Strato FM Flight Riding Lawnmower. It's SO Cute!!

I am trying to find out about this little bitty riding lawnmower. If you have any information or could direct me to a resource to look at, I would appreciate any and all tid bits you can offer.
Strato FM Flight made by Moto Mowers division Dura Corporation Richmond Indiana and Ingersoll Ontario. 4 hp model 321 TYPE 100, 24in.blade,Briggs and Stratton 4hp, 2 speed transmission, white aluminum steering wheel, full body belt cover, solid front wheels, air rear tires.
My fiance' found this baby out in a friends junk yard. He has gotten it running and even ran hinself up a tree on it. (That was funny!!!)(Little Baby bucked him right off!)
I would like to know it's age, history and maybe what "Lil Baby" is worth. Thank you for any help you can provide.

welcome.....Can you post some pictures?

I'm a lawnmower novice not a computer geek CAPTAIN!! Just kidding, lol. I have two pictures on my email by not sure how to transfer them into this place. Tell me how, please, or I can send them to your email.
It's exciting to get a reply already. I just joined today! I didn't know it would be so much fun!

You can email them to me..... poncho62@yahoo.com

OK...here is Anna's tractor

AAAAAAAHAAHAAAHAAA! thats awsome! like riding a push mower
that is one cool little tractor.
wonder why they don't make them small ones anymore....

Looks a little like a Mustang...

OH MY GAWD! thats classic! looks like sombody left them out in the rain too long and they shrunk
i couldn't imagine sitting on one of those doing my 3 acres
whats the cut size of these?

stevec wrote:

OH MY GAWD! thats classic! looks like sombody left them out in the rain too long and they shrunk
i couldn't imagine sitting on one of those doing my 3 acres
whats the cut size of these?

My 9 year old daughter fits on it real good. I think it had a 30" deck. It got thrown in the scrap pile cause the blade mounted to the crank shaft so when the engine was running so was the blade.

stevec wrote:

AAAAAAAHAAHAAAHAAA! thats awsome! like riding a push mower
that is one cool little tractor.
wonder why they don't make them small ones anymore....

see the engine between the legs thats why. Can u say BAG BURNER lol

AAAAHH! so they are just a push mower with a steering wheel and a seat
i remember way back when, i had a lawnmower with a neat clutch setup. you could start it and the blade wouldn't turn until you engaged it
with the lever on the handle. engine didn't sit any higher, blade didn't sit any lower---from what i remember...
i think it was a crapsman, couldn't tell you what size, it was so long ago. i wonder if one of those engines would work on these?

You guys crack me up!! Her blade cut is 24in., and you have to yank her to get her going!! Which by the way just broke of, so now Rod has to redo the pull start. Come on fellas, does anybody know her date of birth, her origin, was she made for the Oompa Loompas? Who knew having a mini-mower could be so much fun!!!

Hi Anna,

I agree - it does look great.

A bit of history, Dura/Moto-mower bought Porter Cable's garden tractor division around 1958-1960 and seems to have lasted to the early 70s.

Your tractor's rounded hood looks a lot like the Porter Cable hood. Based on that probably flawed assumption, I'm guessing late 50s, early 60s. Here's an example


If the motor is a Briggs and Stratton and original to the mower, look on the starter housing for three sets of numbers: Model Type Code. The code indicates yy, mm, dd and 1-digit factory. Doesn't set an exact date - but may help with the guess.


I've seen similar ones sell for about $150.

I just got done checking in my Moto-Mower / Dura Corp. service manual to see if I could find out what year your Strato FM Flight mower was made. The model 321 is listed as a 1966 model only. The service manual is dated 1967, but there is no mention of it being built after 1966. According to the specs here it should have a 4hp Briggs engine and a 24" cut.

