was a belt under that raised sheet metal on top of the deck. My older brother got an expenses paid trip to St. Mary's after sniffing the gas on that one.   

[Rebel SS]

I remember the David Bradleys.....always thought they were "cool" when I was a kid. Wanted one so I could put roller skates on and get pulled around. 

[LPS]

When I was about 10 my Dad said he was going to get a different lawn mower.  I was excited to see it.  He came home with an electric one.  You actually had to plug it in.  I was so bummed about it.  I wanted an engine on it of course.  I kept running over the cord but it was hard as heck to cut.  It laid tight to the ground so the blades wouldn't hit it.   

[Rebel SS]

Those make about as much sense as the electric snowblowers. I had to use one of those mowers one summer when taking care of a guys lawn, that's what he wanted used.
Wonder if anyone ever thought about how flexible a 100' extension cord is at 0* degrees when they bought one of those electric snowblowers....