WILL IT RUN? Free Barn Find Gravely Tractor
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- This is a free old gravely single axle 4 wheel tractor that my friend got thrown in on a corvair purchase. check out his channel here, / 5150mxvw
well lets see if we can revive it or is it just too far gone.
'I can't fix you unless you get on the operating table!'
I haven't laughed that hard in a while! Thanks Mustie!
Sounds like DR Lololo
It's so good they way he explains what he's doing and why, and all the little nuggets of info he throws in. Top channel for anyone interested in watching old engines get fixed.
His videos inspired me to try and get an old chainsaw working but after a week, parts of the carb are now scattered around the shed. lol
@@argonthesad biggest piece of advice i can give ya is take pictures as you take it apart. That way you have a reference to put it back together.
@@argonthesad I had to take my bike carbs to bits a few months ago and having watched so many Mustie videos it all looked nicely familiar. 🙂
@@argonthesad Me as well! ive started putting together a little shop in my shed. He makes it look so easy
Oh, Ya. You must be new here. Welcome to our paradise. ;-)
Finally, Mustie meets Gravely! Been an owner for almost 50 years, have one now that I bought new in 1978...12hp version of yours...best snowblower you'll ever use! Very expensive when new...a victim of government mandated safety regs and production costs in the 90's. Your DR wishes it could grow up to be a Gravely! Great content Mustie1
I had one too and I bought it used in the late 70s. I had the snow blower attachment and that was a beast you had to be really careful where you aimed it. Didn't have any wimpy sheer pins. I accidentally hit a washing machine that was outside waiting to go to the dump and it ripped the whole front of it right off in about a second. But nothing was better at moving the snow it could throw the snow like 80 feet if I remember right.. gravely was the best tracker ever.. I had a snow blower, tiller, snowplow, ride behind seat, chipper shredder and a little trailer to go with it. It always started and all I ever had to do for 30 years was change the oil once a year.. when I moved I sold it with the house and was still running perfectly.
The DR is a partial copy of the Gravely, just nowhere near as good. Mine is a 60s model L with the 7.5 hp Gravely motor.
@@edwardmckenzie3402 I had exactly the same as you. Made in America!
@@edwardmckenzie3402 the original gravely engines were made by studabaker , I know that in the 80s you could still get parts for the old ones .
@@blbeach Best snowblower ever. Never met an unenthusiastic Gravely owner! Buy once, cry once and enjoy it for the rest of your life
Holy cow!! I've been watching you for years and this is the first time I have been motivated to leave a comment. I grew up on a farm in Maine, back in the 60s and 70s, and we had five Gravely tractors. Those machines are absolutely fantastic. I wish we could still get quality like that these days. They took a beating like no other tractor could, and just kept going. Like another commenter said, the old Gravely tractors were nearly indestructible. For attachments, we had sweeper, plow blade, bush mower, garden plow, garden tiller, and sulky. Every one of those did what they were designed to do perfectly. During my teen years, I made money by plowing garden plots for folks who couldn't fit a big tractor into their backyards. I wish I owned one now. Thank you for all the great videos.
Kerry, you can still get the same quality now a days, you just buy a used Gravely.... They will still be churning dirt in a hundred years, even if they have to run on moonshine, because gasoline is banned.
This brings back some memories for me... when I was around 11-12 years old, my grandparents (mother's side) lived on a 10 acre plot out "in the country". My grandfather, "Big Daddy", loved greyhound racing and owned a kennel at the Mobile Greyhound Park. He raised his own greyhounds and also boarded dogs owned by other folks. At their home in the country (actually Point Clear, AL), he had huge runs fenced in with big dog houses situated in the dog yards, and usually between 20-30 greyhounds (mostly females and their puppies) at any one time. Anyone who has been around greyhounds knows that they are some of the most friendly and loving dogs... unless you are a rabbit or other small animal!
Our grandmother ("Gran") did her part in raising the dogs... her job was to cook up the "stew" (all natural ingredients with meat and vegetables) that was added to good quality dry dog food (I don't remember which brand) for the dogs. My sister and I would help on weekends when we would spend Saturday night at their house and Gran would take us to church with her on Sunday morning. We loved helping to feed the dogs, and playing with the puppies.
Anyway, Big Daddy had two mowers to take care of this large property (a good portion was wooded, but the yard around the house was about 2 acres itself). One was a Sears riding mower, and the other was a Gravely tractor with the sulky trailer seat. Big Daddy would let me mow with the Sears rider, but the Gravely, with its' big 11hp single cylinder engine and that huge 36" blade in front, was a man's machine! Big Daddy joked that "when I could pull-start (no electric starter on the Gravely) the engine, I could cut the grass with it!" The Gravely was started by wrapping a cord around the crank pulley, and pulling like hell on the rope! I had seen my uncle trying to start it one time, and it "kicked back", just about yanking him down onto his face!
