25/7/32 Climax Engines Jim Hudkins, Long Acres
Farm, Hudkins Drive, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223 would like to hear
from other owners of Climax engines, particularly the Climax R 41
or circa 1950.
25/7/33 Stover-Lauson Q. We need information on
a Stover engine built by Lauson, as shown in the photo. Need to
know about the carb, magneto , and the oil pump. It is shown on
page 494 of American Gas Engines. Bud Denny, PO Box 2242,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35403.
25/7/34 McCormick 10-20 Q. I am restoring a
1931 10-20 IHC McCormick tractor would like to know its proper
colors. Kenneth Grant, P.O. Box 245, Galway, New York
12074-0245.
A. See the earlier question in this regard for
the gray and red numbers required.
25/7/35 Hot Air Engines Q. I am interested in
old hot air engines and steam engines, not only big, but also
models. Are there any magazines devoted to steam engines and
dynamos? Are there shops in the USA for old machines? Are there
meetings about these things? Any information will be
appreciated. Franz Mock, Lederergasse 25, A-3500, Krems,
Austria.
A. If anyone cares to share information with
Mr. Mock, kindly do so. We don’t know of anything devoted
strictly to engines and dynamos, and we don’t know of any shops
in the U.S. that are still building machines of this type. We can
tell you though that there are a great many shows and meetings
about the general subject of vintage steam. Elsewhere in your
letter you note that you will be in the U.S. this Fall, and that is
the ideal time to see a great many shows here.
25/7/36 Homelite Chainsaw Q. Can anyone help me
locate a parts source for a Homelite Model 7-29AS, s/n 624578 chain
saw. I believe it was made between 1953 and 1957. Any
information will be much appreciated. Charles M. Stone, E 4203-43rd
Ave., Spokane, Washington 99223.
25/7/37 Ford 9N-2N Paint Q. Does anyone have
the correct color formula for the Ford 9N-2N gray paint?
Leonard Rahilly, 7760 Old M-78, East Lansing, Michigan
48823.
25/7/38 Witte Diesels Mr. ‘Dave Diesel’
Churbuck, PO Box A, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, 02532-1800 writes
that he was the former East Coast Distributor for Witte Diesel
until it became Lister in 1977. For those interested in
information, etc., on Witte diesels, you might want to contact Mr.
Churbuck. He will be starting a regular mailing list of owners and
information if the Witte owners would like to find each other. Send
along an SASE though.
25/7/39 Acadia Engine Q. See the photo of an
Acadia 2 HP engine I recently acquired. Any information on the
engine, including the proper color scheme, will be appreciated.
David A. Crawford, 88 Academy St., Westfield, New York
14787.
A. Pages 9 and 10 of American Gas Engines have
information on the Acadia line.
25/7/40 Lister Engine Q. Can anyone supply
information on my Lister engine, ? HP, same as Brownwall 1 HP water
cooled shown on page 67 of American Gas Engines, except mine is
control governed with a small Webster and I have nothing like parts
numbers 1 to 6 on the sketch. Would like to hear from anyone who
can shed more light on the subject. Andre Radcot, 129 Clark
Sherbrooke, Quebec, CanadaJ1J 2N4.
25/7/41 Magneto Parts I would like to hear from
anyone who knows of a source of repair parts for IHC Type LA engine
and the Wico AH magneto. Elmer Hallitt, PO Box 332, Elkton,
Michigan 48731.
25/7/42 Panzer Garden Tractor Q. Bruce Hall,
Rt. 90, KingFerry, New York 13081 would like to hear from anyone
having info on a Panzer Lawn & Garden tractor built in
Waynesboro, Virginia, It is a Model TZOB, s/n 76666.
25/7/43 Happy Farmer Tractor The photograph
illustrates my father with his Happy Farmer tractor in 1919, two
years before I was born. The tractor was a disaster! He said the
only time it made him a happy farmer was on the day he sold it.
My father farmed with horses until 1936. By then I was 15 and
horses and I didn’t get along very well. That year he bought a
Sears & Roebuck Bradley tractor. I think he got it cheap, as
only 300 were built and production had already ended. It was a
row-crop design with four speeds, a Waukesha engine, steel wheels,
and a final drive like the Farmall. The tread could be adjusted by
a telescoping arrangement between the differential housing and the
final drive gear housing. I spent many hours operating and
repairing the Bradley.
Who manufactured this tractor? Max F. Homfeld, RR 2, Box
697, St. Michaels, Maryland 21663.
25/7/44 Ottawa Q. Can anyone tell me the year
built for an Ottawa log saw engine, s/n TE28763? Also the proper
color scheme? In addition, how do I find the year built for a
Williams Com Meal and Flour Mill outfit, No. 4122? It is
illustrated on page 47 of the Fairbanks-Morse catalog, 80N.
Wyland K. Reed, 1922 East Ivy Street, Mesa, Arizona
85203-2819.
A. So far as we know, there is no definite
dating available for either of the above items.
25/7/45 Pease Engine? Q. See the two photos of
what I believe to be a 5 HP Pease engine built at Goshen, Indiana.
It uses a belt-driven fly ball governor. Would anyone with any
information on this engine please contact me? It will be
appreciated. Don Dutoi, Box 28, Wyatt, Indiana 46595.
A. The Pease engine is illustrated in American
Gas Engines. Although the illustration there is a different view,
we believe your engine very possibly could be of this make. If so,
we would guess it to be very rare indeed.
25/7/46 FBM Pump Frank Baker, 418 East Zuni
Dr., Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 has a Fairbanks-Morse 3 x 5′
reciprocating pump. He would like to hear from anyone having
information on this machine, including the proper color, etc.
