25/1/30 Engine-Compressor Q. See the photo of
an engine and compressor unit I am restoring. I have not been able
to identify the compressor, nor can I locate any information on the
Briggs & Stratton engine, Style ZZ, s/n 308233. Any replies
will be appreciated.
Ricky Taylor, 4089 Faith Way Dr., Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
25/1/31 Magnet Engine Q. See the sketch of an
engine that was sold by my father in the early days of homesteading
in Southern Saskatchewan. I have tried to find out more about it,
but without success. Any replies will be appreciated.
Richard L. Sinkinson, 661-19 St., Brandon, Manitoba R7B 1K6
Canada.
A. Since so little information has been found
on the Magnet engines, we’ll all appreciate hearing from anyone
who can tell us more about the company and its engines.
25/1/32 A Query Q. See 32-A illustrating a
Stover stone buhr mill. It appears to have been pea green in color.
Also, see 32-B showing a Sandwich corn sheller. Any information on
these machines will be appreciated.
Edgar E. Wagner, 1918 Hillison Rd., Amboy,IL61310.
A. The Stover stone buhr mill is a rather
scarce machine-it appears that Stover only built them for a few
years in the mid-teens. The Sandwich corn sheller could have been
built anywhere from the 1890s into the early 1930s, but likely
dates back to pre-World War One vintage. Perhaps some of our
readers might be able to furnish Mr. Wagner with the original color
scheme or other information on either of these machines.
25/1/33 Vertical Famous Q. What is the year
built of an IHC Famous 2 hp vertical engine, s/n KA24290? Also what
is the correct color scheme for this engine?
Ray Wickham, Dumont, IA50625.
A. Your engine was built in 1911. Many of these
engines used IHC red for the engine itself, with the flywheels
using a green comparable to DuPont 29609-H olive. This scheme did
not necessarily hold true for the entire production-some used black
flywheels, some had the entire engine in red, and we have in our
stable a Famous Jr. vertical that is without a doubt finished in
IHC BLUE!
25/1/34 Hoag Oil Engine Q. I have an engine
with the following specs: Hoag Oil Engine Co., Brantford (Ontario)
Canada. Built under license from R. M. Hvid Co., Chicago, Illinois,
s/n 299, 9 hp. Was this engine built by Hercules or Cummins, or did
Hoag build it themselves?
Ken Doherty, 505 West Line St., Geneva, IN 46740.
A. We don’t have a leg to stand on in our
belief, but we’ll wager that Hoag built this engine on their
own. A great many companies bought the Hvid license besides
Hercules, and as we know, virtually all of these enterprises ended
in failure. A major reason was the simple fact that those selling
the engines didn’t show the purchasers how to operate them or
to understand their unique personality. Anyone who has operated an
engine built under the Hvid license has quickly found out that no
two are just alike. Changing from one brand of fuel to another can
mess up the program, and of course, cold weather was a problem too.
Despite this, Davenport Oil Engine Co., another builder of this
style engine, claimed that their engine would start and run in any
weather, using any fuel not too heavy to flow through the line from
the tank to the fuel cup. Being the owner of a couple of oil
engines, including a Davenport, ye olde Reflector seriously
questions the assertion! Perhaps some of our readers can provide
some background on the Hoag engine.
25/1/35 Farquhar Engine
See the two photos of a very rare 7 hp A. B. Farquhar engine
built at York, Pennsylvania about 1910. It is s/n 282. This company
made engines between 1910 and 1915, and only about 700 were built
during this period. Owned by
George Melhorn Jr. and Rita Eisensmith, 3430 Lower Glades
Rd.,York, PA 17402.
25/1/36 Consolidated Engine
Herbert L. Webster, Box 213, Van Etten, NY 14889 has an
Excelsior 1 1/2 hp engine built by Consolidated Gas & Gasoline
Engine Co., 202 Fulton St., New York City. Any information on this
engine will be appreciated, including the proper color scheme.
25/1/37 Lessman Loader Co. Q. See the two
photos showing a Fordson tractor with a Lessman loader mounted. The
second photo shows the power drive unit for the loader. The unit
was built by Lessman Loader Company of Des Moines, Iowa, and was
originally mounted on a Fordson Industrial Tractor with solid
rubber tires. Any information will be appreciated.
C. W. Klooz, 829 Lafayette Rd., Medina, OH 44256.
25/1/38 Ontario Wind Engine Q. See the photo of
an Ontario Wind Engine gas engine. There is no nameplate on the
engine, and the former owner didn’t have many details. Since we
would like to finish the restoration job, we would appreciate
hearing from anyone able to help in any way whatever.
Steven Shields, 159 Sunpoint Cr., Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1T9
Canada.
A. American Gas Engines lists Ontario Wind
Engine & Pump Co. at Toronto as an engine builder, although we
are not at all certain whether they did in fact build engines, or
whether they were engine jobbers. At one point in time, our
information has it that this firm sold the Chapman engines built at
Marcellus, Michigan.
25/1/39 Garden Tractor
The two below photos illustrate a garden tractor which I have
been unable to identify. The only markings include a serial number
of P2506, and the carburetor is marked, ‘Basco Motor
Wheel.’ The seller told me he bought it in 1923, and beyond
that I can tell you virtually nothing about the tractor. Any
information will be greatly appreciated.
George Constantini, 8 Linden Ave., Bordentown, NJ 08505.
25/1/40 Tractor Manuals
For the benefit of those who might need such information, we are
told that manuals for many models of Hart-Parr, Oliver,
Minneapolis-Moline, Cock-shutt, and White farm tractors may be
available from Floyd County Historical Society, 500 Gilbert St.,
Charles City, IA 50616. There is a variable charge for these
manuals, or photocopies thereof, depending on the size of the
manual. We commend these folks for maintaining this valuable
collection. It was donated to the Society, all 26 tons of it, by
Allied Products Corporation, the parent company of White-New
Idea.
25/1/41 Jacobson Compressor Q. I recently
bought what I thought to be a Jacobson hit-and-miss engine with
quite a few missing parts. When I got it home and started cleaning
it up, I discovered that is was actually an air compressor. It
looks just like the engine shown on page 255 of American Gas
Engines. The difference is that the engine casting was never
machined for gears etc. The nameplate has no serial number or hp
stamped on it. The color is bright red. I would like to correspond
with anyone having information on this compressor, or on the
whereabouts of an engine like it.
Eddie Wells, Box 1069, Wise, VA 24293.
25/1/42 Gray Marine Engine Q. I recently
acquired a Gray Marine Engine, Model U, 3 hp, and two-cycle design.
Now I have questions regarding the fuel-oil mixture, timing, etc.,
and would appreciate hearing from anyone able to help.
Herman Hollerith, 315 Sumpter St., Lynchburg,VA24503.
A. Without going into details, timing consists
of setting the timer so that when the spark advance handle is fully
retarded, ignition will come at dead center or perhaps a bit later.
Then when the engine is running, the timer handle can be advanced
to where the engine runs nicely. The oil-fuel mixture should
perhaps be judged from those people marketing two-cycle
lubricants-some recent introductions are very concentrated and
require much different ratios than formerly.
25/1/43 Associated Chore Boy
Clifford E. Pollock, 7 Catherine St., Gansevoort, NY 12831 would
like to hear from someone having information on parts for an
Associated Chore Boy engine.
