39/3/1: Watkins Engine Q: I bought this engine
a few months ago. The nameplate is missing, but page 540 of C.H.
Wendel’s American Gas Engines Since 1872 shows a
‘Toledo’ marine engine made by Watkins Motor Co. The bore
on my engine is approximately 2-1/2 inches and the stroke is 3
inches. It has a Kingston carburetor on it and a five-spoke
flywheel 1-1/2 inches wide and 10 inches in diameter.
I would like to hear from anyone who has one of these engines or
has information about them. Harry R. Coulter, 412 Shook Ave.,
Stroudsburg, PA 18360.
A: While there are similarities between your
engine and the one shown in Wendel’s book, most notably by the
spoked flywheel, marine engines of this era often looked much the
same. In the absence of a nameplate, accurate identification can be
very difficult. If someone can verify that this actually is a
Watkins engine, we’d love to hear from you, as would Harry.
39/3/2: Brownwall Engine I would like to know
the paint color for 1 HP Brownwall engine. Gary Montgomery, 294
Carver St., Winslow, 1L 61089; (815) 367-3021.
39/3/3: Fairbanks-Morse 2 HP Dispan I have a
Fairbanks-Morse 2 HP dishpan engine built in 1917 with a Fairbanks
magneto. How can I slow that engine down? It jumps all over the
floor. Any advice would be appreciated. I enjoy the magazine very
much. Willard Meyer, 15324 Horseshoe Lake Road, Newton, WI
53063.
39/3/4: Associated Chore Boy Q: I recently
purchased an air-cooled, 1-1/2 HP Associated Chore Boy in original
looking shape. It’s in nice condition, including the
identification tag. I am told there is no 1-1/2 HP Chore Boy, and
I’d bet parts for the 1-3/4 HP are the same. I’d like to
know more about it, but there is no serial number stamped anywhere.
Are there other Chore Boys so marked, or did mine just walk out the
back door?
Also, I am one of the people who called to complain about the
cover with writing obscuring the very good pictures. Thank you for
the positive response, they really look good and well describe the
product. E. Fritz, P.O. Box 33, Valmy, NV 89438.
A: The earliest version of the Chore Boy was
rated at 1-1/2 HP. The change in rated horsepower was done fairly
early in production (perhaps about 1912), so surviving 1-1/2 HP
Chore Boys are fairly rare.
39/3/5: Clipper Engine I have owned this
‘Clipper’ engine for about a year. I have made enquiries on
Smokstak and a couple of other chat sites and done a computer
search under all the headings I could think of, with absolutely no
results. The tag reads:
Service specifications Clipper engines. Mention these numbers
when ordering service parts. Model No. EAOFFXEL Motor
Type No. Temperance Order No. MICH CL 5611
The model, type and order numbers are hand-etched into the
plate.
Below this part of the plate is information on lube, point
setting, plug gap, valve timing and gap, and then sales parts and
service available throughout the world. The tag is cutoff below
this point.
The bore and stroke are 2-1/4-inch. The governor consists of
several loose, steel balls between two round, grooved steel plates.
The centrifugal force pushes the balls to the outside of the
grooves and spreads the plates apart.
The magneto is a flywheel-type Bendix Scentilla Model 10-26. The
carburetor is a Bendix-Stromberg. The two flywheel covers in Photo
A are held together by the steel band in the background. The
aluminum is very soft but appears to have been die formed in rather
crude dies.
Photo B is the block with the identification tag. It is cast
aluminum, as are the head base and connecting rod. An iron cylinder
sleeve is pressed into the block.
Photo C is the head and carburetor.
Photo D shows the most interesting part of the engine -the
crankshaft. The crank is made of three round pieces and several
stamped steel plates. A stack of plates is riveted together with
thin copper stock between them to form the counterweight portion of
the crank. The crank pin and crankshafts are pressed into these
counterweights. The whole assembly is then heated in a neutral
atmosphere furnace until the copper melts and brazes the whole
assembly together. The color you see on the counterweights is
copper, not rust.
The method of manufacture and the carburetor/magneto would make
me think that it was built about 1960. It may be a prototype, but
beyond this I don’t have a clue. Dan Dorece, Midas Metals, 4814
47th Ave., Kenosha, WI 53144-2029.
39/3/6: Feed Cutter
I’m pretty sure John Plotz’s unknown device in query
38/9/5 (GEM, September 2003) is part of a feed cutter. I had one
like it, but it was destroyed in a fire many years ago.
I have been trying to find a replacement for years, and this is
the first clue I’ve had as to the manufacturer. Does anyone
have any information on the Dicks Agricultural Works of Canton,
Ohio? Copies of pamphlets or any advertising of their feed cutters
would be much appreciated. Burl H. Gillum, 6637 Pendleton Ave.,
Roanoke, VA 24019-4121.
39/3/7: McLeod or Nelson Bros.? Q: Could some
reader enlighten me on who manufactured an engine I have and how
old it might be? I have been told it was made by Nelson Bros. and
sold in Canada under the name McLeod Ltd. The brass tag on my
engine says, ‘The McLeod,’ and underneath that it says,
‘McLeod’s Ltd., Winnipeg, Canada, HP 5K, RPM 475,
#35969.’
I have a Nelson Bros. manual covering all gas and kerosene
engines, and none of those Nelson Bros. engines have any
similarities to mine. It is a throttled-governed engine,
igniter-fired with a Webster magneto. It has a built-in fuel pump
in the carburetor. Any information would be helpful. Thank you for
your help. Jesse Cook, 3423 Younger Drive, Charleston, WV 25306;
(304) 925-6172; e-mail: ncook@charlestoncardio.com
A: Like you, we’ve always understood that
McLeod engines were built under contract by Nelson Bros. A picture
of your engine would help sort that out, but in the meantime, if
anyone knows more about who supplied engines to McLeod, we’d
like to hear from you.
39/3/8: Unidentified Throttle-governed Engine I
enjoy restoring old engines and I am very impressed with Gas Engine
Magazine. Recently, I acquired an engine I have not been able to
identify. I found it on a farm in northern Nebraska along with
other interesting iron.
It is throttle-governed and has approximately a 4-1/4-inch by
6-inch bore and stroke, and 22-inch flywheels. All of the casting
numbers begin with ‘HH.’ Any help you can give me would be
appreciated. Wilfred M. Cronk, 1003 S. 5th St., Laramie, WY 82070;
(307) 745-8555.
39/3/9: Associated Questions Q: I am seeking
help with the following three questions: What is the year of
manufacturer of an Associated, 1-3/4 HP, air-cooled gas engine with
the serial no. 35972? What is the year of manufacture of a Hercules
5 HP, water-cooled gas engine with the serial no. 190509? What is
the weight of the 5 HP Hercules engine?
Thanks for your help. Larry Cauffman, 6 Union Mill Road, Mount
Laurel, NJ 08054-6319; (856) 235-4876; e-mail:
larrycauffmanjr@juno.com
A: Your associated was built in 1921. Your
Hercules Model E was built in 1919 and weighs 756 pounds dry. If
you have Internet access, check out Keith Smigle’s excellent
Web site on Associated engines at: www.oldengine.org/
members/smigle/associated pageindex.htm
Flywheel Forum is a place for readers to ask questions and share
information on their equipment. If you have a question about your
engine or tractor, please send it along to Gas Engine Magazine,
1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609-1265.
