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Help Wanted: Pictures and info on your 75th anniversary tractors


Talntedmrgreen

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I am looking for folks who are willing to share photos and information regarding their 75th anniversary sovereign tractors.  

We are all familiar with the story regarding the 800 anniversary machines, as well as the saga surrounding the doomed Triad they used.  I would like to use your photos and info for an article in Lawn and Garden Tractor Magazine. I would love to name contributors, however you may remain anonymous as well.  

I am looking for glamour shots of your tractor, stories of repowers, restorations, the hunt for your machine, modifications stories of participation in the 75th anniversary parade etc.

Feel free to start up a discussion here, or email me:  MiSimplicityTractor@gmail.com

All photos used will need to be sent via email in as high of resolution as possible. 

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Josh I need some summer weather for some glamour shots since I got the armrests installed.....  

https://simpletractors.com/forums/topic/54532-75th-anniversary-project/?tab=comments#comment-54535

There was a poster who responded that he one of these new in the crate and had sold one but painted it orange prior to sale. 

Edited by Chris727
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Josh, mine is a worker, no glamour shots here. I've removed the chrome bumper and the chrome exhaust pipe. I will get some pictures this weekend when it warms up here, high of 45 degrees the last 5 days. Down here that's way to cold to be pulling tractors out of the shop sm02

Chris 

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I have this 75th Anniversary ornament.  I honestly don't remember where or when I got it.  I think eBay?  I have had it a long time.  I will email the pics to you Josh.  Tim

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I don't have a 75th Anniversary edition Sovereign, but I do have a regular edition 1997 18hp PS Sovereign, originally purchased in 1997 by someone I know. I have had it since 2007.  The 75th Anniversary in general is of interest to me as a Simplicity fan and the fact that my Sovereign is from that year.  I wonder if there was a registry of which serial number tractors were used in the parade?

I have seen a number of the Anniversary tractors in person, some were still new at a dealer many years after 1997.  Saw them in Ohio and in Michigan, not sure where anymore.  I think one was really just to collect it, the others were for sale, but just no one wanted them due to the price.  Plus, the look is one that you either love or hate.

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I have several items on the 75th tractor and own #168 although it is not a show tractor at this time. I have a story on owning the tractor also

 

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Thank you all for your contributions!  Stan, I'd love to see more of that story.  That's a new one on me.

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17 hours ago, TimJr said:

I don't have a 75th Anniversary edition Sovereign, but I do have a regular edition 1997 18hp PS Sovereign, originally purchased in 1997 by someone I know. I have had it since 2007.  The 75th Anniversary in general is of interest to me as a Simplicity fan and the fact that my Sovereign is from that year.  I wonder if there was a registry of which serial number tractors were used in the parade?

I have seen a number of the Anniversary tractors in person, some were still new at a dealer many years after 1997.  Saw them in Ohio and in Michigan, not sure where anymore.  I think one was really just to collect it, the others were for sale, but just no one wanted them due to the price.  Plus, the look is one that you either love or hate.

I don't know if there is a registry that can be found but I do know most dealers in my area including the one I worked for purchased 2 tractors. The day we arrived in Milwaukee we were given a shirt and hat to wear in the parade and I believe a packet that contained the serial number of the mowers the dealer bought. Upon arriving in Port Washington by bus (20 - 25 of them) you got off the bus and walked into that sea of approx 800 mowers picked one out and put your serial number on that tractor it then became the dealers mower.

And you are correct they were too high to sell and I think it was three years before we moved our two mowers

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Stan-Tn said:

The day we arrived in Milwaukee we were given a shirt and hat to wear in the parade and I believe a packet that contained the serial number of the mowers the dealer bought. Upon arriving in Port Washington by bus (20 - 25 of them) you got off the bus and walked into that sea of approx 800 mowers picked one out and put your serial number on that tractor it then became the dealers mower.

 

 

 

That would explain why there isn't any typical "mfg#/serial number" stickers on the 75ths, just the silver 75th serial number plate.  Apparently there were 2 of the plates because one of my 75th came with an "extra" plate.  I thought maybe it was supposed to have been put on the deck, but neither deck has a 75th plate OR a standard "mfg#/serial number" sticker.

 

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1 hour ago, PhanDad said:

That would explain why there isn't any typical "mfg#/serial number" stickers on the 75ths, just the silver 75th serial number plate.  Apparently there were 2 of the plates because one of my 75th came with an "extra" plate.  I thought maybe it was supposed to have been put on the deck, but neither deck has a 75th plate OR a standard "mfg#/serial number" sticker.

 

My deck has the second serial number plate attached.

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I will have to look at my deck as it may have a mfg number sticker on it. As you can see in the my previous picture the tractors did not have the decks on them during the parade as I am sure that would have made them difficult to drive five wide down the street. At the end of the parade everyone parked them in a large parking area and simplicity then put a deck with the mower,crated them and shipped them during the winter of 97-98 to the dealer

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2 hours ago, Stan-Tn said:

I will have to look at my deck as it may have a mfg number sticker on it. As you can see in the my previous picture the tractors did not have the decks on them during the parade as I am sure that would have made them difficult to drive five wide down the street. At the end of the parade everyone parked them in a large parking area and simplicity then put a deck with the mower,crated them and shipped them during the winter of 97-98 to the dealer

I can't see the first two pictures in your post.  Only the newspaper picture.  Don't know if its my computer or if there was a problem in the upload.

I also have the newspaper from that day.  Mine was kind of yellow when I got the tractor so I sealed it in a plastic bag & put it in the dark.

I wish I would have got the polo shirt as well.  But I did get the poster of the prototype that has the chromed Command in it.

Didn't know there was an ornament like the one shown above.  That's really cool.  I thought there was a belt buckle as well but I'm not sure.

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I have one of the Christmas ornaments. Found it on Ebay several years ago. I remember around 2004 or 2005 calling a dealer that still had new 75th's and late sovereigns still in the crate. Didn't have the money for it.

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28 minutes ago, MarksA-C said:

I have a copy of the 75th celebrationon VHS

I would buy a copy of that on CD if it were available

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I extracted it to my old PC, the power supply literally fried last week so once its fixed I'll see if I can get the file.

Otherwise I can extract it again sooner or later

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 This is all very fascinating to me. It will definitely make great information for an article. It’s one of the more unique moments in garden tractor history and I’m glad it’s in our camp :-) 

 I’ve had several of the buckles but have tried to keep only the lowest serial number. I was told there were 1500 made and it one time I had number 1498. The buckle I have right now is number 0012.  I recently saw the same buckle in pewter instead of brass and it had no serial number  so there must’ve been a general version and a limited addition although I’ve seen many more of the numbered brass buckles.  I probably should’ve bought that up but I believe another member here did. I do have the Christmas ornament as well.

I’ve seen the polo shirts and hats on eBay but did not realize the polo shirt was worn in the parade. Whenever I had seen them I was not too keen on buying a somebody’s used shirt or hat :-)

I I definitely have some work to do with a few of you because there seems to be a lot more information here than I expected. I’m enjoying the conversation

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