1543 Laguna Lane, Lakewood, New Jersey 08701
Here is a story of my Mogul find. Having been an engine
collector for some 10 years, I have developed an affinity for the
older International Harvester Company (IHC) engines. I have been
looking for a Mogul but they always seem to be out of reach: too
far away, cost too much, in really poor shape or just not for sale.
I got a lead to an upcoming auction where three engines were for
sale, one being a 6 HP Mogul. I contacted the auctioneer, and after
several telephone calls, I felt it might be worth the trip. He said
he never saw the engine, but was told that it was running, on a
wagon of sorts, rusty with some original green paint and mostly
complete. I was scheduled to work that weekend but found a
replacement for Saturday (auction day). The weather forecast was
for lots of rain, wind, cold and generally miserable.
Well, Friday night it was like that when I went to sleep and
when I got up on Saturday at 3:00 a.m., it was the same. The New
Jersey Turnpike had a car-trailer ban and I had to detour to the
Pennsylvania Turnpike. At 7:00 a.m. I got off at Harrisburg and
found that after some 200 miles in the wind and rain I had another
50 miles to the auction.
I got there with no trouble and parked on the road for fear of
getting stuck in the gently rolling Pennsylvania pasture. It was
flat for about 30 feet then dropped off very quickly in a steep
ravine all of which was clay and quite slippery. I looked around
and found the engines in the rain. One of the local men said that
they had the engine running earlier and would start it again later.
It appeared to have had a rough life, as the original wheels and
bolster were gone, the ignitor, lower valve cage and head had been
welded, and water was leaking out through the ignitor bolt hole and
seeping out through the valve cage weld.
I looked it over and decided that I wanted it, and set a price
that I was willing to spend. A while later, several of the local
men started it, and it ran okay. No strange noises, it seemed
fairly tight, and had good compression. It started and ran on the
original Accurate ‘O’ magneto, and had the Madison Kipp
three-tube mechanical oiler. This was about 8:30 a.m., and the
engines would be auctioned off at noon.
In the meantime I bought some good ‘STUFF,’ and only saw
a few engine folks that I knew. I did not see any of the known
dealers or high-priced collectors around. Was luck with me? The
bidding went quickly and stopped well short of my anticipated
price. I could hardly believe it. I mean it wasn’t cheap, but
on the other hand, it didn’t cost a Mogul fortune.
After the big engine sale I talked with the previous owner for
awhile. The engine was bought by his grandfather when new and has
been in Snyder County all of its life. I asked if there were any
other parts to the engine around and his reply was, ‘yes,’
and he went off to get them. I bought some IHC wheels, and by 2:00
p.m. was on my way home. I got home about 6:30 p.m., parked the
trailer in the back yard, hopped in bed at 7:00 and was up again at
10:00 a.m. and worked a 12 hour third shift Sunday morning.
I got the engine running on Sunday and began the list of things
it needed besides some TLC. By the following weekend I had it
running quite well. A friend stopped by to see my new find, and
asked, ‘Does it run?’ I choked it, put on the compression
release and spun the flywheels and away it went. All I heard from
my wide eyed friend was WOW!
I’ve done a lot of fussing, cleaning, adjusting and making
new parts to take out the years of wear, and have everything
working quite well. The piston needs new bushings and I’m
looking for the correct truck, gas tank, seat and muffler for my
portable 1914, 6 HP Mogul before I decide to restore it or not. I
may leave it as is, with its ‘CHARACTER’ showing. It still
runs too fast, but I’ll get it slowed down to
‘retirement’ speed. If anyone can help me locate parts, or
give me some Mogul advice, please call me at 908-367-7546. ‘SHE
AIN’T PRETTY, BUT SHE’S MINE!’
