Yazoo! One of those "I don't want to take it back home" deals.

[ZXT 2,401]

Our local antique engine club had a meet today, and it was combined with an antique outboard club meet. Had a decent turnout and I wound up bringing this thing home. It's a Yazoo Master Mower YR-48, with a 9HP Wisconsin AENL.

 

I eyed it last night as I was helping set up for today, buried in a U-Haul trailer under bins of outboard engine parts. When I got home I went ahead and threw some gas and a battery in my truck just in case I bought it. Today, once everything was unloaded around it where I could size it up a little better, I made an offer that I figured would be an insult and it was accepted. The seller (original owner) told me its history said it was a bear getting it into the trailer with 3 flat tires. I wasn't about to try to unload it with 3 flats. One front aired up without issue. The other front was off the rim and the valve stem was broken off. The rear was off the rim and deformed pretty bad. 

 

There wasn't a parts store in a 30 mile radius, and I know the owner of the property that we had the meet on quite well, so i went behind his shop and was able to find a wheel and remove the valve stem from it without damaging it. Popped it into the wheel and aired it up. Rear wouldn't air up. Back behind the shop I found another 8" wheel that also had a 5x4.5" bolt pattern. Threw it on and rolled it out of the trailer.

 

Rinsed the 1988 fuel out of the tank, put a battery on it and after cleaning the sediment bowl, tapping on the carb to stop it from flooding over and cleaning the points, it fired up and ran fairly well. Drove it around and mowed a bit and then drove it up on the trailer!

 

What do y'all think? Anyone familiar with them? I just thought it looked tool and liked it since it had a Wisconsin on it. Appears to be original paint as it has all of the factory decals in-tact and in good shape.

 

Did I get hurt at $100?

[Sam Pasch 449]

That thing looks awesome! I would have gave more than 100 for it personally. I think ya did good.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Sam Pasch

[ZXT 2,401]

1 minute ago, Sam Pasch said:

That thing looks awesome! I would have gave more than 100 for it personally. I think ya did good.

Thanks! I figured I could get more than $100 worth of good out of it simply using it as a brush hog to get into spaces that a tractor can't get into. Engine is good and tight.

[Yossarian 208]

$100 and it runs?  That's beer and scratchers tickets for the weekend. You definitely came out ahead.

[ebinmaine 67,277]

3 hours ago, ZXT said:

Did I get hurt at $100?

Ummmmm....

You should be wearing a robber's mask at a C note. 

 

Nice find!!

[Razorback 1,035]

Not bad... not bad at all!!!

 

Yazoos are cool. I have a Garden Way rebadged Yazoo walk-behind 22” mower that I really like. Tough little brush hog.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

Think ya doing definitely well.

 

looks funny, but seems to have all what‘s needed for it’s Job.

 

👍😎

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Tractorhead

[SylvanLakeWH 25,490]

Nice! 

 

One season’s hog duty and you are more than making money with that deal!

[T-Mo-(Moderator) 4,496]

They're hard to get used to.  Be sure you are in an open field when you get this thing moving.  I used one way, way back in basic training, which was back in the late '70s.  They're great machines, but do require some time to get adjusted to how they operate and steer.

[71_Bronco 1,072]

Very interesting. Even if you remove the deck and just use it to rip around on, I think you did well.

 

I paid $100 for a 7HP Wisconsin engine alone, so i think you got a killer deal.

[ZXT 2,401]

1 hour ago, T-Mo said:

They're hard to get used to.  Be sure you are in an open field when you get this thing moving.  I used one way, way back in basic training, which was back in the late '70s.  They great machines, but do require some time to get adjusted to how they operate and steer.

They're definitely different. When I was pushing it I was having issues with steering it in the correct direction. Once on it with it running, I didn't have any issue. It's pretty maneuverable. I guess it's technically a zero turn? 

[edgro 677]

I mowed with one of these as a teen. Way cool to spin around in circles with it

[ZXT 2,401]

The tank had some crap in it that was plugging the tank outlet, so I pulled it off, shook a chain around inside of it and rinsed it out. Cleaned the sediment bowl and it fired and idled after the first revolution. Sharpened the blades and mowed my yard. It cuts well, but I don't think it was intended as a finish mower as the deck doesn't let down enough. I'm going to change the oil and then I'll take it out to one of our places that needs brush hogged pretty bad and see how it does!

[71_Bronco 1,072]

So I was surfing FB Marketplace, and came across an ad for "Yazoo Lawn Tractor". I clicked on it because of this thread.

 

Guy has 3 tractors, and 2 decks. Claims one ran when parked, but all are complete. Asking $200 OBO to get them sold ASAP.

 

Very tempted, even just for the cool 2-cylinder Wisconsin engines. Just don't have the space for all those machines

[ZXT 2,401]

8 hours ago, 71_Bronco said:

So I was surfing FB Marketplace, and came across an ad for "Yazoo Lawn Tractor". I clicked on it because of this thread.

