Bolens large frame vs. Economy Power King

My thoughts and comparisons of owning a Bolens large frame compared to an Economy Power King tractor. Which one do you prefer and why?

[@danbasta3677]

Power King tractors are extremely well built, well engineered machines, very reliable tractors. I love them.

[@AustenARW]

They sure are!

[@RobertsVintageGardenTractors]

One thing I like about the power kings is the independent brakes. Independent brakes also help with turning on them. The double transmission option is cool too on the power kings.

[@ryanlese4913]

Cool video.....The reason they offset the steering wheel is, while using a tiller, back blade or one bottom plow, its easier on your back and neck while looking over your shoulder and watching your attachment... Awesome tractors too by the way. I have a 71 PK with hydro and love it. I didnt know those Bolens were that big of a tractor either.

[@AustenARW]

It's a neat design element! Thanks for the comment. That's neat you have a '71 PK!

[@johneaton4364]

Like a Farmall

[@tye2003]

Love the large frame Bolen's. I wouldn't mind having a tractor like the Bolen especially with the front end loader. Its one incredible tractor.

[@AustenARW]

They're very hard working and capable machines!

[@nickzimmerman1447]

I like both of them,but have to agree on sitting up high on the powerking. But you will never run out of power you'll loose traction an spin out but you just can't kill the king. I plow my neighbors garden an he can't believe how it pulls an them I showed him I only had the king at half throttle. Also I ordered my front wheel spacers they are using your measurements from when you got yours made for the powerking. You saved me alot of time , thanks.

[@AustenARW]

Hey Nick! You're definitely right, you'll sit and spin even at low RPM's without stalling out the motor.... even pull the front tires off the ground if you don't have enough weight! ;-) Very cool on the wheels spacers, glad that worked out! I'll be anxious to see your pics. Thanks for watching.

[@bentackett6299]

That Power King is my dream tractor! I'll own one some day. Thanks for the video! 🤠

[@AustenARW]

Oh, very cool! I hope you find the right one soon!! Thanks for your comment! :-)

[@TF856]

It sounds like you're not used to driving a clutch tractor or anything with a clutch. For people that are used to clutches, they often prefer them over automatics or hydrostatics. I grew up driving lots of clutch trucks, tractors, cars, etc. I feel a lot more comfortable feathering a clutch instead of a hydrostatic control lever. But that Bolens looks like a nice trctor. Oh my gosh, you have a rollover scraper. I love those! My dad had a 7 ft wide one on his Massey Ferguson that I used growing up. His look like it was made back in the forties and they were built a lot better than they are now.

[@AustenARW]

Hi Kerry, thanks for the comment! Actually, all the vehicles I have ever purchased have all been manual transmissions. As a personal preference, I've found in garden tractors that I prefer a hydrostatic trans in most cases; especially with a loader. The older GT's at least don't have shuttle shift type transmissions like the larger tractors do for quicker gear changes. Yeah, the Gannon Earthcavator is great! I use it a lot and it works as a good counterweight too. Thanks again.

[@Natethanastysnake666]

Glad I came upon this video. Awesome comparison. Both are beautiful tractors!! I'm jealous

[@AustenARW]

Cool, thanks for the nice comment!

[@naturewatcher7596]

I saw in the other video Economy tractor jumping like a wild bronco. Now I know what caused that after you mentioned the sensitivity of its clutch.

[@ganoncollins1]

My father had a Power King dealership in central Ohio from the late 70's to the mid 80's. I still have the 66 model that he bought used and hooked him on the brand. That tractor has been reported to a 14hp and used as a general utility tractor. I also have a 72 model that we empowered with an 18hp twin Kohler. It has a later model blade the I made hydraulic angle. It has the 9.50 ag tires and 160lb wheel weights on each side plus a custom 3pt hitch so it is my blade tractor and moves the trailers around. Lastly I have an 81 model 2418 loader tractor. I beefed up the 3pt for more counterweight, completely remade the front axle for more weight, wider front tires... Next modification is power steering. All of them have dual transmissions. Cant speak highly enough about these tractors. They did ok at mowing, but I have stepped up to a Deere 72" comercial front mount for that work. Nice video, good looking tractors!

[@danbasta3677]

Love the Power King tractors, unfourtionally, I never cared for nor liked john deere tractors.

[@danbasta3677]

The Power King tractors of the mid 80's were nice looking heavy duty tractors to, however the sad fact of them is the all gear drive in those models aren't all that great. If the clutch goes, it takes the transmission with it. Very sad as they are beautiful looking tractors. Nicknamed Plastic King because of the fiberglass, plastic hood on them, no different than the other tractors of that era such as Cub Cadet, Wheel Horse, and john deere tractors along with a hose of other manufactured tractors that used plastic, fiberglass hoods on their tractors.

