OLD John Deere Farm equpment (Big No.4)

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hung-solo

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Below are pics of my great grandfather's John Deere something or another. I used to know the name of this but i had forgotten. What little research i have done on this told me that it was possibly made back in the 1920's but not too sure. This is why i posted it here. Anxious to see if some of you know how old and the name of this equipment. My grandfather who owns it now forgot he even had it. Its under shelter at the old horse barn below his house. He said i could have it when he passes. My thinking is having it sand blasted and re painted in true John Deere fashion.

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I have always known them as sickle mower,but hay mower is also correct..It is a horse drawn implement, but could be pulled by tractor with slight modification.. regards Henry
 
yes it cuts hay. not sure the technical name for it. also it is rigged for tractor pull now. it was used with american mules back in its "hay" day... get it? of course you did:p
 
Sickle bar hay mower with what looks like a spring harrow on the back of it. Kind of an odd rig as the harrow would be used in the spring to prepare the field for planting and the mower would be used in the summer/fall to cut hay. Maybe he was cutting a green fertilizer crop in the fall that was turned back into the soil to compost through the winter.--KV
 
kvaughn said:
Sickle bar hay mower with what looks like a spring harrow on the back of it. Kind of an odd rig as the harrow would be used in the spring to prepare the field for planting and the mower would be used in the summer/fall to cut hay. Maybe he was cutting a green fertilizer crop in the fall that was turned back into the soil to compost through the winter.--KV
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or he when he knew he was going to put it up for good eons ago, never to use it again he put everything together so we (his grandkids) would know where it went. he prepares like that. very organized man (up until dementia hit pretty hard). you do bring a good point though.
 
More info found.




In Reply to: John Deere/Dain Sickle Bar Mowers posted by Russell Rawn on May 17, 2007 at 08:24:47:

Russell, I'm sure there is more info on the JD No. 4 Big enclosed gear mower in archives here. Bob from Nebraska posted a nice color brochure pic of the No. 4 for me last year as a painting guide. As far as I know they didn't put serial numbers on them. Z854H is not the serial number and just the part number and casting number for the main frame axle housing. Parts catalog just shows the Z854H was used on all 1934 and up and was subbed later to AZ1399H for 1934 and up also. You might can get closer to year by comparing numbers in the parts catalog PC-H69 dated (3-50) which replaced earlier parts catalog No. 52H for No. 4 mower. From near as I can tell what it shows in parts catalog and from some JD pocket ledgers I have they were made from 1934 to sometime after 1952 yet. A 1931-33 JD pocket ledger I have doesn't list the No. 4 mower yet only mentions the Regular frame No. 1 & Big frame No. 2 models. PC-69H shows years 1934-48 in parts catalog. It was still shown in a 1951-52 pocket ledger but my ledgers then skip to 1958 where it is no longer mentioned. Operators manual for No. 4 Big mower is OMH2850. JD publications should still have copies of it and parts catalog
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http://www.ytmag.com/jd/messages/239852.html
 
BTW also look under OLD John Deere Farm equipment (Big No.4) Enclosed Gear Mower Manuals.

I don't want to get in trouble for deal spotting.
 
That is definitely a keeper. My brother in law took his to the local Amish community and they reworked it and got it back into working condition. He uses it occasionally to clear the fields but mainly just to keep the horses working. Yours looks very complete and the axles look like they have been greased so they are probably not even locked. You can have the teeth taken off and sharpened, check the spring tension on the hand lever to make sure it functions, and hook a team to it and see if it works. They are pretty neat to play around with but the one time I was on it I kept having Final Destination moments where I fell into the blades. That was enough for me. Those old timers are a testament to will power and hard work. Great looking piece of history. Thanks for sharing!
 
555 said:
BTW also look under OLD John Deere Farm equipment (Big No.4) Enclosed Gear Mower Manuals.

I don't want to get in trouble for deal spotting.
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Thanks 555. early to mid 30's sounds more correct. i knew my dates were off some bc its been years since i did research on this. after look at the Z number in the picture i think you nailed it.. thanks for the info.. now to see what it originally looked like (paint scheme)
 
pokesalad said:
That is definitely a keeper. My brother in law took his to the local Amish community and they reworked it and got it back into working condition. He uses it occasionally to clear the fields but mainly just to keep the horses working. Yours looks very complete and the axles look like they have been greased so they are probably not even locked. You can have the teeth taken off and sharpened, check the spring tension on the hand lever to make sure it functions, and hook a team to it and see if it works. They are pretty neat to play around with but the one time I was on it I kept having Final Destination moments where I fell into the blades. That was enough for me. Those old timers are a testament to will power and hard work. Great looking piece of history. Thanks for sharing!
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we no longer have horses. the last one died 5 yrs ago. no more.... however i think this is rigged for tractor pull anyway. we do still have one of those. 1974 Ford. he had a 1963 Ford that i loved but he said it was too old and wanted something newer.. yeah i got a good laugh out of that too
 
Cool!! I'd look into it before you go painting it, sometimes those kind of things are more valuable with the original finish/patina. Maybe value isn't a concern since it's a family thing but still something to consider.
 
You know what just hit me,
There is a show on History Channel called
American Restoration. They restore all kinds of things,popcorn machines,coke coolers etc.
I did a little checking and you can email them and see if they will do yours
for a show...
here is the link
http://www.history.com/shows/american-restoration/articles/want-to-be-on-american-restoration

american-restoration-show-callout.jpg


Make it a good presentation and hopefully they will do it.
I would like seeing them do something like that on the show.
Good luck with your Ole #4
 
fugawee said:
You know what just hit me,
There is a show on History Channel called
American Restoration. They restore all kinds of things,popcorn machines,coke coolers etc.
I did a little checking and you can email them and see if they will do yours
for a show...
here is the link
http://www.history.com/shows/american-restoration/articles/want-to-be-on-american-restoration

american-restoration-show-callout.jpg


Make it a good presentation and hopefully they will do it.
I would like seeing them do something like that on the show.
Good luck with your Ole #4
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hmm.. thats actually a pretty good idea. thanks man.. ill check the link out soon.
 
You are very welcome!

best regards -

mqqn
 
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