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Additional Information
My goal on this page is to provide answers and possible sources for old and new Bush Hog garden tractor owners. I will continue to add to this list. Please email with any suggestions on information or questions that you would like to see added.
- What engines came with Bush Hog Garden tractors?
From all I have been able to gather, Wisconsin and Tecumseh were primary motors for the D, V, and HD series tractors. Briggs and Stratton motors were only installed in the Jabalina (Javalina) tractors. - Where can I find parts for my Bush Hog?
Motor and Carburetor parts- there are several old GT Bolens dealers that offer Wisconsin parts. Ebay is another source. For BH parts, there really is not anyone that I am aware of offering parts consistently. I probably stock more than anyone out there. I have some NOS parts and several tractors I can pull old parts off of. Call or email me with your needs. - Where can I find help restoring, repairing my tractor from people who know these tractors and motors? Most of the Bush Hog collectors on the internet are/were members of GTTALK.COM. They have a great group of guys who can help in pretty much any situation you are in. Joining is free, but I encourage you to be a supporting member. I can assure you, you will get your moneys worth! We can help you from repairs, repainting, refinishing, etc.
- Where can I find an owners manual for my tractor, mower deck, snow blower, tiller, etc? If you are looking to buy, from time to time, they will show up on eBay. If you just want a copy, check out my manuals page here. There are no manuals for the D4-12 and V4-10. You can use the D4-10 and V series tractors for reference on these models.
- What year was my tractor built? This is a question we are all trying to nail down. You can check my History page for the years your model was offered for a guideline. Another way to narrow down your search is to take your motor serial number and check the engine's manufacturer's site to see when it was built. You can search the web for the Tecumseh serial number decoder to get their information as well. I am also hoping, by owners providing their information for the registry, we can narrow down the dates they were built. Recently, thanks to a good friend, I have gotten access to information on a large number of BH GT retail sales information. I am putting it together now to see if we can further document time frames these tractors were made.
- What type of oil do I use in my HD-12, JBI, JBII hydrogears? These rearends were built by Sundstrand. Use Dextron transmission fluid in these transaxles (not hydraulic fluid!!)
- What type of oil do I use in my T-63, D4-7, D4-10, and D4-12 rear transaxles? You can use any type of 80-90 gear oil.
8. What colors of paint do I use to paint my bush hog? I found a good original paint part and had it scanned at my local NAPA store. The color we came up with that best matches.the red is Prairie International Red in their Nason paint. Some people use JD yellow for the rims and other yellow parts. I have JD yellow rims on one of mine. But I think the original yellow is a little softer than that. Maybe there was an early softer yellow on the first ones and the later ones evolved into a brighter yellow? I have picked up a nice NOS yellow part that I plan on having them scan to come up with as accurate of a color as I can. I originally thought the white parts were a pure white, but after picking up a NOS grill, I think it is a slightly off white color. The later model tractors had white rims. So if your tractor has white rims they could be original. All D4-12's had white rims.
9. What is my tractor worth? This is a question I get frequently. I can give you a range, but not an exact price. Why are you selling? Why are you buying? The reason I ask is what is your intent? As a seller are you trying to get the highest price, or are you trying to find an owner who will appreciate what you have and the family history it may represent? For highest price, you can go the ebay route. But ebay will get 10-11% of your selling price. For those of us that collect these gt's, it is not about making money, its about preserving history. Too many of these tractors are going to the scrap yards today.
So what is it worth? I see the value range from region to region. Without out pictures and condition, it is hard to price accurately. If you want me to give you my best estimate, please mail or email pictures and a phone contact. I will do my best to give you a range of its value. Then it is up to you to decide what it is worth to you to buy or sell.
10. What should I look for when buying a Bush Hog garden tractor?There are a few things that are almost deal breakers on these tractors. It is mainly with the D series gear driven tractors. The items that tend to break and are the hardest to replace are the cluster gear and the ring gear. Both located in the transaxle of the GT. If either one of these is damage to the point of not working, this is an expensive replacement, that is, IF you can find someone willing to sell you the part. They are no longer made. If you do find one- used- expect to pay $100 or more for a ring gear and $75-100 for a cluster gear. I also will have complete working transaxles from time to time. The other big issue can be the later model tractors that came with the sold state ignitions. The Tecumseh HH100 and HH120 with these solid state ignitions need to be producing spark. I am not as concerned about running as just producing spark. They no longer make these parts and you either need to buy 40 year old parts that some ask $125 or more for, or there are several people selling an upgraded electrical system to replace it, but these are expensive as well. Most run $125 to $150 for them. But don't let one go to scrap over these issues!!! That is the reason I am working hard to find parts tractors, etc to save the ones we can! Call me or email me! I will do what I can to help you get it up and running again!
