OldBuzzard

That looks to be in pretty good shape. One thing I might point out is that they are setup up wrong. Each gang needs to be rotated 180 Deg. for proper operation. When setup correctly the concave side of the disc should be facing the direction of travel. That allows them to cut into the ground.

Here in the States we call those "Rice tires". They are usually seen on the Grey Market tractors that come in from Japan. They are pretty much a requirement for a tractor that is used in the rice paddies.

Those were pretty interesting. There was also a front blade for it.

Here's some info on them. You will need to scroll down a bit to get to the Rotavator folks. http://tractors.wikia.com/wiki/Howard

Andrew, I've been waiting for you to post that it got there. It's definitely and early example. One easy clue is that the hitch is cast into the rear end and not a bolted on one.

Here's the thread I started when the whole operation started http://myoldmachine.com/topic/1862-operation-bolens-600/#comment-20290

Are you saying the your Serial Number is 0200101? If so, according to my paperwork it would be a 1981 model.

If it arrives in pieces it danged sure won't be my fault. Here's what it looked like when it left my humble abode on 5/22. It's a good thing I have the 1886 Forklift because we would never have gotten it onto his trailer without it.

It's definitely NOT a G8, as the G8 was a small (stamped) frame tractor. It could be a G9, G10, or G11. G9 = 8HP B&S 190417-065301 G10 = 10HP B&S 251417-015901 (1976 and 1977. The 1973-1975 G10 had the TEC HH100-115181D) G11 = 11 HP B&S 252417-013201 I think you are closer to being right than am. Fender pan isn't right for the G9, G10, G11. But with the cobbled up seat, anything is possible. Getting the proper engine spec would be the key.

OOOOOOOOOOO...SHINEY!

Nice looking Estate Keeper. :thumbs: I'm guessing that it's the 7HP version, built in 1964-66. Looks to be pretty much original except for the seat. Here's a pic of my EK7 so you can see how the seat should be mounted.

There are rotorvators and then there are rotorvators :D Some rotorvators like the Bolens 'square back' models are very heavy duty and capable of working virgin ground. Others like their 'round back' model are light duty and only designed for previously worked ground. If yours is a 'light duty' one, maybe you should consider using a plough to break the ground first, and then follow up with the rotorvator after the plough has done the 'heavy work'.

Nice looking tractors. Looks to me like you need a Haban Sickle-Mo in the worst way. One of them would have handled that fence line in short order.

The manual I posted pretty much explains it. You raise the 3-PT to the top and then pull the knob/shaft. That moves a piece that will go between the frame and the arm on the 3-PT which keeps it in the raised position. That's useful for transport as it takes the stress off the hydraulics. It really has nothing to do with the operation of any front mounted attachments other than it allows you to use them without having to dismount any of the rear 3-PT attachments. If you disconnect the lift rod from the tractor's rockshaft to the 3-PT rockshaft, you can then use front mounted attachments without raising and lowering the 3-PT. Remember, the front and rear implements both raise and lower using the same points on tractor's rockshaft. I think once you guys get 'hands on it' you will see what I'm talking about. Now, just to add some more confusion, there were also optional 'lock up' kits for the tiller and front blade. Those allowed you to leave the tiller or front front blade mounted while you were using other attachments. Here's a link to a lockup kit for the front blade that was sold on eBay some time back. It's a long story, but I actually ended up with it as the 'winning bidder' was trying to pull some shenanigans. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Bolens-Model-18113-P-N-1736718-Blade-Lock-Up-Kit-Fits-ALL-Largeframes-/331480209892?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=uKx7K%252FIPo%252BFKzbCtAqstSTd4eAg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&rmvSB=true

It has nothing to do with the hydraulic system. It's a mechanical lock up for the 3-pt. It is a standard part for the 18086 3-pt hitch for the HT series tractors. It's generally missing on used 3-pt hitches because the PO didn't know, or didn't bother to remove it from the tractor. Here's the 18086 instruction manual that shows it and describes it's use. 18086_3pt_Instructions.pdf

