# Saw an old horse drawn Osborne mower for sale



## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Its 5ft with sickle and guards. All the metal and none of the wood. Its loose. I was wondering if u think I might make a buck on it, or being open geared, would it be to old for people interested in a horse mower. Its at an auction so I dont know what it would bring. Looks to be in perfect condition, and as I say, loose.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

It's really hard to say. Depends on a few things. Depends primarily on whether or not there's a market in your area; is there anyone working horses in your neck of the woods? Depends on the supply; is this the kind of thing that people can find in any hedgerow or - like over here - are they scarce'r than hen's teeth?

A lot (maybe even MOST) of these old mowers had the tongue cut in half, a couple of plates of metal bolted to the end of the stub tongue and were then used behind a tractor. Then they drove at a tractor-farming speed, NOT a horse-walking speed. They just weren't made to go that fast and stuff wears out that would otherwise take a horse farmer a lifetime to wear through.

These old mowers can be tough to find parts for. The mowers that are the most popular nowadays are the ones that you can still find parts for. Lynn Miller goes through the whole rebuild of a #9 so those are real popular. If someone made a manual depicting the teardown and rebuild for that Osborne you've got, your mower would be more valuable.

If it has the original seat and tool box lid, it'll have more value than if it didn't.

So it's just missing the pitman stick, grass board and tongue? Does it have the drawbar assembly for the evener?

Are the knives and guards in good shape? Are any missing or broken? There are bearings that wear out and get loose and make the whole mower shake and vibrate like crazy. That kind of thing is hard to suss out ahead of time. I don't think that being open-geared would be much of an issue, so much as the availability of parts.

Oh, another thing - it wouldn't happen to be on rubber, would it? Rubber tired mowers bring more than steel, usually. 

You can figure it will at least go for scrap. Hurtful thing to see - good horsedrawn equipment going for scrap.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Ive got L Millers book
Osborne was absorbed into IHC around the teens
I dont know what your calling the drawbar assembly. 
It has the origional very ortimental toolbox lid

I had thought to fix it up and put it on craigslist in Lancaster Penn., Jameport Mos.A town I cant remember thats fulla Amish in Ind.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Not to mention SFJ


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

If you were gonna haul it to the SFJ auction and it was outfitted with a tongue, pitman arm and grass board, and if it looked like it had been used fairly recently (knives good and sharp, guards all straight, bearings all greased up, etc), I'd guesstimate it would bring $1000 to $1500. If you sandblasted it and painted it in the authentic colors, it could bring more. Maybe $1700 to $2000? 

The linkage that I'm talking about... let's see if I can find a photo on the internet....

Okay, found one.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=hors...=40&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:40&tx=106&ty=103

It's kind of hard to make it out, but it is under the tongue, bolted to the tongue, and has a rod that goes back to the general vicinity of the "shoe" or skid plate under the knuckle where the mowing arm articulates.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Thats an IH mower, but not a #9 like mine and with the 5ft bar like mine.. Might be a #7. No this one I didnt see that, It might have stayed with the remains of the tongue, OR maybe Osborne didnt have it.

I rather like the idea of selling it here for $800 and letting somebody else ship it to there.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

Bill, you might want to think about the Arthur, IL area Amish also. An old friend (not Amish) of mine passed last year. He was a long time mule man who collected equine-pulled farm equipment for 80 yrs. The Amish came to his sale in droves. The buggies and wagons went for reasonable prices but the farm equipment went for big money and almost all of it was snapped up by the Amish. 
I think the closest craigslist ads to the area would be Champaign, Mattoon, Charleston, maybe Decatur, IL.
The easiest way to advertise it might be just to call the local feed mill and have them get the word out for you:
http://local.yahoo.com/info-17552096-stutzman-s-feed-mill-incorporated-arthur
I've got a mule who drives but I'd probably kill myself with that mower!


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Unless I had a trailerload of stuff to go there. Still dont like theidea of going there. I went up to SE S Dak to get a husker shredder, and that was about all I wanted.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

FarmBoyBill said:


> Thats an IH mower, but not a #9 like mine and with the 5ft bar like mine.. Might be a #7. No this one I didnt see that, It might have stayed with the remains of the tongue, OR maybe Osborne didnt have it.
> 
> I rather like the idea of selling it here for $800 and letting somebody else ship it to there.


I know it's a different kind of mower, but I believe it should have that drawbar regardless. It seems to me that most models of 2-horse sickle mowers have em. 

Flip through Miller's book, see if he mentions that piece.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Sure he mentions that piece, but not on O mowers. He dosent say much about them at all.

Sue. Why in the world do you want to sell yourself short that way. I know your not a kid, and I assume your a homesteader. Hundreds of thousands of men AND women have ran horse AND tractor mowers in the past, and thousands are doing so today. I have never in my life heard of anyone haveing an accident with one. Dont mean it hasnt happened. Just means its RARE. When I was a teenager and running around, Id come home at around 1, or 2 if anything exciteing happened, if you get mny drift. Id be pretty well lit up. Id have to get my S together when I walked through the door so mom wouldnt think id been drinking. Ive seen times I slept out in the pasture reclineing against a favorite milk cow till morning. ANYWAY, Theres been times we mowed hay. Dad used the A and #5 Mower, and I used Florie and Dixie and grandpas #9 McCormick mower. Sometimes it was all I could do to keep from falling off. Specially if it was a warm/hot day. But I never did. Idf have a death grip on the lifting handle lol.

One horse mowers are RARE

If I could drive one 1/2 drunk with a hangover, Im sure you could drive one tee totally sober.. Find someone who has one who would let you try it. Regardless, you arent spending a fortune. If you try it and dont like it, People will buy it. U did. BUT, If you never try it, you will always have to come up with the excuse u think it would kill you. AND I CAN TELL YOU. Its one of the most plesent of jobs to do with horses. Sure beats picking corn or loading bales of hay with them.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Once the horse is trained to the mower, it's less dangerous. It's acclimating the horse to that snickety-snickety sound that is the most dangerous part of the whole affair. Or mowing a ground hornet's nest.

There was a guy not too far from here who farmed with horses and I wish I could remember all of the story but the horses bolted with the mower, the mower hit a bump, he went up and came down on one of the handles. Eventually fell off. Got up off the ground to chase the team across the field and felt something wet slapping him against the thigh as he ran... It was one of his testicles. The handle had torn him open. They were able to stuff it back inside and close him up again. Don't know if he had children after that or not but he did sell that team.

There's danger in anything horsedrawn, but that doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile. The danger decreases when you work the horses enough to get them good and tired. Fewer thoughts of mayhem go through their little pea-brains when they are tired.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

HaHa Bill! I'm not looking for a mower. I let my other half take care of that with the gas powered! A mule drawn buggy (never trained any of my horses to drive) is enough excitement for me!
I just mentioned it cause I am so clumsy!! My Emmy mule though would stop and stare at me if I fell off, be it from a saddle or implement!


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

We had a neighbor that was interested in my aunt. But, one winter, as he was climbing on board his grain wagon, his foot slipped off the side step, and he mashed his. She wouldnt have him after that, and he never married. BUT He was the most wonderful man to be around I ever knew. Me and my bro adopted him as our grandpa as ours had died in 56. He lived next door, and we were left at home in the summertime. We wpuld gho up there occasiopnally. Dad said. Yeah, its a hell of a note. Youll run all over the country to do s, but wont stay at home and do what needs doin here lol. But, dad loved him too.

Aunt married a drunk that was near worthless until he got old and got over that crap. By then, he was to old to have or do anything.


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