Hi everyone!

I just wanted to introduce myself I've been reading this forum and others for the last month since I bought a 20 acre farm in the midwest. We're moving in June, so I had some time to get things ready. Since the people there now use horses for all the work (we don't have any), I knew I had to get a garden tractor. A real one, not those things they sell at big box hardware stores.

Our plans (I am a middle-aged female vet with three daughters from 18-25) are to put 3 acres in vegetable production, 2 acres in hay, and mowing; leaving the trees alone and partially landscape the rest (I want a sightseeing trail through the woods and a bridge over a little creek). The whole place came with excellent fencing; some even for llamas. And though we are not afraid of work we knew that we would need a 'ground contacting' machine. But of course, like anything, we did not want to go out and spend huge dollars. I read a lot of forums and watched a lot of Youtube videos.

What we ended up with is a (1978 or newer?) Sears GT/16 with 3pt hitch. It is huge. It already has the farm tires (V tread) on it, and came with a Sears mower deck with three blades, a Sears dozer/snow push blade (heavy), Sears 1 bottom moldboard plow (darn that thing is heavy), and a Sears cultivator (with the curved blade tines and two discs in the middle which rolls on wheels, ridiculously heavy).

It didn't have a battery in it ($32 at Walmart because I will have to pay core charge), but the guys says it ran five years ago and the motor is not locked up but he also said he couldn't find any spark. I know the engine is horizontal, and is probably a Tecumseh (it has two cylinders and that's what the manuals say I probably have). We went and got it yesterday (500 mile round trip with an enclosed 5x8 trailer which barely held it all).

Anyway, we paid the man $350 for the whole deal which he even loaded up for us. From everything I've read, the first thing to do is clean, clean, clean. I'm good at that:) The seat isn't even torn up. The posts say take every possible electrical connection (especially the ones in the ignition system), check for shorts and opens, clean every possible contact, rebuild the carburetor, and reassemble. Thanks to all the good people on the web, I have all the manuals now. He even showed me how to the deck off and put it back on. He's an IH Cub collector, and didn't know much about Sears as he got this one from a relative.

I will post again in a month and let you know how it's going I've got scrubbin', scraping', and wire-brushing to do. javascript:emoticonp('')

HI WELCOME TO THE SEARS TRACTOR FORUM. SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT A GOOD DEAL. BUT BY THE TIME YOU GET IT RUNNING YOU MAY NOT THINK SO. WHEN YOU DISCUSS THE TRACTOR YOU NEED TO GIVE THE MODEL #
LIKE 917-00000 THEN WE WILL ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE, I BELIEVE YOU SAID IT WAS A ST16 TWIN CYL. A ST16 IS A SINGLE CYL. TECUMSEH. ALSO WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE SOME # OFF THE TAG ON ENGINE. MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED ON THESE SEARS WHEN THEY WERE FAIRLY NEW ARE ALL GONE OR RETIRED. THE BIG PROBLEM I THINK YOU WILL HAVE IS FINDING SOMEONE WHO CAN WORK ON YOUR SEARS. THIS IS A MACHINE YOU WORK ON NOT JUST REPLACE PARTS LIKE REPAIR FACILITIES DO TODAY, BECAUSE THEY HAVENOT MADE PARTS IN THIRTY YEARS FOR THESE BABIES. ONE BIT OF ADVISE IS IF IT HAS NOT BEEN OUT IN THE WEATHER AND IS IN PRETTY FAIR SHAPE,NOT BEEN RAINED ON DON'T GRAB OUT THE WATER HOSE AND START WASHING BECAUSE ALL THE BEARINGS ARE NOT SEALED WELL WHEN NEW AND NOW PROBABLY ALL SEALS ARE ABOUT GONE BY NOW, ESPECIALLY THE DECK, WATER WILL RUIN ALL OF THE BEARINGS FOR THEY HAVE NO SEALS. I LEARNED YEARS AGO TO USE THE LEAF BLOWER TO CLEAN OFF AFTER MOWING AND ONCE A YEAR TAKE THE DECK OUT FROM UNDER AND WASH THE TRACTOR. HOPE YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR IGNITION AND FUEL. AND BY THE WAY THAT $32 BATTERY FROM WALMART WON'T TURN THIS BABBIE OVER, YOU WILL NEED AT LEAST 375 COLD CRANKING AMPS FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE.

Great to hear that you've got yourself a nice old Sears!

A tractor that age may have been repowered sometime in the past, but if it has a twin cylinder it most likely is an Onan engine.

