Thanks to Charles W. Whitney, 5 Teryl Drive, Mt. Vernon, OH for
sending along an interesting little book. It is entitled, A Century
of Growth & Development of Major Farm Equipment Companies to
1948. It includes a lot of material from an official U.S.
Government release of that year. For further information, contact
Mr. Whitney.
Thanks also to Mike Flint who sent us some material on the D. T.
Bohon Company sometime back. Mike can be reached at 128 S. Main
St., Lexington, VA 24450.
John Knepper, 2280 Jaeger Dr., Dubuque, IA 52001 sent along some
photocopies regarding the Dubuque (Iowa) Gasoline Engine Company, a
rare bird indeed!
We also received a videotape from Kevin Hickey at Benton Hot
Springs, Benton, CA 93512. It features a 20 HP Fairbanks-Morse Type
N engine operating an old stamp mill, complete with rock crusher
and other equipment. Kevin tells us that this stamp mill was set up
in the 1920s. It sure was nice listening to that Fairbanks
engine!
We begin with:
27/5/1 FBM Jack Junior Q. I have a
Fairbanks-Morse Type H, Jack junior engine as shown on page 163 of
American Gas Engines. It is missing the nameplate, so can anyone
supply a copy or a clear photo of one, including the dimensions?
Also placing of any decals, and the original color. This engine is
also missing the crankcase splash guard, so a clear photo and
dimensions of same would be appreciated. I’ll be glad to hear
from any owners of this engine. J. Gordon Hayes, 46A Jeffreys
Road, Fendalton, Christchurch, 5, New Zealand.
27/5/2 Centaur Tractor Q. What is the color
scheme for a Model 2G Centaur tractor with a two-cylinder LeRoi
engine? Coles Roberts, 210 Church Rd., Southampton, NJ
08088.
27/5/3 Galloway Q. See the photo of two
Galloway engines, both 2? HP. The one on the right has the
flywheels set off. In American Gas Engines you show a 1? HP
Galloway that looks exactly like mine. Did they make Boss of the
Farm engines also in the 2? HP size? What color were they, and what
years were they made? Byron Boike, 2280 Co. Rd. 5 SW, Willmar,
MN 56201.
A. Although we are of the opinion that the Boss
of the Farm designation was used on the 1? HP model, this
designator may also have been used on the 2? HP engine. It is also
possible that later on in production Galloway might have raised the
speed so as to squeeze out another half a horsepower. We’re not
sure whether there is enough data left to make this determination,
at least we don’t have enough literature to give you a
black-and-white answer…the best we can give is a dark shade of
gray. The color scheme is the same red, with yellow striping, that
was used on the remainder of the Galloway line.
27/5/4 MECO Engine Company. Brian M. Lynch, RD
1, Box 120-B, Wellsville, NY 14895 sends along some important
information regarding the MECO engines. Major portions of this fact
sheet follow:
Manufacturer’s Engine Company engines were built from
September 1915 to April 1920 at the Witte Engine Works in Kansas
City, Missouri. Serial numbers began with A1000 and ended with
A5950. Six sizes were built. (Using serial numbers alone would
leave the impression that 4,950 engines were built. However, the
numbers were assigned in blocks, and many of the numbers were never
assigned to an engine. Thus, the total number of MECO engines built
is substantially less than 4,950).
MECO was a secondary sales arm of Witte. This allowed Witte to
produce a ‘generic’ engine. In addition to sales by
Manufacturer’s Engine Company (from whence comes the MECO name,
various mailorder companies sold the engine under their own name.
(Brian has a Cray Bros, engine nameplate for a 2 HP MECO, s/n
A4476.)
Although much of the MECO engine is similar to the concurrently
built Witte Jr. engines, there are some distinct differences,
including a slightly different design for the cylinder and water
hopper.
Brian would like to hear from other MECO owners.
27/5/5 Phillips Mfg. Company Q. Last October I
acquired an engine built by T.W. Phillips Mfg. Company, Butler, Pa.
The flywheels are 56 inches in diameter, it has an 8? inch piston,
and is a two-cycle, natural gas engine. I can find nothing about
it, so if anyone can supply any information on this company, I will
be glad to hear from you. John W. Neth, RD 6, Box 527, Johnson
City, TN 37601.
A. We have nothing whatever on this one…can
anyone be of help?
27/5/6 IHC Famous Q. What is the year built for
an IHC Famous 6 HP engine with s/n JA l584? I would also like to
correspond with anyone who has restored one of these engines.