You guys are the best. I will have Rod check the numbers on the engine and take it from there. Thank you so much for the help. Also, Rod was wondering should he paint it leave it alone, keep it as his second love? Is there any collectability for the Lil Baby? Will she take us to Tahiti?

you guy's do a good job helping prople,motomower owners would be proud,Mike 0 has a little blue motomower that looks a lot like that.His is a 1964,I've kinda got out of tractors but could not part with my motomower's,still have the original one that started tfhe website,and still have the red newer model one.I guess i'm a normal collector now not a eccentric collector,have 7 nice ones now,i've had 25 restored tractors at one time,don't miss having so many it was a lot of work just keeping them going,KW


Mike o's 1964

That is one cute little Mower. So it looks like the thing to do for these little babies is just keep them as pets and paint them real pretty!!! What color is that exactly on your mower? Did you paint it yourself or send it to a Baby Body Shop? Either way it's beautiful. Oh what is the handle for that is down below on the right side that is on the acceleration pedal?

Motomow wrote:

you guy's do a good job helping prople,motomower owners would be proud,Mike 0 has a little blue motomower that looks a lot like that.His is a 1964,I've kinda got out of tractors but could not part with my motomower's,still have the original one that started tfhe website,and still have the red newer model one.I guess i'm a normal collector now not a eccentric collector,have 7 nice ones now,i've had 25 restored tractors at one time,don't miss having so many it was a lot of work just keeping them going,KW


Mike o's 1964

KW got any Simps still?

Anna McCauley wrote:

That is one cute little Mower. So it looks like the thing to do for these little babies is just keep them as pets and paint them real pretty!!! What color is that exactly on your mower? Did you paint it yourself or send it to a Baby Body Shop? Either way it's beautiful. Oh what is the handle for that is down below on the right side that is on the acceleration pedal?

The small blue motomower is my buddies,his page is on motomow.com,not sure what he painted it,he does some awesome custom work tho.Mike O is what he goes by.mine is below the bigger brother model,did mine more stock.Never will sell this one,it's what started motomow.com and the forum.This mower actually helped put the motomower on the map on the internet.Not many people even heard of a motomower before kinda cool he is the motomower mascot lol.KW

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Jared Olson for SO IL wrote:

Motomow wrote:

you guy's do a good job helping prople,motomower owners would be proud,Mike 0 has a little blue motomower that looks a lot like that.His is a 1964,I've kinda got out of tractors but could not part with my motomower's,still have the original one that started tfhe website,and still have the red newer model one.I guess i'm a normal collector now not a eccentric collector,have 7 nice ones now,i've had 25 restored tractors at one time,don't miss having so many it was a lot of work just keeping them going,KW


Mike o's 1964

KW got any Simps still?

got a really nice 7112 jared stupid camera messed up ,gonna buy a new one tommorrow and post pic's trust me man you'll like this one it's pretty nice clear coated diamond plate gonna take it to a show this fall. KW

That is one sweet lookin' Simplicity KW!

Evan(PA) wrote:

That is one sweet lookin' Simplicity KW!

it did turn out really nice evan wish you could see it up close thats the only way you could really know how nice it turned out,it really does have a automotive finish on it.Smooth and shiny,want to cut grass with it so bad but it's just to nice,going to just show this one and the 68 JD,eventually redoing the punkin again not happy with the finish then will start showing it....

Motomow wrote:

Evan(PA) wrote:

That is one sweet lookin' Simplicity KW!

it did turn out really nice evan wish you could see it up close thats the only way you could really know how nice it turned out,it really does have a automotive finish on it.Smooth and shiny,want to cut grass with it so bad but it's just to nice,going to just show this one and the 68 JD,eventually redoing the punkin again not happy with the finish then will start showing it....

i thought my YEO was sharp!!!

Jared Olson for SO IL wrote:

Motomow wrote:

Evan(PA) wrote:

That is one sweet lookin' Simplicity KW!

it did turn out really nice evan wish you could see it up close thats the only way you could really know how nice it turned out,it really does have a automotive finish on it.Smooth and shiny,want to cut grass with it so bad but it's just to nice,going to just show this one and the 68 JD,eventually redoing the punkin again not happy with the finish then will start showing it....

i thought my YEO was sharp!!!

have you done anymore to your yeo jared?,I haven't had a chance to scroll thru the forum much yet to see if you posted anything...KW