No. 1, Honeymoon Hill, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
My engine was sold by Sears Roebuck as ‘Farm Master’.
Data Plate: Model R-40, RPM 850, HP 6, Eng No 152915. (Can anyone
tell me year of manufacture?)
About two years ago I found this engine and to my surprise the
lady still had the original owner’s manual. It is a Cushman
manual with a Sears flier stapled to the front, saying it is a
‘Sears Gasoline Engine.’ I have used this book many times
in the past two years. As I found time I looked into the engine.
Magneto was stripped, rod broken.
I knew that there were hobby clubs for just about anything you
can think of. First I called the local Gatlinburg library, no luck.
Then I tried the Sevier County Library, no luck. After a week or
two, I got a call from the county librarian. She had called
Knoxville library and they found the address of the Gas Engine
Magazine, to which I subscribed.
After a lot of procrastinating, I ordered a new rod from Hit
& Miss and a magneto from Bob Whitaker, both GEM
advertisers. The magneto return spring was missing, so after many
guesses and tries, one worked fine.
Now I was ready to run the engine. First gas and oil. Then
water, WOW, it ran out the bottom faster than I could pour it in
the top. I figured I would have to completely disassemble the
casings and weld the holes. I needed a 14 inch puller to remove the
flywheels. Every place in town where I asked did not have one, but
knew of someone who might. After asking the um-teenth place the guy
said, ‘Have you checked with Paul Moyer? He messes with old
engines, and he lives right behind you on the next
monutain.’
Now my luck changed. Paul showed me how to get the keys out of
the flywheels of the crankshaft and hints on how to pull the
wheels. He had no puller. Well, I have a welder and some scrap, so
I built a puller for the flywheels and belt pulley (see
picture). After a few days of pulling, penetrating and
pounding, they came off. The rusted holes turned out to be freeze
plugs of a standard size available at the local parts store. The
compression rings were frozen in the grooves but looked good when I
got them free. I did get an oil ring at the parts store.
This is what my engine looks like after two years of work,
wondering and a lot of help. Friend Paul is a member of, and
introduced me to, the Smoky Mountain Antique Engine and Tractor
Association, which I joined. I participated in the 4th annual show
at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on June 21 and 22.
The first day my engine ran six hours without a cough. It used
no oil and only one gallon of gas. BUT, it needed a gallon of water
every hour.