Anyone old timers know what this mower is?

[troutbum70 857]

This is my father in the picture and I think the mower he is on is a wheel horse. Am I correct or incorrect?

[Retired Wrencher 5,465]

Reo ?

 

[D_Mac 8,623]

Im not sure. What year was the photo taken? 

[troutbum70 857]

I am not sure maybe early 70's.

[608KEB 795]

Not a Wheel Horse

[CasualObserver 3,408]

 

 

As for what it is...... I'd guess an Atlas. 

[Sparky-(Admin) 21,332]

Not sure...but if I was to guess I think it’s a Sunbeam.

[squonk 41,155]

It looks like a "Little" mower. 

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

I have to agree with sparky. 

That looks  eerily similar to one

we had as a kid. For some reason 

lm having flash backs of that 

steering wheel!! 

[troutbum70 857]

I guess I have go along with squonk its just a little mower, I do know my father had a wheel horse that at the time I remember thinking it was a toy and not a real tool. And he said it was made for someone in a city or a very small lot that was flat and small.

[Darb1964 1,043]

Ward's?

[troutbum70 857]

A third possibility atlas, sunbeam and possibly a ward?

[CasualObserver 3,408]

Maybe Sears too. Just start trolling the google image search for vintage riding mowers, you might find it. There are many company and store branded mowers from the 50s and 60s. This is probably mid to late 50s by the design.

 

Good luck, be interested to hear what it is if you can find it!

[SPINJIM 1,981]

Moto-Mower made one like that back in the 1960s, and they also private labeled it for Massey Ferguson as a low priced rider, model MF24 (basic, not the Deluxe).   It was the low-priced model in both of their lines, and the colors and the shape of the steering tiller varied some.   Not many have survived, so you'll have to do some Google searching for pictures.

    Jim

Edited September 20, 2019 by SPINJIM

[WHNJ701 4,165]

wonder how many of them tipped over on slopes?

[troutbum70 857]

Well my brother who is 4 years younger than I, but who does have a better memory than I feels the picture was taken mid 60's. And yes I can't imagine my father done a lot of mowing with it as where we live here all the land is mostly side hill. We just lost our father a month ago so can't ask him about the picture. 

[Stepney 2,325]

That's a 1954-58 MowMaster Fairlawn. (Atleast by prototype) I owned two of them. One identical to that, and one with a different handle and a little 'grille' at the front. The exhaust runs under the footplate and out the front on both models. 3.5 B&S with a chain driven fwd-rev box under the seat. 

The design was later bought by Bolens and they sold it in a bright gold color around 1960. MotoMower also rebadged the thing at some point in time. 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Stepney

[troutbum70 857]

Stepney you appear to be quite sure about the make, I do remember on one the classic tractor shows the were at a bolens collector and I remember a couple little mowers that resembled my fathers and I remember they were both gold in color. Thank you for identifying the mower.

[D_Mac 8,623]

Great name " Mow-Master"  Seems like the mystery has been solved.

[Stepney 2,325]

18 hours ago, troutbum63 said:

Stepney you appear to be quite sure about the make, I do remember on one the classic tractor shows the were at a bolens collector and I remember a couple little mowers that resembled my fathers and I remember they were both gold in color. Thank you for identifying the mower.

They made a ton of little changes over the few years they were built. Bolens pretty well copied the late 1958 style with new paintwork. But one of mine looked identical. 
I'm sure they were sold under a dozen names and just mail order/hardware shop rigs. I can think of a few names using nearly that exact, or THE exact platform. Ill try and find a picture of mine. 

[troutbum70 857]

Thank you Stepney my brother  and I are trying to put a scrapbook together about our father some of his pickups, tractors, and many different wheel horses he had over the years. The last wheel horse I have a picture of is here on my page.

[c-series don 8,723]

As a kid in the early eighties I had one just like that and it was a moto-mower. Now that I think about it I’m not even sure what happened to it!? 

[troutbum70 857]

After looking at several images  I am inclined to think it was indeed marketed by Montgomery Ward and a variation of their garden mark.

[Lee1977 6,667]

THe problem of identify any of the cheaper mowers back then is that there were a bunch of them .Then the big manufacturers got the government to require safety standards. The cost of have it tested put most of the small manufacturers out of the business.

.free upload pictures

Here is a picture of a walk behind that was made here in Chinagrove, NC.  Eddleman Mower I still use one built in 1958. I also work there one summer in 1962.

 

[troutbum70 857]

Yes I  know there were many being produced back in the day just like old tractors and old cars that just could not make it, and some that did but would have been no lose if they had not. You have a nice save, looks like you have done an engine upgrade.