Simplicity Garden Tractor Powered By Fairmont Engine

Simplicity Garden Tractor Powered By Fairmont Engine AG WORLD 29-4-21 "It's built with a lot of detail and really runs quiet," says John Magnuson, New Hope, Minn., about the 1972 Simplicity 728 garden tractor he repowered with a 1944 Fairmont 13 hp, 2 cycle "section car" engine. It took Magnuson a year in his spare time to repower the tractor. He had already restored the Fairmont engine, which was originally used to power a railroad section car. When he bought the Simplicity garden tractor its original 8 hp, 1-cyl. vertical shaft engine had already been removed. He drilled holes into the tractor frame and bolted the Fairmont on. The engine drives a jackshaft with a flat belt that in turn belt-drives the tractor's 3-speed transmission. To make room for the engine, he moved both the steering wheel and the seat back and up. He also fabricated a hand clutch and a revised brake system. "I can operate the clutch either by hand or foot," says Magnuson. Both brake pedals work the brake. The engine is cooled by a 5-gal. aluminum water hopper. The 3-gal. gas tank is located above. He installed a new muffler designed for a smaller Ford car. "The muffler is big enough to make it one of the quietest Fairmonts around," says Magnuson. "I like driving it in tractor parades at shows and around our neighborhood. The 2 stroke Fairmont engine is designed to operate either forward or backward. I can reverse the engine direction on-the-fly by turning off the ignition, reversing the timing lever, and then when it's almost stopped, turning the ignition back on. People are really amused by this." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John L. Magnuson, 4640 Ensign Ave. N., New Hope, Minn. 55428 (ph 763 533-5787).

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