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A-C 1036_B-10
USA
80 Posts |
 Posted - 09/13/2015 : 00:11:33
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Well it's been a while since I've posted on here,mainly because I haven't really purchased anything over the last few months that's interesting enough to post about. Last week however, I found a post on Facebook advertising an EZ Rake lawn dethatcher along with several other non-Allis Chalmers/Simplicity items. I had been wanting an EZ Rake since I first found out what they even where, so we took a day trip up to Ohio and picked it up. It was in need of some TLC but I have made some progress on it and should have the engine up and running very soon. I hope I can take it for a test run before the end of the month if all goes well. Then after I check and make sure everything is working good, I'll be stripping it back down and doing a complete restoration, which as can be seen in the pictures, it desperately needs.
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Edited by - A-C 1036_B-10 on 09/13/2015 00:12:38 |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 09/17/2015 : 21:23:59
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| Very nice! They work great...I just finished restoring a front mount version last week! |
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A-C 1036_B-10
USA
80 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2015 : 22:48:14
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| Thank you Talnted. This one was in pretty rough shape when I got it. I have a few engine parts on order and should arrive sometime this week "with any luck". The gas tank is beyond repair and I'll have to order a new one of those as well. If you don't mind me asking, what paint did you use for your front mount EZ Rake? I wasn't really sure what color was a close match to the original white. Also do you happen to have any literature on the EZ Rakes? It seems like information on them is pretty scarce. Do you have any pictures of the front mount you restored? Thanks in advance |
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oldsarge
USA
689 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2015 : 23:04:54
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| Never saw any rakes but we sold E-Z Vacs in early to mid '90s.I was at the factory in Lebanon In a couple times.We were Butler Engines in Woodstock Il.Owner sold out to Keen-Edge in Lyons Il.They're still around(internet) They might still have something.E-Z Vac was sold to one of the bigger vac companies,I forget who but I've seen the info somewhere. |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2015 : 10:55:40
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I know Bluebird carries on the EZ Rake design and parts (tines) are readily available.
This one was rusted terribly, found by another collector who had it blasted and epoxy primed. It sat for several years after that until I talked him out of it (he wanted and found a towable instead). Mine now has these new parts (there isn't much to these):
-Gears
-Chain
-Driveshaft
-Spindles
-Paint (Rustoleum Canvas White w/hardener)
-Simplicity FDT and RBT blower hitches...the oem hitch I have is incomplete (shown in last pic)
-Still need to have belt cover reproduced
Here's a link to my first one...
http://www.michaelstractors.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6745
Here is another I had picked up from NJ a couple years back...
Here is a brochure page for the towable...
I'll dig up some pics of hardcopy Simplicity front mount literature that I have. |
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2015 : 13:44:37
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Here's what I have on the front mount...
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Talntedmrgreen
USA
4110 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2015 : 13:55:02
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Some interesting info...'E-Z Rake Inc' was first used in 1962, trademarked 10-29-1963, renewed in 1983, and cancelled in 2004. Other trademarks were the E-Z Vac, E-Z Blo and E-Z Spray, each came to be in the mid to late '70's.
At some point they moved to Lebanon. They exist as Bluebird today, in Charlotte, NC. |
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A-C 1036_B-10
USA
80 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2015 : 00:00:30
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| Your E-Z Rake is going to turn out very nice, I hope I can get mine looking as good as yours. I'm guessing the pull behind model rakes weren't sold with A-C/ Simplicity machines (based on the literature)? I have never seen that front mount Simplicity brochure, that's really neat! It doesn't seem like there is very much to these rakes so hopefully I can get it all tore down and put back without having a ton of parts everywhere. I had heard of E-Z Vac but not E-Z Blo or E-Z Spray. That's pretty interesting. I actually have a great aunt and uncle that live in Lebanon and they even talked to the owner of E-Z Rake, or used to be anyways, but he had a rake, of course he didn't want to sell though. So I had been looking for one since and just happened to find an ad that had this one for sell and just had to go fetch it! The Bluebird model D110 looks almost exactly like the old E-Z Rakes. I don't guess they ever really changed their design very much. |
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Edited by - A-C 1036_B-10 on 09/26/2015 00:01:20 |
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Topic |
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The EZ Rake