After being told that all I had to do was get the Gravely started and then I could mow with it, I was determined to get it going. I was a good-sized kid at 12 years old, but nowhere near the 6' 4", 210lb teenager I would become in a few more years! I pulled and pulled on that engine, rewrapping the cord each time and choking and unchoking the carb... just like I'd seen Big Daddy doing. It "kicked back" a couple of times, nearly yanking me off of my feet... but then, it caught! I was so excited to hear it roar to life... and one of my uncles came running up to shut it down. Turns out, grown-ups will lie to a kid sometimes... I did NOT get to mow with the Gravely then... I was not expected to be able to start the machine, and surprised my grandfather and uncles by getting it running! It would be a few more years when my Big Daddy had a heart attack and died at 58 years old and the Gravely got passed down to our family that I finally got to use the Gravely. I spent many an hour mowing and clearing brush with that machine. You could tilt the tractor back and ease that heavy 36" blade into small saplings-- cutting them down like butter! I miss that old work horse! Looking forward to the next installment!
Nice story Thanks B N
Good story, thanks.
My father had one of those with the pull start. I mowed many a time with it. If you could get the deck over it, it would cut it.
I had a similar story to one portion of yours - our first garden tractor was I think a 1961 cub cadet maybe even one year earlier, it was an original anyways. Has a 7HP Kohler, with a rope pull start. When I could start it myself, I could could mow. I watched my Dad start it and had it down pat until the day came I was pretty young and the rest was history. We ran that until it died buy my Dad kept it. In 1992 when he passed away, my nephew completely restored it and now it just goes to the fair mostly for show.
Reading that novel was worth it!😀
Thanks for your memories. Im finding i value things like this as i get further away from being a lad.Cheers ta.
Gravely tractors were invented and made in West Virginia years ago. You’d see them everywhere on all the little hill farms. I grew up mowing and plowing with one. That rotary mower was like a baby brush hog. You started them with a leather belt wrapped around the flywheel pulley. Damn things were indestructible. Thanks for the video Mustie!
Amen Phillip bro! Can't kill um!!
They truly don't make em like that anymore. Gravely was a division of Studebaker.
My grand father Leo Kish helped develop sickle bar. He worked at Trojan Steel. For his help he was given a Bunch of the attachments for his Gravely. Every spring he would attach me the thing. I would plow up about half an acre garden. In the fall I would plow it all under for next year. A Great little tractor.
@@kennethsimmons5235 yeah, they were great little tractors. Mr gravely made them in his shop in Dunbar WV and sold them out of his car. They go way back. They had a one step tiller that was amazing. Drop it down in some sod and go. Have seedbed in a few minutes. I knew I was officially a big boy when I could pull start it all by myself.
@@phillipkeeling7327 The starter never worked on ares..... Always pull start.... lol
To me, that's a "new model" Gravely, made after they stopped making Gravely engines and started using Koehlers. The plow is definitely for snow. The dirt plow was much smaller and had wheels in front. At one time you could get every attachment under the sun for Gravely two-wheel tractors, including ditch diggers.
@Donald Newcomb, yes, we had dozens of the originals in the NY state parks back when I was a mechanic in the early seventies, and in terms of repairs/rebuilds the Gravely engines were so easy, as were the repairs to the gears/clutches. We had both the single blade and double blade mower decks, and had at least one sickle bar cutter, rotary ground ditcher/plow and the grading/snow plow shown that we rotated between parks for special projects, and some of the parks had the single stage snowblowers for winter use. Sulkies are easy to build, and you could instantly unpin for walk behind tight places and brush cutting. Wish I had a complete set now, but my wife hates my "junk" (uh, unnecessary equipment)!
@@douglas_drew it’s all necessary. You tell her, it’s all necessary. You never know…………😄
@@douglas_drew Your wife too? Only part of the old Gravely that was tricky to work on was the oil pump. You also had to understand how an impulse magneto worked.
@DonaldNewcomb Very informative comment cousin, Is there a market out there for used ones you know of?
@@tony12165 They are such a hassle to work with, anyone that knows anything about them stay away from them. The ones that actually are selling them get them for nothing and hope and pray to get a shiny dime for them... The ones I see around do not sell. A 500 lb. tractor without attachments. I'd say the bush hog weighs 150 by itself. Cultivator and gearbox that's 150 easily, the only light thing to use is the sickle mower... Rotary plow would come in as light, but the work and beating you take from the tractor in red clay dirt, is just menacing...
