24/9/15 Oliver plow Q. I would like any
information on an Oliver 23-A, two-way, hillside, walking plow. The
seat adjusts to both sides so the operator always is sitting level.
Also, the tongue adjusts from side to side, depending on which plow
is on the ground. What is the proper color, and when were these
plows built? John Bossier, 438 Maple St., O’Fallon, IL
62269.
24/9/16 Diaphragm Pump Q. See the adjacent
photo of a Barnes 4-inch diaphragm pump. The engine, or what’s
left of it, is a Now, but I have no idea of its size, and whether
gas or kerosene. Can anyone be of help so that I can begin the
search for parts? McCabe Machinery, 4416 Walle Lake Rd.,
Hastings, MI 49058.
A. Without some dimensions to work from, it is
hard to make a judgement. However, we recall a reprint of a Novo
manual some time back, and perhaps it is still available from some
of the GEM advertisers. This would give some of the dimensional
data. Since diaphragm pumps exerted little pressure but gave lots
of volume, they did not require much power-we suspect that 2 or 3
horsepower is sufficient.
24/9/17 Unidentified engine Q. Some years ago I
acquired the engine shown in the photos, with the nameplate reading
HP 5E, along with other serial number information. What make is
this engine? Also I need to find a parts source for a
Minneapolis-Moline Z tractor, s/n 00605965. What is the year built
of a FBM engine, Z, Style D, No. 7521; IHC LA, s/n LAA48G46, and
LB, s/n LBA120678, and a Reo Model 211, Type 6, s/n 3626 265?
I’m 78 and have just started collecting engines. Ivan
Mostoller, Route 2, Box 240, Deer River, MN 56636.
A. The engine in the photo is an Economy, sold
by Sears-Roebuck and built by Hercules Engine Co., Evansville,
Indiana. The M-M is a 951 model. There is an error on the FBM ZD
number; the LAA engine was built in 1938, the LBA in 1947, and the
Reo in 1951.
24/9/18 Before and After Dean Ailing, Box
10264, Burbank, CA 91510 sends along a pair of before-and-after
photos of his Hercules 1? HP engine, and wishes to thank everyone
who helped get the job done.
24/9/19 Farmall questions Concerning the
following tractors:
1. Farmall Regular, s/nT10457, rubber, round spoke rears.
2. Farmall F-20, s/n ?, rubber, sickle bar, road gear.
3. Deere A, s/n 410398, cut offs, brass tag, road gear.
My questions are:
1. What is the proper color of tractor #1?
2. What is this tractor worth fully restored?
3. On tractors 2 and 3, was this gearbox OEM or aftermarket?
4. Are these gearboxes from the same supplier?
5. Is this gearbox rare?
6. What might it add to the worth of the tractors?
The road gear box on 2 and 3 is basically an aluminum box about
8 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 3 inches deep. It mounts on the
input shaft of the transmission and couples to the lay shaft to
provide an overdrive. The engagement lever operates a shaft
protruding from the 3 inch side, and parallel to the 8 inch side.
An old John Deere dealer referred to this gearbox as a Baler
attachment. I will appreciate hearing from anyone with information
and will try to respond to all letters. Duane Newswanger, JEM
Services, 36 Venture Drive, Holtwood, PA 17532.
24/9/20 Cut-out engine Q. See the adjacent
photo of a cut-out demonstration engine built by
Minneapolis-Moline. This one was used on the University of
Minnesota Ag Campus, and will be displayed at the annual LeSueur
County Show in August. It was built with the cutout areas to expose
the working parts for students, and various parts were color coded
to match the teaching manual. Are there other cut-out engines still
around by M-M or other makers? Robert J.Riebel, RR 1, Box 163,
LeSueur, MN 56058.
A. Cut-out engines have been common practice,
and are still set up occasionally for the benefit of attendees at
trade shows and fairs. Perhaps there may be more obsolete models
lurking about, and hopefully they will be preserved rather than go
to the scrap yard. Incidentally, it costs a tremendous amount of
money to set up an engine like this, since virtually all of this
work as to be done on conventional equipment.
24/9/21 Tapping machine Q. From 1914 to 19161
was an assistant town engineer. I did the outside street work of
tapping and installing a stopcock in the mains as new buildings
were installed. We could not shut off mains, as that meant that the
pipes would have to be shut down and mains would have to be
drained. We used a Mueller pipe drilling and tapping machine. Have
any of our engineers the knowledge or the address of the company
that makes this machine or one like it, and where I might find
information on such a unit? George H. Mills, PO Box 70, Masonic
Home & Hospital, Wallingford, CT 06492.
A. So far as we know, tapping machines are
still in use. For gas mains as an example, a threaded bonnet is
welded onto the main (even though the main is under gas pressure).
Then a nipple and stopcock are screwed onto the bonnet, and the
tapping machine is attached over it. The drill then goes through
the open stopcock and drills the main, and when it is withdrawn,
the stopcock is closed. Now when the line is completed, open the
stopcock, and presto! it’s all done.
24/9/22 Sattley Q. I own a Sattley 1? HP engine
without a factory magneto. I am in the process of restoring it and
need to correspond with someone who can tell me what I need for the
firing mechanism. Wesley Doneth, 1400 N. Isabella Rd, Mt.
