Toro's Heritage (Garden Tractors)

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

I know this is supposed to be the Wheel Horse by Toro forum, but I'm sort of curious here. Has anyone here seen or possibly own a Toro built tractor before they bought Wheel Horse? The reason why I ask is I don't think I ever saw one. I saw this a few weeks ago on Craig's list and have been sort of curious since:

Old Toro on Craig's List

I also saw a couple on ebay, but I don't think I saw one in person. Anyone else here has ever seen one? If so, are they well made? Any info at all on them?

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Funny you should ask... there was one that I lost the bid at an auction just this past summer. Was in nicer shape than that Craigslist one. Ended up selling for $150 or $175 i think... didn't run, and as a rule... I don't pay more than $100 for a non-running tractor. Nice looking vintage tractor, thought it would be nice in my stable, but oh, well!! :D

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,321]

I have seen some Toro tractors here and there which are older than Wheel Horse's. Toro has made some good stuff, so I presume that their older equipment was no exception, but I have never owned one to know for sure.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

I have seen some Toro tractors here and there which are older than Wheel Horse's. Toro has made some good stuff, so I presume that their older equipment was no exception, but I have never owned one to know for sure.

I wonder when the Toro's first lawn & garden tractor was produced. I doubt if it was before Cecil Pond's first foray into the business, though I could be wrong.

Let's see, Cub Cadet first was the "Original" which was in 1961, JD's was the "110" which came out in 1963, I'm not sure on Simplicity's or Cases (Colts) or Bolens. Was AYP or MTD even in business in the '60s?

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,321]

Depending on what the definition of a tractor is but I think that Toro was making tractors when the Pond boys were just wee little ones...

http://www.thetorocompany.com/companyinfo/history_1910s.html

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Nobody "officially" made a 4-wheeled garden tractor until the mid-40s. Toro was making what you would call a fairway tractor for mowing golf courses before then, but they didn't venture into the "garden tractor market". The first 4wheeled "garden tractor" is sort of a debate. Half say Speedex, half say Pond. Elmer and Harold Pond were brothers. I think the story goes that originally Harold Pond started the Pond Tractor Company who was an assembler and seller of 2-wheeled Speedex Tractors. Elmer worked for him. One way or another, they split, Elmer called his new company "The Pond Company", and Harold who had the "Pond Tractor Company" dropped the Pond name and just kept the name Speedex. Elmer continued to make Pond Tractors until the early 50s when he changed it to the Wheel-Horse Garden Tractor made by the Pond Company.

But there were a couple of sort of open questions... I'll see if I can answer.

Cub Cadet and John Deere history was stated before.

MTD or Modern Tool and Die originally started out as a tool and die maker in the 30s and finally developed their first lawnmower in the late 50s. I know they had a pretty stout rider by the mid-late 60s, but can't tell you much more than that. We all know what they've become as far as a "quality" product.

Sears had their David Bradley line of 2-wheelers and then in the mid 60s came out with one of the ugliest 4 wheeled tractors I've ever seen. Shortly thereafter they dropped the name David Bradley and went with plain old Sears.

Case bought out the Colt Garden Tractor company who made a Burgundy/Wine and White colored tractor. They started in the early 60s, and Case bought them out only a couple years later.

Bolens was one of the early ones that they had a really cool track wheeled two wheeler in the 20s and are now a part of MTD... I think their 4-wheeled tractor came out in the late 50s.

Simplicity was sort of the same... started early, made 2-wheelers for a long time, and got into 4-wheelers by the early 60s.

Then you've always got Economy, Beaver, Tiger, Panzer, Jaques, Wards.... the list seems endless.

There is such an incredible history to Garden Tractors, that this is barely a scratch. There are so many one, two, three and four wheeled garden tractors made by so many companies that one person can't possibly know all of it. For those who aren't members, and have interest in the history of the garden tractor (more than just Wheel Horse) I'd recommend the Vintage Garden Tractor Club of America. Great bunch of guys. If anyone's interested, I can scan my last newsletter, and you can have a sample. Let me know.

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Treed, Sorry to have "bogarted" your thread. That came out kinda long.

Nylyon... maybe you could move that post to the "other brands" section? :D

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,321]

That was a great and informative post, thank you!

Topic moved to "other brands" as suggested.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

Treed, Sorry to have "bogarted" your thread. That came out kinda long.

Nylyon... maybe you could move that post to the "other brands" section?