I'd actually hate to see how fast they go through batteries now; since the batteries we have are all junk nowadays....
One of the best feelings in life to me is getting an old engine running like this that’s been sitting for a while. Even watching you get it running makes me feel good. Love your videos sir, keep up the great work! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Just FYI, I have never thought to myself "Damn, Mustie1's videos are far too long". In fact, it's usually the opposite, I lament when your videos end. Keep up the very interesting work!
Same, sometimes I notice after the video it was an hour but it felt like 10 minutes
I love the longer videos. Wake up on Sunday (as long as I'm not working) with coffee and watch Mustie work on something interesting. It's become somewhat of a ritual lol.
I’m with you
They're no such thing as a Mustie video that's too long in my opinion.
I enjoy the long videos.. Could watch all day..
Neighbor had one, he bought the sickle bar, tedder and square baler attachments as well. (He grew VERY high quality Alfalfa & Clover for small pets, rabbits etc the baler made little 4"x6"x12" bales! Approx size) These little things came with SO MANY different attachments for them, they were amazing!
I would love to see that baler in action!
@@truckguy6666 same here, I've seen lots of Gravely attachments in videos and photos and the like but I've NEVER seen a baler attachment
Those style are still big in asia so many attachments still buy new only diesel
It’s like the Swiss Army knife of garden tractors.
I’m thinking we need to see the mini bailer attachment for this thing.
I had one of these except made in 1956. It had a 5hp motor. I had almost every attachment ever made. It was passed down from my Grandfather to Father to Me. My favorite attachment was the 5 ft saw blade for cutting felled trees. It was a beast
I was laughing as you put the float back on initially without the needle seated because I knew you would then realise we were all yelling at our monitors. Nothing goes unnoticed in these streams. 👍
PIN! PIN! :)
This channel is my favorite
Learned lots of basic troubleshooting techniques just by watching!
It's good to see you on the mend and back! Hope you continue your recovery. Blessings from Ohio from a fellow tinkerer and a Navy vet!
Since I am a child I've been around Gravely's. Nowadays, I'm working on them with my grandfather and we've been doing 5-10 repairs a year and we are often selling a few. Might had about 12 in the last 3-4 years. My grandfather was doing snowblowing competition when he was younger, these machines are insane and super reliable, it's a perfect snowblowing machine around here in Quebec. His gravely has a Vanguard engine, two cylinders, which came from the factory instead of the Kohler engine. Did the first carb clean in 20+ years last week and some basic maintenance.
I worked as a demonstrator for the UK Importer of Gravely equipment back in the 80’s. The two wheel tractors were excellent and the epicyclic all gear drive transmission was very robust and years ahead of its time. Instant forward and reverse without belts or hydrostatic transmissions. Thanks for the video. Brings back a lot of good memories showing the tractors to customers on 40 degree dam slopes with dual wheels and steering tillers fitted.
Jim....I was one of the many who used them when I worked on Leeds council parks department...you're right they were excellent machines very robust...
Love these older machines. Yes, I was yelling at you as you were putting the float back on. 😁Great cliffhanger at the end there Mustie! Cheers, Steve
Me too. Then I got mad at myself for being a backseat driver
Had a 50s era gravely with sulky, brush deck, cutting blade and best of all snowblower attachment. AWESOME machine & great memories. Thanks Mustie!
What was the experience like using it?
@@ianc.9482 God of Snow Removal! Fear no storm!
After watching your videos for about a year I did my first ever wrenching today. Brother-in-law had a hand me down Craftsman chain saw that hasn't been used in 5+ years. Pulled the plug, had spark. Changed the 3 fuel lines, blew out the 2 needle jets, cleaned the varnish out of the fuel tank and walla - STARTED! Thanks for all the Sunday morning lessons, Mustie.
I have one similar to yours except it's a model 566 1977 version. My father bought it new in 1977 and it was is "Baby". I would always hear him say "This'll be the last mower I'll ever need/buy". Well he was correct and it's now 2022 and I'm still cutting the same lawn today. It never fails to start, I maintain it like it's my "Baby" too. I know dad is looking down on me every time I'm on it. And I plan on making sure it'll be ready to pass on to my grandson.
These type of 'Tractors' were common here in Britain 🇬🇧. They were usually used on small holdings (you call them homesteads) and were used to plough only very small fields of about 2 or 3 acres. I also noticed a towing bar, this was and still is in the India/China area used for ploughing and trailers. You can sit on the trailer and steer from there. The ploughs had metal tractor seats to steer from.
same for Germany-most commonly used with just a plow (and you run behind) or a trailer you can sit on- those things tow rather big trailers- looks a bit like a carriage with a motor instead of the horses...
