- inch plow. Image from a 1941 Handiman The Handiman R-T at work with a 10-
sales brochure.
2.Mount Pleasant, Iowa, a few years ago. A like-new Sears Handiman R-T at
Photo by Sam Moore.
3.mower. A Handiman R-T and 5-gang reel - The 1 hp Handiman Jr. walk-behind
tractor.
5.was claimed to be capable of. This ad touts the jobs a Handiman R-T - A 4 hp Handiman All-Purpose walk-
behind tractor with cultivators.
Briggs & Stratton, 4-cycle engine, and “air-cooled by blower
fan ... No worry about boiling or freezing. Rated at 1 hp, but actually develops considerably more.”
The Jr. walk-behind tractor came equipped with a 6-shovel
cultivator and was priced at $82.50 with 24-inch steel lug wheels. For $12 more, one could get neat spoked wheels
shod with new 4 x 18 Goodyear tractor lug tires. For $86.40, you’d get the machine with 6 x 16 disc wheels and two used
auto tires (for $82.50, you’d get the tractor with just the
bare 6 x 16 wheels and put on your own old car tires). A front-mounted, 3-1/2-foot cutter bar mower cost $19.50, a
20-inch pull-behind reel lawn mower sold for $17.50 and a
1-row Columbia seeder with fertilizer attachment and row marker went for $26.65.
Unbeatable performance
The larger, Handiman All-Purpose walk-behinds were
meant “for extra heavy duty in toughest soil conditions.
Unbeatable in performance compared to any other make of garden tractor. Has modern refinements such as regular
gear shift, fully enclosed roller chain final drive and sim-ple controls.” These tractors had Briggs & Stratton engines,
transmissions with two forward and one reverse speeds,
individual wheel brakes for steering and a 2-inch flat belt pulley. Steel wheels with A-style lugs were standard, while
cast disc wheels and 6 x 22 Allstate Traction-Grip tires were
extra. The All-Purpose machines came with hand-lift culti-vator frames that could be set up to cultivate one, two or
three rows. The tractor wheels were adjustable from 22-1/
inches to 36 inches with steel wheels, or 27 to 36 inches with rubber tires.
frames (besides an assortment of cultivating shovels) in-Implements that could be mounted on the cultivator
cluded disc gangs, a 4-1/2-foot spike-tooth or a 3-foot blade
harrow, and a 1-, 2- or 3-row Columbia seeder. An 8- or 10-inch plow was available for the All-
Purpose, as were a 3-foot single disc-harrow, a 31-inch combination harrow-cultipacker, a
power spraying outfit, a 3-unit reel mower that
cut a 56-inch swath, and a 2-wheeled cart with a 2-1/2- by 5-foot wooden box. A riding sulky that
could be used with most of the implements was
available as well.The 3 hp Handiman All-Purpose tractor on
steel wheels cost $259; the 4 hp model cost
$269. Rubber tires added $26 to the price.
The Handiman R-T:
A powerhouse on wheels
Finally, there was the Handiman R-T, a good-
looking riding tractor that weighed 1,049 pounds and sold for $339. The R-T had a 5 hp
Briggs & Stratton engine, a 2-speed and reverse
transmission, an oscillating front axle that dou-bled as a tool bar; individual, hand-operated
rear wheel brakes; a swinging drawbar, and 6 x
22 rear and 4 x 8 front tires (Allstate, of course). Front and rear tread was adjustable from 27 to
36 inches.
R-T on rubber tires with plow, cultivator, 3-row Easy terms could be arranged. A Handiman
planter, wheel weights and belt pulley would cost $443.29 and could be bought for $45 down
and $25 per month. Of course $40 in carrying
charges would be added to the total.Sears claimed that “A 15-year-old boy with a
new 4-wheel Handiman R-T Tractor ... can do more field
work than 12 men with hand tools” and asked readers to “Let this new Handiman tractor be your powerhouse on
wheels.” Photos show the R-T pulling a heavily loaded trac-
tor manure spreader and a 4-wheeled box wagon piled high with ear corn, both loads that I’d guess would keep the
little tractor, and its driver, pretty busy.
Packed with versatility
ments were available for the R-T, as well as a 10-inch plow Various combinations of front and rear cultivator attach-
and a 2- or 3-row Columbia seeder. Extra equipment in-
cluded wheel weights and a V-belt pulley or a 4-inch flat pulley for driving belt-driven machines. The R-T could be
equipped with either a 3-unit, 56-inch, or a 5-unit, 92-inch
reel mower for large lawn mowing jobs. Standard David Bradley pull-behind harrows, dump rakes, mowing ma-
chines and other light duty implements were available for
use with the R-T as well.I noticed that there are no front- or rear-mounted blades
listed among the attachments offered for the Handiman tractors. I guess in 1941, folks still used shovels and wheel-
barrows to move dirt and shovels to clear snow.
but they’re not nearly as common as the postwar David I’ve seen a few of the Sears Handiman tractors at shows,
Bradley machines, also sold by Sears. It would sure be great
if I could just fill out my blank order form, send it in and have a brand new Handiman R-T, with all the attachments,
shipped to me for less than $500. FC
Sam Moore grew up on a farm in western Pennsylvania.
He now lives in Salem, Ohio, and collects antique tractors, implements and related items. Contact Sam by email at
[email protected]. 6http://www.FarmCollector.com March 2016 9