No problem - a lot of that info I had read before, but not all. Thanks for the info.

[Rollerman 290]

Great info & read "jschahl"...I'd have to give the nod to the Speedex,Economy, & Gibson tractors.

As you stated "the list is endless" & those are the ones I know about.

I'm sure there are several ather companies that take the credit.

Has anyone seen the "Grand Haven" tractors on ebay...there's another early GT too, but built in very limited numbers & I don't think they continued on?

Some call the IH Farmall Cub & JD L/LA GT's too

I do not belong to the VGTCA but do check ion the website from time to time...neat stuff there.

Well time to quit ramblin & get back out to the shop.

Stephen in northern IN.....getting the leaf vac ready.

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Thanks Tickster! In case you couldn't tell.. I really like the history stuff... I completely left out the "G" section... Gibson, Gilson, Gravely, Grand Haven, Gard'n Master... but I don't know much more about them than their names (except for Gravely... i could tell you quite a bit about Gravely). The Grand Haven was a feature in a newsletter back a year or two, but I don't remember much about it. It was a short-lived line in the late 40s I believe. Roughly the same size as a Pond or Ride-Away Senior. There's also the mysterious Amigo, and a short lived Empire Tractor company too. Roof, Struck, Sooooo many tractors... so little time!!

Wheel Horse is by far my favorite, the one I've studied the most and the one I'll collect; but garden tractors in general are my true hobby. :D

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

We could also list the tractors made for Ford, Jacobson, Allis Chambers, Massey Ferguson, then there is Yazoo, Excel, Dixon, and other lawn mower types.

[Rollerman 290]

I think it's neat to follow the tractors as they were bought out or died out.

I mean we know Colt was bought by Case..who was bought by IR.

But then companies like the Grand Haven tractor are still around but never stayed in the GT bussiness or sold their design to another company.

And yes I forgot about that whole other G named tractors.

The Lawn & Garden Collector mag has a lot of this stuff covered....guess I'll have to start going through the back issues.

I know wheel horse wasn't the 1st out there...but were kinda the model T of GT's....made simple,built to last, & affordable.

Stephen in northern IN.

[CasualObserver 3,411]

wheel horse wasn't the 1st out there...but were kinda the model T of GT's....

Nice pun Tickster!!... you know since the early Ponds were made with salvaged Model T rear ends!! :D

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,321]

Before my dad bought his 74 C-160 automatic we had a Springfield tractor. We got it from a lawn mower junk yard, and had it for only a year or so. I was young at the time and don't remember much about it except, the muffler burned my leg, it took a cord wrapped aroung a fly wheel to start it, and I was really, I mean REALLY glad we got a new Wheel Horse to replace it. In any event, I have never seen anything about Springfield tractors, anyone know about these?

[Rollerman 290]

Springfields had vertical shaft engines if I remember?

Maybe an early "peerless' type trans?

I don't think they were built to heavy but the did look neat.

Not sure what became of them?

Stephen in northern IN

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Springfield was made by Quick Mfg in Ohio, The earlier ones were red and white like Wheel Horse, but my brother in law just picked up what he thinks is an early 70s one not too long ago that was orange and white. could be a repaint though... who knows. I've read somewhere that they were bought out by Toro in the mid 60s, but I can't confirm that. There's not too much info on them out there. I think I might have an old ad in my collection, I'll have to look.

Here's a couple that are on the Jacques LaCasse GT page

[Rollerman 290]

I went to the same page to dig up some info.

You must have stuck gold as I could only find a poor pic.

Anyways thanks for the info....& quick too.

Stephen in northern IN...looking at pics but not reading

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

All I get here on my Mac at home and my pc at work both is an icon saying "Image Hosted by tripod". No pictures.

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,321]

Yeah, that's it! I would have thought that it was horizontal shaft, but that't the muffler that kept burning me...

Treed, find the link for the pictures then paste it into a new browser window.

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Sorry Treed, looks like Tripod doesn't like people sneaking in links to their photos ... I sneaked back in and got them though and posted them in my bbd holding folder. Here they are.

[CasualObserver 3,411]

Oh, and by the way... this is the only ad I could find in my collection for Springfield tractors. I had a tiller one too... but it's not scanned.

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,647]

Neat looking little machines there. And thanks for posting the pictures. That little little mower in the last post is sure interesting looking. Looks almost like a toy.