http://www.FarmCollector.com November 2018 31
46In fact, the wheels were custom-built for Albert, who needed
a way to elevate the tractor. With 4:00x36 Firestone Implement
tires, the wheels have flat centers made from 1/4-inch diamond
plate. Spacers 8-1/2 inches wide helped the wheels clear the ends
of the drive shafts. Modified front spindles kept the tractor level.
Ingenuity was, and remains, a common trait among farmers. Sam
still has these wheels and spindles in storage.Building a collection
In 2008, Sam decided to get serious about restoring the old
Grand Haven. He replaced the tired 8 hp Briggs & Stratton Mod-
el ZZ engine with a newer 10 hp Briggs & Stratton and repainted
the tractor. That was the beginning of a collection of Grand
Haven tractors that now numbers seven. The original garden
tractor is one of four in Sam’s collection that is in running con-
dition.
The engine on Model AV8 (serial No. 152) is painted olive
drab. Its serial number does not match the one on the tractor’s
ID tag. At some point, Sam speculates, it may have seen use in
a military application.
The other two are Grand Haven BC models. One (serial No.
203) has a mounted front blade. Sam and a friend, Milt Barr
of Grant Welding, built the reproduction blade assembly based
on illustrations in original Grand Haven promotional material.
The other Model BC is serial No. 418.- Grand Haven collector Sam Scholtens.
- The 70-year-old Scholtens family Grand Haven garden tractor
with a newer Briggs & Stratton 10 hp engine. - Sam’s Grand Haven Model AV8, serial No. 132.
- A Grand Haven Model CC, serial No. 807.
- The front end on this Model BC (serial No. 319) is frozen up.
- Sam and a friend built this blade attachment hardware using
promotional literature as a guide. - This Grand Haven Model BC has the original Briggs & Stratton
Model ZZ engine on it.