Ariens Graham-Paige & Frazer M-E Rototiller, Inc. Watco & Troy-Bilt The Other Players
American Manufacturers
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
The Other Players Page
At the end of WWII manufacturing in America was at a fever pitch. We were coming out of a war that helped to end The Great Depression of the 30's and the start of the move to the suburbs and individual homes.
Dates listed are dates that the firms are known to exist.
Harvard, Illinois 60033
General Power Equipment was rhe parent compamy of Atlas, Lawn Chief, and Wheeler.
All three brands became the property of MTD.
West De Pere, Wisconsin
1956
www.BachtoldBros.com
1946-Present
www.Barreto.com
Engine powers a hydraulic pump, wheels and tines are then powered by hydraulic pressure.
Bradley, Illinois
  
|
|
1949
Model 31 Tillex
1955
Bready 'Junior 100'
Bridgewater, VA.
1958-1960
Weber Engineering Products, Inc. (1953)
Farm & Garden (1955)
Magna American Corp.
Sullivan, Illinois
1954-1966
Terro-Tiller and Earthbird
Yardman Company
1966-1975
Yardman was acquired by MTD in 1975. Like Rototiller Inc., the former employees kept the Sullivan plant open, forming the Agri-Fab Company.
1949-1956
Moline, Illinois 61265
Check with my local Deere & Co. dealer:
Detlan Equipment. Inc.
Route 113
Silverdale, PA 18962
(215) 257-5177
Deere & Co. produced three types of small rotary tillers, tractor mounted, rear tine, and front tine.
The very popular Model 110 Lawn and Garden Tractor had the Model 30 Rotary Tiller. Compact utility tractors Models 870, 970, 955, and 1070 used the Model 660 Rotary Tiller. The Sabre® Garden Tractors have a optional 30" working width rototiller.
Walk-Behind Rotary Tillers included the Model 524 introduced in 1971, Model 624 (1974), and Model 216 (1977). The Model 518R Rear Tine Tiller powered by a Briggs & Stratton 5 h.p. engine had a 16" tilling width capable to till 6" deep. The Model 820R Rear Tine Tiller was powered by a Briggs & Stratton 8 h.p. engine capable of tillong 7" deep. The Front Tine Model 314F Walk-Behind Tiller was powered by a Tecumseh 3 h.p. engine witha working width if 14" and a recommended tilling depth of 5".
Sears, Roebuck vendor code number 121
1950-1954
Mantua, Ohio
1953
Troy, Michigan 48084
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Gambles
In 1925 the first Gamble-Skogmo store opened in St. Cloud, Minnesota, at one point there was 4,200 stores. Gamble's would compare to Western Auto, selling after market auto parts, hardware and of course lawn & garden equipment. Gamble-Skogmo was acquired in 1980 by the California based Wickes Corporation.
Portland, Oregon
1954-1955
Willow Street, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
1951-1980
Gilson was acquired by Lawn-Boy, and Lawn Boy was acquired by Toro about 1988.
1954
Dunbar, West Virginia
A Studebaker-Worthington Company
Ariens Corp. acquired Gravely and moved its operations to Brillion. Gravely made a rotary plow attachment that would convert to a rotary cultivator by removing the plow 'Spade Blades' and rotor axle and sliding the culturator rotor axle into the gear box. The gauge wheel assy and shield was also removed, the cultvator was then secured to the gearbox to prevent from spinning, it wasn't just a slide off - slide on convertion.
The rotary plow operates upto 800 rpm's, and till to a depth upto 10" and 14" wide. The rotary cultivator is 26" wide.
The Model 'D' single wheel garden tractor, no rotary plow or rotary cultivator attachment, was called the Imperial in Australia.
Gravely Links
Gravely Tractor Club of America
formerly: Model D&L Gravely Network
Email: Craig Seabrook
Steven Chalmers Gravely Website
Email: Steven Chalmers
Evansville 7, Indiana
|  |
Lansdale, PA
If you find one of these, please let me know, I would be interested in acquiring it.
1955-Present
1954
La Mesa, California
1950-1954
If you find one of these, please let me know, I would be interested in acquiring it.
Plymouth, Wis.
The 3 hp Prince model was a front universal bolo tine machine. Contact drive no belt, width is 22" .
Acquired by Toro, only lawn mowers are being made using the Lawn Boy brand name presently.
Harvard, Ill. 60033
Lawn Chief was the store brand for True Value Hardware stores. Now part of the MTD family.
1954
Two front tine models, the 5 hp Estate 210-385A and the Champion 210-320A. Four types of tines were sold, Universal Bolo, Slasher, Beaver, and Blade.
A Tiller-Tractor Garden Tractor offered an Tiller attachment that was installed by removing the 16" drive (pull) wheels and installing the tine assemblies.
P.O. Box 90 Hwy 18
Raymond, Mississippi 39154
Manufacturers of Choremaster, Tillsmith, Hustler and Private Label yard and garden equipment.
Magna American (Magna Engineering Corp.) is better know for developing the Shopsmith 5-in-1 woodworking machine, ceased production in 1966. The present day Shopsmith Corp. is not connected to Magna American.
Magna, as Magna American referred to them, models included the Briggs & Stratton Model 130292 5 h.p. chain drive tillers no. 500594 and 500595. These models used horizontal shaft Briggs & Stratton engines.
