Collection of Classic Garden Tractors: Remembering the Amigo

Collector puts together comprehensive set of Michigan-built garden tractors.

By Jerry Mattson
Published on December 9, 2022
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by Jerry Mattson
The restored Model 1170.

A collection of classic garden tractors wouldn’t be complete without an Amigo. Browse one Michigan collector’s array of DEMCO Amigo tractors and components.

When garden tractor manufacturer DEMCO was forced by competitors Yard-Man and Lawn-Boy to rename its Yard Boy tractor, the company came up with the perfect name. DEMCO salesman Jerry Slocum suggested amigo, Spanish for friend. “Everyone needs a friend when mowing the lawn,” he said, and so the Yard Boy became the Amigo.

Amigo garden tractors were built in Dowagiac, Michigan, from late 1959 to 1966 by DEMCO (Design, Engineering & Mfg. Co.). The six models of the tractor – numbered 77, 99, 990, 1170, 1200 and 1400 – were powered by Lauson, Kohler and Wisconsin engines with a range of 5hp to 10hp.

dirty red and white garden tractor

Tractor collector Colt Gollnick, Montgomery, Michigan, lives about 65 miles from where the Amigo was built. He is carrying on a family tradition: His father, Gerald, collected farm tractors and hit-and-miss engines for years. Colt once owned 78 tractors but has down-sized to 54.

About 13 years ago, he inherited his parents’ Model 1170 Amigo (photo below) that had been sitting in the barn for 20 years. He restored this family tractor and began seeking more Amigos. Collecting these 60-year-old tractors has not been easy as they have become more difficult to find. But Colt doesn’t have to worry about serial numbers: None of these tractors have one. There are no company records showing production numbers, but the total is thought to be fewer than 2,000.

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