[@ganoncollins1]

Have to disagree with you about the clutch on the pk's. Never had one fail that took out the trans. Now I'm speaking of the borg Warner 3 speed. The engineering products designed 4 speed was a turd. Worked only 72 model recently, split it to install new hyd pump belt, clean the clutch, little bit higher volume hyd pump... got it back together, and right back to work grading dirt. Used my 81 loader tractor to move topsoil around and a PK disk on the 3pt to loosen up the soil before seeding. Love my PK's!!!

[@chuckriggsjr.6021]

Very nice machines. I still prefer the older gear drive for working tractors. Now for mowing, id take hydro all they time.

[@AustenARW]

Makes sense! Thanks for the comment.

[@BuildALotAcres]

Great points and perspective. They both are monster GT's. I like that loader. Looks very nice. Subbed.

[@AustenARW]

Thank you for your comments and the sub! :-) I appreciate it! They are both fun to own and compare.

[@josem.2909]

Man!! What a great tractors you have! And they look well kept. I'm impressed with the bolens, who would have known that bolens was something years back. Now I only see those simple bolens push mowers made by MTD 😄🙈. I'm watching this more for the Power King!! It's been a month since I been watching few videos and reading about these tractors, also looking for one on Craigslist, I wanna get me one of those, I have 3 WH and a cub cadet. But I would definitely sell a couple of those to get a power king. 😄

[@AustenARW]

Thank you, Jose!! It would be a hard decision to choose back in the day. I suppose the decision factor came down to location dealerships for some folks. You're right, it is a shame that Bolens is no longer the brand it was back in the day. Keep an eye out for a PK, you'll enjoy one! :-) Thanks for watching.

[@danbasta3677]

I own two Power King tractors and a 982 International Harvester Cub Cadet tractor. They are beautiful, awesome working machines that chew the grass up and spit it out like nothing.

[@jimstein8249]

I think that It's best to have both of them, each has their +and- so serve different purposes

[@AustenARW]

I agree!

[@johnirby493]

The Bolens has more to go wrong. The Power King has almost as much ground clearance as a Farmall Cub. That makes it a very good cultivating tractor. I have a 70 model with the 24 inch tires and dual trans.. I love the bug eyed lights.

[@highlander8198]

Neither look like they've done a day of work in their life! Great job keeping them in tip-top shape

[@AustenARW]

Thanks, Highlander! They do get used and dirty but I clean them up afterwards.

[@StansWorld]

I got a Poer King and a 67 Bolens But my Bolens isnt a hydro and it has a Winscon engine it putt putt also.

[@alzaidi7739]

Thanks for the review. My father-in-law owned a PK 1614 too. Identical to yours except he had the dual transmission. Yours is in great shape, about what his was after about 10 years of use. I got a donation to get a lawn tractor, and I remembered the old 1614 and looked on Craigslist for another. I found an early 90's 1620 with hydrostatic drive. It is easier to drive than the manual transmission in the 1614. But I really love it for it's 40's ethos. It's a "Plastic King", so the Economy ethos is faint. Just got the mower hooked up and cut the yard today for the 1st time. It was great! Glad you enjoy yours too. I'd like to try a diesel someday.

[@AustenARW]

Oh, very neat!! It's always so cool to hear about folks who have family history with these kinds of machines. Yes, the old "styled" PK's are extra special but the later hydrostatic models are definitely easier to drive! Good job getting the deck hooked up and cutting! Thanks a lot for your very nice comment!

[@tacticalrabbit308]

If the powerking looses traction on one wheel that's what the individual brakes are for to stop the spinning wheel and make the non spinning wheel move , I have one that's older and it does not have an electric pto but it does have a belt pulley on the front , and the economy can have duel tires put on it with wheel weights. Mine is a 1970s powerking

[@AustenARW]

Yes, the dual brakes are a nice feature and also can help with sharper turns. That's neat you have a 1970s PK as well! They are great tractors. Thanks for your comment.

[@freedomisntfree2089]

That's comparing great with great, I'm a bolens fan but I like those power kings too

[@AustenARW]

You are certainly right about both being a great. Thanks for your comment! :)

[@waiting4aliens]

I don't believe you mentioned it, the Bolens, is a 3 cyl diesel. About the size of a 455 Deere.

[@toddr.4630]

Chain em up & tug -o- war 😝, love these lil tractors ✌️

[@AustenARW]

Sometime!

