(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Minnesota horse drawn mower

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Anyone have any idea if any of this machinery is still around. I have a mower, and understand the farm machinery was made by the prison inmates. No facts, just was told about it.

It just sits outside, and would like to fix it up, find manuals etc.

I tried to google Minnesota Historical Society, but found nothing other than a picture of a mower, and I kinda think it may have been a MM.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated, thank you.
 
Mr. Lynn Miller of the Small Farmers Journal has put together probably one of the most comprehensive books about horse drawn mowers, restoration, set up, etc. You can get the book from their web site. www.smallfarmersjournal.com
 
I remember reading an article about that in a collector's magazine but it's been thrown away by now. Yes, inmates did make some of the Minnesota machinery but I forget the details. Jim
 
I have limited knowledge on this but I'll share what I know. The Minnesota line of farm equipment was made at the State prison in Stillwater, I think. I know that they made manure spreaders, gravity boxs(I have three of these) and hay making equipment,mowers and rakes. I beleive that they quit this in the late seventys or early eightys.
 
MN Prison Industries (google MN Dept. of Corrections- DOC). made mowers, rakes, hay loaders, manure spreaders, twine, gravity boxes and running gears. Pretty well make nothing now. Can"t make prisoners work, and the farm closed down many years ago. My local weldor was a dealer, still has some odd parts around.
 
Yes you are correct. Some machinery & other misc items were made buy prisoners. There was a artical in one of the Farm Collector magazines a while back. I can't put my hands on it right now but I will look for it & get back to you when I find it. Gerald
 
Ain't that amasing, answers faster than I can snap my fingers.

The book is a little pricey in case it does not include the mower I have.

Thanks, and I will watch this thread to see if more comes in.


But anyway thank You all so very much, everyone helps on this great website. A great wealth of information.
 
Minnesota Machinery was made by the Stillwater inmates. They shut down the operation when other machinery manufactures complained of not being able to compete with prison labor. These men learned skills doing this. Now I am not sure what they learn.
 
We had several hay wagons made by Minnesota by far the best wagons on the farm trailed nice and were very heavy made.
 
Dad used to spread manure with a Minnesota manure spreader pulled with either a team of horses or mules. I used to help fill the dang thing up. For the dairy cow manure, it was fun to catch a ride by hanging on to the manure carrier that ran on a cable out to the spreader. Those box stalls with the young stock were hard to dig out. I hated the chicken coops the worst though.
 
Remember seeing new Minnesota machinery on display at the State Fair, in the seventies. Appeared to be designed and built very strong.
 
I used to have three Minnesota mowers #1,#3,#4 and still have an original sickle blade in a wooden crate. Also one NOS grassboard and pitmans for some of the horse mowers. No manuals. They also made tractor mowers. I do have one Minnesota hay loader, two horse drawn cultivators (all steel), and a three bar side delivery rake for sale. Also two 4 bar rakes.
I've been selling my horse machinery collection over the past 3-4 years. My grandfather used a lot of Minnesota equipment -very well made.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Woods 1260 rotary mower (10 foot) blades getting out of time and hitting each other
Replies
8
Views
482
andy r
A
Fawteen
David Bradley Sickle Bar Mower
Replies
5
Views
369
Fawteen
Fawteen
D
John Deere model 1 sickle bar mower
Replies
8
Views
594
DanielW
D
H
Wanting to get a parking brake going on my Ford 4500
Replies
15
Views
714
HorseFamily
H
Griffithms
New to me Ford 907 flail mower - NEEDS WORK!
Replies
4
Views
401
BarnyardEngineering
BarnyardEngineering
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top