Due to a tremendous amount of material this month, this
paragraph will be brief indeed. During the past few weeks we have
heard from numerous readers with photocopies of important material
for the files. Thanks to everyone for taking an interest in the
hobby and for adding to the files. All of these things help ease
the monthly task of answering the questions we receive.
Ye olde Reflector has been putting the finishing touches to a
book on Minneapolis-Moline. Andrew Morland of England has supplied
a great many color slides of existing models, and we have
supplemented this with a great many more illustrations from old
Minneapolis, Twin City, and M-M catalogs.
Work is continuing on our comprehensive history of J. I. Case
Company. The photographs are nearly complete now, and we are in a
position to proceed with the actually copy writing. In response to
a great many questions regarding our progress with this book, it is
our guess that it should be ready about a year from now. At least
it is our goal to release the book during the early part of 1991.
For those who are impatiently awaiting its release, perhaps a word
of explanation is necessary.
Compiling a comprehensive history of a major company like Case
is a project that requires a tremendous amount of organizational
work, long before the first words hit the paper. This situation is
complicated by the fact that to our knowledge, Case did not
maintain a production record for many of its machines. So far as we
can determine, there is no listing which would indicate for
instance, the production years of the various plows, disks, and
other implements. Although serial number lists do of course exist
for tractors, threshers, steam engines, and a few other machines,
in many cases, there simply is no such list. We have not found one,
and in communicating with a few people at the company, we are told
that such a list has never existed. This alone has complicated the
research phase tremendously and has required far more research time
than originally anticipated. In fact, for our purposes we had to
build our production file, virtually from scratch. So, please be
patient- we are working on the project, and it is making steady
progress. Now to our first query:
25/4/1 Unidentified Engine Q. See the photo of
an unidentified engine . It bears the serial number 67507, and the
horsepower is 3E. Please identify and tell me the year and model.
R. W. Powers, 207 2nd Ave No., Canton, AL 35045.
A. Your engine was built by Hercules, and the E
suffix would indicate that it was built in the 1914-25 period. This
series was the most popular of all Hercules engines.
25/4/2 Ferro Engine Q. See the two photos of a
Ferro 7 ? hp Type K engine. It was made by Ferro Machine &
Foundry Company at Cleveland, Ohio. The engine is directly coupled
to a planetary gear reversing transmission. Any information will be
appreciated. Doug Best, 10270 Traci Lane, Norwich, OH
43767.
A. We have virtually no information on Ferro in
our files, but perhaps some of our readers who specialize in marine
engines might be of help.
25/4/3 Huber and Trac Tractor Q. First of all,
see the photo of a 1917 Huber Light Four tractor which I finished
restoring in 1989. I have a question on a 1936 McCormick-Deering
T-20 Trac Tractor regarding its proper color. Any help will be
appreciated . Merrill J. Kuster, RR 2, Box 5, Stanley, ND
58784.
A. Our compliments on the Light Four. These
tractors are indeed hard to find! Regarding the IHC Gray, we have
DuPont’s 93-27625 listed as the proper color of gray.
25/4/4 Unidentified Governor Q. Can anyone
identify the governor shown in the photo? Any information will be
appreciated. Albert J. Ruhland, 8290 W. 280th St., New Prague,
MN 56071.
25/4/5 Massey-Harris Model Q. I have a model of
the Massey-Harris four-wheel-drive tractor. It has no markings
except the letters L.L.E. and a factory seal on the seat which
reads Model no. 11. Made Nov. 1938. Any information will be
appreciated. Morris Willsey, 4397 Switzkill Road, Berne, NY
12023.
25/4/6 VAC Case Tractor Q. I am restoring a
Case VAC, s/n VAC-14, sn/6001521. Any information is appreciated.
Charles J. Conroy, 17654 Beaverton Road, Capron, IL 61012.
A. Our records indicate that the VA Series
production of 1953 began with s/n 5750001 and ended with s/n
6004357. At this point our data on the VAC-14 is not organized for
ready access, but as noted above, we hope to rectify this over the
next few months.
25/4/7 Unidentified Equipment Q. See the three
photos of unidentified equipment. No. 7A illustrates a small
three-wheeled tractor with a 12 inch front, and 24 inch rear tires.
It uses a Briggs & Stratton cast iron engine, a transaxle with
built-in brakes, and pressed steel frame. The lower channel iron
frame is for a push plow. Photo 7B is most likely a marine
four-cycle style. The cam shaft is at a right angle to the
crankshaft. The water pump and part of the ignition system are
missing. The engine in 7C is also a marine style, and the top of
the cylinder is brass. Again, the carburetor and water pump are
missing. Any help on these engines will be appreciated. Rick
Simmons, 5258 First Line, Milton, Ontario L9T 2X5 Canada.
25/4/8 Unidentified Engine Q. See the two
photos of an unknown engine. It is of two-cycle design and uses a
Tillotson B-39 carburetor, Wico FW magneto, and a pull-rope
starter. The engine is orange, and each part is numbered similar to
the Maytag models. These numbers include 2350A on the cylinder,
2351A on the head, and 2505 on the base. Your help will be
appreciated. Jim Bender, Rt. 7, Box 82, Goldsboro, NC
27530.
25/4/9 Phelps Engine Q. See the
engine-generator combination in the two photos. It didn’t have
the intake manifold or carburetor. What was the carburetor used?
There is a plate over the side of the crankcase with
‘Phelps’ cast in it. Any information on this engine or
generator would be greatly appreciated. Don C. Wiley, RR1,
Sparta, IL 62286.
A. A similar style of the Phelps engine is
illustrated on page 388 of American Gas Engines. Since there are
still a few of these engines in existence, we hope that some other
owners might come to your aid.
25/4/10 Unidentified Engine Q. See the photos
of an unidentified engine. In cast letters it reads, ‘Mr-Tom
Motor Manufacturing Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, s/n 638.’ It has
battery and spark plug ignition, but is missing the carburetor and
some small ignition parts. Any information will be appreciated.
Jason Harvey, Box 167, Page, NE 68766.
