Sears Super 12, Year?

Just picked up a Super 12 and trying to pin point the year.

Based on some google-fu i think it's a 1968 or 1969

3 speed Hi/Lo trans
Looks to be the original Tecumseh HH120 (with an incredible oil leak)
Engine is missing pulley covers and the air cleaner
Mule Drive System Installed but no belts
Seat looks to be off a 90s Murray
It was originally blue and white, looks to have been painted green at one point, and then poorly repainted blue.
The placard above the shifter is missing.
Cant find a number on the engine yet. Still scraping off an inch plus of old oil and grass clippings.

I'll guess 69.  I think the 68 had a hood ornament.  I'm guessing you don't have a model plate on it.  Typically between the seat and shifter.

And welcome to ATLTF!

Correct, no plate and it's missing the hood ornament as well.

Nice tractor!

Careful with the dash if you're planning on adding any switches, it's made of asbestos!

Brianator wrote:

Nice tractor!

Careful with the dash if you're planning on adding any switches, it's made of asbestos!

In Ropers defense, they made those dashes asbestos they could.



Ok, I’ll show myself out, back to my void for another 3 weeks lol

Brianator wrote:

Nice tractor!

Careful with the dash if you're planning on adding any switches, it's made of asbestos!

Thanks for the heads up, i plan to use existing holes for any switches i need to mount.

Going to replace the pull-out headlight switch with a lower profile toggle switch and i don't really need a cigar lighter on my tractor. The ammeter was falling apart so i went ahead and pulled it yesterday.
That leaves me eith plenty of real estate without having to drill or cut into that nasty stuff.

There may even be one more hole between the key switch and the light switch under the dash sticker. Some models had one pre-drilled there. Not sure if this model has it.

Still haven't found any numbers on the thing. It is extremely dirty. Nothing like years and years of neglecting an oil leak then letting it cure for a decade in the Texas sun....

Other than the shift pattern placard and an engine casting do y'all know of any other locations it would have numbers?

Can't even find one on the mule drive system, but again, i was surprised to see it was a nice creamy white under all that gease and grime.
The good news is other than some minor surface rust this things cancer free!

I haven't gotten into the rear-end yet but assuming it's original I'll look for a number on it when i get it out.

Might could pull some numbers from the engine.  Probably on the flywheel shroud. Up by the carb if it still has the HH120 Tecumseh I am guessing.  As for the tractor itself, I bet the model plate was removed along with the shift plate when painted.  

miss information:

The mule itself I've never seen a model #.  Attachments do.

Scratch that, I stand corrected. The model plate was at the bottom of the shift plate in that era. The part you are missing. I'm still pretty convinced it is a '69. I know @Brianator has some experience with mixed leftover parts tractors manufactured in that era. I wonder if there is a light blue under that darker blue. There was even an orange one (my fav) in that era.

67-7x was pretty interchangeable.  Manuals didn't update all the drawings.  Like dashes sometimes don't match the year.  I believe the 68 and 69 had your dash.

Manual:
http://www.stripmine.org/sears/manuals/91725120.pdf

Parts diagram for that era.
http://www.stripmine.org/sears/manuals/91725311_pl.pdf

Hope that helps some.

Yes, look like it was originally light blue body and frame with a white hood and attachments.

It's my friend that's a real aficionado when it comes to all the nuances of these Sears but it's a little late to be messaging him... he has a 1967 Super 12 Special that's orange and has the hood ornament. I'm pretty sure they made the orange Special 1967-69 and switched to blue in 1970.

He also has a half year Suburban 12 that had the light blue painted over with yellow at the factory, I want to say it was leftover 72 parts built for the 73 model year, neat to see the layers of paint showing (look at the floorboard).

So it looks like you're rig is 1969½-72½ as those are the years they used the light blue paint but I'm pretty sure they changed the grille in 70/71 so you *probably* have yourself a 70½ model? (or 69/70?)  Lol. The engine manufacter date will help narrow it down a little if you can find your way down to it but it won't super accurately help unless you add a couple/few months to the manufacter date.

Hope this helps some!

I'm pretty sure his is just a Super 12.  Not a special.  I'm sticking to 69. Unless it has the place for the hood ornament then I'll fall back to 68. I agree with your 68-69 assessment.  LOL

Alright, based on input from y'all, lots of google image searches, and some vintage sears catalog and magazine ad scans it's definitely a 68-69.
The guy I bought it from thought maybe it was a '69 but no documentation, just word of mouth passed down from previous owners i suppose.

Online i see people label as both 68 and 69 models with hood ornaments, the correct paint scheme and grills, etc.

However, in the 1968 sears catalog (color photos) the grill matches mine, in the 1969 (B&W photos) it does not! So these outliers could be could be lefotver stock 68s sold as 69s I suppose.

Looks like the vent panel on the hood is different between 68 and 69 units as well.
1968=silver letters black background, "Super 12" in red
1969=blue letters in black oval, "SS 12"in red

The 69 you discribed. I believe it is the "truer" 69, i believe they changed grills later that year too.  The one I discribed is probably really a 68 and a half.    It really gets into the schematics of it all.  I think you would be safe in just calling it a 68.  I'm pretty certain it was probably built in 67-68.  You ever look for the engine plate?  That can help narrow it down.

Still scrubbing! Y'all should buy stock in engine degreaser and carb cleaner....

MightyRaze wrote:

There may even be one more hole between the key switch and the light switch under the dash sticker.  Some models had one pre-drilled there.  Not sure if this model has it.

I checked and there's No additional hole in that location.
I should be fine with 4. Not planning to get too crazy with this build.
Ignition, headlights, winch, choke.

I think it came along in the 70's for a fuse.  Either way, love these Sears Suburbans.  It will be a nice machine!

The Starter/Generator was manufactured in April of 1968.
So it's a 1969 once assembly, shipping, and sales is taken into account. Anything later than July would be the next year model per auto industry....