W6886 Highway 11, Monroe, Wisconsin 53566
I am writing trying to find information about a small engine I
own. It is an O & R (formerly Ohlsson & Rice), two cycle.
While it is not as old as most of the engines I read about in GEM,
I cannot find much information about it. I was able to get some
service information at my local small engine shop, where I was told
no parts were available and that the engine had been out of
production for many years. My 10 year old daughter Shannon is shown
holding the engine.
I had my local welding shop make a stand for the engine so I
could run it. Actually, the engine is as good as new. It has only
run a total of about one hour, even though I figure it is at least
30 years old. That is how long I have had it.
I remember finding it in the corner of the big house we lived
in, when I was about eight or ten years old (I am now 41). I was
told I could have it. Where it came from, I really have no
idea.
Just last summer I decided to use it and it actually did run.
Before that, it was clear it had never been run. It was stubborn at
first, but once I got it running and the carb set, it runs real
good, like a new engine should. By the color of the engine, and the
fact it was made in Los Angeles, California, I wonder if it is an
Army product. It has Army green for color. The engine has nine
patent numbers on it and other patents pending. Also it says:
‘O&R Engine, Inc. 3340 Emery Street, Los Angeles, 23,
California, made in USA. Fuel Mixture, 24:1, 24 parts gasoline, mix
1/3 pint SAE 30 heavy duty oil (MS type or
equal) with 1 gallon of 70 to 80 octane gasoline.’ This is on
the side with the air cleaner. It’s a III, which I believe
means series 3 (III), next to that is the number 14110, which
according to the service manual refers to the date made, but what
date is that? On the exhaust side is the type number 133.
I cannot find a serial number or a model number anywhere. Even
though I have owned this engine for thirty-plus years, it is a
mystery to me. All I know about it is written in this article.
Every time I moved to a new house (five times in the last 30
years), I would take the engine and put it in a closet corner,
figuring someday I would get it running. That time came last summer
in 1995. Since I have some other older engines that I take to local
engine shows, this one will be added to my display.
I almost forgot to tell you how small this engine is. It is 7
inches high to the top of the spark plug wire and 5 inches wide. It
weighs less than five pounds.
There are a couple of pieces missing on the engine. I could use
a muffler and a shaft pulley or a gear reduction unit with a
clutch. If any of you readers have information about this engine or
parts, please contact me at my address or phone 608-325-1568.