Pleasant, Ml 48858.
24/8/23 Silver King information Donald
McVittie, Box 508, Allis-ton, Ontario L0M 1A0 Canada writes that
information on Silver King is available by writing to
Fate-Root-Heath Company at Plymouth, Ohio.
Our thanks to Mr. McVittie for sending along some information on
Leader tractors and Lister engines for the files.
24/8/24 IHC engine Q. What is the year built of
an IHC LB engine, s/n LBA66723 and a McCormick-Deering 3 HP engine,
s/n 58694? Does anyone have literature on Novo engines? Marcus
Raasch, 519 S. Valley, New Ulm, MN 56077.
A. The LB was built in 1943, and the 3 HP in
1923.
24/9/25 Babbitt bearings Q. I’m restoring a
7 HP Alamo right now, and can get along pretty well on everything
except pouring babbitt bearings. Is there a source of this
information? Robert C. Meixell II, 75 Winship St., Bath, ME
04530.
A. An article in the September-October, 1983
GEM goes into the matter, and the Gas Engine Guide available from
GEM delves into the subject as well. If you will peruse the regular
GEM advertisers, one of them offers a nice little booklet on the
subject as well, and may even be able to supply new babbitt
metal.
24/9/26 A Thank You Thanks to Ervin Birzer,
5027 Via Jacinto, Santa Barbara, CA 93111 for sending the Reflector
several pages of information on Reo, Maytag, and other engines for
our files.
READERS WRITE
Sparta Economy
In regard to Economy engines being made at Sparta, Michigan, I
found my answer in the new book recently published by Glenn Karch.
Economy made engines in Sparta before moving to Evansville.
Friction Paper
Recently the Reflector suggested untempered Masonite as a
reasonable substitute for friction paper as used in the friction
drives on sawmills, Heider tractors, Hart-Parr fan drives, and the
like. Craig Anderson, Box 85, Rosholt, WI 54473 writes that genuine
friction paper is available from Harry Schell Inc., Blue River, WI
53518, (608) 537-2987. It is stocked in ? inch nominal thickness
(5/16 actual). They cut and ship it via UPS. For anyone needing
this material, copy the name onto a tag or card and put it up in
the shop for future reference!
Asbestos Gaskets
In response to some recent articles on this subject, I would
like to share some information:
The expanded steel type of material, cut by sandwiching between
plywood will give a passable gasket, but requires a fair amount of
time and work. Also, the sawing of asbestos material creates dust,
and that is bad news! Furthermore, we have had reports of water
creeping through this material.
The material we use is a dustless asbestos, wire insert material
tested at 1,000 degrees and 3000 psi. Gas and oil will not pass
through. The material is called K-1000 and is available in 1/32,
1/16, and ? inch thicknesses. We use the 1/16 for about 90% of the
jobs that come in. The ? is for heat riser gaskets and the
like.
We use regular gasket punches and a lead block for holes up to 1
? inches, larger circles are cut with a gasket cutter. For those
who would like further information, feel free to write or call us,
preferably late afternoon, evenings, or Saturdays. Francis Olson,
Olson’s Gaskets, 3059 Opdal Road, Port Orchard, WA 98366/
(206)871-1207.
24/7/24 Cushman information Dick Hamp, 1772
Conrad Ave., San Jose, CA 95124 writes that information on Cushman
is often available by writing:
OMC Lincoln Division of Outboard Marine Corp. P.O. Box 82409
Lincoln, NE 68501.
24/7/27 Racine tractor Also from Dick Hamp are
some photocopies on the Dodge-Racine tractor-we note that it had a
list price of $2250. Except for this information from Mr. Hamp, we
have received no other data on what was probably a fleeting
venture. If anyone has researched this or has further information,
let us know.
24/1/28 Dressing millstones Francis A. Orr,
Fidalgo Enterprises, 1617-32nd St., Anacortes, WA 98221 writes that
information on old mills is available from:
Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, Mr. Fred Beals, 1531
Folk-stone Ct., Mishawaka, IN 46544.
Membership in this group is $10 per year, and they put out a
magazine entitled, Old Mill ‘News.
Modelmakers Corner
Mr. Glen Stanford, 202 East Madison Ave., Fairfield, IA 52556
sends along a photo of his latest model-a 1/3 scale of a 2 HP
Michigan engine. The model was built from under the work bench.
Glen would be happy to hear form anyone who has a vertical Michigan
engine.
A CLOSING WORD
As we finish this column for this issue in early July, it is hot
and humid-not weather that’s conducive to spending a day or a
day-and-a-half at the computer typing copy. Likewise, our queries
usually drop off a bit this time of year, since most of our readers
probably prefer to be outdoors with their old iron rather than
sitting at the kitchen table writing letters.
For the Reflector however, it has been an interesting year,
especially with our launching of the research work on J. I. Case
Company. In this regard, if anyone has original material available
for this project, kindly contact the Reflector, in care of the GEM
office. Also, our new book on sawmills will be published shortly by
Stemgas-we’re happy with it, and hope you will find it to be
useful and informative.
