REFLECTIONS

By C. H. Wendel
Published on September 1, 1998
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33/9/10A
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33/9/1A
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33/9/12
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33/9/16
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33/9/7A
33/9/7A

From the Internet we’ve gathered some figures on the Oscar
Cooke auction out at Billings, Montana. Oscar’s Dreamland had a
number of engines, but the main emphasis of the collection was in
tractors. Some of these brought record figures, and here are a few
of the prices: Hart-Parr 30-60, $50,000; IHC Titan 30-60, $120,000;
Huber Light 4, $9,000; Huber Super 4, $ 11,000; Huber 40-62,
$12,500; Russell 30-60, $52,000; Minneapolis 35-70, $37,500… and
the list goes on.

This writer was with Oscar the day we went to Neal Miller’s
place at Alden, Iowa. After Oscar and Neal did a great deal of
jawboning over price, Oscar bought the Russell 30-60 tractor for
$800, including a set of extension rims. The sad part for ye olde
Reflector is that we could have bought that tractor a year earlier
from Neal for $700!

There’s no doubt that tractor prices are strong (perhaps
that’s not strong enough a statement, and please pardon the
pun). However, we have some concerns about the direction of engine
and tractor prices generally. First of all, given the good economy
of the present time, there’s always the temptation to
overextend and buy an expensive tractor in hopes that the
investment will appreciate. We don’t pretend to know much about
economics except that there’s usually not enough money to go
around. Having said that, what if the bubble bursts? We suspect
there might be some folks taking a real bath in some very expensive
tractors. That’s fine if one has the money to ride out the
storm, but it’s not so good for people who might rely on
borrowed money to buy tractors. So, we pose the question, is
today’s engine and tractor situation a buyer’s market, or
is it a seller’s market? Like everything else, it probably
depends on whether you are buying or if you are selling!

We’re compiling this month’s column in late June, since
the deadline of July 7 will come while we’re on our way through
Germany with our tour group. Given the logistics of our return in
late

July, we’ll be taking a break for the October issue, and
return to our desk for the November issue.

The weekend of June 19-21 was the annual reunion of the M-M
Collectors as well as the Allis-Chalmers group at Homestead, Iowa.
This year they had 100 tractors between the two, and some very nice
ones too! Both of these small shows have grown a lot in the last
few years and we wish them both continued success.

Our first query this month is:

33/9/1 Unknown Etc. Q. See the photos of an
engine we bought as an Alamo, but others have told us it is not.
Any help would be appreciated.

Also, we own a Geo. D. Pohl oil engine. Several years ago Bob
Steele wrote to you for help in finding parts for a George Pohl 3
HP oil engine. You printed the story, and Danny Thomas of New
Hampshire responded, stating that he had one that looked like ours,
but he was told it was a ‘Jones.’ Dan and Bob met at a show
and compared engines. The parts that Bob needed for ours, Danny had
on his, and vice-versa. Thus, two engines were restored and
running.

Bob passed away last June, and I am selling his collection, but
I don’t know what 1 have in this one (the Pohl) so I’m
writing for further information. Any help will be appreciated.
Anita Steele, HC69, Box 10-A, Morris, NY 13808.

A. The Pohl is another of the so-called Hvid
(pronounced Hveed) oil engines that were popular beginning about
1915 or so. The best known was the Thermoil, but several other
companies built oil engines of the same basic design, including the
Pohl. Although these engines are fairly scarce, many of them do not
command the price of gasoline engines. Many collectors have no
knowledge about these engines and are simply afraid to tackle one,
while others don’t like to crank one, especially in the larger
sizes. Still other collectors prefer the plain old hit-and-miss
engines.

33/9/2 Briggs & Stratton Responding to the
query of 33/5/21, Erv Birzer, 5027 Via Jacinto, Santa Barbara, CA
93111 writes that this engine was a Model U, and from the s/n it
was made in November 1943. This series was built from 1941-1945 and
was the only model to use this fuel system.

The carburetor and fuel tank is unique in that it allows a
larger capacity fuel tank to be used with a suction-feed
carburetor. Most of the suction feed systems provided a small
shallow tank which provided a mixture that constantly got leaner as
the fuel level dropped in the tank.

