Going way back to 1850, Bolens, out of Port Washington, Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee, came out with its first powered garden tractor in 1919. This articulating 1960s Bolens Lawn Keeper mower is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Lakeville, Minnesota, and the seller is asking $500. Here is the original listing, and thanks for nothin’ to yours truly for sending in this tip.
This is a pretty niche market, vintage lawn equipment, but anything with an engine (or motor, as in electric), and anything that’s at least a two or three decades old is fair game in my world. We’ve already seen quite a few garden tractors and vintage mowers here on Barn Finds over the years, along with chain saws, outboard motors, and all kinds of unusual non-muscle-car-powered contraptions. I’m not going to restore a car or a truck, but I’ll at least try to tackle something like this Lawn Keeper. This fun l’il mower is 260 pounds and about 4.5 feet long.
Bolens is a great name in tractors, and the company was bought out after WWII by FMC Corporation. Most of these mowers/tractors are labeled as Bolens by FMC, or just show both names somewhere. I don’t know the exact year or model of this mower, but I believe this is likely a model 914, made in 1968 and 1969. The seller shows a great photo of the tag showing the model number and serial number, or where they should be, but they’re both blank, unfortunately. The huge seat isn’t original; it would have had a lower back on it, but it should be reasonably easy to find a more factory-looking seat somewhere.
I believe the wheels (rims) should be white on this era, although some other years of the Lawn Keeper mowers were white and red with red wheels. I’d want to restore this one back to how it looked when it came out of the factory on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan. With a 16-inch turning radius, it was pretty revolutionary at the time, especially for the 1960s. There was a bigger and fancier Estate Keeper with a full engine shroud on the back and a bigger engine, but this one could mow any lawn I had to deal with. If it’s good enough for Arnie Palmer, a guy who knew a thing or two about huge grassy areas, it’s good enough for me.
The engine should be, I believe, a 198-cc Tecumseh 5-hp single-cylinder, although some earlier Lawn Keepers had a 6-hp Briggs engine. It’s equipped with a 2-speed transmission with both forward and reverse, and has a 28″ mower. The seller says it runs and works well, but the transmission can be touchy, and one tire loses air, so it needs help. Are any of you into vintage lawn equipment, and if so, do you have a current restoration project going?
Boy oh boy,Howard sure would look good on that..
If Hank Hill doesn’t get there first.
I used to look good on any mower. I just love the smell of cut grass mixing with engine exhaust.
Sure learning about small vehicle and motorized devices coming out of the midwest on this site. What a huge manufacturing market that was. Sad it’s gone, with the jobs.
Mid century modern kitchens, furniture, tables and tools are in demand, maybe it extends to these. Be cool to have and put to work
There still is a huge amount of lawn mowers being made in the Midwest, especially in Wisconsin.
When I was younger and living in South Jersey I enjoyed cutting grass with my rider and push mower, moved to Phoenix in 92′ and I had grass one year….that was it for me.Our next house was crushed stone for the yard.
This is kinda cool for that tidy suburban lot. The articulation should make it easier to maneuver around trees and other lawn obstacles. Does anyone like photos with the blurred margins?
Nelson, there is no way around that when a seller provides vertical photos and the format is horizontal. It’s either that or crop them to a horizontal format so a fraction of the vehicles are shown. Picture how this one would look enlarged to fit the horizontal format; it would have cut both the top and bottom off, and we’d much rather show the whole thing in a composite, if possible. Hopefully that makes sense.
It’s a seller thing, 99.9999% of sellers on craigslist and facebook take photos with their smartphone held vertically for some odd reason. Horizontal vehicle = turn your phone 90 degrees; it’s really pretty easy and intuitive, you’d think, but apparently not.
Nelson, there is no way around that when a seller provides vertical photos and the format is horizontal. It’s either that or crop them to a horizontal format so a fraction of the vehicles are shown. Picture how this one would look enlarged to fit the horizontal format; it would have cut both the top and bottom off, and we’d much rather show the whole thing in a composite, if possible. Hopefully that makes sense.
It’s a seller thing, 99.9999% of sellers on craigslist and facebook take photos with their smartphone held vertically for some odd reason. Horizontal vehicle = turn your phone 90 degrees; it’s really pretty easy and intuitive, you’d think, but apparently not.
Here’s how the last photo would have looked.
I liked your types of headaches poster Scotty. You should hang that on your office wall.
So you’re saying that it’s not a setting on their phone? I assumed that people just do the most obnoxious things for attention.
As for technique, I take pictures of cars everyday. We use an appraisal app that compares a vehicle to the same make and model by VIN and features. Good three-quarter shots, in frame, next to the vehicle, not standing several feet away. Taking shots standing at the door looking into the car with seat controls/condition in view. Most of all a pic of the instrument cluster with the engine running. All taken in landscape unless it is a detail like corrosion or damage that is only best captured in portrait. I guess it’s just not that tough and would take away a lot of gripes we have on this site.
Nelson, I wish I could vote for you to take all of the photos of vehicles; it sounds like you have it down to a science! The classic ones are craigslist ads with 23 photos, and the missing 24th photo is always where an engine photo should be. Even though they’ve included photos of all four tires and several close-ups of other things that most buyers may not care about. Seeing an engine photo gives an idea of how the entire vehicle has been maintained. And you’re 100% correct, turn that dang phone 90 degrees! Thanks for understanding about the weird composite photos, I should have mentioned that.
an early style 0 turn.