 

Guy has 3 tractors, and 2 decks. Claims one ran when parked, but all are complete. Asking $200 OBO to get them sold ASAP.

 

Very tempted, even just for the cool 2-cylinder Wisconsin engines. Just don't have the space for all those machines

Any pictures and/or model numbers? Mine has a single cylinder Wisconsin. It's plenty torquey and pulls the deck without issue. 

 

If they're anywhere near serviceable, I'd give $200 in a heartbeat. I've mowed with mine twice - once mowing the yard and once out at our place where my dad and I store our cars, mowing grass that was probably 3-4' tall. Did both with ease. 

[71_Bronco 1,072]

He doesn't give any model numbers, or a picture of any tags. Here's his pics. Looks to me like each motor has a pair of plug wires going to it.

 

 

 

[oliver2-44 9,687]

You did great. Works had one to mow around areas of one of the dams that the tractor couldn’t get to. It Was rough terrain. It had a rough life, but lasted many years

[71_Bronco 1,072]

I just sent him a message and told him I'm interested in the motors only. His ad says he is trying to sell them and if he doesn't, they are going to the scrap yard 

 

I told him if nobody buys them, and he ends up scrapping them, I'd buy the motors off them before he sends them off. Much easier to store the 3 motors than the 3 machines + 2 decks.

[echris 1,425]

The Yazoo Master Mower! I worked on these A LOT when I was a kid. They were definitely beasts. Aside from spinning in circles as @edgro mentioned, if you're light enough (like me as a kid) you can go full speed, jam on the brakes and do an endo. (And possibly launch yourself off the seat) Hahaha

Fun story; see the shifter levers? One time the head mechanic couldn't get one to go fully into gear. Cheap fix was to open up the plate that acts as a shifter gate with a torch. Head mechanic didn't remove the battery. I watched in slow motion as a huge chunk of slag dropped right onto the top of the battery, and I ran like hell. BOOM! For the rest of the day Mr. Head Mechanic seemed to be very itchy. Lucky he wasn't seriously hurt.

[ZXT 2,401]

7 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

You did great. Works had one to mow around areas of one of the dams that the tractor couldn’t get to. It Was rough terrain. It had a rough life, but lasted many years

Thanks! It definitely gets into spots that a tractor can't get into, which is a big deal for me. I've only mowed with it a few times yet, but I think it has already paid for itself. 

 

6 hours ago, 71_Bronco said:

I just sent him a message and told him I'm interested in the motors only. His ad says he is trying to sell them and if he doesn't, they are going to the scrap yard 

 

I told him if nobody buys them, and he ends up scrapping them, I'd buy the motors off them before he sends them off. Much easier to store the 3 motors than the 3 machines + 2 decks.

Shame that he's going to scrap them! I'm sure there's someone out there that needs parts off of them. They could easily be parted out for more than the asking price.

6 hours ago, echris said:

The Yazoo Master Mower! I worked on these A LOT when I was a kid. They were definitely beasts. Aside from spinning in circles as @edgro mentioned, if you're light enough (like me as a kid) you can go full speed, jam on the brakes and do an endo. (And possibly launch yourself off the seat) Hahaha

Fun story; see the shifter levers? One time the head mechanic couldn't get one to go fully into gear. Cheap fix was to open up the plate that acts as a shifter gate with a torch. Head mechanic didn't remove the battery. I watched in slow motion as a huge chunk of slag dropped right onto the top of the battery, and I ran like hell. BOOM! For the rest of the day Mr. Head Mechanic seemed to be very itchy. Lucky he wasn't seriously hurt.

Man, he's lucky he didn't die! Sulfuric acid is some bad stuff. 

[echris 1,425]

19 minutes ago, ZXT said:

Man, he's lucky he didn't die! Sulfuric acid is some bad stuff. 

For real. That shop was the poster child for no safety allowed. One of the guys once lit the Safety-Kleen tank on fire. We warned him again and again (I was just a 13-17 year old pup at the time, and even I knew better) to stop pointing the 15' rooster tail blade grinder discharge at the tank. One day it caught fire. Shocking, I know.
Of course, this had happened before so the safety latch on the lid was replaced with a piece of hangar wire. Naturally.

[echris 1,425]

I forgot the best part - Mr. Head Mechanic with a broomstick trying to knock the wire loose so the lid would close and snuff the fire.

Good times!!!

[71_Bronco 1,072]

Just heard back from him. He said he would pull the motors for me if they dont sell. Would be a shame to do that, but better than scrapping everything.

 

Maybe I'll have to build a 2-cylinder Wisconsin Wheel Horse. I'm already working on a 1-cylinder Wisconin Lawn Ranger lol

Edited September 24, 2020 by 71_Bronco

[ebinmaine 67,277]

14 minutes ago, 71_Bronco said:

build

You take the time to run up to Maine and I'll donate some parts to that project