Ken Hollenbeck, 312 Gillett Ave., Waukegan, IL 60085.
A. Your engine was built in 1908.
27/5/7 C-E Tractor Q. See the two photos of an
unidentified garden tractor. The nameplate identifies it as a C-E
tractor, Machine No. 395, Cleveland, Ohio. The tractor is about 8
feet long and weighs at least 800 pounds. It uses a 3 speed +
reverse transmission, similar to the Farmall Cub. It is powered by
a Wisconsin Type AF engine with an Eisemann magneto and a Kingston
carburetor. Any information will be appreciated. Tim Hoover,
16476 Todd Rd., Petersburg, MI 49270.
27/5/8 Wheelhorse Tractor. David Ruck, 31
Parlvnt Road, Slough, England SL3 8BD needs information on a Wheel
horse Tractor built at South Bend, Indiana. It is Model L107, s/n
379068, and is powered by a Tecumseh engine. If you can be of help,
please contact Mr. Ruck.
27/5/9 Friend Engine. R. E. Fisher, 108
Pembroke St., Kingston, MA 02364 has a Friend engine, s/n DX7997.
It is in tough shape, so he needs to contact other Friend owners
for information, dimensions of parts, etc. If you can help, kindly
contact Mr. Fisher.
27/5/10 Some Information. Thanks to Sydney
Bunnell, 2265 Lincoln Farm Rd., Hodgenville, KY 42748 for sending
some photocopy material on Witte engines and the New Britain
Machine Co. For instance:
A 1920 advertising letter from New Britain states that their
tractors were built in two models, the No. 1 and the No. 2. Both
tractors used the same engine and power. ‘The No. 1 is low and
narrow, and is for single row work, while the No. 2 is higher and
wider and is for multiple row work.’ The letter goes on to
state that, ‘The two cylinder, four cycle, six horsepower
engine gives ample power for the various jobs.’
In 1920 the No. 1 sold at $450, and the No. 2 sold for $500.
Several attachments were also available at additional cost.
Mr. Bennell also included some information on the 1920 Witte
line, offered at ‘New Reduced Prices.’ Taking the
stationary kerosene engine line we have the 2 HP priced at $48.95,
and the 3 HP at $80.45, the 4 HP at $112, and ranging up to the big
30 HP model at $954.90.
27/5/11 IHC Titan Colors? Q. What is the proper
shade of gray for the IHC Titan 10-20 tractor? Were the water and
fuel tanks painted or left with the galvanized finish? Dave
Allison, Starbuck, Manitoba R0G IPO Canada.
A. We’ve never been able to establish the
proper shade of gray with certainty. It seems to us that it was a
lighter shade of gray than was used on the McCormick-Deering 10-20,
and the F-Series tractors. Can anyone supply this information?
27/5/12 Gibson Tractor Club. If you are
interested in joining the newly formed Gibson Tractor Club, contact
Dave Baas, President, Gibson Tractor Club, 4200 Win wood Ct., Floyd
Knobs, IN 47119. (812) 923-5822. Efforts are underway to organize
‘meets’ at various shows around the country.
27/5/13 Query on Vinegar. Robert Prentice, RR
1, Box 112, Terrill, IA 51364 asks for information on vinegar. He
recalls a GEM story that said full strength vinegar out of the
barrel was useful in loosening rust. Regular vinegar, Prentice
says, is not enough. Can anyone out there in Engine land help?
Write him if you have the information.
27/5/14 What Is It? Q. What engine is this?.
Robert A. LeBaron, 5801 E. 5th St., Tucson, AZ 85711.
A. It is an Associated.
27/5/15 Stover Question Q. I have restored a 4
HP Stover engine, s/n T111985. I found traces of blue paint on the
inside of the belt pulley, Is this the true color of the engine?
Tom Hopkins, Rt 1, Box 257, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.
A. No, this model Stover is the dark, muddy
green, as indicated in the Notebook. The pulley might have come
from some other machine, or the engine might have been sold with
some machine that was painted that color, but the Stover was not
blue.
27/5/16 Hercules or Economy? Q. See the photo
of a Hercules (Economy?) engine, 1? ‘S’, s/n 360670. It has
a casting date of 27, which agrees with the ‘S’ model on
page 34 of History of Hercules by Glenn Karch. The gentleman I
bought the engine from assured me it was a Hercules engine with an
Economy deed, on it. After reading the above book it states that
Hercules engines always had a crank guard. This engine has no
provisions for one. So, what is the make, and what is the proper
color? Harvey A. Campbell, RD 27, Box 212, Millers Mill Rd.,
York, PA 17402-9355.