As soon as I saw the opening photo….. I just new it was Scotty. This is a great and unique find. I agree with a true restoration if possible. If it’s the original Tecumseh, they’ve unfortunately been out of business for some time but if you scour the internet you can hopefully find what ever you may need. I agree Bolens was always a good quality name. This could make a real fun project. And hey, if it’s good enough for Arnold Palmer……. Great find Scotty. Thank you.
Fun write-up SG. Cool piece of 60’s machinery.
Very COOL mower!!
I think you could have 500 bucks worth of fun outta that !!! Seat was low back job , with white vinyl to match the white steering wheel.
Looks like something George Jones drove to the bar to get drunk. And yeah, that story was
indeed true. Many of the older folks I played with knew George and his capacity for alcohol. At least five of my older friends and
a young lady I dated a few years
back have all told me that story at
one time or another. Out of all the people who tell it, I’m inclined
to believe the young lady as her
father was Mr Jones’s personal
mechanic when he had a large home near Lakeland Florida in the 1960s. Seeing this mower reminded me of That story.
Lol Ken.. the Possum. George headed to the bar on the mower. Love his music. Got a signed photo, says “Thanks” and his signature ✍️ 🤌
There used to be an elderly guy in my neighborhood who had lost his driver’s license due to his poor vision. He couldn’t kick the smoking habit and his wife wasn’t always home with the car to run him to the 7-11 up the street. So, our guy used to fire up his riding mower and ride down the sidewalk to the store to get his cancer sticks.
I never knew him, but I have another story you’ve probably haven’t heard yet, so I’ll share it now. George Jones almost didn’t
record “He Stopped loving Her Today.”. When the song was pitched to him, he told Billy Sherrell and Harlan Howard (?)
saying to them, “I can’t record that song. It’s too damned sad.”
Well, 1980 rolled around and Jones finally decided to record it.
That damned thing took off like
a rocket that became a number one song two years in a row. And that doesn’t even count how many times it was covered by your local band that played in the
bar down the street from your house. There was a fellow I knew
who could do a spot on impersonation of George Jones
that was so good you’d swear it
was George himself singing to you! The only problem was that
you couldn’t keep that damned
fool sober long enough to do it!
Right on Ken thx lol 👍
I personally want to thank the site featuring this guys submissions, the site wouldn’t be the same without him. I’ve said before, cutting grass is one of my favorite things,,,on a rider, that is. It’s not known how many different contraptions were made to simply cut the grass, with so many yards in America, practically any maker could make a go of it. While to some, Wisconsin is known for beer farts and cheese, it really was a leader in the country, possibly the world, in machinery and still is. See those “SCAG” names on race cars? Mayville( and 5 other Wis. plants) Wisconsin. Nice find, these days I sit and watch the lawn care company guys go ’round and ’round, but I still love that smell. :)
Maybe I have the first zero turn.
Toro 52 pro. 3 reels and 3 wheels, rear wheel under the seat that turns 90 degrees.
Dont know what year it is.
The first zero turn mowers were adapted from farm machinery. Your reel mower is a miniature thrasher in a conceptual way.
To Howard, I met Dane Scag a couple times at trade shows years ago. Interesting man.
Didn’t know there was actually someone named “Scag”. “Skags” were usually the steel runners on snowmobile skis. He sure is pouring a ton of money into drag racing.
My Grandfather had the 6 hp Briggs one. He died of cancer in 1965. If I had the space and money and was closer to Wisconsin, I’d bid.
Sounds like something I would do
Rick. I’m still looking for a used
mobility scooter that I can buy cheap. Like the old man you knew, I too have severe vision problems that keep me from ever
driving a car. I’m still looking for
something I can ride on the sidewalk so that I can take myself wherever I wanna go. Right now, I rely on my SIL to take me to work at the McDonald’s I work at part time. Her health isnt
the greatest and her doctor says
she shouldn’t drive that much any more. So yeah, I could just see
myself riding a lawn tractor to my
job on days I work. Knowing my
luck, I’d get pulled over for driving a lawn mower without a license!.
And Uber or Lyft? Forget about
it. Drivers here are charging between $20-$40 every six blocks! Hate to say it, but here in Florida, Uber and Lyft drivers can
charge what the market will bear.
And if they don’t overcharge, they
rob you instead. Got robbed by a
Haitian Uber driver in ’21 and I’ll
never use them again! Hey Scotty, how ’bout profiling a Rhoades Car adult quadricycle?
Too bad they’re over $7-10K used. Boy, does that bite a big one!
Now THAT’S what I really need!
Ken, my father had Huntingtons chorea, 50 years ago they pulled his license and he bought a john degree B. He kept it at a gas station that was a short walk from his room. Maybe the lawn tractor would work for you?
To Howard, He designed the first Scag mowers after leaving Bunton from Louisville with some talent and financing.
He later sold to Metalcraft of Marysville and briefly consulted for them.
When his No Compete clause expired he formed Great Dane which competed directly with Scag.
I saw plenty of his product in the field but never met him again.