The trailer is called a sulky, like in horse racing. Not many survived over the years.
@@mfranzusan3014 Anyone that has ever changed from a plow to a mowing deck or mowing deck to plow; knows how much of a pain in the ass these things are... My Dad bought 2. Simply because the engines were too underpowered for the actual work the tractor was trying to do... I guess they were good if you had overly composted soil where it never gets hard, but in clay based soils, you will lose teeth with the small beasts... Mowing is a real chore as well, especially on uneven surfaces. It's a 500 lb. hunk of steal without attachments...
Ken...they were commonly used on Leeds parks in seventies and eighties....I used them regular...they were bullet proof....a good machine....
@@njkip yeah my dad worked for hospitals in County Durham and used one in the sixties in 1970 he had to order a small Leyland at the place I worked. Believe it or not the village was called Pity Me!
We had a Gravely with a sulky, mower, snow blower and plow blade in the 60’s. Mowed a 2 1/2 acre yard and cleared a 40 car parking lot of snow in WI for the family tavern. Super dependable, solidly built machine! Ran it into the 80’s and then it went to work on the farm.
Agree great machines!
if you ever have one apart you realize the high quality of the gears, etc. great machines
Worked on one for a widow after her husband died. It hadn’t run in 8 years. You can still get new points for those. The snow thrower is a trip ,the impeller is made of 1/4 inch steel. to try it out ran it in to a 3 foot high frozen plow bank , it hardly slowed down .
😮phew! Good goin..
I'll echo a majority of the comments here. Great troubleshooting tips and tricks. I wanted a walk behind mower for more exercise. Looked around on the internet, found a Toro Proline 52inch that didn't run. I knew that if it spun and had compression it would work out for me. The owner's son had shut the fuel off on it. Drained the tank, put fresh in it, checked the oil, connected a battery and voila, walked away with a new to me walk behind mower. Now I'm actually able to mow my lawn quicker than with my lawn tractor, and I'm averaging 15k steps to boot. Thanks Mustie1!
Spent a lot of time behind one of those working at a Christmas tree farm. They worked really well in and around the base of the trees. AND I still remember how those handles feel when the wheel drops into a groundhog hole and jams into your hip like getting hit with a hammer.
Yeah I gave up getting around trees for a weed eater....
Gravely must not be a popular brand up there, but in the South we have them everywhere. I grew up getting hit in the you-know-where while riding the little seat/trailer that you can hook to them. Be riding it while crossing a low spot and you're gonna get hit in the jewels eventually!
My dad had one of those with the seat/trailer. Not a bad item - beats walking!
ममम
I grew up using Gravely Tractors just like this one. These things are BEASTS! Multiple attachments, REAL iron and steel. Wish I had one today!
My grandfather had a series of three Gravely walk-behinds. The first one, which he traded in when I was about 5, had an Onan 5hp engine. The next one was similar, but had an electric start. And the final one looked very much like yours. He kept about 35 acres looking like a park with those tractors in the SW corner of Pa. Of course, in the winter tire chains were installed as well as the plow.
Really great to see you uploading again, hope this is a sign of recovery - the mustie community needs our continual fix of new videos! UK subscriber here!!
So I worked in a lawnmower shop in the mid 90s while I was in highschool. I remember we had one of these that had transmission problems. It was torn apart and put back together. It’s built like a tank!
The tractor itself is 500 lbs.
@@kramnull8962 That's an insane weight, but it is obvious seeing the cast iron trans housing and the rest of the construction. I think there was the tendency {back then} to overbuild things and you either had ruggedness or light weight, but never both. That beast is a man's machine.
@@Hjerte_Verke If you go back and look, even half these comments are stating that someone else bought these for someone else to use....
@@Hjerte_Verke I have a 546 a bit newer than that one & it would through you around like a rag doll while plowing if it did not weigh that much. My snow blower attachment found a 14" long piece of 3/4" pipe once & shot it right through a cedar picket fence. The dam thing has bigger wheel bearings than my L4300 Kubota...........
I'm so glad to see you getting your breath back, I was a full six months before I could do anything strenuous at all, even now short of breath after any exertion. Pushing that gravely onto your lift would have done me for a minute or two!
These old Gravelys are stout machines. They had like 29 attachements available for them, I think. I had a '57 LI model which was powere by what reminds you of an old Indian bike engine that had a magneto. Neat old machine, but I replaced it with a '50 Ford 8n and a brush hog for what I needed it for. I enjoy your videos. My father was a Ford mechanic for 40 years (now deceased) and I raced and worked on sports cars myself for 30 years. I know my way around the garage and I still pick-up things watching you work.
