How is this for an absolute gem, a absolutely complete 1971 example of a Rancher 2!
Picked it up today, from an ad on gumtree, pics showed a pair of neat rancher 2's, but when I saw one had original duals on the rear and it also came with the dozer blade I had to have it!
Little did I know, now I have them home, the one with the duals is 99% rust free, it is a complete model 10039 8hp electric start, genuine optioned dual rear wheels, only damage is where the old fellow hit a tree..
Has a late 11hp engine in it now but the actual original engine is in the second chassis, correct down to the 71 code which matches the 2l 71 serial on the frame! All matches the parts list 8hp electric start non synchro balanced.
Dozer blade is complete with the linkages and still has the serial number sticker! After a bit of talking the old fellow said he had the original trailer too! He said it was a bit rusty and after extricating it from a pile of scrap, it is a write off unfortunately, might use the dimensions and build one from scratch...
Pics to follow, the gearbox needs work, otherwise I almost wouldn't restore it as it is so original!
G'day Nath. I am not jealous but am certainly envious of your find. The first ride on I bought my wife was a red Rover Rancher, don't remember the model though and the only thing I replaced was the serpentine drive belt, almost a copy of the Greenfield drive.
Bit of an update, the original engine went back in, still has a small oil leak somewhere, otherwise runs good. Got some nos parts out of the states to fix up the alternator connections, in the process of putting a set of blades on it and fixing up the blade brake. Gave it all a clean and the whole driveline is really tidy!
Finally found a much better trailer today, the rusty one was a write off, this one will need a couple repairs but nothing too serious.
Gave the old girl a run a couple weeks ago, I suspect the engine is getting a bit tired though, started to play up a bit when it warmed up.
Also found another piece, the 5 Foot cutting attachment. All original, dated 73 by the engine, not 100% sure its orignial as its a 191702 synchro balanced 8 hp, and the cutter housing has the part number 5627 which by the book would have been 7hp. Small detail though, Looks the part! Now to find some sort of detail about the bracket that was used when hooked up to the rancher. It is in the picture on the front of the parts book but isn't in the parts book; go figure. The only image I have of one hooked up to a rancher isn't clear enough to make out just what it looked like. appears to have used the top rear hitch point though to drop down so it sat level, as I believe the deck was originally designed to tow behind the ranger; well before the rancher came along.
That slasher is one heck of a find! Can't be too many made and fewer still in existence today. What a great addition to the collection.
Re: the dual wheels (and remembering the discussion about the Rover and Greenfield wheels being near identical), those duals look exactly like the ones gml has on his Red Greenie!
These tow behind slashers are definitely getting rare, this is only the 2nd i'd seen for sale, its in the best condition though, especially for $150. Trouble is people think they can use these to tow behind an ATV or similar, doesn't work however. Rover designed it so you needed the mower deck running as well as this to get the full 60" so without the ride on you'll have a strip up the middle! I didn't get a chance to fire her up over the weekend, has compression though.
Prd I dont think so, as this was designed for the ranger it would go straight on I imagine (dont have one to try) the bracket I need would be only to fit it to a rancher. I can make out some of it, so I think I'll just get a bit creative. The bracket would be rarer than the deck so I don't think there will be many people out there that could say I did it wrong! Duals were a factory option for everything back then!
Took a couple photos while I had the trailer out doing some yard work yesterday
Hi Nath., I like the idea of the front mount slasher, that would be good for reaching under hedges and fences, I can only suppose that you have to drop the belt from the mid mount mower deck and run it foreward to the slasher. Have you had it rigged up yet??
i am assuming you probably meant this post for my Rancher. It is a great idea but not exactly as useful as you might think. these early machines aren't very great on the manoeuvrability side of things, so the out front would be quite cumbersome/awkward to use I think. Not only do you have to drop the belt off, you have to drop the whole middle deck off to even put the slasher on! MIne needs to be straightened, the freight company managed to kind of squish it when I bought it. Another Rover enthusiast I know has recently fitted his up though
Nath, if you modified it by mounting casters on the 4 corners it might make steering easier. I have a 32 inch twin cutter I have been thinking of converting to front mount. Just might try it after seeing that.
