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whats the skinny on the john deer patio tractor....are they rare? are they special, i didnt know they existed till last month. I tried searching google and came up empty handed. The one i saw had funky colors were they made that way? DougM
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I thinkd the patio tractors were painted blue and white (marketing come on?) 70ish era. Other than that I don't know if there was anything specail.
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My uncle has a JD Patio, red and white. He inherited it from my grandfather, who traded in a Simp. 725 for it.(a big mistake) The JD is either a 120 or 140, I can't remember which. They were made in the early '70's. Besides the color, ther's nothing special about it.
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They was built to set on a patio for chairs, as they couldn't handle the lawn work:D:D And I belive there was no difference in them other than the colors...
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quote:
Originally posted by mowerman1193
They was built to set on a patio for chairs, as they couldn't handle the lawn work:D:D And I belive there was no difference in them other than the colors...
I thought they were just lawn ornaments, kind of like the pink flamingos.:D
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Doug they were, as B12 stated, a standard 140 series tractor. Colors were blue/white,red/white,yellow/white and orange/white. The seats were color coordinated also. JD made these in the sixties to appeal to the market in surburbia to compete with Sears. Remember the yellow/white Sears Custom XL10 and the blue/white and orange/white Surburban 10,12 and later 16's? Most people in the burbs at that time knew Sears Roebuck & Co but the farm tractor names were not"hip" so JD tried a new strategy. Since there are very few "patio" tractors around compared to standard 140s I think it didn't fly! Larry
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quote:
Originally posted by DougM
whats the skinny on the john deer patio tractor....are they rare? are they special, i didnt know they existed till last month. I tried searching google and came up empty handed. The one i saw had funky colors were they made that way? DougM
I went here http://www.weekendfreedommachines.org/info/index.php and copied the following: John Deere Custom Color Lawn and Garden Tractors During the 1969 model year, John Deere introduced the Custom Color series of lawn and garden tractors and attachments. Collectors often referred to this equipment as "Patio Models". In 1969, the models offered in Custom Colors were the 110, 112, and 140. The Model 120 was added to this list the following year in 1970. The marketing group at John Deere Horicon Works felt that not all of their customers wanted a green garden tractor, and so by offering a variety of colors, sales of lawn tractors would increase. These Custom Color lawn and garden tractors were painted entirely in Dogwood White except for the hood and seat. The hood and seat were offered in one of four colors: Patio Red, Sunset Orange, April Yellow, and Spruce Blue. These colors matched those of John Deere’s popular competitors. Tractors were shipped minus the hood and seat; the dealer would then install the colored hood and seat of choice. All the attachments were painted Dogwood White to match the garden tractors. Some of these attachments included the #80 Cart, #37A and #49 Snow throwers, #31 and #33 Tillers, #43 and #54 Front Blades, #5A Sprayers, and of course all models of the mower decks including the #39, #47, #41, and #48. Originally when they were released in 1969 the entire tractor was painted in Dogwood White except for the hood and seat, of course. This included such things as the engine, fuel tank, mower deck attachment linkage, and the mule drive on certain models. John Deere found that the white paint on the engine had a tendency to stain. Also this meant that more parts had to be painted separately. So, for 1970, black paint was used on the engine, fuel tank, mower attachment linkages and some other items. This way these parts could be used on both the custom color and the green lawn and garden tractors without separate painting being done. Even though the engine on the Custom Color 140 was changed to black in 1970, the air cleaner cover remained in white. The seat base is unique to Custom Colored tractors in that it is textured and not smooth like the green tractors. Also when these models were released in 1969 the type number for the green and Custom Color versions was the same on the serial number plate. Later this was changed so that a unique type number was used for the Custom Color tractors. It didn’t take long for John Deere’s Marketing Group to find out that customers buying John Deere garden tractors wanted a green tractor and not one of a different color. Sales of the Custom Color tractors were disappointing and in the 1971 model year, production of the custom color tractors ceased. Dealers repainted many of the tractors and hoods green to get them sold. Many of the seats were used to make parts counter stools, were given away, or they ended up laying around on dealer parts shelves for years waiting to be picked up by collectors. The yellow seats, of course, were used on the green tractors and the first to be used. Because of this, yellow is probably the hardest color of seat to find. The Ertl Toy Co. of Dyersville, Iowa made a matching set of 1/16th scale Custom Colored garden tractors to match the real ones. These 1:16 scale toys were offered in the four colors and a matching Dogwood White lawn trailer was also available. These toys were offered in a "Dealer Display" box and are highly sought after by toy and garden tractor collectors alike. Today the Custom Color or patio garden tractors that John Deere made have become highly collectible. Due to the fact that they sold poorly when new, they are somewhat more difficult to find than their green counterparts. Many have been found wearing the familiar green and yellow paint, so be sure to examine the type codes. Many collectors consider the Custom Color 120 the most difficult to find, and there is much debate surrounding which of the colors is the most rare. Many of the attachments other than the mower decks are among the hardest to find of John Deere factory attachments. Below is the list of the Dupont Centari paint codes and a listing of custom color type numbers. Starmist White 59373 Lemans Blue Metallic 5030 Sunset Orange 60659 Fleet Red 2622 Fleet Yellow 23820 Custom Tractor Type codes for 1970 and 1971 models only, as the 1969 models are the same as the green ones. 110 T0642M, T0648M 112 T0654M, T0655M, T0656M, T0658M 120 T0572M 140 T0582M, T0584M Summary by Dave Borkowski, 08/07/2002
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Bob, Thank you and very interesting.....
quote:
Today the Custom Color or patio garden tractors that John Deere made have become highly collectible. Due to the fact that they sold poorly when new, they are somewhat more difficult to find than their green counterparts. Many have been found wearing the familiar green and yellow paint, so be sure to examine the type codes. Many collectors consider the Custom Color 120 the most difficult to find, and there is much debate surrounding which of the colors is the most rare. Many of the attachments other than the mower decks are among the hardest to find of John Deere factory attachments.
I know were there is an orange and white version. I thought upon seeing it that it looked like a tractor scooby doo or sonny and cher would own......Unique attachements. Thanks again Bob that was good of you. DougM
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Well Doug , I just happen to have a picture of a nice set of patios that were at Findlay this year. You will notice that they are on a trailer, probably scared to get down on the ground with the ACs and Simplicitys...;):D:D

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My buddie Charlie talked to the guy who had them. He said there is some slight sheet metal and other body changes. So even the green and yellow is a factory patio tractor. And yes from what I got through Charlie they run all over trying to get and restore tractors from both sets of tractors series 1 and 2 And Mike when I saw this heading I was hoping you would post that shot.
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Doug, I have restored over 15 patio's and let me tell you they are a pain in the butt. Every scratch never seems to get touched up right. About 10 years ago when I had the dumb idea of getting into those, I thought the value would be very high. The problem was the same as back in 1970 nobody really wants a john deere that's not green. A patio without a good seat is really a worthless tractor because the seat is the valuable part. I have spent over $4,000 on colored seats alone for my collection. The seats are pretty much bought up now and a like new one will bring $350 for a red or orange to $600-700 for a yellow. The other problem is finding someone to pay what you have in a tractor like this. All my patio's are gone now and I still think a fully restored one is pretty cool to look at, but unless you are gonna keep it never get in it. thanks steve
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