REFLECTIONS

By C. H. Wendel
Published on October 1, 1991
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As always happens this time of year, the volume of mail
decreases, due largely to the many shows and other activities of
summer. Also, ye old Reflector finds himself squeezed into a corner
to meet the coming deadlines. As we put this October issue to bed,
we also will have the November column to compile in late August,
since we will be attending some shows when it will come due. Thus,
we have attempted to shuffle the material in such a way that
neither column will be slighted too much; however, if your query
doesn’t appear in this issue, it will come in the following
issue. We’re sorry for this, but there is no other way to meet
the publishing schedules, that is, unless we are to be in the
office at the right time, and as the saying goes, ‘That
ain’t likely.’

We extend our thanks to all those who sent material regarding
our query on a Kohler Light Plant. We also got two or three phone
calls in this regard. To those kind enough to call, our
apologies…we wrote down the phone numbers from the answering
machine, but then I lost my little ‘important book’ and in
it were the phone numbers. By then of course, the answering machine
had eaten the messages. Call again, or drop me a line, and again my
apologies.

As many of you might know, we are already working on a
comprehensive history of Oliver, Hart-Parr, Cletrac, and related
companies. Our thanks to all who have sent materials, information,
or other kinds of help. From the response we are getting, there
appears to be a tremendous interest in these companies. With the
material we now have on film, plus a number of things yet to do, we
should be able to compile an interesting history of these firms.
So, thanks again!

We have some interesting items this time, and we’ll begin
with:

26/10/1 Ford Conversion

The July GEM called for information on tandem tractors. See the
photo of a tandem I built in 1962 with two 900 Ford tractors. A
beam runs down from drawbar to drawbar. The clutch and throttle
controls are in front of the radiator. I fastened a mirror by the
gauges to watch them from the front tractor. I drove by two vacuum
gauges to synchronize the engines.

It was very easy to operate. The back tractor just followed
along like a little trailer. A feature I liked about it was that I
could pull a pin, unhook some hoses, and I had one tractor for
other jobs.

I had all eight tires full of fluid, and it handled a six bottom
plow and a 21 foot tandem disc. It was our main power for three
years. In 1988 the tandem tractor was restored to showroom
condition. I also have fifteen other Fords, all restored. Doug
Norman, Route 3, Box 141, Montivideo, MN 56265.

26/10/2 Stover Engine Q. What is the year built
of a Stover engine, s/n 262850? Gerald D. Fagerlund, PO Box
253, Rolla, ND 58367.

26/10/3 H.M. Sciple & Others Q. See photos
3-A and 3-B of an engine marked ‘Gleason, Bailey & Sciple
Mfg. Co., Seneca Falls ,N.Y.’ The back of the cylinder is
marked ‘H.M. Sciple, General Agent, Philadelphia, Pa.’ This
engine is about 1 horsepower. Any information will be greatly
appreciated. Also, Photo 3-C shows a large gas engine mounted on a
barge; can anyone identify the engine in this original photo?
G. Constantini, 8 Linden Ave., Bordentown, NJ 08505.

A. This is the first time we’ve heard any
mention of the Sciple engine. Also, we’ve got our own ideas
about the barge engine, but we would rather hear from some of you
folks with a knack for identifying old iron.

26/10/4 Pocket Guide Q. Will your forthcoming
Pocket Guide have the approximate weights of various engines
included? Sometimes, one travels a long distance, and knowing ahead
of time the approximate weight of an engine would be most helpful.
Rob Moore, 602 Langston Lane, Falls Church, VA 22046.

A. See our ad elsewhere in this issue, but to
answer your question, the First Edition won’t carry as much
material as we would like. It will have an extensive list of paint
color info, serial numbers of numerous engine makes, and detailed
Webster magneto information. Even that took us to 80 pages! In
order to squeeze in more material and still stay within a
reasonable size, we’ll have to typeset the entire project in an
entirely different style and size. It’s sort of like calling
the cows from the back forty-it takes time! Rather than delay
publication any longer, we decided to go with what we had for the
1992 Edition. It’s easy to get caught up in research, and the
trap is that without some caution, the research goes on and on,
with nothing coming in print. Besides, if any errors show up the
first round, we’re quite confident that we’ll hear about it
in all degrees from soft spoken letters all the way to bull moose
bellowings!

26/10/5 JD Power Unit Q. I’ve recently
restored a John Deere Type W Power unit, shown in the photos. This
motor has no gas tank or hood. It has an oversized flywheel. I
would like more information on motors of this type, and would
appreciate hearing from anyone with information on same. Jimmie
Davis, Rte 2, Box 160, Abernathy, TX 79311.

26/10/6 Sendling Engine Byron Boike, 2280 Co.
Rd 5 SW, Willmar, MN 56201 would like to hear from anyone with
information on the Sendling engine shown in the two photos. It was
made in England.

26/10/7 Cleveland Tractor Thanks to Calvin
Baas, 210 Park St., Falmouth, MI 49632 for sending along some
information on the early Cletrac crawler. Originally, this was the
Cleveland Motor Plow Company, but by about 1917 they changed the
name to Cleveland Tractor Co. Their little 12-20 crawler of 1916
retailed at $985 plus freight from Cleveland, Ohio.

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