The Model U tank involves U.S. Patent 1,797,588, granted to A.
W. Pope of Waukesha Motor Corporation on March 24, 1931. The result
of using this fuel system is to have a large fuel tank with a
suction feed carburetor that gives an even mixture from full to
empty tank. The advantages are a lower profile engine than a
gravity feed system with the tank above and a longer running time
between refueling. Caution! Do not use a regular vented fuel cap
with this system.

33/9/3 IHC Logo Q. See the photo of a logo on
the front base of my IHC 6 HP Famous engine of 1913 vintage. The
background is black in a bow-tie shape, and the symbol is a light
to medium blue. It looks like it could be a predecessor to the
familiar IHC symbol. Can anyone shed some light on this logo? David
Harding, c/o Groves Hospital, 235 Union St., Fergus, ONTN1M 1W3
Canada.

33/9/4 Model T Spark CoilsGlenn Bryson, 1092 N.
Main St., Bountiful, UT 84010-5936 writes that he has found that
attaching an automotive condenser across the points of a Model T
coil will increase the spark by about 50%. See photos on previous
page.

33/9/5 Unidentified Garden Tractor Q. See the
photo of an unidentified garden tractor. Can anyone provide some
information? Robert Lemmert, 13704 Uhl Hwy SE, Cumberland, MD
21502.

33/9/6 Cushman Info Jim L. Brown, 7309 Baldwin
Ave., Lincoln, NE 68507 writes that in his experience, the Cushman
Model X engines were dark green {presumably like the verticals Ed.)
However, the Cub engines were gray.

Mr. Brown can also approximate the year of a Cushman engine from
the data gathered and entered into his Cushman engine number
registry.

33/9/7 Mudge Engine Q. See the photos of a
Mudge railroad engine 1 am currently restoring. It has a Mudge Type
B carburetor. Is it gravity fuel feed, or check-valve feed? Any
information on this engine would be greatly appreciated. 1 also
have a Monitor horizontal engine, 3 HP, and s/n 15969. Can anyone
give me its approximate age? Dave Allder, 2000 Yankee Hill Road,
Lincoln, NE 68512.

A. Your Monitor engine was built in 1917.

33/9/8 Repairing Stripped Threads In an article
of the June 1998 GEM, (33/6/31) Wm. C. Kuhl commented on his
methods of refitting a stripped stud to a Webster magneto. However,
when typing the article we inadvertently left out the use of a
5/16-18 bottom tap to tap out the hole, as well as mentioning about
turning down one end of the 5/16 stud to inch using a 1-inch
hexagon die. Our apologies to Mr. Kuhl.

33/9/9 OilPull in Ranger Richard E. and Toby R.
Wetzel from Lubbock, Texas, send along this open letter to engine
collectors and restorers in the area of Ranger, Texas, and the
‘city fathers’ of Ranger:

While returning from loading the Flippo Rumely OilPull and a
Flippo IH tractor to bring to Lubbock, Texas, for restoration, we
stopped at Ranger, Texas, to view the engine outside their museum.
It was sad to see this beautiful old engine rusting away without
even a coat of paint. Why don’t some of you collectors and
restorers in this area volunteer your labor to bring this engine to
life, with the city supplying a few materials that need to be
purchased? How about it?

33/9/10 Unidentified Engine Q. See the photos
of an unidentified marine engine. It has a number on the cylinder
of 01251433, uses a KRICE carburetor, a Detroit lubricator, and an
Oberdorfer pump. Any information would be appreciated. Terry
Buchanan, 1909 Glen, Beloit, WI 53511.

33/9/11 Unidentified Engine Q. I recently
bought a vertical air-cooled engine. There is no name, but I have
discovered the following stampings: ABN, 2 x 2, 1606186, 63545.
There is a casting no. on the block of AA-81-K. The engine has a
gear-driven Fairbanks-Morse XC 1B7 magneto. Any information on this
engine would be greatly appreciated. John Beaty, 5901 Arlington
Rd., Clinton, OH 44216.

