Collector Specializes In Garden Tractors And Implements

Collector Specializes In Garden Tractors And Implements AG WORLD 25-3-24 Interest is booming in garden tractor restoration and collecting, says Brandon Pfeiffer, Mt. Vernon, Ind., who has one of the biggest collections around. Pfeiffer has 42 garden tractors in his collection, most of them not restored but in generally good condition. Most of his tractors are Deere 110 and 112 models made from 1963 to 1974. He also owns three multi-colored Deere Patio Series tractors, as well as three early 1960's Cub Cadets. His oldest model is a 1963 Deere 110 equipped with fiberglass fenders and a handlaid deck. "It was the first year Deere came out with garden tractors and this was basically a prototype model to test the market. Only 1,000 were ever made," says Pfeiffer. "Today it's worth anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000." His rarest model is a 1965 Deere 110 tractor equipped with a trip rope front-end loader. "As far as I know, it's the only one known in existence. The company also made hydraulic dump front-end loaders for a short time and there are only about 10 of those known in existence." He says his favorite model is his 1965 Deere 110. "I bought it in 1995 for $300. It isn't a particularly rare garden tractor, but it was the first one I restored." Pfeiffer started collecting lawn and garden tractors in 1989. "At the time I didn't know of any other garden tractor collectors." Why are lawn and garden tractors so hot? It's a matter of price, size, and memories, says Pfeiffer. "The collectors include not only farmers, but also people who live in town and have memories of these tractors when they were growing up. Garden tractors have gone up in price, but they're still more affordable than farm tractors. And because of their size they're easy to store and haul to shows." Pfeiffer has started his own company selling a wide variety of authentic replacement parts for garden tractors, including decals and steering wheel center caps. He also collects implements for garden tractors. They're popular because they make a garden tractor look more like a farm tractor. People are surprised to learn how many different implements were made for garden tractors. In fact, almost anything made for farm tractors has also been made for garden tractors, including disks, plows, planters, cultivators, tillage tools, 540 rpm pto adapters, post hole diggers, loaders, and cabs. Some implements are very rare, such as my Deere front-mounted air compressor. It wasn't a big success with Deere, which scrapped them out. There are fewer than 10 known in existence." Pfeiffer recently started a newsletter for garden tractor collectors, with the first issue scheduled for publication this August. The subscription price is $26 per year. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brandon Pfeiffer, Historic American Parts Co., Inc., Inc., 6040 Ford Rd. N., Mt. Vernon, Ind. 47620 ph 812 985-2490 or 7640 evenings; E-mail: hapco@hapcoparts.com; Website: www.hapcoparts.com).

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