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Vintage A-C Mower Restored To Like New
In 1981, when his father passed away, Tom Burgess inherited an Allis-Chalmers B-112 garden tractor that his father bought in the late 1960s. Although the tractor was in rough shape, Burgess says owning it was meaningful because he remembers his dad teaching him how to drive it and mowing grass when he was a kid.
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Vintage A-C Mower Restored To Like New
In 1981, when his father passed away, Tom Burgess inherited an Allis-Chalmers B-112 garden tractor that his father bought in the late 1960s. Although the tractor was in rough shape, Burgess says owning it was meaningful because he remembers his dad teaching him how to drive it and mowing grass when he was a kid.
Burgess stored the tractor for several years without trying to drive or restore it, always thinking of it as a “someday” project. Eventually, he found Lee J. Sackett, a restoration expert in Minnesota. He sent parts from an old Ingersoll tractor there to be reconditioned. Then, Burgess says, one conversation led to another, so he decided to send the B-112 to Minnesota for a complete makeover.
By then, the A-C had a frozen engine, rusted parts everywhere, and a mower deck full of holes. Burgess says Sackett’s crew disassembled the tractor, repaired or rebuilt rusted parts, and overhauled the engine. Holes in the deck were cut out and replaced with new metal, then ground, sanded and buffed to reveal a seamless, almost brand-new condition topside and underneath.
Sackett has over 20 years of experience restoring vintage equipment, from small gasoline engines to garden tractors, pickup trucks, and full-sized tractors. They use a combination of modern and traditional techniques to remove dents and dings in sheet metal, repair rusted frame and wheel parts, and then sandblast and apply new paint. Restored equipment is always in “factory new” condition.
Burgess says he was amazed by the fit, finish and mechanical condition of his dad’s nearly 60-year-old garden tractor. Sackett even restored all the chrome parts, added a new seat, installed new belts and tires, and rebuilt the dashboard. The B-112 has a Briggs & Stratton 30.1-cu. in. engine that produces 12 hp, more than enough power to run the 3-blade mower. The vari-shift transmission has 21 forward and seven reverse gears. Burgess says that since the mower is now in pristine condition, he intends to take it to shows rather than use it as a working mower.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Burgess, Albany, New York or Lee J. Sackett, Inc., 421 Main St., Box 215, Waltham, Minn. (ph 507-477-3454; www.leejsackett.com).
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