34/3/5 Fairbanks-Morse Q. I am restoring a
Fairbanks-Morse 1? HP engine, s/n 440684. On the water jacket I
found the casting number 21820. Since the s/n references a date of
early 1920, can I assume that the casting number is translated to
February 18, 1920? Also on the left crank journal cap I have found
stamped the number 3 RIV.7 What does this pertain to? Any
information would be appreciated. Gary Everett, Overland Park, KS
66204.
A. It was (and probably still is) a common
practice to date castings at the foundry. In many instances at
least, the castings were set outside to ‘cure’ for a few
weeks or a few months. This helped the castings stabilize so that
when they were machined they would ‘stay put’ and not twist
or warp. We don’t know the meaning of the 3RIV figure on the
bearing cap.
34/3/6 Pouring Bearings Q. Being a new
subscriber, I have seen references to pouring babbitt bearings, but
do not know where to look. Can you refer me to the proper issues?
W. P. Haworth, PO Box 358, Clifton, CO 81520.
A. We have had some short descriptions of the
process in this column, notably in the July 1991 issue. In our
September/October 1983 issue, we had a two page article with
illustrations of the process by Donald Goldsby. In our December
1998 issue, there was an article on page 10 which described the
services of a shop in West Virginia which provides this
service.
34/3/7 Milwaukee Compressor Q. See the photo of
an air pump made by Milwaukee Air Power Pump Co., Milwaukee ,
Wisconsin. What was the original intended purpose of this pump, and
how was it lubricated? Any information on this unit would be
greatly appreciated. Dean Suhr, 3525 E. Hawser St., Tucson, AZ
85739-8898.
A. This is simply an air compressor, and it
might have been used for any number of reasons. Years ago, air
compressors were usually found in service garages, and some shallow
well systems used a jet arrangement whereby compressed air was used
to push water to the surface. Aside from these purposes, air
compressors weren’t widely used except by industry. Some early
compressors had an opening in the side of the cylinder that was
filled with wicking. This served to provide a small amount of
lubricant to the piston. We would guess that this one got an
occasional shot of oil from an oilcan. Air compressor pistons are
lubricated very sparingly.
34/3/8 Witte Engine
Donald J. Keys, RR 1, Box 114, Webster, KY 40176-9704 inquires
about an operators and parts manual for a Witte 12 HP engine with
an enclosed crank-case, and of 1931 vintage. We don’t have
anything, so can anyone provide a photocopy?
34/3/9 Some Questions Q. See photo 9A of a
Clarke engine that was made into an air compressor. The company was
D. R. Clarke Engine Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ontario. Can anyone provide
any information on this engine?
Photo 9B is a small water-cooled engine but there are no
markings. The mounting base also serves as a gas tank. What was its
purpose, and was there a water pump or generator mounted on the
base? Can anyone identify this engine. All information appreciated.
Oswald Bartnick, 127 Parkland Rd., Lockport, MB R1A 3K2 Canada.
34/3/10 Bolens Garden Tractor Q. I recently
purchased a Bolens Garden Tractor, Type 22001, s/n 35069. Any
information on this unit would be appreciated Bob Craig, 602 Craig
Road, Walnut Shade, MO 65771.
34/3/11 Information Needed Q. I need
information on two engines. The first one is a 5 HP Ottawa, s/n
TE27985, and I would like to know the paint color and when it was
built. The second engine is an Economy with a 4? x 6 inch bore and
stroke, and s/n 307752. When was it made? Dale Sheasley, RD 5, Box
283, Tyrone, PA 16686.
A. We have the Ottawa Log Saw as being DuPont
51197 Green, but have no other information. We have no specific
serial number lists for the Economy engines.
34/3/12 Unidentified Engine Q. See the two
photos of an unidentified engine. It has 10-inch flywheels and uses
a 2? x 2? inch bore and stroke. There is a chain drive to the
camshaft. Both valves are cam-operated, high-tension battery
ignition, suction mixer, and governor on the mixer, and flywheel
rims were nickel plated. Any information would be appreciated.
Vincent Durham, Site 8, Comp 34 RR1, Sicamous, BC V0E 2V0
Canada.
34/3/13 Fuller & Johnson Q. See the photo
of a 5 HP Fuller & Johnson engine, s/n 93465. When was it built
and what is the correct color? Are new decals available? What model
is this engine? Any help would be appreciated. Boris Dobrotin,
29483 Paso Robles Rd., Valley Center, CA 92082.
A. Your engine was made in 1925. It was a dark
green, similar to DuPont 1317 or Ditzler 3255. Decals are available
from some of the GEM advertisers.
34/3/14 Unidentified Machine
Quinn Lenk, Box 525, Dupree, SD 57623 sends along some photos of
an unidentified chopper or shredder. The unit is of wood with
internal parts of cast iron. The owner thinks that perhaps at one
time the word ‘Avery’ was painted on the side of the
machine. Photo 14A shows the unit with the cover in place, and 14B
shows the cover removed. The blades moved past a spring-loaded
shield, and there are two slots for feeding material into this
machine. He would appreciate any information.
(We think it was either a forage cutter, or possibly an ear com
cutter . . . either way, it was a dangerous machine!)
34/3/15 Alpha Engine Q. See the photo of a Type
F, 1? HP Alpha engine. Does it have the correct carburetor? What is
the correct color? Dave Knoll, 212-8th St NW, Little Falls, MN
56345.
A. We’ve never owned an Alpha, nor have we
ever looked closely at one, so we can’t tell you about the
mixer. We have DuPont 24166 Brewster Green listed as the color for
these engines.
A Closing Word
As we finish this edition in late December 1998, and enduring
snow and cold, we’re certainly looking ahead to an enjoyable
two weeks in England with some of you this summer. As noted in the
last issue, we will be leaving June 18 via British Airways for
London’s Heathrow Airport to embark on our journey. After 15 or
16 days of enjoyable times together, plus numerous engine and
tractor stops, we’ll be able to come back home with ne’er a
thought of those glorious Iowa snowdrifts!
While digging through some old things awhile back we came across
one of those combination yardsticks and fuel measuring sticks that
came out with the IHC Titan tractors. Ours is like new, and we
would doubt that it has ever been dipped into a gas tank . . . we
were really happy about that find! We also came across some nice
oil and gas measuring cans from Maytag and others. Although we
understand that everything antique is expensive now, we didn’t
reckon on just how expensive some of these things can be!
Work progresses slow but steady on our Catalog of American Farm
Tractors. We hope to have our work done before summer arrives, and
as we begin 1999, we are on schedule, with letter ‘I’
companies almost done. We think there may be a few surprises, even
for the seasoned collectors. This book will include a large number
of garden tractors, many of which we’ve never heard of before.
We also continue to be surprised by the large number of tractor
companies that sprang up right after World War Two. Many of them
lasted for only a short time, and so of course, their tractors are
now pretty scarce. Thanks to digital imaging, we haven’t spent
a moment in our darkroom since last fall. Everything now is being
done on a scanner of one kind or another. This saves us an enormous
amount of time.
We’ll close here by extending our very Best Wishes for the
New Year.