26/5/16 Cushman Type A Engine See the two
photos of a Cushman Type A engine of ? horsepower. I have seen
little reference to these engines in GEM. Apparently these engines
were used on the Cushman Bob-A-Lawn mowers, and were also used on
washing machines and other applications. Years ago, Cushman wrote
me that the lawn mower was built about 1927. Lowell Blick, RR 1,
Morgan, MM 56266.
26/5/17 Case Model L Tractor Q. I have a 1928
Model L Case tractor for which I need information. The engine oil
leaks badly into the clutch housing. Would crankshaft seals from
the Case LA tractor fit? Also, are the cylinder head and oilpan
gaskets the same for the L and LA tractors? Albert Leden, Box
117, Frontier, Saskatchewan S0N 0W0 Canada.
A. We don’t have enough parts books to make
the cross reference. You might wish to contact: Old Abe’s News,
4004 Coal Valley Road, Vinton, OH 45686-9741.
26/5/18 Wheel Horse and Ideal Thanks to Glen
Stanford, 202 E. Madison, Fairfield, IA 52556 for sending along a
couple of photos. No. 18A is a clipping of an Ideal Power Lawn
Mower advertisement. Photo 18B illustrates a Wheel Horse garden
tractor that Glen restored this past winter. He would appreciate
hearing from anyone with more information on the Wheel Horse
line.
26/5/19 Farmall and John Deere Q. Can anyone
help identify the year and model of this Farmall tractor? The
engine number is OC88015, and the frame number is 86960. Also,
where are the serial numbers located on the John Deere Model B and
Model G tractors? Ed Hollier, Route 2, Box 508, Pearcy,
AR71964.
A. Without the frame number prefix we can’t
tell you much; the engine number prefix isn’t a lot of help.
Our information has it that the serial number location on the A and
G John Deere is on the right hand side of the tractor on the main
case, and in the magneto or distributor and pulley area.
26/5/20 Globe Engine Robert J. Kubisch, 2111
Gilbride Road, Martinsville, NJ 08836 needs information on a Globe
air-cooled engine, s/n 2307. It was built in Sheboygan,
Wisconsin.
26/5/21 Sattley 1? HP Engine Q. I have a
Sattley engine, 1? HP, s/n 1455, 500 r.p.m. So far I have not been
able to find out when it was built, and I have found no information
on the 1? HP engine. Can anyone advise anything about this model?
George W. Mapes, P.O. Box 909, Pahrump, NV 89041.
A. Our files have nothing on a 1? HP model.
Anyone with some information?
26/5/22 Waterloo & Nelson Bros. Q. I have a
Waterloo Gas Engine, s/n 111438. It is similar to the one at the
top of page 536 of American Gas Engines. Can anyone tell me when it
was made, and the proper color? I have painted it Swift Red.
The plate says it was sold by P. J. Downes Co. at
Minneapolis.
Next is a 1 HP Nelson Bros, engine, VSG-2664, made at Saginaw,
Michigan. I have painted it dark green. Can anyone tell me the year
and correct color? Any and all information will be appreciated.
Gene Sullivan, 4108 Luveme Dr., Red Wing, MN 55066.
A. Since this engine was built by Waterloo and
sold by Downes, that explains why it is not called Waterloo Boy.
This title was apparently reserved for the engines actually sold by
Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. Those sold by other distributors
seem to have been sold as Waterloo engines, or to have been sold
strictly under the nameplate of the distributor, and with no
mention of the Waterloo name. There are numerous different engines
actually built by Waterloo, but bearing an entirely different
nameplate. It is entirely possible that these engines were of
various colors, rather than the usual Waterloo Green. The Nelson
vertical air-cooled was a product of the late 1930’s and early
1940’s.
26/5/23Standard Separator Q.
Recently I acquired a ? horsepower Standard engine as illustrated
on page 479 of American Gas Engines. Mine is equipped with an
Elkhart high tension magneto. Do any of my friends have any
information, instructions, etc. that they would share with me?
