Another question for Loremaster Ed Gooding

Can you recommend any good info or source to identify that sickle mower I have? I've got the Ford implement book by Beemer/Peterson, it's not in there. I've posted on the implement board too, those fellas are helpful, but since I can't post a picture it's hard to get conclusive.

I've scanned the web, seen lots of pictures of old mowers at sites like Wengers and Sweet Tractor, still no hard I.D. What's a good source of picture info? Maybe since these mowers have been "obsolete" for 30+ years, it's only guys like you who have kept the info around. If you have a broad base of info, can you suggest any helpful hints?

This thing has NO numbers on it anywhere, except for that diamond with a "D" in it. Could it be Dearborn? Didn't the Dearborn brand stop and become Ford about the mid-Fifties? Thanks again Ed.

You say, "This thing has NO numbers on it anywhere, except for that diamond with a "D" in it." I have both a rear mount and a side mount mower. Both are Dearborns and many of the parts have the part number cast in raised letters on them. I also have a later Ford 501 mower and will look this weekend to see if Ford continued to cast in part numbers. If they did, as I feel sure they did, then either yours is not a Dearborn or the numbers are "hiding' from you. :-)

'til I can check,

Regards,
Larry

I've already determined this is not a Ford 501 or a 515, got pics of those. Don't have much info on the Dearborns or Fergie's, it sort looks like a cross between a New Holland and a Massey. I've had it mostly apart, can't even find any old paint color! Oh well, tried it out some more last night, it DOES work pretty good. Thanks again for any info you can send.

Regards..... ..... Ed
'52 8N475798

Spent last night installing a new drive belt, boring out the mounting hole for the bar lift brkt. to 3/4" so it'll accept a new shaft and bushings (old one was rusted 'bout half thru), replacing half the rest of the nuts / bolts / lockwashers all over the thing, putting it all back together. I was getting ready to try it out when I looked up and saw it was dark outside. Dang, where'd that 4 hours go?

Wife figures with all the unpleasant language she hears out in the garage, what the heck good is this thing except to make her husband unhappy. However, when I cut about half the tall grass around the pond in 5 minutes with it (normally a 2-day job), she once again muttered that it makes her sick just how much that old tractor can do...