Reflections

By Staff
1 / 6
2 / 6
38/8/2C: Controls on grader.
38/8/2C: Controls on grader.
3 / 6
38/8/2B: Unidentified horse-drawn grader, right side.
38/8/2B: Unidentified horse-drawn grader, right side.
4 / 6
38/8/2A: Unidentified horse-drawn grader, left side.
38/8/2A: Unidentified horse-drawn grader, left side.
5 / 6
38/8/4B: Unidentified flywheel.
38/8/4B: Unidentified flywheel.
6 / 6
38/8/4A: Unidentified flywheel.
38/8/4A: Unidentified flywheel.

38/8/1: Serial Numbers Q: I have the following
engines and would like to know the year they were built: 1)
International LA 1- to 2- HP, serial no. A64917; 2) Fuller &
Johnson 1- HP, serial no. 83846; 3) Fairbanks-Morse Z, serial no.
522676; and 4) Massey-Harris Co. Ltd. Type 2, shop no. 6K3077. I do
believe that last number seven belongs there, although it is not
stamped as well as the number seven preceding it. Did someone other
than Massey make this engine? Any help would be appreciated. Dan
Janke, P.O. Box 285, Westfield, WI 53964.

A: The numbers you give for your IHC LA do not
line up with what’s shown in Wendel’ s Notebook. If
you’ve included one extra number, presumably the number seven
at the end, it’s of 1935 manufacture. But, if it were an end of
production Type LAA, it would be of 1938 manufacture. Your Fuller
& Johnson is a 1923 model while your FM Z was made in 1922.

The year of your Massey-Harris is unclear. Massey-Harris Type 2
engines were built from 1923 to 1932. The Type 2 came in sizes of
1-, 3, 4- and 6 HP. Yours should be a 6 HP, evident by its
‘6K’ reference in the serial number. Massey-Harris started
building its own engines in 1916, after it moved the manufacturing
equipment of the Deyo-Macey Co., Binghamton, N.Y., (which
Massey-Harris bought in 1910) to Weston, Ontario.

38/8/2: Unidentified Grader

I have come across a turn-of-the-century pull grader (no
engine). Can anyone direct me to a preservation site or some place
where they might know how 1 can get wheels and hubs to restore this
thing? The blade, angles and bevels all seem to be in good working
order after more than 100 years. Many thanks. Captain Jim,
Aberdeen, Md.; e-mail: captain7417@yahoo.com

38/8/2C: Controls on grader.

38/8/3: Lauson Engines

I am looking for any information I can get about the two Lauson
gas engines I have. The first one is a 2 HP hit-and-miss engine.
The following information is on the brass data plate.

The Lauson

Manufactured by the John Lauson Mfg. Co. New Holstein,
Wis. USA

Speed: 525 No.: 67570

HP: 2

It has a belt pulley on the flywheel, Wico EK magneto and at
this time is using a Champion W-10 spark plug. The other is a
four-cycle, single-cylinder engine. The following information is on
the data plate.

The Lauson Company

Model No.: 55S-111

Serial No.: 5179447

This engine has a small centrifugal clutch pulley on the output
side of the crankshaft and at this time is using an Autolite 456
spark plug.

I wish to find out what year these engines were made, what spark
plugs they use (ones I can readily obtain), what horsepower the
four-cycle is, where or from whom to get parts and owner’s and
maintenance manuals, what decals if any were on them, and things
like that.

Any information at all would be greatly appreciated. I can be
contacted at the mailing and e-mail address. Thanks very much for
any help and time. Eric G. Orndorf, 30 Markley Drive, York Haven,
PA 17370-9600; e-mail: mcormo@yahoo.com

38/8/4: Unidentified Flywheel

Another auction prize! Nobody wanted it so the auctioneer threw
it on my box of goodies. Other than a flywheel, what is it? The
flywheel shows the number 9602 T on the inner rung and what appears
to be a ‘D’ on the outer rung. Keith Rather, 7630 220th
Road, Chanute, KS 66720.

38/8/5: 20 HP Titan

I’m chasing some information on a Type D 20 HP Titan
tractor, and I’m trying to locate the following items:

Dimensions of the roof

Rear platform drawings and tow hitch drawings

Clutch for the belt pulley drawings

Throttle fuel system and hit-and-miss system

Magneto information (American Bosch)

Starting procedure

Original paint colors and markings

Steering wheel and mountings drawings

Oiler drawings

Any tidbit of information would be helpful, no matter how small.
1 know I’m asking the world, but any help greatly appreciated.
Alastair Geddes, 49 Main St., Redland Bay, Queensland 4165,
Australia, or e-mail: afgeddes@powerup.com.au

38/8/6: 10 HP Witte

I have a 10 HP Witte with the enclosed crankcase, but I
don’t know how much oil should be in the crankcase. I know it
has a splash oil system, in that it doesn’t have an oil pump.
It has a small metal pin about the size of a cotter pin that sticks
down on the bottom of the connecting rod where it connects to the
crankshaft. I’m sure this is to help splash the oil.

How high should the oil be up on the crank and connecting rod
when the crank is in the down position? If anyone can help me or
tell me where I can find this information, I would appreciate it.
Thanks, William Walter, e-mail: wwalter@mrtc.com

38/8/7: Anderson Diesel

John Bickerstaff, Richmond, Va., called the offices the other
day inquiring about an Anderson diesel he’s come across.

John says the engine is a single-cylinder, 30 HP Model K, Type
22 Anderson made by Anderson Foundry & Machine Co., Anderson,
Ind. Just when it was manufactured is unknown, but John seems
confident it was some point in the early 1920s. John says the
engine, which features air starting, has been in a flour mill most
of its life. According to John it’s not stuck and appears to be
in very good condition.

John would appreciate any information on the engine, and would
especially like to lay eyes on a manual. With any luck, he’d
like to have the engine running by September in time for his local
show. Contact John Bickerstaff at: 1010 Sharon Lane, Richmond, VA
23229; (804) 288-0639.

38/8/8: Wolfe Engine Info Sought

Some time ago, reader Phil Hayse sent in a newspaper clipping
from the Lyons (Kansas) Daily News with a photo
of a 2-1/2 HP Wolfe Gasoline Engine, identified as made by D.C.
Wolfe, Lyons, Kan. The photo in the clipping is itself a
reproduction, and won’t make the transition of yet another
generation of copying, hence its omission here.

The engine, a single-cylinder horizontal with twin flywheels and
external cooling tank, was traditional in design. The photo as
printed is referenced to the back page of the Sterling
(Kansas) Bulletin centennial edition, published in
1900.

While stationary engine manufacturing was in full swing in
various factories and shops around the country in 1900, that’s
still early in the history and development of the gas engine.

D.C. Wolfe has also been cited as the builder of one of the very
first motorized cars in Kansas, a vehicle that was supposedly sold
to Walter P. Chrysler when Chrysler lived in nearby Ellis, Kan. If
anyone knows more about this early engine, we’d like to hear
from you.

C.H. Wendel is a noted authority on antique engines and
tractors. His books constitute a vital reference resource for
collectors and hobbyists. If you have a query for C.H. Wendel, send
it along to Gas Engine Magazine, 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS
66609-1265.

  • Published on Aug 1, 2003
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