# Gt 18



## DirtDigger (Feb 25, 2005)

As requisted at pic of my Craftsman GT 18 

At some point soon I will get around to repainting it. 

She may be old but still plows with the best of them.

Although if I did have the money I would have a new one but still wouldn't part with this one.


Thanks for all the welcomes!


----------



## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

It don't look bad for its age. The rust show character makes it stand out. :winky: Looks better then my old Snapper:lmao: I cant get rid of it nether. Its the only thing i got from my Grandfather.


----------



## Greg (Sep 16, 2003)

Nice looking "Classic", Digger... Bet she still works hard. Any plan to restore it back to original condition? Thanks for the pic.


----------



## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Nice little workhorse...definetly a keeper


----------



## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Some folks would look at that and comment on it being old and rusty (or worse), but when she fires up on a winter day and plows out your driveway, there ain't NOTHING prettier! The oldest, rustiest, nastiest looking piece of cobbled together home built crap is still BEAUTIFUL compared to a snow shovel! If your's is reliable, I'd certainly recommend keeping it, and giving it a coat of paint seems like a nice reward for many years of faithful service.


----------



## DirtDigger (Feb 25, 2005)

*spring paint*

I would like to restore her in the spring when I get some extra money 

Also I would like to build a 3pt hitch / sleeve hitch.

The combo hitch is a great idea.


----------



## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

You might get lucky and find out that Sears still carries the rear sleeve hitch for your tractor. I know that they used the same parts for decades and your model might fall in that age bracket. They also pop up on Ebay fairly often for under $100. Just be sure that it will work on your model.


----------



## DirtDigger (Feb 25, 2005)

Last year they got rid of the sleeve hitch that fits my model

but anyway, I have my heart set on building a 3pt/sleeve hitch combo 

Any plans available?


----------



## Ed_GT5000 (Sep 30, 2003)

Old and rusty? NO! I think it looks good for it's age. Is it after all a tractor. If I were to buy a tractor of that vintage, A repainted one (unless restored professionally) would turn me off. A good scrubbing and wax on the grey to stop the rust is all that is needed.


----------



## rt40ish (Mar 14, 2009)

*sears craftsman gt-18*

All,

I'm not familiar with this line and have an opportunity to buy this from someone for around 400. Has a tiller attachment and from scraper. No pto for the tiller given its self driving. It's grey as in this threads picture and not sure when in the 70's it originalted. 

I'm familiar with CASE, Wheel Horse, suburban, etc, but not this line.

Havn't gone to look at it yet but curious if this could be a good machine to consider.

Need a good yard tractor for general gardening and typically love the old stuff.

Thoughts?


----------



## bzktm8 (Aug 1, 2009)

Nothing wrong with that. Mine is older still with a 42" blower that tackles everything northern Michigan dumps on the ground. Makes me feel great when the 300' drive is done.


----------



## Madmikesmech (Apr 30, 2013)

Hey nice tractor!
Newbie to the forum 
I just picked one up today. I will get some pics posted soon! GT18 accesories still available? I would like to locate a front dozer/snow blade. I have a set of wheel weights around somewhere, probably in the same place as the tire chains! LOL! Are there still add ons available for these tractors? if so where would i look?The one I just got only has the mower deck but runs and mows like a champ!
I remember one of the old sears suburbans I owned had a rear manual lift off the back, I believe it was a manufactured item as I've seen them on other suburbans too. Any comments or help would be great
Thank you,
Mike


----------



## ftorleans1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Cool Tractor. If I ever come across the same style locally, I would love to add it to my little collection. A time when tractors were built rugged. I have a mid 70's Sears Eager 1, 5 horse snow blower. It has got to be the nastiest, rustiest, hunk of metal within 50 miles yet, when the snow piles up, That machine becomes the prettiest thing in town! I hope to restore the Ole Gal one of these days. I gave $75 for it in the blizzard of 1996 here in Md. Overhauled the carb and two days later it was throwing the snow. Funny thing is, I was clearing a shared driveway for my customers (back when I did snow removal) and I couldn't believe they offered several hundred if I would sell it to them. Amazing how things change when you are stuck at your home. Anyhow, Here is my 72 SS15. just finished restoring, minus new decals. Changed color (trying for a military theme) and will try to get a better photo this weekend.