The Sears tractors have straight forward engineering, quite simple in many respects. There are still a lot of parts and accessories out there for these tractors. You did make a good choice getting the Sears. It will have a solid place in your new venture. Yes, parts will get scarce some time in the future. You can plan for that by picking up a couple of extra tractors when you stumble across them. Once you have one, you will find more. For some of us it becomes an addiction. :-)

I am a bit concerned though if you intend to farm 3 acres just using your Sears. You might want to keep your eyes open for a larger farm tractor. Something with a loader would be invaluable. As for ground breaking, the Sears will do that. It is limited to a single bottom, 10 inch plow though. It would take forever to turn 3 acres with that plow. The disk, while effective, is light. If you do chose to farm the 3 acres with the Sears, a rototiller attachment will speed the tillage.

In my area there is an abundance of N style Ford tractors. The 3 point equipment for them is relatively cheap also. In the long run something of that size would be a lot more comfortable with heavy ground work and an overall time saver.

Keep us posted on your move and feel free to ask questions about the tractor as they come up.

Well, along with everything else going on prepping for the move (I'm getting my boat ready to sell...I don't need it over there as I will no longer have the Lake of the Ozarks literally at the end my driveway), and other things, we got into the Sears tractor today. It has a 401417-0127-01 engine in it. (Briggs twin horizontal).

There really was no spark at all, but it turned over good and the carburetor actually looked pretty clean, etc. It turns out the points and condenser were both no good (that's what happens when they sit for that long according to what I've read), and the coil read open. Maybe they messed with it, I don't know. Anyway, I ordered one of those 394891 electronic ignition ones today (only $24 with free shipping on ebay). I understand all I have to do is put it on, plug in the kill switch (and that's ALL...not the old condenser wire...nothing else period). That will take care of that, I hope. It gets here Friday.

Then all I have to do is replace the two front tires (I don't like them, they're cracking, but the ones on the back were brand new). Along with scrubbing, lubing, etc, on all the implements. Ugh, it's going to take a lot of work. My mother's friend told me he'd keep all of the blades sharpened for us.
Oh, and I found out I can get the cover that's missing over the flywheel for cheap on partstree. It looks dangerous without it. Along, too, with the rubber part for the brake/clutch pedal.

Oh, and what's the electric lift toggle for? Does it just do the backside of the deck? Just wondering.

Anyway, on the subject of this thing being able to cover our farm needs (1.5 acres in vegetables, 2 in hay, 3 in mowing, along with helping me build a trail with the dozer blade 150 feet long out to the bridge over the creek (that also isn't built yet)...goodness I hope so.

I actually did think about getting a Ford 8n thingie...I might have to. It all depends on what this Sears can do.
I know one thing, though, about that plow. It seems like it'll do great, but to be honest, I've never used anything like that. But I can learn We all can . My daughters are going to do the mowing, but I told them I have to learn how to do the ground contact stuff really really well before I can show them how.

Until then, it's watch videos and learn ...then in June the real fun begins. And thank you everyone! If it starts this weekend after the part gets here, I'll say so. Blessings!

Welcome Mountainlassey! The Electric lift toggle was for the Electric 3 point hitch, it was an upgrade over the manual 3p hitch. The Till is a killer to lift with out the Electric.

I wondered what that thing was (I'll never use it because they say not to till a big plot too much, but use the moldboard instead; besides it came with one). The rest of the wiring was all messed up but it's fixed and it appears to be running good now, but I am still in the middle of scrubbing. (the implements were really gross, but wow they were built really solid) Thank goodness Sears had the flywheel cover screen thing, cap, and foot pedal cover thing still for sale.
I guess that's it; I hope it holds up well this year to all the mean things I'm going to do with it. It's actually going to be working directly on 2.5 acres for hay (prep this year, sickle mowing next year, and my three daughters said they'd help me use a single bale hand baler, as no hay sharecroppers are going to bother with only that much), 1.5 for vegetable garden work, and about 1.5 more of lawn and driveway, path, and flower garden work.
Again, I don't like the front tires and am going to put Orschelin's on there (the rear ones still have the little rubber things on them that new tires have, and are V ags). I was going to put one of those little knobs on the steering wheel, but I read things that said those aren't safe, so I won't.
By the way, the oil in the motor and in the rear end was the blackest thickest sludge I have ever seen in my life. I guess that's what happens when it sits for five years. Geez!
Anyway, I won't bother you all again unless something goes wrong. Thanks for all the help!

Incidentally, if it holds up in 2012, then this fall it gets new paint