Jim Tomasetti, 91 Cedar St., Holliston, MA01746.
26/5/24 A New Find Q. See the photo of some
engines we pulled from a briar patch at an old sawmill site in
northern California. The International in the foreground is an LB A
, s/n71074. The Reeves engine is illustrated in American Gas
Engines, and is said to be a bright red color. Can anyone supply
the correct paint number? Also, we have a Bates & Edmonds
engine with s/n 7055, but have no idea when it was built.
Andy’s Appliance Service, 32501 Mill Creek Drive, Ft.
Bragg, CA 95437.
A. We can’t give you an exact color match
on the Reeves, but of those we have seen, we would guess
Sherwin-Williams 9403 Red to be pretty close. The LBA engine was
made in 1942.
Readers Write
26/2/23 Case SC Tractor Case SC tractors have
an increased bore size from 3? to 35/8 inches
with the 1953 model year. In the S Series tractors this happened
with s/n 8027115. There was also a new numbering system effective
with 1953. The foot clutch appeared at this time, as did live
power, twin spool hydraulics, and the Eagle Hitch system. This was
actually in effect at s/n 5600000. Flambeau Red is readily
available. Larry Skoglund, 313 2nd St., Mayer, MN 55360.
Circular Sawmills Having read the book The
Circular Sawmill, I can offer a few tips gleaned from mill men.
My sawmill experience began 12 years ago when I undertook the
project of constructing a log house. My timber was on my property
and my logging contractor never came through when sawing time
arrived.
Luckily, I found a small farm-type mill with a 48 inch saw and a
30 inch headblock opening. It used a paper wheel and disc-type
feed. I was stumped about restoring these wheels until a friend
mentioned having seen a Bush Hog using small pneumatic tires such
as used on small boat trailers etc. in place of the paper wheels.
It worked fantastic. To avoid creep of the carriage, I ground a
clearance depression in the center of the secondary disc.
Incidentally, my drive is very similar to the American feed shown
on page 7 of the above title.
I was underpowered at the beginning, using a U-9 International
Power Unit rated at 65 HP. Eventually I replaced the 10 inch flat
belt drive and the U-9 engine with a v-belt drive and a tractor
with 90 p.t.o. horsepower. This works fine on pine, gum, and ash.
The trouble begins in oak, especially seasoned logs.
An old mill man handed me a box of teeth about worn out, and
told me to put a new tooth in every other socket and one of these
old teeth in the remaining holders. This isn’t the way to
operate a commercial setup, but it sure has helped me out. I enjoy
working timber, but there are no mills left in my area to visit. By
the way, get the brochure on a portable high speed mill from Hurdle
Machine Co., Moscow, TN 38057. Sent in by John K. Strong, 11338
Monterey, Eads, TN 38028.
Engine & Tractor Terminology Many times I
see words in the magazine that I don’t understand. Oftentimes
there are references to styled, unstyled, row-crop, and orchard
tractors. Perhaps others might also be puzzled. Charles Nunley,
2912 – 10th St. NW, Canton, OH 44708.
This is a tough question to answer, not necessarily because we
don’t understand the terms, but because there are so many of
them that crop up. That’s a real problem for us, since we tend
to think of ‘circa’ or its abbreviated form of
‘ca.’ to mean ‘about.’ Thus, it is one of the
little shorthand methods that is used to simplify the copy and save
space. Instead of saying, ‘Built about 1935-37,’ the common
practice is to say ‘ca. 1935-37.’ Styled and unstyled
usually refers to tractors. Prior to the late 1930’s, most
tractors were unstyled; that is, they evidenced little of the sleek
lines so evident in auto building. For example, the early John
Deere A unstyled tractor has the radiator and steering post
exposed. The styled Model A has the radiator and steering post
enclosed in a ‘stylish’ grille, and the same lines flow
back along the hood in an imitation of automotive designs.