----------



## Madmikesmech (Apr 30, 2013)

ftorleans1 said:


> Cool Tractor. If I ever come across the same style locally, I would love to add it to my little collection. A time when tractors were built rugged. I have a mid 70's Sears Eager 1, 5 horse snow blower. It has got to be the nastiest, rustiest, hunk of metal within 50 miles yet, when the snow piles up, That machine becomes the prettiest thing in town! I hope to restore the Ole Gal one of these days. I gave $75 for it in the blizzard of 1996 here in Md. Overhauled the carb and two days later it was throwing the snow. Funny thing is, I was clearing a shared driveway for my customers (back when I did snow removal) and I couldn't believe they offered several hundred if I would sell it to them. Amazing how things change when you are stuck at your home. Anyhow, Here is my 72 SS15. just finished restoring, minus new decals. Changed color (trying for a military theme) and will try to get a better photo this weekend.


Nice hitch reciever mounted to front of your SS15! Is that for a dozer blade?
I have a GT18 I am considering something similar to use for mounting a snow/dozer blade to. This forum is FULL of great ideas from other enthusiasts

Mike


----------



## Madmikesmech (Apr 30, 2013)

DirtDigger said:


> As requisted at pic of my Craftsman GT 18
> 
> At some point soon I will get around to repainting it.
> 
> ...


Nice tractor!
I was just looking closer, and noticed your 6 speed shift is on the fender. My GT18 has the H-pattern shift on the tunnel ( between seat and steering wheel. 3 forward 1 reverse, with a high/low range selector on the side of tunnel just in front of the right fender. Hence my 6 speeds.
Just the same they are XLENT workhorse tractors!
I am going to begin a fabricating job to mount a push blade I've got laying around to the front of mine soon

Mike


----------



## ftorleans1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Hey Mike,
Thanks for the front receiver compliment! It's not for a dozer blade although, I guess it could be a nice strong starting point for one. It however, is built much stronger than the factory blade mounting plate. I have the dozer blade which came with the tractor and maybe look into modifying the original set up and see if I can get it mounted. Everything minus the actual receiver tube (genuine receiver tube) is constructed from 1/4" plate steel (1/2" round bar for the safety chain loop). When you get the chance to work on yours, take your time and you will be much more satisfied with the end result. I acquired my SS15 July of 2009 and started the process of stripping the tractor down to a bare frame. This past February it finally breathed fire. This is how she looked when I bought it. Yeah, Nasty, Nasty... Yours looks great compared to how mine looked. As stated yesterday, I will try to get some additional photos this weekend.


----------



## Madmikesmech (Apr 30, 2013)

Ftorleans1,
A few years ago I had a couple of the old SS12's. got them with bad engines basically as junk from a clean out I was involved in. 8hp Briggs got mounted on one chassis, the other became a doner. I remember one having a rear mounted manual lift device that worked great for mounting a rototiller to. Wish I could find one of those again!!
Mike


----------



## ftorleans1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Hey Mike,
If you ever come across another deal like that, be sure to keep at least one of the SS's. When I first got into the tractor world, I didn't really care a whole lot about the Suburbans however, that changed rather quickly. Now, I wish I had realized the advantages of the older Suburbans a little sooner. I finally had the chance to snap a couple more photos of my SS15. Slight change between before and after.
Yes, This is the same tractor...
Michael


----------



## Madmikesmech (Apr 30, 2013)

Yes Michael,
As the saying goes " hindsight is always 20/20" I wish I still had Both those suburbans,the s ow blower and dozer blade that was found with them, the custom and the other GT18 I once had! But it's hard to justify to the wife WHY I need all these garden tractors!!!! 
Mike


----------