Nice looking unit :thumbs: That rear blade looks like it might be the ARPS 3-pt. blade. I really can't understand the Original Owner's thinking on the PS unit. Deleting it might theoretically make the lift faster, but in practice it most likely wouldn't be noticeable. Not to mention that if it had helper springs for the snowcaster, that means it was the huge, HEAVY 2-stage caster, and why anyone would want to use one of those without PS is beyond me. I know that steering with the Haban Flail-Mo on the HT20D takes a lot of effort, and while it is heavier than the single stage caster, it isn't as heavy as the 2-stage. Guy must have been pretty danged stout :D That 'selector knob' doesn't do anything with the hydraulics. All it does is lock the 3-pt in the raised position so that you can disconnect the lift rod going to it and use front mounted attachments without having to take the whole 3-pt unit off. In use, you raise the 3-pt, push in the knob, and then disconnect the lift arm.

The 1253 is easy :D It was only produced for one year, 1970.

Nice looking tractor even if it's the wrong color. At least it wasn't rusting away :D I've seen the Bolens tractors painted in just about every color of the rainbow. Seems like the styling lends itself to that. As for your 1254-06 with a Tec engine in it, I'm thinking that it's had a transplant. According to my info, the all of the 1254 production runs had the Wisconsin TRA-12D engine but there was a different Spec. number for the later ones. The -01 through the -04 had a Spec. number of 335600, whilst the -05 and -06 had a Spec. number of 357448. I have no clue as what the difference(s) between the two Spec. numbers may have been. I'll also note that the same thing applied to the 1256. The -01 through -04 used the earlier engine whilst the -06 and -07 used the latter. What's even more interesting is that I can find no reference to a -05 production run of the 1256 in ANY of the lists that I have.

Great find :thumbs: Those things are pretty rare here in the States. I can't imagine how rare they are over there. You definitely will want to put it on something with hydraulic lift as those rascals are HEAVY! I have one that I haven't fitted to a tractor yet as it needs a bit of work and all new blades. I do have it's 'big brother' on my HT20D and you can feel the front end squat when you lift it up. The 20D doesn't have power steering (yet) and it definitely takes some effort to steer as well. I'm thinking that a bit more PSI in the front tires would help that somewhat.

I have a thread on this over at the GTT forums as well. So far we are pretty sure that it is: COME TO COMPLETE STOP BEFORE SHIFTING. VOR DEM SCHALTEN ZUM VÖLLIGEN STILLSTAND KOMMEN. ARRETEZ COMPLETEMENT AVANT DE CHANGER DE VITESSE. STANNA HELT FÖRE VÄXLING.

Gents, I finally found a photo of a decal that I need for the refurbishment of the HDT1000. Unfortunately it isn't in the best of shape and some of it isn't readily readable. Some of it is unreadable but I'm thinking that if you know German, French, or Swedish you can help me fill in the blanks. Here's the decal in question. I may be getting a bit higher resolution photo of it and might be able to post that if necessary.

Yes, it does have the PS option fitted. Here's a short walk around vid of it that I took as it sat at the dealer's place before they delivered it to me. It had been sitting there for about 4-5 years, and all it took to get it running was a new battery, and a bit of cleaning of the points. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FLOzvJNnU

Those are CST ANCLA ATV tyres. I have them on two other large frames as well. My 1886 with FEL and the HDT1000. They are 6-ply rated with a good load capacity, and with a tread depth close to 1" give great traction. As an added bonus, their logo uses a Husky so it's almost as if they were destined to be used on a Bolens tractor :D

I've always wondered why CC called that hitch a 3-pt when it's obvious that it isn't. Maybe it was the marketing weasels that came up with that to make it sound more like a 'big' tractor. An engineer certainly would have never made that claim/mistake.