The Horsedrawn Mower Book by Lynn R. Miller is back in print! The following excerpt is from Section Two, Restoration & Rebuilding. Order here.

Chapter Eight

Is This Mower Worth Rebuilding?

by Lynn R. Miller

There are at least two potentially overlapping reasons why you might want to rebuild and/or restore a horse drawn mower. First, because you want to use it. And second, because you are enamored of antique farm equipment and pride yourself on accurate restorations. These two reasons can certainly be combined. I want to suggest that there is a valuable third reason. You might want to rebuild these important machines so that you can sell them to people who would want to use them.

Hopefully we have suggested to you that these machines are not all alike, though they certainly may seem that way. If you are in a position to choose which make and model of mower you might wish to work on might I put in my vote for either the McD/Internationals #7 & #9 or the John Deere Big Four. These were the last and most plentiful models made and some parts are still available with a fair measure of aftermarket cutter bar parts which are interchangeable. If you do insist on working with a different brand or model, remember that you will be challenged to find parts. A dream come true would be to find three mowers that are identical, and from that group, plan on ending up with one outstanding mower and a backup of parts. If you are somewhat uninitiated, you might reasonably wonder just how many makes and models of the old original mowers exist or existed.

Here’s a view of the choices in two categories and I am certain I have left a few out:

really old rare antique horse mowers

latest generation (circa WWII) horse mowers

Under that first category might fall these manufacturers names and their earliest models:

Acme

Adriance

Buckeye

Champion

Crown

Deering

Dain

Emerson

Independent

Johnston

Massey Harris

Milwaukee

McCormick

Moline

Minnesota

Osborne

Plano

Thomas

Wood Bros.

Under the second category would fall these manufacturers and their last models:

Case

Champion

David Bradley

John Deere

McCormick Deering/International

Oliver

In the over thirty years which I have spent with these machines, I have learned to gather up “parts” mowers of my preferred model, the #9. These have been quite valuable when it came to finding just the right piece to bring a good mower back into service. And frequently they can be owned at a reasonable fee, even scrap iron prices. Think of it this way, if you put a value on having, as a back up, a set of levers, a lifting spring, a yoke, a pitman shaft, a lead bar, etc., etc. You can see that rather quickly the old parts mower will pay its way.

But I mention this now, at the beginning of this chapter because I want to make an entirely different point about the old beat-up parts mower candidates. Namely this: Don’t write them off too quickly. After careful inspection you just may find that the worst looking one, the one with a broken cutter bar and a cracked wheel will be the best candidate to be rebuilt. And vice versa you may find that the one that is shiny and all painted up, looking complete and serviceable, has serious unrepairable internal damage. That’s what this chapter is about, a routine you might employ to determine if a mower is rebuildable or strictly parts.

At an auction (above) you might impulsively bid on a “yard ornament” mower, as I did, because it only went for $175. Then we take it home and wonder if it is worth trying to rebuild or if we got skunked. To my eye, I would immediately say we got a good deal and maybe we cannot rebuild it. Confusing? Read on.

A TALE OF TWO MOWERS

Actually I purchased two “yard ornament” mowers (below) at one of our former Small Farmer’s Journal Auctions and took them home to analyze for the purposes of this book. They were both International #9 mowers, pretty much complete. One (the nearest in the photo) has a six foot bar and the other a five foot. One has wide “swamp” wheels while the other has mid-width ones. Having the two mowers, I felt 80% certain I could, by borrowing from one, rebuild the other into a serviceable mower. Born of my experience I, of course, had immediate suspicions of the relative worth of one mower over the other one. But also born of experience I knew better than to rush to judgement. Often the obvious is not the case. Often the good and/or bad news is hidden from easy view. You have to know where and how to look to see if, on the inside, either or both of these will want to return to the field. So I set to the process of reviewing these two and photographing their parts to build this chapter.

If all things were equal, the very best way to assess a mower is to have it in a shop on a concrete floor with all the tools and stands you require. That just doesn’t always work out. You may find yourself pulling weeds off the old fence row sentinel and scratching your head. Well, even in that situation you ought to be able to make a quick assessment as to whether you want to acquire the mower. If it is somewhat complete with perhaps 10% of the removeable parts missing or damaged (parts like guards, sickle bar, pitman stick and tongue) AND it is your make and model, it is definitely worth something to you. How much is your call. But perhaps I can help you with a few other measures. Here’s what I do:

THE QUICK REVIEW

1.) I look at the wheels. If they are a rubber-tired setup, even if incomplete, I know I want the mower. These wheel assemblies are hard to come by and can be expensive.

If they are cast iron I look at the wheel lugs. If they are sharp-edged and pronounced, I try to curb my enthusiasm, because, you see, this usually means the mower had very little use. If on the other hand the lugs are worn down, rounded, and perhaps even pock-marked, I judge that this mower has seen a lot of use. And maybe hard use.

2.) That points to the tongue. If it is cut off and setup with some sort of hitching apparatus I can safely assume it was pulled behind a tractor. That would account for worn lugs and maybe some other problems which I will look for.

If the tongue has not been cut off, even if it is broken, I am happy because I can assume that its working life was spent at 3 mph rather than 7 to 10 mph.

3.) Now I look over the frame to see if there are any breaks, paying attention to any welds. I don’t want to see any.

4.) Next I eyeball the levers and linkage to see if there is any evidence of problems. I am watching for homemade repairs.

If the seat is missing or the seat stem is broken, I am not overly concerned unless I see some other indication that the machine may have been dropped from a height or in a nasty runaway.

If this mower has its original hitch, grass board, carrier rod and nut, I consider myself lucky.

5.) With a pair of pliers or a crescent wrench I remove the gear box lid carefully, anxious to preserve any gasket. I look inside to see if there is evidence of damage to the edge of the gears. Sometimes, when the mower is pulled fast, the gear teeth will begin to crystallize with hairline fractures and bits falling off. This is a serous indication that this machine may not be a candidate for rebuild and use. After I decide on the condition, I replace the lid and screw it back down.

6.) I take hold of the pitman fly wheel and lift up and sideways. I am feeling for any play in how the shaft seats in the housing.

7.) And finally I look at the cutter bar assembly, sighting down its length to see if it has any untoward bend. I know that I can and probably will replace all the guards and the sickle bar so these things don’t overly concern me. Taking hold of the end of the cutter bar when it is down, I push it and pull it to see if there is excessive play in the yoke pins, another problem caused by tractors pulling the units.

To summarize: If the mower’s frame is solid, the wheels are good, the pitman fly wheel well-seated, the gears are sharp and clean, and most of external mechanisms intact, I know I have a mower I want, one which, after closer inspection, may be a candidate to rebuild.

On the other hand: If the frame is broken and/or welded, the gears are seized up, the wheels are worn and/or broken, the fly wheel sloppy, and/or the gears rough, this mower will probably only be of value to me for those external parts I can rob off her.