Sears 12 917.25371

ltcarter

ltcarter

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Member
New to the forum so bare with me please. My wife and I just picked up this smooth running Sears 12 with mowing deck (not pictured), 3 point hitch, and turn plow to help around the property.

I am having a little trouble matching the model number up to get exact details of this garden tractor. Looks like a 1972 online with pictures. I'm hoping one of you wouldn't mind enlightening me on what I just brought! Sorry I work backwards sometimes.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 

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JDJake said:
That's a Sears Super 12, 1967-1972. My uncle had one just like it, da** good tractor
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Thank you for the reply! By pictures I was thinking it was a '72 SS12 but wasn't positive. Anything worth knowing or worrying about with this tractor?
 
Just take care of it. The main thing is that it has a Tecumseh engine, so find some manuals and get familiar with them. My uncle had a 12 and a 14 (still has the 14). About every five years he would strip one down, repaint and go over it. What size deck did you get with it, the 42 or 48?
 
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JDJake said:
Just take care off it. The main thing is that it has a Tecumseh engine, so find some manuals and get familiar with them. My uncle had a 12 and a 14 (still has the 14). About every five years he would strip one down, repaint and go over it. What size deck did you get with it, the 42 or 48?
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Thanks for the advice! It is a 48 inch deck. The only concern I have is there is a bit of a gas smell to the oil. Hoping that is normal or cured by a little carb work. My father-in-law, who is way more mechanically inclined than I am, said he thought it wasn't too much of a concern.
 
ltcarter said:
Thanks for the advice! It is a 48 inch deck. The only concern I have is there is a bit of a gas smell to the oil. Hoping that is normal or cured by a little carb work. My father-in-law, who is way more mechanically inclined than I am, said he thought it wasn't too much of a concern.
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The 48" deck is a little large for that tractor. My uncle had one of each of the decks. the 48 originally came on the SS 12 and the 42 came on the SS 14. He swapped the decks and there was a notable difference. The SS 12 struggled with the 48 deck at times, with the 42 deck he had no problems.
 
Rustyoldjunk said:
By my friend Dave Hoppers website,its a 72 SS12.

A FREE Source for Roper / Sears Tractor & Attachment Manuals

A FREE source for Sears, Roper, and Craftsman tractor manuals.
www.searstractormanuals.com www.searstractormanuals.com
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Thank you for the reply! I had not been on this site yet but very excited that you shared it. Every other reference site that I have been on was one digit off on the model number so I'm glad to see it officially.

Now time to find the manual. Thanks again!
 
JDJake said:
The 48" deck is a little large for that tractor. My uncle had one of each of the decks. the 48 originally came on the SS 12 and the 42 came on the SS 14. He swapped the decks and there was a notable difference. The SS 12 struggled with the 48 deck at times, with the 42 deck he had no problems.
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Great to know! I will keep an eye on it. Fingers crossed it didn't cause too much strain.
 
ltcarter said:
Thank you for the reply! I had not been on this site yet but very excited that you shared it. Every other reference site that I have been on was one digit off on the model number so I'm glad to see it officially.

Now time to find the manual. Thanks again!
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Welcome and be sure to check out Dave's site.
There are free downl oadable manuals for about anything Sears that you can imagine.
Also down loadable brochures and advertisements.
Also check out
Vintagesearstractors.com another great reference site.
 
As long as you weren’t trying to brush hog, that will work fine with that engine. It has a lot more torque than you would expect.
The Sears 12 for strangers are probably my favorite. Well balanced for power, and a well-designed machine.

The only real problems to worry about are due to the fact that you were dealing with a 50 year old machine. It appears to be well taken care of, so there should be very little to be concerned about.

If you ever need to do any wiring work for loose spark, be sure to get some assistance or do some research. A few minutes research could save your engine.

Thanks for joining and showing us your new pride and joy
 
MH81 said:
As long as you weren’t trying to brush hog, that will work fine with that engine. It has a lot more torque than you would expect.
The Sears 12 for strangers are probably my favorite. Well balanced for power, and a well-designed machine.

The only real problems to worry about are due to the fact that you were dealing with a 50 year old machine. It appears to be well taken care of, so there should be very little to be concerned about.

If you ever need to do any wiring work for loose spark, be sure to get some assistance or do some research. A few minutes research could save your engine.

Thanks for joining and showing us your new pride and joy
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I'm very excited for the tractor. Not brush hog plans, just some garden work and little bit of mowing to make sure to show it some attention. I'm fairly happy with this $650 purchase so far and hope to be for many years! I just love the look and feel of the old garden tractors. The new stuff just doesn't do it for me.

My only concern as mentioned above is a slight fuel smell in the oil. Not sure if that is typical so I appreciate any help around this concern.
 
If the air cleaner has the right angle snorkel on it, and the float sticks, it can put fuel down in through the cylinder and into the oil.
If there is any question about the integrity of the oil, change it. Summertime use, SAE30.

Also, if you have not planned on changing the rear end oil yet, I suggest you do so. It will probably look like odd chocolate milk.
Are use SAE 80 W 94 all the rear ends. The manual will call for SAE 30, but I do not feel that it gives the protection that it should.
 
MH81 said:
If the air cleaner has the right angle snorkel on it, and the float sticks, it can put fuel down in through the cylinder and into the oil.
If there is any question about the integrity of the oil, change it. Summertime use, SAE30.

Also, if you have not planned on changing the rear end oil yet, I suggest you do so. It will probably look like odd chocolate milk.
Are use SAE 80 W 94 all the rear ends. The manual will call for SAE 30, but I do not feel that it gives the protection that it should.
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Great advice, thank you. I planned to go over everything thoroughly over the next few days with my father-in-law's assistance but the advice you are giving will help us tremendously.

Sadly, I have not located the manual for this tractor yet. In due time, I suppose.
 
ltcarter said:
Great advice, thank you. I planned to go over everything thoroughly over the next few days with my father-in-law's assistance but the advice you are giving will help us tremendously.

Sadly, I have not located the manual for this tractor yet. In due time, I suppose.
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Let me find you a link
 
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