28/9/20 Superior Engine
Q. Can anyone direct me to a manual reprint or
other information for the Superior 3 HP air cooled vertical
pictured? Year built? Mine has a plate identifying it as having
been built for The Chicago House Wrecking Co. and a Superior serial
number 1445. Wallace Jensen, 120 South Parkdale, Wichita, KS
67209.
A. Superior collector scan you help this man?
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to do some research on the firm the
engine was made for, since they may have been in business only a
limited number of years again, historical societies and reference
librarians can sometimes be an enormous help.
28/9/21 Witte Questions
Q. I have a Witte engine that I think is a 2 HP
and the serial number on the end of the crankshaft is 82422. Any
information you can give will be greatly appreciated. How do you
pronounce Witte? Is it pronounced just plain Wit or Witte just the
way it looks?
A. Again, I shall pass your serial number on to
Mr. Wendel for date of manufacture. A picture can often provides
clues that can help in dating an engine when the serial number
sequence is unknown. As for the pronunciation, we hear both
‘Wit’ and ‘Wittee,’ and Mr. Wendel advises us that
both are correct. However, ‘Wittee’ is more frequently
heard.
28/9/22 Economy, etc.
Q. I have two engines I need info on. First is
an Economy 1 HP. The tag has 1 S,-RPM 600-Ser. #348341. What is the
year made and color? Second is a headless Witte with #42187 on the
shaft key. What is the year ? Could you tell me where I can get
parts for the headless Witte 4 HP? I need the part that attaches to
the valves, that opens and closes them, Jack Amoc, HC 63 Box 177,
Hogarville, Arkansas 72839.
A. Well, Jack, I can’t answer your
questions about dates and color, but I can tell you to consult the
pages of GEM for locating parts. We have many fine advertisers who
can guide you to the parts you need, so contact them!
28/9/23 Physics Workshop
Q. This interesting photograph is of a physics
professor’s workshop circa 1906. The photo was provided by
Vance Archives, St. Lawrence University, and first appeared (with
its caption) in St. Lawrence University’s Alumni News magazine.
David L. Dickinson, 6190 Newfane Ave., Newfane, NY 14108.
: Readers may well think of stationary gas engines working on
the farms and in the factories and homes of early 20th century
America but not associate their use with colleges and universities.
This photograph is of Physics Professor Ward C. Priest’s
workshop in St. Lawrence University’s Carnegie Hall. Carnegie
Hall was built in 1906 as St. Lawrence’s science building.
Professor Priest was noted for making much of his own teaching
equipment. At left appears to be a 6 HP IHC ‘Famous’ engine
belted up to the line shaft and also directly belted to what may be
a dynamo. Just right of center is an air-cooled IHC ‘Tom
Thumb’ belted to the line shaft and also belted to what appears
to be a table saw. In the right foreground is an anvil, an air tank
with bicycle pump and, far right, a grinder belted to the line
shaft. Both the ‘Famous’ and the ‘Tom Thumb’ seem
to indicate that the photograph was taken soon after Carnegie Hall
Science Building opened in 1906.
A. We thank you for this picture, which I am
sure will delight our readers.
28/9/24 Galloway Engine
Q. I have a Galloway stationary engine, a 5 HP
size, #14312, Mfg. in Waterloo, Iowa. Would you be able to let me
know what year this engine was made? John Dobrowski, 28 N, Date,
Mesa, AZ 85201.
A. Can anyone help here? We do not (nor does
Mr. Wendel) have any Galloway serial number lists.
28/9/25 Stover Serial Number
Q. I would appreciate it if you could tell me
the date of manufacture and proper colors for my Stoker CT-3,
serial number TC 254730.
A. Your engine was made in 1937.
28/9/26 Safety first!
Q. This is what can happen to careless people,
including my self. I am just thankful that the pants were about WW2
vintage. Be careful with P.T.O. and either build or buy shields for
same. Melvin A. Fox, RD #2, Box 174, Milton, DE 19968. 28/9/26A is
self explanatory, while photo B (not printed in color) shows part
of the vintage pants that have been gobbled by the PTO.
READERS WRITE
28/5/1 Fordson Carburetors
Jack Heald, National Director of the Fordson Tractor Club, 250
Robinson Rd., Cave Junction, OR 97523, wrote to take issue with a
statement attributed to a friend of Mr. Wendel’s that…
‘By punching a hole in the hood, the exhaust went out the top,
instead of down alongside the engine.’
‘This would be impossible,’ he writes,’ as (1) The
Fordsons never had hoods. (2) If you punched through anything it
would have to be the gas tank which served as the ‘top’ of
the tractor . . . and I don’t think you’d want an exhaust
pipe sticking through the middle of the gas tank! Very dangerous,
would blow the whole tractor up. (Some bent the tank a
bit.)’
