1971 Model 90 Electric Lawn Tractor

Look Ma…No Gas! Woo-hoo… check it out; #3702 of 10,423 made 1971 John Deere Model 90 Electric Lawn Tractor The model 90 Electric Lawn Tractor is powered by 3 GE 36 volt 2 pole permanent magnet motors. Main drive motor is 2.5hp and left and right blade motors are 1.5hp ea. Rated to cut up to 2 acres on single charge! Easily cuts my 2/3 acre for about a 75 cent charge! No problem with the early morning riser… this mower is whisper quiet; the neighbors won’t even know your mowing. Excellent traction via the mammoth deep cycle batteries on board! This is by no means a concourse restoration, but I hope a nice representation of a time gone by, (or maybe not). Most of the time was spent on the complexities of the electrical and safety systems. The many years of paint were wet sanded down to the original gel coat marine paint. Some blooming has occurred through the years, but all in all the original finish is pretty nice. As you can see the original coating was pretty durable. The motors have been re-brushed and new bearings installed, the solenoids have been disassembled and the contacts cleaned as well as all the rest of the high current connections and switches. All of the safety features are fully functional as is the nifty little built in smart charger. Several hours alone went into rebuilding the charger and its related circuits. Rectifiers, carbon resistors, electrolytic capacitors, they don’t last very long; and fortunately aren’t expensive either. The blade deck was removed and rebuilt as well. All decals on mower are original; except the blade deck. Maintenance is a breeze…the charger has 3 stages including a boost or float charge every 12 hours provided ac current is applied. I have also added a brushless cooling fan for the rectifier heat sink. This is hands down one of the nicest easiest to use lawn tractors I have ever used. Toss the old gas can into the dumpster and plug into the John Deere solution for the Jimmy Carter problem of the seventies. True vintage American ingenuity and craftsmanship… awesome little tractor! Thanks for looking…nope it’s not for sale; but trades are always entertained. contact Steve at this email address; [email protected]. Submitted by Steve Cane, from MD