[@TF856]

Quite a few modern tractors still using electric clutches. That is called an independent PTO. Those are nice but I prefer the two-stage clutches. That's what I grew up on and they are fantastic for me. The other type is the direct transmission driven PTOs like a lot of the early tractors had. They start and stop the OTO as you start and stop the transmission. Many PTO powered attachments work better if they are engaged or disengaged independently from the transmission so they can keep running whenever you push on the clutch. Be very careful if you ever drive an old tractor that has a transmission driven PTO because when you're mowing with the bush hog you cannot stop very fast unless you take the PTO or transmission out of gear before you push on the brake. The inertia of the bush hog will keep pushing the tractor forward until it gradually slows down and stops. I love two-stage glitches because it's the best of both worlds. It works just like an independent PTO when you want it to. You can engage the transmission and the PTO at the same time give it a little throttle it up on the clutch and go. And if you need to start the PTO attachment first just let halfway up on the clutch and the PTO goes and then let the rest of the way up and the transmission is engaged. This works really well for rototilling and bush hogging and running a hay baler and many other attachments. You don't have to double clutch to get both things going. Otherwise with the transmission powered PTO you have to engage the PTO with the transmission in neutral and let the clutch up and get the PTO going and then quickly push the clutch back down and put the transmission in gear and let it back up to go otherwise in some situations if you try to start the PTO and the transmission at the same time you'll kill the engine. Likewise if you're trying to mow every time you have to use the clutch to change directions the mower slows down and when you let the clutch back up you have to wait for that to pick up speed again. So again with two-stage clutch all you have to do is push it halfway down to change gears or direction while the PTO keeps going full speed.

[@rodhawkins5037]

Nice over view of your tractors.

[@AustenARW]

Thank you for watching!

[@fattonyd232]

What would be better hauling logs in tight woods?

[@AustenARW]

Either would work but I would choose the Economy as long as you had good tires and weight in them for traction. The gear drive would be nice for pulling logs and the Economy is pretty nimble for getting into tight areas.

[@frederickt.smooderbee9621]

Is the economy power king belt or shaft driven?

[@AustenARW]

Shaft driven.

[@thecarsonfamily27]

Looking at a power king with mowing deck, snow plow and garden plow. They want $2,500. Is that a good deal or should I offer lower?

[@AustenARW]

Pricing often varies quite a bit depending on location. In my area at least in the PNW, GT's are not nearly as popular as other places in the mid west and east coast and therefore often command much higher pricing. If you can find some other listings around your area or state, that would help to compare. Off the cuff and assuming it's in 'good' condition, I'd say that price is definitely in the ballpark considering what comes with it. Good luck!

[@4cornerssmallengineandfabr535]

Nice tractors, I was wondering what size tires are you running on the Bolens

[@AustenARW]

Thank you! The Bolens has 29x12.50-15 on the rear and fronts are 22x9.50-10.

[@kevintomb]

What tires are on the Bolens?? They seem to be larger than the stock tires that came on them

[@AustenARW]

Custom setup: Front: 22x9.50-10 Rear: 29x12.50-15

[@waiting4aliens]

What model Bolens is it? Both very pretty. Thank you.

[@AustenARW]

Thank you! The Bolens is an export only HDT1000. Here's a thread on it with more info: gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/65104-purchased-hdt1000-11/

[@jimthvac100]

What is the model number of this Bolens tractor?

[@AustenARW]

HDT1000, export only model.

[@jimthvac100]

@@AustenARW Thanks

[@jimamccracken5783]

Not being fair loo at the age difference tween the two. POWER KINGS RULE

[@michaelvandyke6658]

Either you like a power king or you dont. thats not a good comparison the power king would be compared to a cub

[@AustenARW]

I personally like them both for different reasons. They are both great machines in their own ways. I'm sorry that you did not like the review.

[@PANRADZIK76]

🇵🇱🚜⚙️🛠️☺️Jak mój

[@stevengamsby5344]

You never said what hp was on the bolens if yours is a HT 20 then no it dose not have high and low range but if your is a HT23 Kohler Diesel it has a MULE gear as you call it high and low

[@AustenARW]

Hi Steven, the Bolens is a model HDT1000. Mine has 25HP Mitsubishi diesel. The model shares the same Eaton 11 hydrostatic trans as the HT23 with the high and low lever on the left side of the seat. There was no Kohler diesel ever offered in a Bolens large frame. There was an HT20D and HT22 that had a twin cylinder Ducati/Wisconsin air cooled twin diesel.

[@stevengamsby5344]

@@AustenARW I have a Kohler diesel in my HT 23 it’s not actually a Kohler diesel but that’s what’s on my engine cover mine has high low but thank you for the info