Also responding on this topic was Alexander Black, 3105 9th St.,
Douglas, AZ 85607, who owns a 1927 Fordson and had a long search to
find a proper complete carburetor:
‘I have seen Fordson tractors with a simple down-draft
carburetor adapted to the top of the manifold. If you try to run
the exhaust out of the top of a Fordson manifold you will run into
trouble with the fuel tank. There is no ‘hood’ over a
Fordson engine.’
28/7/4 Unknown Tractor
We received several letters on this item, in which we had failed
to give the inquirer’s name and address. Derek Williams of
Chestnuts GT Doward Symonds, Yat, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire,
England HR9 6DZ had sent two pictures of a tractor, which Mr.
Wendel thought might resemble an Allis Chalmers. John McNaull of
699 Co. Rd. 1775, Ashland, OH 44805 was one who identified the
tractor as a Sears Economy, made in the late 1930s and sold for
about $500.00. ‘The Economy used a rebuilt Ford model A engine
and Ford 3 speed rebuilt transmission. Top speed was about 3 miles
per hour.’
Claude Meigs, RR 1, Box 171 G7, Jacksonville, AR 72076-8955
thought the owner of the tractor might be offended by hearing that
it looked like an Allis, and does agree that it looks like a Sears.
Mr. Meigs also asks, ‘Would you please let me know if C. H.
Wendel really looks at these photos or is it a staff member?’
This is a question that I can answer, since the column has been
written by Mr. Wendel every month without exception since it began
in 1985, until this very issue! This is the first time we have had
a substitute, and this is only out of necessity!
Bud Barnard of 2619 Greenfield Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064
identified the engine in the tractor as definitely a model A Ford.
Franklin T. Pfeifly of 7622 Holbens Valley Rd., New Tripoli, PA
18066 also identified the tractor and adds that the Sears archives
are sketchy at best. ‘It seems only about 1500 were built. I
own one with serial #1026 and there may be as few as 25 to 50
left.’ He adds that there are some using a 4 cylinder Dodge
engine, as well. ‘I agree that they have some resemblance to
the Allis-Chalmers in hood configuration, however we have not been
able to make any connection between the two.’ And finally, on
this item, we received a copy of an old catalog page from John
Heath, 494 Twp. Rd. 232, Sullivan, OH 44880, which he had received
from Dan Porter, 1021 Churchill, Norton, KS 67654, who owns an
Economy. John writes ‘At the engine show in Plain City, Ohio, I
saw an Economy on rubber restored, and painted red with green
wheels, and at the National Threshers at Wauseon, Ohio I saw an
Economy on steel painted all orange. More than likely, the red and
green is correct.
‘The Economy came with a factory rebuilt Model A Ford
engine, or you could purchase it less engine, and install your
own.’
Lauson Colors
We received a nice long letter from Mac Sine of PO Box 518,
Painted Post, NY 14870 in answer to a plea for paint color
information on Lauson engines:
‘I have been collecting Lauson engines for approximately 20
years and have also managed to acquire Lauson engine original,
reprint and photocopied sales literature and manuals. The 1916
catalog 18 lists Brewster Green as the color that was factory
applied on all models of Lauson engines. So far as I can determine
from comparison with original paint on my Lausons, the duPont 24166
Brewster Green is a good match to the original paint. The later
disc-flywheel Lauson models are also finished in Brewster
Green.
‘Trucks (and probably skids used on semi-portable) used on
the spoke-flywheel Lausons were painted red; guessing from some
faded specimens, the shade was probably close to International
Harvester red. Skids on the disc flywheel Lausons were also painted
Brewster Green.
‘I am certainly willing to correspond with people seeking
information on Lauson engines. Unfortunately, no serial number
lists are known to exist. For general information on Lauson
engines, readers may be referred to articles in the March/April
1975 and July 1989 issues of GEM.’
Mr. Sine goes on to furnish information on:
28/5/17 Villiers
Mr. Eichbrecht may wish to try contacting Villagers directly by
mail. In the late 1970s I was able to get from them a manual for a
Mark 10 engine. At that time the address was Marston Road,
Wolverhampton, England.
28/6/9 Cushman Golfster
Larry Arsenault wanted to know the address for the Cushman Club
of America. Don Siefker, 705 W. Annie Dr., Muncie, IN 47303-9762
and others wrote with the address:
Cushman Club of America
PO Box 661 Union Springs,
AL 36089 Phone 205-738-3874
Secy-Treas: Tom O’Hara
The group was apparently founded in 1981, has 2750 members and
publishes a quarterly magazine, for individuals interested in
Cushman motor scooters, manufactured from 1936-65.
Randy Brooks of RR1 Box 203, Greenfield, TN 38230 advises us of
three sources for parts on Cushman Husky engines and Cushman motor
scooters: Paul Covert, 1106 Alpine La., Dothan, AL 36301; Rich
Suski, 7061 Co. Rd. 108, Town Creek, AL 35672; and Dennis Carpenter
Ind., PO Box 26398, Charlotte, NC 28221.
