I answered an ad for an engine for sale, and the gentleman had a
Fairbanks gas and kerosene 1-1/2 to 3 HP that I was really
interested in. He would not sell it to me unless I took his old LB.
Not wanting it, I thought I could sell it.
I tried to sell it for a year; no one wanted to pay what I had
in it and I wasn’t going to give it away.
One day riding around, I saw this old tractor behind a garage
with no engine or hood and only one front wheel. The owner agreed
to sell it to me. I went home and picked up my trailer. When I got
back, he had dug up the hood and other front tire. The only thing
missing was the grille.
I think it’s an old Economy garden tractor, but nobody knows for
sure. It has a heavy cast iron rear end with a granny gear, three
forwards and reverse.
I stripped it down and painted it International colors. I
mounted a pulley behind the belt pulley and use the deck lever to
tighten it. I hooked the throttle up to the lever on the left side.
Everything used was from the tractor or lying around my shop. The
only thing I bought was a 3-inch pulley for the rear end. It had a
6-inch pulley, but would only move about 3 MPH wide open – now
maybe 6 MPH. It’s a lot of fun at shows and now everyone wants to
buy it. Sorry.
Dennis Wood
Kingston, Ohio