25/7/47 Leader Engine David Hildebrand, RD 2,
Box 453, Drums, PA. 18222 has a 4 HP Leader engine from Field Force
Pump Company. It is s/n 3117. He would like to hear from anyone
with information on this engine, particularly in regard to its age
and the proper color scheme.
25/7/48 Information Needed Q. What is the
meaning of the ‘W’ on the s/n of my IHC ‘M’ engine?
After cleaning, I find no green paint, only black, and was
wondering if any were originally painted this color?
Regarding a 1? HP Excelsior from Consolidated Gas & Gasoline
Engine Company , it is different from the one shown on page 106 of
American Gas Engines. The main frame is similar to the Witte. Can
anyone tell me anything about this engine, including its original
colors ? See the photos. Dennis J. Matthews, 401 North Harvard
Ave., Ventnor, New Jersey 08406.
A. The ‘W’ is simply a manufacturers
prefix. In the case of the ‘M’ engines, the prefix might
code the fuel type or the magneto style.
Readers Write
DuPont and Other Finishes Several people wrote
concerning the use of automotive enamels, acrylic enamels in
particular. For the sake of explanation, DuPont Dulux is an alkyd
enamel, Centari an acrylic, and Imron a polyurethane. From what we
have heard, Centari or similar acrylics are becoming the most
popular. For one thing, the acrylics are quite resistant to spilled
gasoline. Paint manufacturers seem to be discontinuing the alkyd
enamels, so in a few years it seems likely that acrylics will be
the only choice if using an automotive finish.
The consensus also seems to be that in addition to finding a
good ‘paint man,’ (a good paint dealer), another
requirement is to find a good ‘body man’ or someone skilled
in applying acrylic enamels. Again, the consensus seems to be that
it’s pointless to spend hours sanding, filling, and sanding in
preparation for the finish, only to have a bad looking job with
sags, runs, dirt specks, and many other problems that plague the
painter. Acrylics require a certain skill in their application.
Beyond this, the fumes are very hazardous, so once again we caution
our readers to use an approved respirator when working with these
materials. The gauze surgical masks at the corner five-and-dime
won’t give you anywhere near the protection you need!!!
25/3/20 Unusual Wrench A number of letters came
in regarding this entry. There is a general agreement that it is an
outboard motor wrench, and the pocket in the wrench is for extra
propeller shear pins.
25/3/32 Unidentified Engine Donald G. Husek,
1927 Esquire St., Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 writes that this engine
has many similar features to his 1910 Excelsior motor cycle engine.
Don also writes:
My grandfather worked for Excelsior Motorcycle Company in
Chicago in 1910 and 1911. Until 1910 the engine drive was a flat
belt. In 1911 they went to a roller chain, and this was the first
U.S. motorcycle to use a chain drive.
Don also would like to contact someone about the oil pressure
gauge as used on a 1926 Cletrac, and would also like to hear from
someone regarding a 3 HP Champion outboard motor of about 1940
vintage.
25/4/49 C. H. & E. Co. Several people wrote
in saying that this company is still in operation, manufacturing
various types of pumps. The address is: C. H. & E., 3849 Palmer
Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.
25/5/4 Diamond Reo Kits A number of letters
came in on this query. All were in agreement that this item was
built in 1953 by the lawn mower division of Reo Motors in Lansing,
Michigan. It was called a Troll about.
Duplex-Superior Some letters came in to tell us
that indeed, Duplex at Superior, Wisconsin did not build any
engines. They bought the engines on contract from various
manufacturers and affixed their own nameplate, usually in addition
to that of the original builder.
Model makers Corner
Galloway Model Glen Stanford, 202 E. Madison
Ave., Fairfield, Iowa 52556 sends a photo of his
1/3 scale model of the 2? HP Galloway. Glen
tells us it was made from scrap under the bench! See MM-1.
Perkins Model Bill DeBolt, 812C West Patapsco
Ave., Baltimore, Maryland 21230 sends photos of his latest
creation-a half scale model of the 2 HP Perkins vertical engine.
Built in water and air cooled style, it uses a side shaft, a fly
ball governor, and a low tension igniter. See MM-2 illustrating
both styles.
Model Sawmill See MM-3 and MM-4 showing a
one-inch scale of an 1882 J.I. Case sawmill. The mill is built of
wood and cold-rolled steel. There are five carriage axles, three
sliding head blocks for various log lengths, and set works that
advance and recede. The feed is 0.025 inch per revolution of saw
and gigback is 0.110 inch per revolution. The engine (MM-3) is a
hit-and-miss model built from Cole castings. Dell R. Grupe, 3929
Globe Ave., Culver City, CA 90230.
A Closing Word
The last months have been busy ones for ye olde Reflector.
Having finished a book on Minneapolis-Moline (scheduled for this
fall by Motor books), and working on a J.I. Case history, there is
little spare time. Also, there are ruminations of a 1991 trip to
Australia, and you can bet that if at all possible, we’ll be
going! This summer we’ll be working on a 4 HP IHC Mogul, plus
some other items, as yet undetermined.
Recently we received some interesting history concerning the
Toro Company at Minneapolis. Named as a Fortune 500 Company in
1988, Toro was organized in 1914 to build tractor parts for Bull
Tractor Company. By 1920 their To-Ro cultivator was introduced, and
a year later the company founded the first mechanical golf course
maintenance. Home power mowers appeared in 1929, followed by rotary
lawn mowers in 1948. The first Toro snow thrower appeared in 1951,
and in 1956 Toro made history by being the first company in the
lawn and garden industry to advertise on television. Many other
‘firsts’ have followed.
In our never ending barrage of paperwork, we are not sure of who
sent us this material on Toro, but be sure of our appreciation!