Dick Hamp of 1772 Conrad Ave., San Jose, CA 95124-4501 also
provided this information and noted that the dues are $20.00 per
year. Dick also advised on some other questions:
28/6/16 Leader Engine
An instruction book is available from Star bolt Engine Supplies
and a collector who is quite knowledgeable on these engines is Paul
D. Woodworth, 102 Church St., Ursa, IL 62376.
28/6/40 Lauson Engine
I believe this engine is a Nelson Bros, product as I have a
similar engine.
28/4/9 Dead Webster
The problem could be the magnets if it is a two magnet type. The
north pole of one magnet could be stacked on top of the south pole
of the other magnet. I have run into this problem a couple of times
myself when fixing a magneto for a fellow club member.
Corn Binders
In our May issue, Mr. Wendel wrote about corn binders. One of
our subscribers wrote to say that he has never read about the grain
binder that tied bundles with wire instead of twine. He has a wire
cutter which was used to cut the wire when threshing, so he would
like to see a write up about a wire tying binder.
28/6/25 E. H. Myers Engine
Freddy Anderson of 1310 Peoria Ave., Spirit Lake, IA 51360 wrote
to say that he has a 5 HP side shaft Meyers, Ser. No. 130, 440 rpm.
‘I understand there were only 20 of these 5 HPs made. The bore
and stroke is 5 x 8. Mine has brass Lunkenheimer carb, brass rod
bearing and a very unusual sleeve type igniter trip with igniter in
front of head and an upright fly ball governor.
‘The inlet and exhaust valves are vertical and go in from
the bottom of the head; in order to remove valves you have to screw
the stem out from the valve head. I don’t know how they ground
the valve seats in that type of headI would like more info myself
on this.’
Mr. Anderson spells his engine ‘Meyers,’ and the
original question was about a firm called ‘Myers.’ Can
someone shed more light here? We are also working on an article on
a Myers firm in Ashland, Ohio, which made pumps, but not
engines.
28/5/5 Faultless Engine
Mac Macomber was pleased with the response he got about his 4 HP
Faultless. The ID tag did read John M. Smythe Company, a detail
he’d forgotten to include in his letter. He received only one
response to the question, but it pictured his engine and wagon
specs on the wagon matched his exactly. Pictured here is a copy of
that ad.
28/5/23 Novo Questions
Another satisfied customer was Greg Flatt, who wrote to thank
all who answered his Novo questions.
‘One gentleman states that he had a conversation with a
Standard Oil Co. representative about 30 years ago. The
representative said that the Novo AG was used on air compressors
built for use in Standard Oil’s service stations before the
R.E.A. Others sent catalog copies of the NOVO AG. Apparently this
is not a very common engine, especially the radiator cooled version
as it was an option.
‘The hopper cooled version was rated at 2 HP and the
radiator cooled version was rated at 3 HP. ‘ We have printed
here some examples of literature he received on this engine.
MODELMAKERS’ CORNER’
Our only submission of a model this month comes from James
Sylling, of Mabel, Minneota. It is a 1/3 HP
model of a 5 HP 1910 Galloway gas engine, which he built in
1992.
A CLOSING WORD
I’ve enjoyed reading all of your letters this month, and I
know that you’ll appreciate having Mr. Wendel back next month!
David Phillips of 1503 N. Acres, Litle River TX 78554 sent us the
following article, and I thought it would be a nice note to end
on.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood
Isn’t Just For Kids Anymore
A few weeks ago, I was doing some paperwork, paying bills, etc.,
the TV was on though I wasn’t watching but did hear bits of it
from time to time. Then I heard the theme song ‘Won’t you
be my neighbor?’ I looked up to see Mr.
Rogers putting on his sweater and sneakers. Now, I didn’t
want to watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood but I was too lazy to
get up and turn it off. Guess I need one of those TV remote
gadgets.
I decided that I would just tough it out and ignore Mr. Rogers
but I soon set my paperwork aside and gave him my full attention.
His theme for that program was ‘How Things Work.’ He
explained gears, levers, belts and pulleys in a way that even I
could understand. He showed that machines are pieces of material
shaped and formed to fit together, each in a particular place for a
specific reason to be part of the whole and hopefully accomplish
the task for which it was intended. This depending entirely on the
skill of the people involved in the shaping, building and operating
the device.
Mr. Rogers pointed out that machines and devices have no
feelings and it’s mach nix and no le hace in the truest sense.
The world’s first and oldest device, the hammer, will drive a
nail or smash a thumb with equal vigor and won’t apologize for
it either. Fuel vapors coming in contact with a spark will burn
whether in a combustion chamber or out in the open.
We like our hobby, we like messing with this old rusty junk, but
we don’t love these old machines because they can’t love us
back. Have respect for what they can do but have more respect for
what they can do to you. Proceed with Caution, put Safety
first.