HeadExam

The first four wheel front engine Ariens made was the Manorway. The Manorway 700 was produced from 1967-1971 and had a 7hp Tecumseh VH-70 vertical shaft engine in 1968 Ariens introduced the Manorway 800 powered by a 8 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. These were vertical shaft lawn tractors and by 1971 the family Ariens was beginning to actively search for garden tractor model options, it was time they made a move into the market, Sperry New Holland was their choice. Here is a picture of the Ariens Manorway 800 from 1969 and the Sperry New Holland S16 circa 1972

Early on Ariens was most noted for walk behind tractors, later their first residential walk behind snowblower revolutionized the industry. They made a great rear engine rider, rear tine tiller, but had very few four wheel front engine tractors until they bought the Sperry New Holland design in 1974, pictured here. Early simplicity garden tractors from the 1960's are very rare, I think one was called the Mantowitoc and may have been made by Simplicity or Toro. If you look close My Ariens still sports Sperry New Holland brand wheel weights from left over stock.

Ariens, Bolens, Wheel Horse, and other smaller manufacturers were a threat or problem to major manufacturers like MTD and John Deere. It wasn't just the cost that doomed great garden tractors, it was unfair and unequal competition from imports led by aforementioned global companies. Manufacturing became less about the product and more about the stock prices.

I don't like mine mooing, but at least still kicking a little.

Those look really nice, but I bet they will work even better. I wish I had a set. I may have to find some shovels and metal. Nice Job

Lets see all your Ariens built machines, ride on's, walk behinds, etc.

Great Job! If you would move the plows inside a little you could add a couple of discs at an angle and it would be a hiller

This reminds me of the Pennsylvania Panzer or Copan Panzer, very cool early primitive garden tractor. It's amazing to think that four wheel garden tractors were a rarity until the very late 1940's, before a garden tractor was usually a walk behind two wheeled machine. Did we get lazy or come into more money? lol

My wife spotted what she believes was a grey breasted long legged tree goon

This one is the D160, 16hp Kohler k341, like all my tractors is a single cylinder, but yes they are very powerful. Many do not know this, but the hydro unit on these tractors hooks directly to the flywheel this fluid is then transferred to charge pump for the rear trans axle

Saturday evening we had gale force winds (60+mph) several inches of horizontal rain and a lot of lightening in the space of one hour. It took out much of one tree and a big part of the corn. I've been using the cutter/loppers and bow saw for the last two days in order to get it cleaned up. I have two chain saws, but I thought I needed the exercise. The Wheel Horse D-160 had no problem pulling the tree into the drive for dismemberment.

But not as long as a large frame, the large frame PTO shafts are 53", that one doesn't look more than 42"

The red one is a Model 18018 25" with one extension for a total width of 33" early large frame tiller for a 1476, 1477, 1886 and the Black (dirty one) is a 25" with one extension, 33" Model 18618-03 flat back from the Black and White H and G model tractors.

Ahh, the Armstrong option. My left arm stays in good shape fending off attacks caused by quick wit and slow judgment. BTW, some lifts are on the right I believe, CASE 224 is. You can get one and even out the exercise.

What is a lift lever, . I don't seem to have one on any of my models.

It doesn't appear to be a tube frame tiller, with the right lift bar, I think it still be made to work if the axle ears have the same spacing you had the right drive shaft

Its a 1974 Bolens HT20 model 2087-02

Beautiful collection! Glad you survived the day, it was 98 degrees, heat index of 105, with no wind yesterday, and the day before, and the....It does me no good to complain, lol

When those grader blades came out they were designed for foot dragging tractors with foot pegs, those machines had a narrower and higher waist than the later running board tractors, but they never redesigned the grader blade. This is akin to cabinet design not keeping up with refrigerator design. Dang cabinet over the modern refrigerator is 3 feet back, you would need a 6 foot step ladder or be 7 feet tall to get into it. Finally they jutted the cabinet out in kitchen cabinets, it took long enough.

Happy Birthday Andrew. I hope you get a really nice birthday present, one with four wheel. Really nice to see another Bolens collector saving more of these great machines. It seems once you own a Bolens a love affair and addiction begin.

They made many of those round back tillers, at least 4 different model numbers. The early round backs were the 18608 and were a 22" wide tiller designed for models 600-180-01 through -03 and models 600-181-01 through -04. This model could use the later tiller extension kit, but I don't think it would be recommended on any of the Bolens 600's. Bolens also offered 22" tiller with the model number 18609 and was designed for the Bolens model 800 and new Bolens model 900. This was also a good tiller for the later Bolens model 750 and was available with a extension kit. Next Bolens offered a model 18610 round back tiller with optional extension kit for the Bolens model 1000, this tiller could be used on the early tractors, but needed a different driveshaft for use on the Bolens 600. When the 1050 arrived Bolens again offered an upgraded version of the round back tiller for the large tube frames coming on the scene. Most of the previous tiller models had variants in hook ups and drive shafts, but they also beefed these tillers up over time. In 1969 the 25" model 18614 "flat-backed" tiller was introduced. These were specifically designed for the larger 12 hp medium tube frames. The round back tillers were not recommended for use on later 12 hp and larger machines. Later flat back tillers include the model 18616 and 18618, for the newer 14 and 16 hp tube frames. I don't think there was a lot of difference in the 18614 and the 18616 except the drive shaft, but the the 18618 tiller was a 33" wide tiller made for the later 14 and 16 hp tractors and was black in color. Many dealers had round back tillers in stock and sold them with 12 and even 15 hp tractors until stocks were depleted, not always to cheat someone, but as a lower price point on a tiller. If any of this is incorrect, or incomplete, I think we would all welcome any corrections or additions.

I was wondering if it would be or not. My friend uses a GPS it to return to good fishing spots and my wife's car has one as standard equipment. I wont use them, they aren't that accurate or useful to me. I use Rand MacNally and/or google earth/maps.

did anyone notice the GPS "bulb" on the lead tractor"

I would agree, it would be a good buy, its a solid machine and must have been well cared for to be in that shape. I rarely consider price alone when purchasing a machine, it has to be the right machine and in the right condition. This one appears to fall into that category

Find out what interests the landlord has and ply him with a few favours, if done subtly and honestly, it may be a way to get your foot (and arse) in that shed.