This mower is on a friend's farm. As you can see it has been setting for quite some time. It does appear to be almost completely there. It surprised me that the tool box lid is still there and in great shape.
Here is the rest of the story on this mower. 30-35 years ago my friend asked the farm owners is he could buy the mower. He wanted it just as a yard art type of thing. The farm was owned by two sisters and their brother. Farm was left to them by their parents. The brother was a Catholic Priest. HE was a real piece of work. A more belligerent man you would never find. How he ever became a Priest is beyond me.
My friend has rented the farm since 1972. His father rented it from 1945 before that. The owners have not lived on the farm in over fifty years. The mower has set where it is since before 1945. My friends family has always had JD equipment. They also had tractor drive equipment since the 1930s.
When the Priest found out my friend was wanting the mower he threw a complete fit. Screaming and yelling that it was "HIS" mower since it had been some Uncle's or another. He wanted $500 for it and it had better not have anything moved before he was "PAID" So my friend just left it set exactly where it was. He did cut the dead Elm trees that grew up through it for fire wood many years ago. HE even set gates around it so his cattle would not even move anything on it.
Well the old Priest died a number of years ago and the sisters left their shares to the one's son(only child of the next generation). HE is in his mid 70s now but a nicer guy you could never meet. He told my friend he could have the mower if he wanted it. My friend said it was not worth the effort to get it out of the tree stumps. I agree.
So here is how a piece of farming history ended up.
PS I find it amusing when I read posts about guys on YT fixing up a sickle mower and wanting to mow hay with them. A sickle bar mower is MISERABLE to mow modern hay if it is not mostly pure grass. I spent too many hours when I was younger fighting a sickle mower through thick hay crops. Spent as much time in reverse as forward it seemed. I loved the day we got our first mower conditioner.
Here is the rest of the story on this mower. 30-35 years ago my friend asked the farm owners is he could buy the mower. He wanted it just as a yard art type of thing. The farm was owned by two sisters and their brother. Farm was left to them by their parents. The brother was a Catholic Priest. HE was a real piece of work. A more belligerent man you would never find. How he ever became a Priest is beyond me.
My friend has rented the farm since 1972. His father rented it from 1945 before that. The owners have not lived on the farm in over fifty years. The mower has set where it is since before 1945. My friends family has always had JD equipment. They also had tractor drive equipment since the 1930s.
When the Priest found out my friend was wanting the mower he threw a complete fit. Screaming and yelling that it was "HIS" mower since it had been some Uncle's or another. He wanted $500 for it and it had better not have anything moved before he was "PAID" So my friend just left it set exactly where it was. He did cut the dead Elm trees that grew up through it for fire wood many years ago. HE even set gates around it so his cattle would not even move anything on it.
Well the old Priest died a number of years ago and the sisters left their shares to the one's son(only child of the next generation). HE is in his mid 70s now but a nicer guy you could never meet. He told my friend he could have the mower if he wanted it. My friend said it was not worth the effort to get it out of the tree stumps. I agree.
So here is how a piece of farming history ended up.
PS I find it amusing when I read posts about guys on YT fixing up a sickle mower and wanting to mow hay with them. A sickle bar mower is MISERABLE to mow modern hay if it is not mostly pure grass. I spent too many hours when I was younger fighting a sickle mower through thick hay crops. Spent as much time in reverse as forward it seemed. I loved the day we got our first mower conditioner.