Dub-L-Til was a series of models that were equipped with more then the normal 4 bolo-tines per mounting plate. The 5 h.p. and 8 h.p. chain drive units had 8-bolo-tines per mounting plate. The 3-1/2 h.p. gear drive model had 6-bolo-tines per mounting plate. Magna American flyer for the Dub-L-Til claims "The aggresive tines, dig deeper with a faster forward motion across the ground, along with that smooth, easy-going ride. Takes the strain out of gardening and makes tilling a pleasure". The 5 h.p. and 8 h.p. models used horizontal shaft Briggs & Stratton engines, the 3-1/2 h.p. probably used a vertical shaft Briggs & Stratton engines, the flyer I have does not show the engine.
1962
Magna American tillers were also known as Tillsmith. The Tillsmith Ranger Model No. YT-3061, powered by a 3 h.p. vertical shaft Briggs & Stratton engine. Standard tilling width is adjustable from 10 to 30 inches. Additional tine sections can be acquired and extend the width upto 40 inches wide. The Tillsmith Ranger had only 3-bolo-tines per mounting plate.
Magna offered a leveling drag attachment to aid in leveling the soil and elimate raking. This attachment can be used while tilling or in a separate operation. Other attachments included an adjustable depth furrower to makes rows for planting or making irrigation furrows.
Outdoor Distributors
http://www.outdoordistributors.com
MfgSupply.com
http://www.mfgsupply.com/MowerTiller.html
81 U.S. Route 40 S.W.
P.O. Box 526
London, Ohio 43140
Tel: (614) 361-5343
Email: mainline_na@hotmail.com
Mainline of North America formerly the Central States Mainline was an importer of BCS equipment from 1972 until 1980. Their equipment was all BCS with the big red "Mainline" label applied to the engine and tillers hoods. They were BCS models 715, 725, and 735 tillers with 20" and 26" wide tiller attachments. Thousands of Mainline tillers were sold. They also imported sickle bar attachments, snow throwers and cultivators.
After 1980 Mainline was manufactured by BCS SEP. Business peaked in the late seventies and early eighties like Troy's at which time BCS SEP set up their own importation of the equipment.
The company was founded by Paul A. Sullivan who was a technologist who wrote long comparisons comparing his machine with Troy-Bilt. His machine was clearly superior to the Troy products in everyway. He never had $30,000,000 to spend on advertising so he sold the BCS on its technical specifications in his long spec sheets. He never sold more than 10% of what Troy sold.
Paul Sullivan, son of Paul A. Sullivan, operates Mainline of North America now. Mainline sells the Italian Goldoni two-wheel walking tractors and attachments. They sell attachments and parts for the BCS SEP and Goldoni machines, and parts for ACME, Lombardini, and Intermotor engines.
Mainline also sold Howard Rotavators from 1946 to 1966, and still carry parts for Howard two-wheel tillers and the Howard Twin and J.A.P. engines.
Richard Willever
176 Sunset Rd
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
(201) 839-4719
M & M Parts Manufacturing
4802 Oliver Road or
4730 Winder Hwy.
Flowery Branch, GA 30542
Tel: (800) 635-4580
Tel: (770) 967-8836 or 8838
Fax: (770) 503-0594
1948-2001
1955
|
|
Merry Tillers 1952-Present Merry Manufacturing Company Marysville Washington 98270 formerly of 138 Railroad Avenue Edmonds Washington 98020 Merry Tillers would be described as a mid-tine tiller as the engine is in front of the tines with the transport wheel trailing the tines. |
Midland made garden tractors for Montgomery Wards.
MacKissic Inc.
Parker Ford, PA 19457
1954
See Rototiller Inc., Roto-Ette brand.
Cleveland, Ohio 44136
www.MTD.com
1956-Present
Rototiller Inc., Watco Products, and Garden Way material used by permission of MTD Products Inc.
Detroit, Michigan
1947
Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company
Brentwood, Tennessee 37027
Parmi Tool Co.
Lynn Indiana 47355
The Parts manual for one model was found. Model number TV86-5, a 5 hp mid-tine chain drive unit. This machine has several names on it, the handlebars cross member has Master-Till by Parmi on it. The belt guard from the engine to chain-drive transmission also states the name Lazy Boy.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
S. L. Allen & Co.
Philadelphia, PA
S.L. Allen & Company not only made the Planet Jr line of garden tractors and the finest tools use by numerous garden tractor companies but also the Flexible Flyer Sled, the best snow sled ever made. On the night of 6 April, 2009 the old S.L. Allen factory at 5th and Tioga Streets in the Kensington section of Philadelphia was destoryed by fire.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Seaman Rototiller
|
|
|
Tillsmith
Tillsmith was made by Magna American Corp.
MTD now owns Magna American.
Wisconsin Engines
http://davlinwiscon.tripod.com/
|
|
|
|
3-hp Briggs & Stratton Engine |
|
Top of Page
The Rototiller in America
You can ordered the book directly from me, the author, I also have copies listed on www.ebay.com
or from the publisher, Infinity Publishing, website www.bbotw.com,
a Print On Demand (POD) publisher.
Home American Suisse German British French Other Europeans
Copyrighted 1998-2009 Donald A.Jones
Antique Rototiller Forum