1615 San Francisco St., San Antonio Texas 78201
(Herewith is one of Mr. Kruger’s interesting letters that
has slipped past a few issues but is worth printing anyway as I
know you fellows have your books and refer to items in discussion.
This letter was written last September – Anna
On top of page 26 of the July-August 1967 GEM is the question by
R. H. Moore, why part of the exhaust is piped back to the
piston-skirt. Well, probably I shouldn’t be ‘opening my
mouth’, since I have no original literature on the
‘Domestic’ engines, let alone this particular one in
question by R. H. Moore. As to it’s horse power, I’d say it
right is at 4 Hp. At first thought, the top pipe on Moore’s
engine is the ‘auxiliary exhaust’, piped back to the
discharge port of the exhaust valve. I have never imagined an
auxiliary exhaust outlet at the top of the cylinder, at the point
where the cylinder oil is usually placed. Maybe, this was an idea
some mechanic ‘cooked up’ himself. Anyway, the pipe leading
from the top of the cylinder to the usual exhaust piping, is quite
small. But, be it as it may, the idea is good, and will allow the
cylinder to operate at a lower temperature.
As some of you will recall the ‘Gade’, engines have been
using the auxiliary exhaust. I have no literature on the
‘Gade’, but, here are some of the feature points I have
read about through the ‘Gade’ advertising in early farm
magazines. The same would apply to the ‘Domestic’ engine
and Moore’s question.
The auxiliary exhaust port is usually placed at the side of, or
bottom of, the cylinder, (horizontal engine). This port is so
placed that the piston will uncover it at the end of the power
stroke; and, of course, at the end of the intake stroke also. I
have never used an engine so equipped and I don’t know why the
feature has been discontinued. It could be, that at the end of the
intake-stroke, with port uncovered, some products of combustion, or
air, could enter the cylinder thru this port and interfere with the
fuel air ratio of the incoming charge thru the fuel mixer.
Anyway, the ‘Gade’ people claimed the auxiliary exhaust
was the ‘berries’ in cooling their engine cylinders; their
air-cooled types, without a fan and the hopper-cooled types,
without water, for the lighter loads; using water in the hoppers
for full load work-all the while giving more power on less
gasoline. Their motto for the ‘gade’, ‘The engine that
breathes.’
This is my favorite tractor of the Mt. Pleasant Steam Show.
It’s a La Crosse about 1914. Never did have a steering wheel.
Was always line drive. Around 300 made. This is the only one known
of.
In 1914, the Gade Bros. Mfg. Co of Iowa Falls, Iowa, added a 16
Hp. engine to their line. It was a single-cylinder, horizontal,
4-cycle type, hopper-cooled with make and break ignition. A built
in gear driven Sumter magneto. No water was used for cooling the
cylinder or any part of the engine except when it was put on heavy
load continously for a long time; then water was poured into the
hopper and the engine was run as an ordinary hopper-cooled engine.
The system of air-cooling must have been well worked out. When the
piston approaches the end of the power stroke, it uncovers the
auxiliary exhaust port, at the crank shaft end of the cylinder. It
is through this port that most of the hot gases escape, thus those
hot products of combustion would be in contact with the cylinder
walls the shortest period of time, as compared to the present day
method of the hot gases remaining in the cylinder until the return
stroke of the piston would push them out past the exhaust valve.
The use of the auxiliary exhaust port also prevented the
overheating of the exhaust valve and relieved a lot of strain on
the cam gears, by having the major portion of the expanded gases
dumped before the exhaust was opened in the usual manner.
As I see it, this 16 Hp. ‘Gade’ was probably the largest
single cylinder, air-cooled engine that was ever placed on the
market. Just think-using a 16 Hp. air-cooled engine for
silo-filler, corn sheller and other heavy jobs about the farm,
without the use of a fan! I know the Fuller & Johnson
air-cooled pumper engine used to have the auxiliary exhaust and it
was never provided with any type of air-moving blades. Had a
muffler on auxiliary exhaust and none other.
The ‘Gade’ engines, air and water cooled combinations
were built in 9, 12, 16 Hp. sizes. These had air-cooled cylinder
heads, not jacketed for water-cooling. Their hopperless, air-cooled
cylinder engines were built in 1? to 6 Hp. and that was around
1914-15. They, ‘Gade’ people, even claimed their engines
saved 1/3 on fuel-just because of the Auxilliary Exhaust!
Well, dear readers, this has gotten to be a bit too long. I just
ran across an article where a fellow, as a last resort, did a
‘home-made’ job of adding the auxiliary exhaust to a
water-cooled engine he traded for and really upped its power and
cooling. As he explained it, most any of us could add the auxiliary
exhaust, at least to our air-cooled engines.
Like to suggest, that any of you readers send in your
constructive additions and comments on the ‘Auxiliary
Exhuast’ to GEM for publication.
NEWS
Mr. Milton Beutz of Pierz, Minnesota, 56364 would like to know
if Twin City built a two cylinder tractor before 1916.
My John Deere G. P. on hammer mill, taken August 26, 1967.
This is Master Scotty Cammons posing after an hour long run with
his gasoline go-cart. Scotty, age 2 years and 6 months, seems to be
a natural born good driver. His car is powered by a model
‘N’ Briggs and Stratton over 25 years old. I hope the old
timers will enjoy the steering arrangement from the 3 gear head of
a model ‘T’ Ford. This 4 to 1 mechanical advantage makes it
possible for the baby to handle the car with ease.
My friend, Mr. Beers, used this model ‘T’ steering gear
head on his homemade auto from an old Excelsior motorcycle during
World War I. Soon after World War II he made a power lawn mower and
used this ‘T’ steering. Thank goodness he still had it so
we could make Scotty a go-cart. Goes to show, if you keep something
long enough you will always find a use for it more than once, but
50 years is also a long time.
The engine pulley is 1? in diameter, jack shaft driver is 10 in
diameter. The driver has to hold down a treadle with his feet so as
to release the brakes and at the same time, a leaver tightens the
belt with a jockey pulley making it go forward. The car only
travels walking speed.
Maybe someday Scotty will enjoy the Gas Engine Magazine, but at
the present he can hardly talk. He did learn to say go-cart and
crank her up in short notice after he drove it he first time. Be
careful Scotty.
