PO Box 157, Edon, Ohio 43518
We were getting into the fall of ’82 and things were gearing
down from the summer.
We had made it to six shows, being exhibitors at four of them.
This being my second summer as a Gas Engine Man (G.E.M.), I was
still recalling all that I had seen. I am still sure I missed
something in Portland.
So here we are sitting here looking out at the cold and going
over the memories of swapping and trading and trying not to buy.
With that in mind I acquired 3 Fairmonts, 1 Witte, with sprayer
pum, Maytag washing machine (that really works), 1 McCormick
Deering and 1 for parts, 1 B & S (overhead rocker arm model), 1
Wright power saw and, best of all, a 1 HP Mogul.
The Mogul was located by a friend who has a mild interest in
engines (hasn’t really got the bug yet). He came to the house
and told me that he had talked to a fella who had an International
engine that he had sitting in the barn forever, and he might sell
it.
The first thing I thought of was an L.A. or L.B.
Then when he picked me up, we were thinking it was another
McCormick as he told Bob that it had spoke flywheels. I asked Bob
how far away this was as I had already driven hundreds of miles in
this area looking wherever I could for engines. The only thing I
got for that was a gas engine neck; that’s when your head gets
stuck looking over your shoulder to see behind barns and sheds as
you drive by!
Anyway, he told me it wasn’t too far away and that we would
be there soon. He was right, it was only seven miles and on the
only road within a 30-mile radius that I hadn’t been down.
The fellas took us down to the barn and past the ‘coon dogs,
and there it sat back in a dark corner. Well, with the dogs barking
and not really being able to see it, we went back to the house. I
asked about the price and after digging into the deepest corner of
my wallet, knocking the moths and bats out of the way, I came up
with the proper bill and the deal was made.
Bob and I got back with the truck to bring her home and he tried
to pick her up but couldn’t. So we backed off and took another
look which was hard as we had forgotten the flashlight again. So
after unhooking a dog chain and rocking the engine, we found out
that the reason he couldn’t lift it over was because he was
standing on the truck that was under the engine. The truck was
buried under the straw and other stuff from the dogs. After getting
it out in the sunlight and seeing what we had, I got that feeling
you can only get on a sunny day with the air smelling good and
everything running smoothly.
Getting home in seven miles just seemed like it took forever
because I was so excited to get my Mogul running. As I began to
work on my Mogul we had to replace the oiler that the dog chain was
fastened to and swap mags as the original had a broken magnet. Then
another small delay to get it back in time because I put the mag on
wrong. O.K., then we gassed her up and over-oiled as usual; she
took off after a few spins and settled into that wonderful sound of
‘fump, fump, fump.’ That’s only one of the
mind-clearing, nerve-settling, and warm-in-the-stomach feelings an
engine can make.
So as the warm glow of summer keeps us going then, the thought
of winter and the thought of coming shows will renew that glow and
give us all the brotherhood there is. I would like to thank Steve
Krauss and his family for getting me into one of the most rewarding
hobbies I have ever had. I never knew these engines existed three
years ago.