I’ve been watching for awhile now and I must say that your vast amount of knowledge and fearlessness about taking apart switches really blows me away. Yes I know that you may think that it’s simple and straightforward stuff for most people, but it’s not! That is one of the many reasons I just like watching your videos, I truly learn so much that hopefully will help me down the road with my own projects. Thanks for the lessons teacher! From the old crusty fabricator!
The Gravely is an awesome machine if you have large areas to maintain. They were top of the food chain back in the 60's when we used them.
My Pop bought one When I was young. I would watch him run around our little farm. Ours had a sulky that he rode on. It threw him like a bucking bronco. Great memories.
I've never touched a carb my whole life but I felt so proud of noticing your miss in the assembly order.
The enjoyment of understanding how things work or why they stopped working is never ending.
Hopefully someday I'll have the opportunity to attempt to fix some old and forgotten relics of the past but until then major thanks for providing that experience from half a world away.
We almost bought one of these about 25 years ago. I think it was a bit more modern in appearance, but not massively so. Nice engines, those Kohler 181T. Just be sure to keep the oil level up to the full mark, and change it about every 20 to 25 service hours. They'll run forever if you look after them 😉.
We didn't get one in the end because my dad started reminiscing about the two wheeled tractor he bought when he came out of the army and got all dewy eyed over that, so the quest was on a 1945 Anzani Iron Horse, which we eventually found and bought.
If I recall, these Graveley machines were advertised in Countryside Magazine, them and a lot of other brands. It's surprising how many Italian names there were among them. Maybe the old Anzani wasn't a bad choice? I still have it, even though my dad passed away almost 15 years ago. I still have his Howard 350 Rotavator, that's where we still have a Kohler 151T.
In '74 I bought an old farm house on 2 acres that came with a much older version of that Gravely. It had a seat that was on wheels to attach behind the mower. IF it started there was nothing that would stop it when mowing. More power and torque than modern machines.
Fun ride and would cut anything in its path.
Looking forward to seeing you chase that through the grass and high weeds.
Thanks for sharing.
Remains a joy to watch and listen. Please never stop creating and sharing these videos.
Great watch. I like this robust machine revival. I did enjoy the serene ending and it's what I need after trying to dial in my cam.
Gravelys were very popular in my area and there was even a regional dealer in town - just shut down two years ago. They were regarded as rugged and reliable equipment - a bit more heavy duty than something like Sears Suburban or Wheelhorse. Good find! All I ever discover in old barns are snakes and empty bottles.
I love the body style of that Corvair in the beginning. The inspiration for the Camaro that followed!
I haven't seen one that nice since I was a kid in the 60s.
That's a 65 Corvair Monza convertible! Most likely a 110hp option and 4 speed. Has the Nova/Camaro ralley 14" wheels, a common swap for 65-69 vairs which used 5 lug chevy bolt pattern on 13s.
Gravely was part of Studebaker Automobiles at one time . At one time just about every town ,city and school district had them for lawn and ground maintenance . They had many attachment's for winter and summer, sort of a Swiss Army Knife of sorts . Back in the 70's and 80's you would find them in almost every government auction . They have a cult following , very unique machine
My wife grandpa sold them at his AC dealership back in60/70
Used to have a neighbor who had one like that (minus the dual tire setup).
I think the duals are mostly for mowing on hills. Lower the center of gravity.
He loved it, mowed, plowed, all good. All gear drive, no belt slipage.
He had a snow blower attachment too.
But he complained about that.
Said the carb setup didn't block the blowing dry snow, snow would get into the carb and kill it.
Techumseh Snow King has the best setup, no air filter at all, just a heavy baffle to keep the blowing snow out.
Don't need any air filter to blow snow. Air is clean and dry.
A great find for you.
When you dropped that starter switch contact I thought to myself "well, might as well go get a cup of coffee 'cause that thing is never gonna be found". But in your world, unlike mine, dropped parts apparently do not disappear.
My friend, who was a science fiction fan, used to say that when you dropped a part, in a full garage, the amount of clutter forced the dropped part into a different dimension and that you would never be able to retrieve it.
@@craighearn747 in my shop I have a ghost that drags all dropped parts into a parallel universe
@@craighearn747 I alway think it's just that I have my own personal black hole that follows me literally all over the shed!!! Like I can put down a tool, turn around to do something and turn back for the tool and it's like 'Where the heck is it gone!!!'
Growing up in the 60's and 70's you didn't see many Gravely products in Central Texas, they were super expensive and very high quality. I have a feeling that one will live another 50 years easily.