33/9/12 E-B Motor Cultivator Q. See the photo
of a 1919 Emerson-Brantingham No. 101 motor cultivator. In the
photo (taken May 1993) is the late Albert Rusche. He was the last
surviving original owner of one of three No. 101 motor cultivators
he and his two brothers bought new from the E-B dealer at Bancroft,
South Dakota, in 1919. We are looking for any information, original
color scheme, or anything else that would help us in the
restoration of this machine. Any assistance would be greatly
appreciated. Bill Lee, Curator, State Agricultural Heritage Museum,
Box 2207C, Brookings, SD 57007-0999. (For information about our
museum visit our home page at http-//www. sdastate.
edu/agmuseum.

33/9/13 The July Question Q. Regarding 33/7/14
in the July 1998 GEM, the device is a Jackson hay fork. I imagine
this is what the initials J. H. F. stand for, although the one that
was recently donated to the Miracle of America Museum had the full
name spelled out plus the patent dates of 1875 and 1878. For
pictures and information on these devices, look on page 481 of a
reprinted 1908 Sears & Roebuck catalog. Gil Mangels, President,
Miracle of America Museum, 58176 Hwy 93, Poison, MT 59860.

A. Also see C. H. Wendel’s book,
Encyclopedia of American Farm Implements. Several people wrote to
us, identifying this hay fork.

33/9/14 Farmall Cub, Wisconsin Engine Q. I have
a Farmall Cub tractor with s/n 136964. It is in good shape and I
plan to restore it very soon, but I would like to determine the
year it was built. Can you help? Robert L. Rowe III, 145 Mollie
Ave., Many, LA 71449.

Also, I’ve come across a very interesting Wisconsin
two-cylinder motor. Both pistons come up together. It is a
Wisconsin T-HD s/n 3790963. Can anyone provide further information
on this engine and when it was made? Any help would be greatly
appreciated.

A. Your tractor was built in 1951. Regarding
the Wisconsin, can anyone out there be of assistance on this
one?

33/9/15 Ellis Engine Q. See the photos of a 6
HP Ellis engine. There are some parts missing and I have no idea
what they look like. 1 would like to hear from anyone having one of
these engines, or any information on one. Any help would be greatly
appreciated. Rich Howard, Hysham, MT 59038.

33/9/16 F & W Pump Q. See the photo of an
old No. 1 F & W pump, 2×4, made by F & W Mfg. Co.,
Kendallville, Indiana. Can anyone provide further info on this
pump? George F. Pilger, 285 Sinn Rd., Cowlesville, NY 14037.

A. Your pump was made by Flint & Walling.
Thousands of these were used in homes for a pressure water system,
often being driven with a small engine through a lineshaft in the
basement. Many different companies made these pumps, and they often
have a remarkable resemblance from one make to another.

33/9/17 Response Linda Busse, Lansing, Michigan
responded to 33/7/14 of the July 1998 GEM, noting that the device
shown was a row marker for planting corn in check rows.

33/9/18 Alamo Engine Q. I purchased a I HP
Alamo at the Portland Swap Meet. It has a nameplate on top with the
name of Duplex-Superior. What is the year and correct color scheme
for this engine, along with any other information. Kelley Reynolds,
2003 Harding Ave., Evansville, IN 47711.

33/9/19 Novo Engine Q. I have a Novo 4 HP
engine, s/n 81382, and would like to know when it was built. Stan
Knight, 7362 Chase Ave., Hesperia, CA 92345.

A. Your engine was made on May 24, 1923, and
was shipped to Chain Belt Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

33/9/20 Novo Engine Q. I have a 3 HP Now
engine, s/n 60239. When was it built? Steve VanDerCook, 2766 Bon
Haven Lane, Annapolis, MD 21401.

A. Your engine was built in May 1920 but we
have no record as to where it was shipped.

33/9/21 Novo Engine Q. I have a Novo 3 HP
engine, s/n 58704 and would like to know when it was built. John
Cadwalader, 1991 ArkellCt., Walnut Creek, C A 94598.

A. Your engine was built March 31, 1920.

A Closing Word

If all goes as hoped, we’ll be able to bring you some
details of our tour when once we meet you again via this column.
Also, by that time we should have details together of planned
future trips, since we’ll be visiting with the folks at Wade
Farm Tours while on this journey. As you probably know, it is quite
a job to assemble any kind of tour, and we try very hard to make
our tours very enjoyable for everyone.

That’s all for this time!

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  17608-0328.

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