Clinton Engine Serial Numbers List

• Normally Clinton's saws are yellow in color. This NIB(New in box) model D35 is blue in color since it was sold for European Export(serial number followed by letter E). It could be sold to any company, so it did not came with decals. Also the muffler has a different shape to meet special requirements such as noise.on any export saws.
• Clinton's Serial Numbers Introduction. Serial numbers are normally serial - that is to say they follow upon each other without gaps. But if this is the case with Clinton's serial numbers, it points to a very high productivity (about 7.5 flutes per working week) for a small and relatively short-lived company, and a high sales rate at a time when competition between all the new models on offer.

Clinton Outboard Motors The Clinton Outboard has its roots in Clinton, Michigan. Clinton Machine Company had been manufacturing gears for tank turrets during WW II. After the war, owner Don Thomas saw a need and decided to manufacture a line of small gasoline engine. His company and sales grew rapidly.

Clinton Engine Serial Numbers Identification

Jim Haynes has put together a great rundown of the history of the Panzer tractor. It's posted at his web site (Dandy Sales). Click on the link below to read the story.
http://www.dandysales.com/history.html

If you have anything to add, please let Jim know or send a note to info@panzertractors.com.

The Model A was produced in College Park, Md. in 1954. Model A tractors will have a serial number stamped on the right side of the frame rail just aft of where it slides in to the front casting. As far as we can tell, approximately 350 tractors were produced in College Park, of which we have documented less than 50 to still exist. Copar was not good at keeping records, and most likely did not build the tractors in sequence. The serial number on the frame rail will be 3 digits and most likely less in value than 350.

Model A Panzers were all red, powered by an 8 1/2 hp Model 23 Briggs & Stratton engine and had cast iron pulleys on both the engine and jack shaft. The jack shaft had the location 'College Park, Md.' and 'Mod A.' cast in to it, where later models had Laurel, Md. Advertising literature shows it had 6x16' tires on the rear, although at least one confirmed original Model A has 8x16' tires on it.

Because they were made of cast iron and succeptable to cracking, the jack shaft casting and pulleys may not be a reliable way to identify a Model A. I have a Model A with a cast iron engine pulley and serial number stamped in the frame, but because the tractor was used extensively for mowing, it has a replacement jack shaft casting and a large pulley made of aluminum. The rims had been repainted with yellow paint and had 8x16' turf tires on it. However, when I took the tires off the rims, it was clear the original rim color was red.

When production switched to Laurel, Md. in early 1955, the company began referring to them as a Model T102. Because of existing stock and repair parts, newer models of 3 and even 4 wheel Copar Panzers can have a jack shaft casting that says College Park. Jim Haynes (Dandy Sales) and I have had a lot of debates, and have agreed that only tractors produced in College Park should be called Model A. All others were built in Laurel and are called by their T100 or T200 model designations.

For example, I have a 3 wheel Copar Panzer that looks exactly like a Model A. It has a serial number of 1947 stamped into the frame, but it is to the right of the tool box and not on the frame rail. It also has an aluminum engine pulley. Even though it says Mod A on the jack shaft housing, it also says Laurel, Md. Because of this, it is a T102 and not a Model A.

If you want to identify your engine, there is a great source of serial numbers for Model 23 and 23A B&S engines online at http://www.asecc.com/data/briggs/data4.html

I've added a picture of the info from that page below. Click on the thumbnail to view.

Updated September 21, 2014

Clinton Engine Serial Numbers Lookup

The T100 series was the evolution of the Model A. The T102 was produced starting in 1955 at the Laurel, Md. plant. The 100 series has a single front wheel and is almost identical to the Model A except for aluminum engine and drive pulleys and yellow wheels and jack shaft housing. In 1957, a dedicated 4 wheel model called a T205 was introduced. This lasted until 1960 when Virginia Metalcrafters bought Copar and discontinued the line (see notes on the T220). The wide front end was initially sold as a kit that adapted to existing 3 wheelers, so the steering shaft came out the right side and behind the front casting. Later T200 series tractors had improved front end geometry / design and the steering arm came out betwen the frame rails in the front.

The T50 was the first in a line of 'small' panzers, starting in 1957and running through late 1958. They have a couple of features of note:

• There is no bushing where the steering shaft meets the front aluminum grille housing. This 'feature' often causes the steering shaft to corrode and not function. This was improved with an oil-lite bushing in the T55 front grille housing.
• No fenders on the rear wheels. Fenders were added later as a clamp-on option.
• A 4hp model A1200 Clinton engine was standard. This engine proved to be troublesome for both vibration and hard starting, and was replaced with a 4hp model 1290 on the T55 in late 1958. They experimented with the Kohler K90 4hp engine, and there are reports that some tractors were equipped with that engine as well.
• A plate under the engine extended to the left side of the chassis and supported the right angle gear drive.
• There was no isolated engine plate - the engine bolted directly to the frame. This caused a vibration problem that resulted in a separate isolated engine plate on the T60 and up models.
• They were originally painted red / yellow / white.
  More info to follow!
  

Clinton Motor Serial Numbers