That depends upon the land that you work. In hard soils the engines get beat to death... Usually need a ring job at least within 10 or so years of heavy work and constant mowing... Engine is wide open every step of the way. But the clutches in the tranny are remarkably good considering most all shifting is done with the engine full tilt. Except for shifting from low range to high range, then you do have to come to a stop.
Thank you for all you do! Until two years ago I built USAF JET ENGINE and repaired test equipment at work at repaired cars motorcycle boats now all I can do now is enjoy your CZcams thank you it keeps my mind working
You still amaze me every time my man. They parked that broken down tractor there 50 +/- years ago. "Its done, can't be fixed" You get it running with expert trouble shooting in less time it took to drive it home. Bravo Bravo Sir.
My friends had a Christmas tree farm in the ‘70s and used Gravelys. They were awesome! Even cut the trees down with them. They had a big saw blade. Probably not OSHA approved😜
I’ve seen a few of these where they put a 30” buzz saw blade on the mower to use on tree farms
OSHA inspectors faint everytime someone thinks about attaching one of those ankle biters or the 4' chainsaw head...
Great video. I’m looking forward to part 2.
I grew up mowing the skeet and trap fields at the local rod & gun club on a 50’s era gravely model L with a 30” rotary mower like the one on yours.
I also owned 2 50’s L models when I was in my 20’s with the same mowers on them to clear off my property where I live.
These Kohler powered gravely tractors are really good machines and typically expensive regardless of what condition they are in
Wonderful to watch!!! I am so glad I am not the only one who has to crawl around on the floor looking for a small dropped critical piece........
In the 70s, we used Graveley's to mow a city park. A great machine. They made a cultivator for plowing gardens. The sulky (sp?) Was great for mowing grass, but that's all we used the sulky for. When you plow or mow, keep upward pressure on the handlebars to keep the attachments on the ground.
There’s a large gravely tractor owners group, parts are available, the kholer engines are bullet proof.
Sunday morning is complete, a new Mustie 1 project of a good amount of minutes/hour(sometimes) as i sip my morning coffee...Hope you continue your recovery.
The serenity shot at the end is wonderful. Pond is like glass.
Thats is one beautiful running Kohler. As for the length of your videos I love that there long you get to see more indepth content that way and even though I don't always have time to watch them right away it's normally no more then a day or 2 after they come out that I watch them 😁
Gravelys are absolte beasts. I've got a 50's Era LI. It gets used about every other week. Need to get a cultivator attachment for it. It does a great job preparing the garden.
We had a Gravely that saw regular use from 1965 to 1998. Pull start. Walk behind mower with single wheels, a 36"? mower deck and a ride behind sulky. We had access to a a cultivator (rototiller), a rotary plow,cycle bar and a snow plow. With front guard of the mower deck removed, I could cut down 3" diameter trees. All of the accessories could be changes by removing 4 bolts. This machine was a BEAST! Our model had a streamlines shape. The huge boxy design on this model was to accomodate a car battery to power the electric starter.
I had a Gravely riding tractor with the 8hp Koehler engine and underbelly mower. I think he called it a 9hp. Couldn’t prove it by me ! Heluva machine. Given to me in “sorta” running condition. Kept it for a while and passed it along to a friend that could keep it running better than I could. Very strong tractor , even with only 8hp engine. Also lectrik start. Wish I had it back !
Same guy that gave me the tractor also had that walk-behind bush hog, which he kept. It was pull rope started. That thing was much man ! That was 20 years ago and I’m wondering if he still has that beast. Probably, as they’re pretty much indestructible machines.
I've heard these called Bushhogs, but that is probably a brand name. Can do some serious clearing with these things. Must have a mighty gear ratio if it's clearing heavy stuff with only 8hp. Great video Mustie. Thanks!!
Bush Hog was a brand name, but they set the standard for all that followed.
Worked on many Kohler K series engines in my garden tractors and mini pullers, always had amazing luck with them, even when abandoned for 30 plus years
Same, my father wouldnt buy anything BUT Kohler after his first purchase. ive continued to buy new and used. Mustie makes it look so simple😁
When I was 12 I bought my dad one of the screw starter you showed,he made such a big deal. It was a great birthday present for him and I STILL HAVE IT!!!!!!
I inherited one of these when my Grandfather passed away. Looks like it's time to drag it out. Thanks so much for the videos.
Morning Mustie :) Hard to believe this is your first Gravely. My father had like thirty of them over the years. lol
yay, my first car! Not a convertible though. Was given the car, bag of tools, and a Haynes manual a year before I could get my license. It didnt run, so thus learned how to work on cars.