A. We’re at a loss on this one. Can the
Hercules-Economy experts provide the answer?
27/5/17 Recent Restorations. It’s been
awhile since I wrote, but here are photos of a couple recent
restorations. Photo 17A shows an International 1? HP type M engine
I bought at an auction. It had not run for about 30 years, but was
still in good condition. Photo 17B shows a very unusual lawn mower.
The name tag reads, Murry Clipper, All Purpose Mower, Model H, s/n
1941, Schissell Mfg. Co., Cherokee, Iowa. I would like to hear from
someone having information on this one, or owning one of these
mowers. Elwood Hutt, 109 S. Lincoln, Osceola, IA
50213.
27/5/18 Trackson Registry Connecticut Yankee
Tractor, 85 Dayton Rd., Waterford, CT 06385 recently sent us a copy
of his Trackson Registry. For further details contact The Yankee at
the above address.
27/5/19 Unidentified Engine Q. See the photo of
an engine with the following nameplate information: Engine No.
244216,425 r.p.m., HP 5 EK. Don Judkins, 31818 Hwy 18, Lucerne
Valley, CA 92356.
A. Can the Hercules-Economy experts enlighten
us on this designator?
27/5/20 Unidentified Engine Q. I am a bit green
at this hobby, but enjoy it very much. Old iron is hard to find in
this area, but I finally found myself an engine. My engine is rough
as a night in jail and I don’t even know what kind it is. The
tag on the hobber says, Engine No. 285261, HP 5FW. Tim Littleton,
32 Bucksaw Jct., Grayson, KY 41143.
A. The FW model from Hercules is fully
discussed in Chapter 6 of Glenn Karch’s book, noted previously
in this column.
27/5/21 Utilimotor Q. Can anyone provide
information on the engine shown in the two photos? It is a
Utilimotor made by Johnson Motor Company, Waukegan, Illinois, s/n
17209. Any information on age, magneto timing, or the governor
would be appreciated. Harrey Worthington, 810 S. New St., West
Chester, PA 19382.
A. From what we know about it, the Utilimotor
is not so easy to find. We have very little information on this
one, but perhaps some of our readers might be able to lend Mr.
Worthington a hand.
27/5/22 Shaw Du-All Q. See the photo of a Shaw
Du-All with a Briggs & Stratton engine on it. The engine serial
number puts it at 1938, and it is 4 HP. The engine and tractor are
painted orange. Other Shaw owners we have contacted have never seen
one like it, so we think it may be a prototype. Any information on
this tractor will be greatly appreciated. Bob Ellis, 2909
Kerrwood Dr., Columbus, OH 43231.
27/5/23 Le Napoleon Engine Q. I have just
acquired a Le Napoleon engine manufactured by Eug. Julien &
Cie., Ltee, Quebec, Canada, 4? HP, No. 60942, Vitesse 325. Any
information will be greatly appreciated. Raymond Druery, 1150
Mulock Drive, New-market, Ontario L3Y 4W1, Canada.
A. We’ve never heard of this one…can
anyone help?
27/5/24 Unidentified Engine Q. Can anyone
identify the engine in the two photos? It is air cooled, twin
cylinder, with top push rods and an Eisemann magneto. The single
flywheel is 18 inches in diameter and 2? inches wide. It appears to
have an ‘I’ over an ‘H’ symbol on it. The magneto
gear cover is E 1580, the manifold is E1047A, and looks like the
Monarch on page 312 of American Gas Engines, only more angular.
Some people say it is an engine from an IH high-wheeler truck. Can
anyone identify this one? Howard Houck, 3585 Galway Road.,
Ballston Spa, NY 12020.
A. We’re inclined to think this one is from
the IHC high-wheeler but we’ll wait for reaction from you
folks!
27/5/25 IHC LAA Engine Q. I have an IHC LA
engine, s/n LAA832094. What are the proper colors for this engine?
I have talked to people and some say it should be grey, some red,
and some say red and grey. This one had a red flywheel and the rest
appears to have been a gloss black. Since my son and I will be
restoring this engine, we would like to know for sure about the
color scheme. Lanny and Tom Roth, RR 2, Box 289, Chippewa
Falls, WI 54729.
A. Here’s a situation where we don’t
want our opinion etched in steel, but we think this one, coming
along later in production, might have had a grey body and a red
flywheel.