R. R. 2,Haubstadt, Indiana 47639
During the past five years I have picked up 88 gas engines while
traveling in 13 southwestern Indiana counties. I travel for a major
seed corn company and come into contact with many rural and small
town people every day. I ask everyone that I meet for the first
time if they know about any old engines. Once in a while one of my
friends calls to tell where they’ve seen an engine. You can
develop leads yourself. Just go into any small rural town and find
out where retirees and others; loaf, visit and play cards and the
like. Visit a while with these people and as they come and go,
someone is always apt to come up with a lead for you. You may have
to listen to many tales about engines that were once in the
community before you get a lead.
Anytime that I have a crowd of farmers together for a field day
or meeting, I always make it a point to let them know that I am
looking. Where there is apt to be a crowd at a field day, I put an
engine in my pickup truck for people to look at and watch run. This
often brings out a lead.
One time I put an ad, in a two-county give-away weekly paper. As
a result I bought four engines.
I carry a book with me where I can record all leads and location
of engines. Sometimes it takes three or four calls over the years
to finally get the job done. Sometimes you never get them and
sometimes someone else slips in and gets them. There is a nice 3 HP
Perkins out there, a Kewanee pump engine on a stand with a walking
beam, a nice 2? HP Mogul, an IHC Famous upright 3 HP, a 4 HP Titan
and many others. At least there is something to look forward
to.
Now if you can’t find them out there in the rough, then you
can carefully read all the sale bills in hope of one showing up
that you can bid on. I am a good friend of a local auctioneer. One
day he called up and told me about an engine to be on a sale, but
it wasn’t listed on the bill. Would you believe, that was the
engine my grandfather bought new in 1929 and had sold at a
community sale over 30 years ago. It is only a 1? HP Hercules, but
it is. now my most valuable engine.
Once in a while an antique dealer will have one. Either he or
the operator of a second hand store may be able to give you a lead.
They usually don’t bring these into their places.
If all else fails you can buy from those who collect and trade,
but I get half my thrill out of stumbling onto them in the rough
and then going through the bargaining process to obtain them. You
meet some very interesting people this way.
Some of my most notable finds to date are: 6 HP Thermoil, 2 HP
King Bee, 8 cycle Aermotor, 3 ? HP Kewanee, 6 HP Root &
Vandervoort, 25 HP Superior, and a 2? HP Racine-Sattley. And I have
one unknown of about 6 HP with the pulley and external drum clutch
located between the flywheel and engine block.