My second car. 65 monza convertible with 4 speed. Same interior dark blue paint and white top. Bought it for $125 in 1972 and drove it for a couple years during and after college until I got a Kharman Ghia. Had a lot fun and frustration too.
@@roberthiggins8098 Mine was a 66 hardtop. Blue with a white interior that I payed $15 bucks for. Keeped it on the road with parts from the junkyard. Salt finally killed it.
You talk and talk and talk and we all listen and learn .Love it
I only know three people that would bother to take apart an ignition switch like that. Me, Dad, and you. I admire your mentality of looking at a thing to figure out how it works and fix it so that it does. We are a lot alike.
You were jumping an arc under the left side of the carburetor at the 17:00 minute mark when you turned it over. Watching you fix that switch was like giving a cat a piece of tape to play with LOL!
He's still recovering from the Covid-19 bs!
@@joedaley3692 Ahhh that would explain it, thanks.
@@twinkie27271 I just thought it was funny the stuff sticking to his fingers
Those tractors are tough, the ones with the Gravely engines seen to be indestructable. The parts for the older engines are still available. I have a 6.6hp tractor, I haven't started in 5 or 6 years, most of the time it only takes a little fiddling with it to get it to start.
Fixed an older model gravely with my Dad in the 80's. We also found an original sulky to ride on while mowing. Worked out great. These things are so cool. Glad you found one. Have fun restoring. We did!
My dad had one for years with the plow and wire wheel brush attachment. He was a rod buster and used it to roll out steel mesh on construction sight jobs. Very cool. Thank you
What's a rod buster may I ask ?
Annother Sunday and a Mustie video what an awesome way to start the week! Greetings and Salutations to all!
I am nearly 70, and when I was 12, I drove my Dad’s Gravely in to his 55 gallon burn barrel with the lawn mower attachment and cut the barrel in half. the Gravely eventually stalled, but it is a beast.
Oops!
@@robertheinkel6225 Reverse isn't just the flick of the switch... It takes at least 3 seconds to flip the handle, so they take some planning ahead when using heavy attachments... The levers have heavy springs on both sides of the shifter lever at the transmission, so you have to pull rather hard to take it out of forward and a little elbow grease to get all the way locked into reverse on the fly...
I worked for a Gravely dealer in the 80’s. With the white hood I would guess pre-1985. I was young so the more experienced guys usually worked on these. Very heavy built and very expensive. I would guess in 85 that gravely with those attachments would have been over 3k$ back then. I’ve been wondering about Mustie. I understand you had Covid. Hope you are improving, take off all the time you need. Get those vaccines if u can folks!
Enjoyed watching this one, I have an old Gravely from 1961. It was built in their original factory in Dunbar West Virginia and I still use it.
"Now I need a nap" Perfectly stated on the age of every man, eventually...
probably a result of the covids.... I know; this is what it does to ya
Very nice Corvair! Wish I still had mine, was the 1st car I actually bought.
Gravely. These were as common as pop bottles behind the barn when I was a boy growing up in Northern Arkansas. They were great to use in the family garden plot, and the brush bar cut a wide swath through the toughest of weeds.
You sound much better, my friend. I am glad you are on the mend. My grandfather had a Gravely just like this one.
Good stuff Musty.
I just found about a dozen of these machines on a property i recently acquired.
Brought one home a month or so ago and got the old girl going.
Just started on another one, same model (526) hoping i can get the gremlins out of her...
Has power to the points but no spark.. Those brush mowers are beasts.. If the machine can push it over, it will mulch it up..
Keep up the great work, cant wait to see part 2
Are you going to sell any of them and if so I would be interested?
I had one of these once they are a beast to handle. I can’t imagine them getting any better with four tires.
Changing from a finish mower to a cultivator or vise versa isn't all it is cracked up to be either....
I use to manage a city cemetery that covered about 40 acres. The ones we had were much older than this one, we started them with a strap that we wound around a pulley on the back. Ours had the L head single cylinder engine with a two speed transmission both in forward and reverse, direct gear drive, no belts. The head was 30 inch cut with a single blade that was a 1/2" thick, if it ran over a grave marker that was too tall it would shave the top of it off and not even sputter, they were powerful and had lots of torque. They shared engine and transmission oil and used magneto ignition. We had to walk them in the older more congested areas but ran them with 2 wheel dollies with a seat attached to the draw bar in more open areas and for trimming around monuments. We acquired a new one with the Kohler engine, it was no where in league with the older machines, used break away blades and had no where as much power. I rebuilt the older engines until the parts ran out then I used parts from a 1947 Plymouth inline six, had to bore the cylinders slightly and grind the valve seats.
