# identifying old gravely



## historicfrankli

I just rescued an old gravely out of a field in Lebanon, TN.
The model number is L 45011 with a super convertible hood.
The model number points at 1949 with the old bath air cleaner but it has the vertical spark plug and the super hood pointing to a later year.
There is no serial number on the casing out front. The forward/reverse and hi/low handles are mounted on the same pivit point on the right handle and have plastic grips. It has a tray for a battery but no starter or starter sprocket and chain.

[email protected]

Any help would be appreciated,


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## chrpmaster

First of all Welcome to the Tractor Forum
arty: 

it sounds like you have one of the many Gravely two wheel tractors that have pieces from several different tractors. If there is no numbers riveted on the left side of the advance casting near the front it is probably an older machine. The vertical plug came out with the 7.6 hp model in 1966 and stayed til the last year of the Gravely made engine in 1976. The 1949 version would not have had an oil filter since it was a low volume system. in 1955 they added an higher volume oil pump to increase the oil volume through the transmission and engine and ran oil lines forward to an oil filter. No oil filter indicates low volume oil system. The hoods and battery tray where options that came later also but were easily added to an older machine. 

Do you have manuals for this tractor? If not you can download any you need free of charge from www.oldgravelys.net

keep us updated on your progress resurrecting this great machine!

Andy


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## historicfrankli

*indentifying old gravely*

Yes, I may have a “Johnny Cash Cadillac” here so I’m not sure what manual or manuals I’ll need. This machine has a cast iron carb (I check by magnet) and looks suspiciously like the Zenith 161 from the online manuals. Also a manual choke lever is a flat metal loop and the fat rubber air intake hose wraps around the carb to go to the big round oil bath air cleaner mounted on the middle of the transmission casing under the hood. It has a Wico mag, governor, and spin on oil filter. The vertical plug head here has me confused. Are these heads interchangeable with other older engines? I saw another like this that the guy states is a 1960 but his has a vertical plug too in his pictures. What’s your best guess? You seem to be very knowledgeable about these machines. On the plus side it’s got duel wheels, sulky and covered in University of Tennessee orange spray paint. The hi-lo and forward-reverse levers move toward the machine but will not come back farther than about straight up. Thanks for listening, Kevin from historic Franklin, TN


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## chrpmaster

Kevin

I agree with and had to laugh at your "Johnny Cash Cadillac" comment. My guess is you do have an older tractor that someone has "upgraded" with lots of newer parts. As I recall the carb sounds correct because newer ones were aluminum. I have read about older low volume oil systems being changed to the higher volume when someone wanted to add the oil filter option but I kind of doubt anyone would go to the trouble since the old system worked fine. Plus the the governor was an upgrade from a newer tractor too if you had a 1949 tractor but was available from the dealer on later tractors . The heads are interchangeable and the original one would have been at a slant and would have taken a 15/16 socket to remove. Some people advertise these newer heads so people can increase the horsepower on their L's from 5/6.6 hp to 7.6 hp. After using both I think it is marketing manure. I think the way Gravely got the higher hp ratings was to use a higher rpm. As far as the tractor being able to do more work - again marketing manure.

As far as which manuals to use the only difference between the older an the newer machines was mainly cosmetic. The majority of the major systems seem to indicate a late 1950's tractor. I base this on the fact of the oil filter/high volume oil system, the oil bath air filter, governor and carb. The head is from a 7.6 which came out later and the fan shroud is from a 1949 due to the serial number plate. I have a 1958 tractor that is just the way you have described your except for the governor, fan shroud and the head. I would use a mid 1950's to early 1960's manual for everything and only look at a different manual if something doesn't match up. As I said before there was very little change to the transmission and engine during this era so the manuals published near then should be fine.

There is a very handy manual on oldgravelys.net under the misc literature section 

http://www.oldgravelys.net/pdf/Cust_Serv_Update_88_89_1188.pdf

I have found it very helpful in identifying gravelys of all eras.

Good Luck
Andy

P.S. If you get a chance we would love to see pics of your "new" tractor


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## historicfrankli

*indentifying old gravely*

Let's see if this pdf file will attach with the pictures. If not, I've added direct links to the Photobucket photo sharing site. You may have to copy and paste each into to the browser. It has a nice hot spark and good compression so I'm going to shoot some gas down the plug hole and see it will fire at least once. 

Kevin from Historicfranklin TN

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/historicfranklinTN/1gravely.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/historicfranklinTN/2gravely.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w54/historicfranklinTN/3gravely.jpg


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## Morgan

Thats a good looking unit you have. My next door neighbor has 6 of those with diffent attachments in his shed.


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## historicfrankli

*indentifying old gravely*

Thanks, it fired a couple of times with gas in the plug hole. With a constant flow of fuel I believe this will run. The inside of the tank is rusty and lord knows what's in the carb. Those items are on ebay all the time if these can't be reclaimed. Historicfranklin


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## historicfrankli

*got it running!*

Update, 
Finally got a chance to tinker with the tractor. I relined the inside of the gas tank, put some premium gas in it and after I broke the strap twice from compression recoil, I put gas AND propane in the plug hole and there it went! I vibrates like a Harley with bad timing but will start first pull now. The governor pushes the throttle back to idle speed at all times, is this right? I had to keep holding the throttle at a faster RPM because it would stay there by itself. I had to try it out so I went out back to the fence row beside the CSX railroad tracks and started mowing whatever was in the way. GEEZ, this thing in dangerous! In reverse this could run you over AND CHOP YOU UP no problem if you happened to trip. I guess that's why there's no beer holder on it.

Have a good one.


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## chrpmaster

Congratulations on getting it running! Sounds like you have just about got it fixed. 

No the governor should not push the throttle back to idle. Sounds like either the governor spring needs loosened or the throttle cable is too loose. 

Yes these tractors are very tough but would not survive the law suits that are common today. You definitly need to pay attention when using it. After a little practice you will get comfortable working with it to get your jobs done. What ever you do don't try to fight this thing and shove it around. You will wear yourself out and just make the Gravely laugh. 

Check the www.oldgravelys.net website to get more manuals to help you with governor linkage adjustment. 


Andy


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## RLenny

To Historic Frankli
Your Gravely could be a Johnny Cash,put back together with pieces from many years,the large oil-bath air cleaner and spin on filter are from a 6.6 which showed up about 1956,the serial # 45011-49 or 50 sounds right,the straight up head is from a 7.6 1966 up. the cast iron carb is from a 5 HP-1955 and down.
If the intake cam protrudes outside the crankcase,it's an older engine and never lock it in reverse,adjust the reverse clutch so you just need to apply some pressure on the lever,all the ones I have seen creep forward when running.


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