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just bought another $100 mower...a 1977 sears made by AYP [of course]....18 hp onan...had a 48" deck originally ...but now has a Ford 42" tractor deck.....6sp with hi-low...starts /runs and mows great...true heavy metal:laughing:...im thinking of doing a FORD blue and white paint job....has original owners manual and receipts..."JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OUT...THEY DRAG ME BACK IN!":laughing:

Quite a deal... and should be a fun adventure... with it done in Ford colors... It will have a lot of folks guessing what Ford model it was.... :smile:KennyV

Hay Reddragon

That is a kool looking mower ,where do you find those mowers for $ 100.00 bucks? I guess some people find all the deals:laughing:

that damn craigslist!:confused2:....i was trying to stop buying these...and stick to the repair business....but they keep popping up:confused3:...theres no parts for these ..so i have to be inventive about repairs and treat her nice:smile:

That tractor was not built by AYP. It was built by Roper way before AYP was a company. Those 18/6 Sears tractors are great. They have really good rearends that are hard to kill. You can put a 3 pt hitch on the back of it too. Good score.

thanks for the info!...i found a bunch of AYP part numbers for this and just assumed they built it....did they buy up ROPER's factories or tool and die stuff or something?...i love the history part of all this too:thumbsup:

I beleive Roper ended up getting merged in with AYP. Roper built the Craftsman GT's until I want to say 2002 or so but don't quote me on that. What I would do with the rearend on this tractor is I would change the fluid before you do to much with it. The rearend holds five quarts of SAE non detergent 30 weight oil. Make sure you use non detergent because there is no filter in the rear end. There is a drain plug on the bottom of the axle. The fill plug is on the side of the axle next to the left rear tire. I would remove the tire to help add the new oil. When you drain the old oil, add some mineral spirits to the axle to help break up all the old crud inside. It will take a couple of hours to add the new oil.

will do....thanks alot for the help and info!:smile:

reddragon said:

will do....thanks alot for the help and info!:smile:

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Any time. Just make sure you drain the mineral spirits out before adding the oil.:thumbsup:

I also have a 1977 Sears, but mine has the 16 hp Onan. It looks just like your SS/18. My tractor was given to me. It came with a 48-inch deck, 42-inch single stage snowblower, 3 point hitch and a snow plow, but I don't think it is a sears. I got it maybe 13 years ago it was running at the time. I believe that is a problem with the fuel pump. I have been planning for a complete rebuild. Right now it is covered with a Tarp. I never really liked the original gold and off white paint but I have not picked a color yet. It is a very well built tractor. The last time I checked Sears still sold some parts ie. belts, blades and seals. I was able to buy a universal replacement seat at Lowes and yes it was built by Roper.

Paul

yeah..they are really neat...very quiet for a mower..i can hardly hear the blades cutting...im looking to restore....so if anybody's done this...any tips would be appreciated...but the gold/green look has got to go:laughing:.....also ...if anybody knows where i can get a dash..that would be great...its the worst part of the tractor right now

Now I really like the look of the 77, and the Onan has a real good sound. What size tires are on the rear? Mine are 9.50 on 12 inch rims. When you come right down to it a complet rebuild is not all that much of a big deal. The whole tractor can be torn down in a very short period it does not require a lot of space. Yes I know it sounds like I am trying to talk myself into a project.

As for colors I personnally like reds, green, blue and some oranges. The real problem is all of the good colors are already taken. The blue is a nice color. I recently sold a 1980, Ford 1900 the blue, white and black looked real good.

Make sure you keep us posted.

my dad had a 1960's ford 2000 and an old 9n when i was a kid...and i ever since wanted a ford tractor.....the other day i saw one at the mower shop and it all came back....tires are 23x10x 12 on the rear and 16.5x6.5x8 on front.....ive always liked bright colors on tractors ...like red/orange and yellow...but the ford blue/white is legendary...if i cant have a ford ..i can create it!..[it already has the deck]

Nice. I thought AYP didn't start making them until the early 90's though...

yeah...theres many parts that have AYP numbers....but they may have bought some of the tooling...Kingwood990 said ROPER made it...im trying to research this whole thing now

I am not surprised if AYP/Roper numbers are the same. I believe they used the same rearend up in till 2002 or so. Or a rearend that is real close to the one in this machine.

its amazing how many ownership changes have gone down over the years....AYP is now electrolux home products EHP ....which is owned by Husqvarna....so in turn they make the craftsman line..and on and on

Who owns American Yard Products? | Answerbag ...another twist:laughing: ..........http://www.carswelloei.com/index.php/site/brand_detail/ayp

Here is a picture of my 1900 a couple of days before I sold it.

that is awsome!

Sorry to get more off topic.
But since you love blue fords here's a pic of another of my work machines.
It's an 1988 ford 4610 diesel LCG. The tires are filled and rims are mounted inside out for wider wheelbase. Has an Alamo Mott flail mower on it now. Used to pull a set of 5 Jacobsen reel gang mowers on the regular.

Oh and I just put that muffler pipe on it last week. On About it's third one. Lol

Damn it!..im going to have to get a tractor!:laughing:

Here is the tractor for you.:licking::confused2::laughing:

reddragon said:

yeah..they are really neat...very quiet for a mower..i can hardly hear the blades cutting...im looking to restore....so if anybody's done this...any tips would be appreciated...but the gold/green look has got to go:laughing:.....also ...if anybody knows where i can get a dash..that would be great...its the worst part of the tractor right now

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very nice, I just restored my 18/6 still got some to do but I took it apart to the last washer. I got pic's on my profile. at least I think this is my first time on this website. You should be able to see them.

thats beautiful man!....i was at a local tractor show this sunday...and saw a batch of sears ss/16....ss/18.....18/6....gt-18's......the nicest one was done up in all catapillar yellow...grill/hood/wheels...and it looked great....i might have to hold off on my Ford paint scheme till i get this figured out in my head:confused2:

check this out!..... 1977_tractors

Kingwood990 said:

That tractor was not built by AYP. It was built by Roper way before AYP was a company. Those 18/6 Sears tractors are great. They have really good rearends that are hard to kill. You can put a 3 pt hitch on the back of it too. Good score.

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you're right my man!.... anniversery_tractor

KennyV said:

Quite a deal... and should be a fun adventure... with it done in Ford colors... It will have a lot of folks guessing what Ford model it was.... :smile:KennyV

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now i have a legitimate reason to do the blue/white thing1 :laughing: brochure_art