We owned 2 gravely tractors when I was a kid A 432 ,14 horse unit and an 816 ,16 horse unit. .. Very well built tractors. They were in their 20s when I left home and over 30 when my father sold the house and still going strong. They were expensive but well worth the money
Good morning and thumbs UP !
That 5 seconds when Jason came driving out on the grass I got a Caddy Shack flashback when Rodney Dangerfield drove out on the course. No idea why, it’s not even that similar, I just did. Guess I’m watching Caddy Shack today. 🤣
Put that steering wheel back over here where it belongs!
@@andyhamilton8940
🤣😂⛳️
jason did the bill murry imitation recently in another vidio
@@myadventures6253
Yes he did… totally forgot. Maybe that’s why it made me think of it. It was a hell of an impression too. Or maybe he’s in 2022 and way ahead of me in his thinking 🤔
@@seastacker8582 haha, thank you , that must of been it
Can't get over how good the carb looked . Almost like it was "fogged" before put away. Nice find those bring the big bucks here in New England!!
My dad use to have a Gravely. I think his was an early 60s model. It had a jockey seat with wheels that just hooked up to a ball hitch. He had an plow attachment that was towed behind the seat, a thatching rake that was towed, a rotor tiller that was powered at the front, a snow blower that attached at the front, and a plow blade that could attach at ether end. he was also looking for a box blade he could use to keep the pot holes out of the drive way that was half dirt and half gravel and about a quarter mile long. His had a metal can that laid on it's side and filler cap facing up directly over the engine. Every time I watched him use it I was afraid the thing would leak and catch fire. He painted it orange. When he got it was not working and the color was rust. He spent two days fixing lubing and painting it. He treated it like it was one of his long lost kids because the tractor he had blew up It was an old ford model d I think. It blew a rod thru the side of the case. He just scrapped it because he didn't have any of the attachments.
Mrs. Mustie: " I don't understand why you need more and more things, you just keep bringing home all this stuff. You couldn't possibly use all this." Mustie1: "Honey, I have to keep the Sunday videos going, I'll sell some of these soon. I promise." Viewer: Noticing lots of machines from past videos appear in future videos and remain unsold.
Well, some may be aggregating for a while until the community flea market of odd and unusual things is kicking off.
@@ehsnils sell the dr and use this, much better . If you sell it you will have a line at the door
The title should be “Best Tractor Ever”
Totally agree!! We use a 5260 on our homestead and love it
Kenneth Simmons
My grand father Leo Kish helped develop sickle bar. He worked at Trojan Steel. For his help he was given a Bunch of the attachments for his Gravely. Every spring he would attach me to the thing. I would plow up about half an acre garden. In the fall I would plow it all under for next year. A Great little tractor.
when I was a kid, there was a Gravely dealership next door to our house. I remember seeing these machines all the time. They had all kinds of attachments that could be changed out. They had the field mower, like this one, a finish mower, snowblower, rotary brush, and the snowplow. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting. They also had an attachment for the rear. It was a farm tractor type seat that attached to the frame on a pivot, so you could ride behind the machine instead of walking.
Mustie, I am glad to see a new posted video ! I do pray that you are recovering fully from COVID-19. I could tell in your voice from an earlier video when you shared with your audience of your battle with COVID, that it was indeed a tough go for you. I also hope your wife did not get it. So……..keep on keepin on.
Yes . Cuppa , Cookies , Musti vid : ) my kind of Sunday !
Gravely was a high end manufacture in the 60's & 70's. Loved it. Good to have you back.
I'll add my name to the list of people that think back lovingly about the Gravely. I grew up on my father's orchard. I spent many an hour riding on the sulky. We had the mower head, a tiller and the snow blade. The dualy is nice and all, but it makes it a pain to steer. Left up to me, I'd take off the outer wheels. It's a 2 minute job to unbolt them.
Let’s checkout the Corvair
Amazing how Mustie1 can eyeball fuel screw settings on an engine he’s never ran before.
Pretty standard on almost any engine 1 1/2-2 turns out will get it going
My father in law has two of these machines. He used it to mow and till his garden. I remember my wife telling me she hated mowing the lawn when she was young because the handles pinched her leg if it went into a ditch or uneven terrain. I remember helping him change for the deck to the tiller. It was a pain but that thing could run. They have not been used in awhile and I might try to work on them sometime. Good info.
Gravely, the TANK of the two wheeled tractors. My grandfather had one, you couldn't kill it.
I have had four over my lifetime. Wish i still had one now. Indestructible. Gas tank was round and fit between the handlebars. I had the 48" chainsaw attachment, the sickle bar, the loader, the brushmower, and both tillers. Amazing machines. Not for wimps or the timid.