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TT

Speedex tractors

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TT

I found these while digging in the cabinet for the car photos.

1969 S-17 "before"

ce14bcd4.jpg

And "after"

cc2aefca.jpg

And the trio (S-17, S-18, and S-19 with sickle mower)

5a3cc82e.jpg

They were crude, but easy to work on. The S-19 wiggled all over the place when the mower was running, and the sliding engine belt tensioning system on the other two was way ahead of it's time. ( :D:(:( )

Just thought I'd share them. :P

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Greg B.

TT,

That's great stuff. I love these old machines. What's the size of those rear rims. They have an automotive look to them.

Greg B.

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TT

They were 16" Greg. The S-14, 17, 18, & 19 all had 6.00 X 16 rear tires, and the S-23 & 24 models had 8.00 X 16's. I'm not too sure about any of the newer models tire size, but the wheels seemed to all be 16 inch.

The strange thing about the three different models I owned was that they were all 8 hp. The 17 & 19 had Briggs & stratton engines and the 18 had a Kohler K181. :D

I have yet to actually decipher their system, but the model number is supposed to denote cubic inch displacement of the engine.

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Sparky

Are these the tractors where the motor slides forward and backward on the frame to put tension on the belt?

Mike.........

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TT

The S-17 and S-18 were. The S-19 had an semi-normal tensioner pulley on an arm -- with a solid-mounted engine.
The S-17 had the forward/reverse "gearbox" (for as simple as it was, it's very hard to explain) and to change speeds, you had to shut the engine off and move the drive belt from the small engine pulley goove / large transmission pulley groove (slower) to the large engine pulley groove / small transmission pulley groove (faster).
The S-18 and S-19 both had cast iron Peerless "true" 4 speeds. (4 forward gears and one reverse -- and first gear was like a "granny gear")

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Rollerman

Them are the ones Mike...your right foot worked a peddle that rocked & would slidt the engine forward.

Been a long time since I had my S 17 or M 23 here...but crude is an understatement.

It's interesting the Speedex B model was more advanced than Elmer & Cecils Lever Steer in 1946.

Ford stoped supplying Harold Pond with the drivetrain parts he needed to build his B model 4 wheel garden tractor....he went to the slideing engine belt tensioning system.

Ford got into the tractor bussiness around that time & decided he didn't need to help his competition.

Where Elmer & Cecil Pond got there drivetrain parts from the scrap yards.

Always thought it was neat in that respect...Wheel Horses became more inovative as the years progressed...Speedex had a promising start & seemed to take a step back.

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T-Mo

Those tractors look very nice. I'm not that knowledgeable on the Speedex tractors, so any info may be an overload for me. :D If I'm not mistaken, I think you can still buy a new "Speedex" as of a couple of years ago. I remember seeing them on their website. Now, it looks like the only thing you can get is parts, and maybe, attachments.

Speedex HomePage

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TT

The three that I had were built three consecutive years (1968, 1969, & 1970) and had slight differences between them. There's no way I would EVER trade any of my Wheel Horses for them, nor do they compare to any Wheel Horses when it comes to operator comfort, implement attachment techniques, or long term reliabilty. (they were all "metal-to-metal" with hardly any bushings or bearings!)

I don't believe they're still building new tractors, but they go through cycles. I had one heck of a time getting parts for mine one month, and the next time I called, they almost came through the telephone! :P

I'll just stick with my Horses and chalk those Speedex's up to experience. :D

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Rollerman

Terry (TT)....Agreed! :D

Although I wouldn't pass up a model B...even though they look like death traps...especially with steel wheels!

IM000658.jpg

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combatmp29r

Yep Stephen I could see that eatin some flesh :D

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CasualObserver

Hrmm... I saw that same tractor this summer here in Minnesota! Or at least one JUST like it!

speedex.jpg

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nylyon

Check the dent in the fuel tank, that's the same tractor! Very cool all the same.

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Rollerman

Jason I beleive it belonged to Tim Lapree in MI?

I think he has since sold it...so very well could have been the same one?

There is another pic floating around the web showing a guy pulling his Speedex Model B.

Did not have much luck cause it came up & stood on it's tail....it had the steel rear rims & a mid mounted sickle mower on too. :D

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DrBailey

I have a speed-ex , Thought I would share a pic of it. Very interesting thread

Attached Image

post-11-1204042033.jpg

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T-Mo

DrBailey,

Nice looking tractor. And nice car behind it. :thumbs:

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pond195520032003

I had 2 of the lever steer tractors! one was a D-4 and the onther was a M-23! the engines slide side to side insted of forward and back! the D-4 never had the engine when i had it and the M-23 did but both needed work and i sold then to Tim in Michigan and he restored the D-4 :thumbs::D if you go to the site, you will see the before and after pics! http://www.speedextractorinformation.com/ the before pic was taken at my house :thumbs:

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pond195520032003

forgot that i had 2 s-17's and my brothers 1632(alittlr larger) ! and i know where a few are for sale as the guy has to move and no where to take them :thumbs:

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Rollerman

Greg thats interesting...didn't know Tim bought it from you?

I also had an M-23 lever steer, it was a crude runner & the belt squeel drove me nuts.

I ebayed it & a guy drove up from Georgia for it.

Here's another pick of the B Tim had & the D 4 Speedex he restored & still has.

IM000656.jpg

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pond195520032003

Stephen, they were neat toys, but not having the funds to restore them :thumbs: and Tim was interested and i have seen his work :D so i sold them to him! glad to see the D-4 restored :D as a guy i got it from had it behiined his garage for 30 years in the brush :P:P everything was froze up, front tires were rotted off and wheels would not turn :thumbs: engine missing and he told me an Indian made it :D :P

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Rollerman

Greg the thing that throws me about the D 4 or the M 23...& similiar styles of early garden tractors "the Bolens Ridemaster!" if a guy walked up on one of these in a fence row or covered in brush with parts missing & the tires rotted away....There are not that many out there who could recognise what they really are!

That "indian" built D 4 is a nice find & Tim did do a great job of restoring it...I have to say it's probably one of the most unique early garden tractors I have seen restored & dispalyed! :thumbs:

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Jim_M

A pretty nice looking M-23 popped up on eBay this morning. It's in Canton, Ohio.

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Rollerman

Here is the Speedex M23 that I bought off Bob & later sold to a gentleman in Georgia.

They were very crude...you could push a pedal or hand clutch it to slide the engine to the left away from the trans pulley...this gave it tension & off you went.

No gears, just a hi/lo setting by fliping the drive belt like you do on some drill presses.

I know they offerd a garden plow, cultivaters, sickle bar mower, & probably a few other things I can't think of.

67DSCF0880.jpg

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Jim_M

Not a lot of steel in that frame! I wonder how many of them got twisted and broken over the years.

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Stigian

No gears, just a hi/lo setting by fliping the drive belt like you do on some drill presses

Id agree that they are a bit crude :thumbs:

Im not sure id trust that frame for long, it looks a bit "bendy" to me :thumbs:

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