New-Way had a unique way of identifying their engines. Engines are classified first by the “Series” of engine. The S-Series was the first, introduced in 1905. They are heavy-duty and hit-and-miss governed engines.
New-Way made many advances in their design throughout production. In 1916, the F-Series was introduced to better serve the agricultural market, specifically as a power plant for horse-drawn binders. The F-Series engines were still cooled by the same belt-driven propeller fan as their predecessors, but also possessed the advancements of a true automotive-type Holley Brothers carburetor and throttle governing. In 1917, the F-Series adopted a new cooling system, utilizing a squirrel-cage type fan mounted on the back side of the flywheel and enclosed in a full air shroud, while the flywheel remained exposed. The design of the air shroud was carried forward in 1919 with the introduction of the new A-Series. The first model in the A-Series was the well-known Model C, Type H. The 5hp CH proved to be a very popular engine and was sold by the thousands, powering everything from agricultural binders to ice saws, cable hoists, construction equipment, and even a couple of small tractors.

Expanding the A-Series: DH, EH and GH
Between 1919 and 1926, the CH was slowly improved and refined. The CH series became the second highest selling engine model for New-Way, behind the Series-S, Model A, Type C 3-3.5 hp upright. In 1926, New-Way expanded the A-Series, introducing a new “Super Powered” model, the model D, Type H, or DH. Rated 8hp at 1,200rpm, the engine was the first of the New-Way line to have a flywheel with integral cast in cooling fins and a full air shroud enclosing the flywheel and ducting the discharge air over the cylinder, as is found in modern small engines. The DH was also pressure lubricated, fitted with a gear-type oil pump attached to the end of the camshaft and having a spinning indicator showing oil flow. The engine was started by the use of a detachable flywheel crank that inserted into a fitment at the flywheel’s front center, slightly protruding through the face of the shroud.

In 1929, New-Way further expanded the A-Series, introducing the “Twin No. 2” Series-A models E and G engines, rated at 8hp and 10hp, respectively. The EH & GH are upright inline twins cooled by a finned flywheel and full shroud, have a small piston pump for lubrication, and introduced two more design advancements, a separate head with overhead valves, and an air-vane governor. The air-vane is a perforated plate that is on mount arms connected to a pivot shaft. The shaft is connected to an operating lever that connects to a spring on one end and is linked to the carburetor butterfly on the other. Previous engine models had all used flyweights for governing. These engines also used a new type of magneto, an Eisemann “High-Tension Fly-Wheel” magneto. This configuration was common to Briggs Engines and outboards of the time, but new to industrial stationary engines.

In about 1935, New-Way began offering the EHA and GHA models, which returned to the common A-series type Flyball Governor and utilized an external magneto.
By the late 1920s, electricity had spread throughout larger cities and had begun working its way into towns and near rural areas. The advancements made by the manufacturers of tractors were providing the motive necessary for the operation of the majority of larger machines around the farm.

The demand for medium-sized large flywheel industrial stationary engines was waning. However, there was still a fairly large demand for engines to power smaller machines operated by a single workman. Wisconsin Motors, NOVO, Nelson Brothers and New-Way all saw this change and all pressed forward with new “small engines.” While Nelson Brothers decided to market their engines through Montgomery Wards and compete with the lighter duty Briggs and Stratton engines of the time, Wisconsin, NOVO and New-Way developed robust “industrial” small engines to tackle the expanding market they saw.
Pioneering the Industrial Small Engine
The New-Way Motor Co. released Bulletin No. 12, dated Jan. 1, 1930, mere months after the stock market crash of 1929. Despite the financial panic, they were pressing forward. The bulletin displays the Twin No. 2 engines and the latest update of the model CH, the CHA. The CHA was newly configured with a finned flywheel and used the same lower shroud scroll as the EH and GH twins. The last entry in the bulletin is the new model B, Type H. The BH is advertised as being available in three and four horsepower versions. The engine is described as having a high-tension flywheel magneto, air-vane governance, pressure lubrication and adjustable Timken bearings throughout.

Unfortunately, New-Way was not immune to the treacherous financial landscape of the time, and a majority of the board voted to declare bankruptcy and dissolve the New-Way Motor Co. in April of 1930. A yearlong court battle ensued, rising all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court in April of 1931. Ultimately, the New-Way investors won out over their creditors and regained control over many of the company’s assets. They re-emerged as the New-Way Engine and Machine Co. (NWEM). Either production was never ceased, or it resumed in earnest, as the works appears to have remained in operation throughout this period. The next piece of literature appearing in the New-Way archives is dated 1935.

The 1935 document contains the models EHA, GHA, CHA, BH and FH. The new FH was rated at five horsepower. There is no information within the document that describes the differences between the engines. Fortunately, a mostly intact Instruction & IPL Manual has been shared. From this document, we find that the FH engine utilizes the same block, connecting rod and crankshaft as the BH, but has a slightly larger bore. Three different heads are also described: a cast iron head for the 3hp and two separate aluminum heads for the 4hp and 5hp versions.
When I first contacted George Covey, creator of the “New-Way Station” website, in regards to these models, only one example was widely known to exist, a B4 (BH) attached to a Wheel Horse tractor. A year or so later, another friend alerted me that he had found an example of the FH and had acquired it. George and I wondered how long it would be until we found another example.

Nearly two years later, another example appeared in the form of a model JHA. Pictures of the JHA were posted on the “New-Way Motor Company” Facebook group by its new owner. The model was previously unknown to the larger New-Way community, and no New-Way documentation has yet been identified describing the model. However, in researching the Zenith carburetor on the engine, the new owner obtained a copy of a Zenith Service Manual published in September of 1940. The service manual not only confirmed that the carburetor attached was original equipment, but also listed a second single cylinder NWEM model utilizing the same carburetor, the LHA. According to the service manual both engines have a 3-1/2 inch bore and 4 inch stroke. To date, no other literature detailing the JHA or LHA has surfaced. The New-Way community has been left to guess the horsepower of the JHA, as it is not indicated on the attached serial tag.

The JHA is differentiated from the BH/FH engine by its construction. The JHA utilizes separate castings for the cylinder and crankcase, as is found in Wisconsin engines of the time. It also has a return to the use of an external magneto. Another engine model of which examples have been found, but no literature exists, is the model CHC. The final incarnation of the model CH, it is assumed that this engine was produced after 1935. The CHC appears identical to the CHA, but with closer inspection, one will note that the boss that typically holds the pipework for the oiler is blank. The CHC needs no oiler, for it is upgraded with an oil pump and is pressure lubricated.
Could there be more to discover?
Reviewing the A-Series, the majority of letters available for identifying individual models have been used. However there were three that were skipped or remain unidentified. The potential model IH likely never existed, as the letter “I” was omitted in all previous series of New-Way engines. However, the HH(A) and KH(A) models remain as potential engines waiting to be discovered.
According to the limited information that has been found on NWEM during these later years, the company closed in 1940.

Mr. Covey and the author are both very interested in any additional information readers can provide on the engines covered in this article, or any other New-Way Motor or New-Way Engine & Machine Company product. Please alert us to any engines not currently found in the registry or documents not found in the library at the New-Way Station website. All documents on the website are shared freely and available for download, as the only goal is to spread the knowledge of these engines, the equipment they powered, and to preserve the history of this former Lansing, Michigan, icon.
Learn more about New-Way engines on the New-Way Station website.
In memory of fellow New-Way collector Jason Shane (September 29, 1965 – October 8, 2024), whose research assistance greatly assisted in the composition of this article.