Case Garden Tractor History

What follows here is the history of the Case/Colt garden tractors from the 1960's as I have learned it. If you know for sure that any of what you read is inaccurate, please e-mail me and let me know. The tractors seen on this page are from anywhere on the internet where I could find nice examples of 100 series Case or Colt tractors. If your tractor is on here and you don't want me to use the picture, just let me know and I'd be happy to replace it. Special thanks to Jason K. from the Case Garden Tractors Yahoo group for providing most of the Colt history information and pictures.

In 1963, a small company based in Wisconsin named Colt began producing the world's first true garden tractors. Not a lawn mower, not a tractor, but small hydraulic propelled tractors suited for light farm style work in this new suburban America. They produced a Model 7, a Model 9, and a Rancher that year. All three featured hydraulic drive and Tecumsah engines (the Model 9 was actually a 9.5 hp engine). 4.80 x 8 front wheels and 6 x 12 rear wheels came standard. 8 x 12 rear wheels, dual wheel spacers, and 7" hydraulic brakes were options that year. The Rancher was the first high wheeled garden tractor, with 4 x 8 wheels in the front and 8 x 16 in the rear with ag lug tires.
Below is a picture of an experimental Colt Model 9 which contained an OMC engine and a Rancher (with an incorrect Case decal) -

1964 - Colt produced three models again this year. All three had hydraulic drive and Kohler engines. The Deluxe has a 10 hp engine with 4 x 8 wheels in the front, and 6 x 12 wheels in the rear. The Super also had a 10 hp engine, but featured 6.50 x 8 front wheels, 8 x 12 rear wheels and headlights. The Rancher remained basically the same, with some minor asthetic changes.
Below is a nice pic of a Super 10 -

1965 - Colt produced a wide range of tractors this year. The Deluxe, Super, and Rancher 10 remained basically the same as 1964 (the Rancher 10 gained headlights). They added a Super H which featured headlights, 6.50 x 8 front wheels, and 8 x 15 rear wheels with turf tires. They also added a Rancher 12 which was basically a Rancher 10 with a 12 hp engine.
Below are scans from a late 1964 promotional brochure featuring all the models (Super is on the cover) and all the attachments. The pictures are of a Deluxe, Super 10, and Rancher 12 -

Enter Case. In 1965, Case decided to get into the growing garden tractor market. Not too keen on spending tons of money on R & D, Case went to the Colt company and started producing the 130 and 180 tractors - which were basically just Colts with a different paint job, as you can see in the pictures below -

The 130 shown first is mechanically identical to a Colt Super, and the 180 is a Colt Rancher 12, with the exception of Case utilizing Kohler engines.

Apparently these tractors sold fairly well under the Case name, because Case kept it's arrangement with Colt in 1966. While looking similar to the 1965 models, the 1966 tractors were a fairly complete mechanical redesign.
Colt produced several models which were sold with different paint by Case. The Colt models had Tecumsah engine, while the Cases had Kohlers. The 2110 (Case 120) had a 4 speed manual gearbox and a 10 hp engine with 4 x 8 wheels in the front and 8.50 x 12 in the rear. The 2310 (Case 150) had a hydraulic drive, a 10 hp engine, with 6.50 x 8 front wheels and 8.5 x 12 rear wheels. The 2510 (Colt only) had a 10 hp engine, 6.50 x 8 front wheels and 8.50 x 15 rears with turf tires. The 2712 (Case 190) featured a 12 hp engine, 4 x 8 front wheels, and 8 x 16 rears.

The pictures above show a Case 120, Case 150, Colt 2510, and a Case 190.
Also in 1966, Case sold a tractor called the T-90 (Colt 2 + Tools). For most 100 series enthusiasts, this is the holy grail of Case/Colt collecting. Rumor has it that only seven of the original 52 produced still exist today. Billed as the "Tools" version of the 190, the T-90 had the basic form of a 190 with an extended frame. On that extended frame sat a seat for TWO, with a large wood enclosed tool box/hauler in the rear. I know very little about this tractor (I actually believed it to be the stuff of legend until these pictures showed up recently), but I assume that any center or front mounted accessories - such as mower deck, snow blower, blade, etc., would mount and function the same as a 120, 150, 190, 155, or 195.

In 1967, Case (now without Colt) made some minor changes to the 150 and 190 models (renaming them the 155 and 195), and dropped the 120 and T-90 from their line-up. The 155 and 195 both added a more user-friendly dash arrangement, a more sleak looking front grill, and wider fenders to the 155. Attachment options were expanded, and a hydraulic lift was offered on both the 155 and 195 models.
These tractors sold very well and were produced through the end of the 1968 model year. In 1969, Case made major changes and introduced the 200 and 400 series, and that is where this collector's interest wanes.
The following pictures show an original 155 next to mine - my vision of what a 155 produced today may look like. The 195 is a beautiful example that sold on eBay a while ago. The last picture is of a 195 with the rare hydraulic lift.

Now as far as I am aware, the 120, 150, 190, 155, and 195 were similar enough in design that most of the attachments were interchangeable. I'm sure that the hydraulic tiller wouldn't work on the 120, but things like mower decks, blades, and snowblowers pretty much fit on all the 1966, 1967, and 1968 100 series tractors. You could get just about every attachment under the sun, with a rotary broom, 110 volt generator, sickle bar mower, side mount power take-off, and trencher being some that caught my eye.

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