The early years of Pond Garden Tractors is fairly well documented as a whole and I attempt here to combine all of my data collected during my research into the production of the two Wheel Horse model years of 1958 and 1958. Some of the information contained here is known fact, and some is hearsay and conjecture to be taken with a grain of salt. I will attempt to identify the authenticity of each, where and as it is presented in the text.
It was in the year 1954 when Cecil Pond began tinkering with the idea of making a 4-wheel tractor using the basic design of the, what would later become known as the Walk-Away two-wheel tractor, as a starting point. By adding a channel iron frame to the front of a Walk-Away 2-wheel tractor, removing the handle bars and adding a seat, the basic design concept was formed. From this tinkering the Wheel Horse RJ-25 Ride-Away Jr., the worlds first lawn and garden riding tractor, was the result. The RJ-25/35, where the "25" and "35" represented 2.5 HP and 3.5 HP respectively, contained a belt driven, ratchet-drive style power transmission system. This model, produced between 1954 and 1957, came from the factory with one of two engines. Either a Briggs & Stratton Model 8 (the RJ-25 was rated at 2.5 HP) or either the Kohler K-90 or Clinton B1200 (RJ-35 rated at 3.5 HP).
Changes to the RJ-25 / RJ-35 lines produced the model we know today as the RJ-58/59. This model also marks the introduction of patented "Unidrive" transmission (patented in 1957). This was the worlds first automotive style, geared transmission ever designed for use in a lawn and garden tractor. The transmission was designed by Cecil Pond in conjunction with the Schafer Gear Works, Inc. of South Bend, Indiana
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