Row-crop tractors are intended for use in various crops planted
in rows. Almost invariably, the rear wheels can be adjusted to fit
the width of the rows. Either a tricycle front is used, or an
adjustable-width front axle. By comparison, the standard-tread
tractor has a fixed width of both the front and rear axles. Orchard
tractors are usually standard-tread tractors fitted with extra
shields and other accessories to permit cultivation of orchards and
vineyards without damaging the trees. High-clearance tractors are
specially designed for an exceptionally high clearance between the
ground and the belly of the tractor. Narrow-tread tractors are
usually of the standard-tread design, but with a very narrow
overall width.
When it comes to fuels, early tractors were usually set up to
burn kerosene, after first starting the engine on gasoline.
Distillate came along a few years later, and enjoyed brief
popularity, as did ‘tractor fuel.’ Both of these fuels were
about halfway between kerosene and gasoline. One of the major
problems with kerosene, distillate, and tractor fuel was that of
crankcase dilution. This resulted from poor burning of the fuel,
and with some of the residue ending up in the crankcase.
We could go on and on with various terminology. We do appreciate
your letter, since it helps us to remember that not everyone
understands some of the terms we take for granted.
Reprinting Reflections Kenneth R. Boone, 6305
State Rd. 62, Lanesville, IN 47136 suggests that we consider
compiling ‘The Best of Reflections’ into book form. In all
honesty, however, we would much prefer that the editors over at GEM
would take on this task rather than ourselves. However, we
certainly do appreciate the comment!
Modelmaker’s Corner
Economy Pumping Outfit See Photo MM-1; it shows
Ranulfo Galeano with a model Economy pumping outfit that he built
from the Tochtrop castings and drawings. This photo sent in by Joe
M. Tochtrop, 2028 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94118.
Hot Air Engine See Photo MM-2 of an
‘odds-and-ends’ hot air engine. The displacer cylinder is a
propane torch tank with the end cut off and a collar brazed on and
machined to accept a plate.
A ?-inch diameter brass rod 2 inches long with a
1/8-inch hole bored in it was fitted to the
center of this plate to receive a rod attached to a one pint beer
can which is the displacer piston. The power cylinder that is made
out of the insides of an automotive strut is also mounted on this
plate.
The power piston was made from aluminum stock. The main and
connecting rod bearings are sealed ball bearings. All other
bearings and pivots are brass.
The flywheel is a 12-inch v-pulley from a clothes dryer with a
3/8 inch log chain around the outside for
added weight. There is a water jacket around the upper end of the
displacer cylinder for cooling.
I have run this engine continuously at shows for 8 to 10 hours
at a time without water and it has never slowed down or stopped
because of getting too hot. It is fired by propane and uses very
little fuel. Robert Hesse, 6060 E. Joy Road, Ann Arbor, MI
48105.
A Closing Word
For the Reflector, the annual journey to the Waukee (Iowa) Swap
Meet is usually our first major event of the year. Coming as it
does in the latter part of May, it seems an appropriate time to get
back into swinging iron. Lord willing, and if the creek don’t
rise, we hope to see many of you there.
In closing, has anyone come across a Hero engine built by
Kerosene Power Company of Minneapolis about 1913? This is a
vertical, two-cycle engine, but we have no information as to the
sizes built.
We also learn from a 1913 issue of Gas Energy that John Lauson
Company at New Holstein, Wisconsin was one of the first major
builders to use magneto ignition on their engines. This apparently
began in 1910. From that time onward, and for several more years,
Lauson engines were equipped with a Sumter magneto.
Also in 1913, Phelps, Dodge & Company purchased two 1,000
horsepower Carels-Diesel engines for installation in an Arizona
mine. At the time, these were the largest diesel engines in the
United States. How times have changed!
The purpose of the Reflections column is to provide a forum for
the exchange of all useful information among subscribers to GEM.
Inquiries or responses should be addressed to: REFLECTIONS, Gas
Engine Magazine, P.O. Box 328, Lancaster, PA 17603.