My Dad and his Restored Engine Equipment

By Staff
Published on March 1, 1966
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PHOTO: JIM JOHANNSEN
Photo courtesy of Jim Johannsen.

A reader shares details about his dad’s restored engine equipment collection.

Here is a picture of 2 of Dad’s engines. The big one is a 6 HP Galloway and the other is a 2-1/2 HP Economy sold by Sears & Roebuck. The Galloway had seen pretty good care and all that was needed was a new wrist pin and cleaning up and repainting. The 2-1/2 Economy was something else again. We dug it out of a sand bank where it had been lying for many years. Just a corner of the water hopper and flywheel were sticking out of the sand. It was an awful mess but with lots of patience and hand work it was restored to life again. Don’t know if we would tackle one that bad again or not. We do our own machine work, welding, painting, stripping and lettering, etc. I guess one could say we are “do-it-yourselfers” from way back.

Altogether we have around 20 engines from 11/2 to 15 Horse. Our pride and joy is a 15 horse Foos. I don’t have a good picture of it yet but will send one later. Its a monster, 55 foot flywheels, 8 foot bore, throttling governor. It is the smoothest engine you ever heard, and very well balanced. An early G. P. John Deere tractor completes our collection of restored engine equipment.

I have a 1-1/2 hp Fairbanks Morse with Manual and Operation Instruction Sheet which I purchased about six weeks ago. I got interested in gas engines last summer after attending the Darke County (Ohio) Steam Threshers’ Meet. I cannot afford steamers so I found that small gas engines are enjoyable and more in line with my finances.

I do not wish to seem like a critic but would it be possible for some of the gas engine “pros” to write articles about certain engines so one might learn more. Pictures are good to give ideas as to the pin striping for those who are repainting.

(Mr. Addison is one of our new Gas Engine Subscribers — he said he read our first issue after borrowing it from one of his high school students. Mr. Addison teaches Industrial Arts in Union City, Indiana.) — Anna Mae

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