My little mystery John Deere

[thom]

I recently got this John Deere riding mower. The tag is stamped Model 50. Serial # 5032467. However the tag also reads Waterloo, Iowa where the full size John Deere tractors were made. It has been the victim of a poorly done repaint at some point.
A previous owner/comedian might have put a tag from a full size Model 50 JD tractor on it. The serial number would put in 1956 if so and the Waterloo would make sense too.
It has a lot of features shared with Model 60s and maybe Model 70s and others low number models. Even 100s and possibly 110s?
One thing that I have not seen before though is the motor mount system. The engine mounts to it's own "pan" then attaches to the frame of the mower with rubber cushions that look big enough for V8 car motor mounts. Strange. Anybody else got one?

 

[dodge trucker]

whats the date on that gold triangle OPEI sticker below the ID tag? that will get you closer to the year it was made, as might the code number on the engine as it looks Briggs-ish. on Briggs the code number is a build date code. Year, month, day, and assembly line number

 

[KennyP]

Do the rear wheels bolt on?

 

[Toomanytoys84]

It looks wrong to me on many levels....like it's more than one tractor painted green. But I've been wrong many times before. Never seen anything like that.

 

[Traill95]

That looks to be a JD 100. I restored this one and put larger tires on it. I am in the process of putting a hydro rearend in another one.

 

[KennyP]

That looks to be a JD 100. I restored this one and put larger tires on it. I am in the process of putting a hydro rearend in another one.

View attachment 9393 View attachment 9394

That has the correct motor mounts!

 

[thom]

I dug into it a little bit more this afternoon. the engine is a Briggs Model 190707 dated Feb 1975. The strange motor mounts are because the engine moves to tighten the belt, engaging the belt blade. There is a piece of sheetmetal above the flywheel cover that still has staples in it that appears to have held some sort of seals on both sides of the engine.

The exhaust system is hidden by a sheetmetal cover that I have not seen on anything before.

 

[Traill95]

I dug into it a little bit more this afternoon. the engine is a Briggs Model 190707 dated Feb 1975. The strange motor mounts are because the engine moves to tighten the belt, engaging the belt blade. There is a piece of sheetmetal above the flywheel cover that still has staples in it that appears to have held some sort of seals on both sides of the engine.
View attachment 9414View attachment 9413
The exhaust system is hidden by a sheetmetal cover that I have not seen on anything before.View attachment 9415

I dug into it a little bit more this afternoon. the engine is a Briggs Model 190707 dated Feb 1975. The strange motor mounts are because the engine moves to tighten the belt, engaging the belt blade. There is a piece of sheetmetal above the flywheel cover that still has staples in it that appears to have held some sort of seals on both sides of the engine.
View attachment 9414View attachment 9413
The exhaust system is hidden by a sheetmetal cover that I have not seen on anything before.View attachment 9415

There was a screen below the gas tank to cover the flywheel hole. Are you sure the motor moves the belt tightener should be underneath the frame and on your last pic I see the front mount for the plate that the motor mounts on. the plate has 3 mounts 2 in the front and 1 centered in the back. The engine should be an 8 hp Briggs and Stratton. That was the first JD garden tractor to have rubber mounts I believe.

 

[thom]

Actually there is a screen cover over the gas tank and there probably originally was a screen under the flywheel nut, but on now. What other models use the tank cover like this?

I have not yet tried to start the engine. The tank was perfectly clean inside and I will clean the points before the first try. The seller told me that it ran great cold but died when it got to normal operating temperature. I have found that if the gap between the flywheel and coil is just a little too close it will do that. I will check the gap if it does the same this time.
Also, notice how the grill and hood tilt together as one piece. Do other JD models do the same? Thanks.

 

[Traill95]

I

Actually there is a screen cover over the gas tank and there probably originally was a screen under the flywheel nut, but on now. What other models use the tank cover like this?
View attachment 9433
I have not yet tried to start the engine. The tank was perfectly clean inside and I will clean the points before the first try. The seller told me that it ran great cold but died when it got to normal operating temperature. I have found that if the gap between the flywheel and coil is just a little too close it will do that. I will check the gap if it does the same this time.
Also, notice how the grill and hood tilt together as one piece. Do other JD models do the same? Thanks.

I believe the 100 was the only one that had that. If you go to Tractordata.com and look up your serial number it should tell you more about it.

 

[thom]

No, actually the Model and serial # info comes back as a late 1956 full size Model 50 JD tractor.

 

[KennyP]

I went to JD Parts and looked up the 100. The fuel tank does have the screen over it and the motor mounts are there. I have a hood here similar to yours.

 

[DennyIN]

Is there a model number on the deck that you can trace back to what it went on?

 

[Traill95]

That would be a nice tractor to restore as most of it is still there.

 

[thom]

The biggest problem I see so far is the mismatched front tires.