Vintage Sears Garden Tractors

Hi, Welcome to Spence's Vintage Sears Garden Tractor site. I saw a need for this information in the late 1990's, after I heard many people asking what year their Sears tractor was made. There was no reliable source of information at that time to obtain this information.  With that in mind, I set off on a mission to gather as much information as I could and to present it here in this public forum for all to use. I hope you enjoy your visit here. Please be sure to visit the homepage if you were directed here from an external link. I'm working hard to provide more Sears information all the time. If you have something you think is relevant, please let me know. I hope you bookmark my site and return often. The Custom style tractor first appeared in the 1964 catalog as the Custom 600. It remained in the Sears line-up for many years to come. The Custom can be identified by its flat axle and lack of a channel type frame mount for attachments.  The tractor's hood is lower to the ground compared to the Suburban tractors as a result of this design. The hood height of a '71 Suburban 12 was 39.5 inches, the Custom 10 XL of the same year was 35 inches high.  While the Custom gave up 67 lbs. to the Suburban, the wheel base was less than half an inch longer on the Suburban of the same year. The Customs had a mower deck that was driven in the center by a belt coming down from the engine. The power was transmitted to the blades by shaft, with two gearboxes being used to provide the 90-degree turn needed for the blade shafts. Some of these decks were made of cast aluminum. These tractors had a rear "drawbar" for mounting a 3-point hitch just like the Suburbans. The tractors could not be fitted with the same front mounted attachments as the Suburbans however because of the different frame/axle. Nor could they be fitted with a front loader, or sickle bar mower. There was a snow blade, rotary snowplow (snow blower) and special 8 inch turning plow made for the tractors.  Most of the later Customs had the 8-speed "hi-lo" transmission like the Suburban. The older Customs and entry level "Compact" tractors had the three or four speed boxes. The Custom got the designation of "ST", just like the rest of the Sears line, in 1973. Along with the new title came the yellow and white paint scheme and new grill. After being absent for a couple of years, the ST 10 returned in 1976, only to be replaced the next year by a line of tractors in 1977 that more closely resembled the more modern, Murray inspired machines. Even though the post 1976 machines are not Customs in the true sense, they were intended to replace that series and some were made by Roper, so I will include them here as time allows.

1964 Custom 600 View 2 View 3                        917.99500 Recoil     917.99510 Electric 1965 Custom 6   View 2                                     917.99520 Recoil    917.99530 Electric 1965 Craftsman Semi-Commercial                     917.8360 Recoil      917.8370 Electric 1966 Custom 6     View 2                                    917.99800 Recoil     917.99820 Electric 1967 Custom 6    View 2 View 3 View 4           917.25010 Recoil     917.25020 Electric 1968 Custom 7 Manual View 2                           917.25220 1968 Custom 7 Electric   View 2                          917.25230 1968 Custom 10 XL                                             917.25260 1969 Custom 7 Manual                                       917.25430 1969 Custom 7                                                    917.25440 1969 Custom 10 XL                                              917.25420 1970 Compact 7                                                   917.25480 1970 Custom 7 Manual                                        917.25450 1970 Custom 7 Electric                                        917.25460 1970 Custom 10 XL View 2                                917.25470 1971 Compact 7                                                   917.25290 1971 Custom 8 Manual                                        917.25570 1971 Custom 8 Electric                                        917.25580 1971 Custom 10 XL                                              917.25590 1972 Compact 7 View 2                                       917.25290 1972 Compact 8 Manual                                       917.25030 1972 Compact 8 Electric View 2                          917.25040 1972 Custom 10 XL    View 2   View 3                917.25060                               1973 ST 10                                                         917.25720 1976 ST 10                                                          917.25920 1977 10-6                                                             917.25140 1977  12/6                                                           917.25150 1977  14/6                                                           917.25160 1978/1979  11 Varidrive                                      917.257020 1978/1979  14 Varidrive                                       917.257030 1979 16 Varidrive                                               917.257090

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