806 Briarwood Ct. Lake Saint Louis, MO 63367
C. George Lynn of 806 Briarwood Court, Lake Saint Louis,
Missouri 63367 tells about his Dayton engine restoration and the
company history.
The Dayton Globe Iron Works was founded in 1853 under the name
of Stout, Mills, and Temple Company. Initially located in
Middletown, Ohio, the company moved to Dayton and retained the
original name until 1890 when it reorganized under the Dayton Globe
Iron Works Company.
The Dayton Company was primarily engaged in the production of
flour mill and water wheel machinery, and in 1859 they acquired the
first of many patents for their mechanical designs. From time to
time the Dayton Globe Iron Works branched out into other lines
including paper mill machinery, pulp grinders, sugar beet
machinery, and gasoline engines. The water power department
remained the most profitable line of equipment, manufacturing the
New American Turbine water wheel which was sold around the world.
The 1909 History of Dayton reports that 150 or 200 men were
employed in the various departments under the direction of
president C. P. Folsum, vice-president F. W. Huber, and secretary
A. G Daugherty.
What little information exists about gas engine production
indicates this department only operated from about 1895 to 1900.
Patents were granted to C. J. Weinman and E. E. Euchenhofer in 1895
and 1896 for a variety of carburetor, governor, and ignitor
designs. The Dayton Globe Iron Works remained in operation until
1938 when the company went out of business after 85 years of
production.
I first encountered my Dayton engine while traveling near Salem,
Missouri in the spring of 1982. On the way to work one morning, I
noticed a pair of flywheels under a canopy of rusty sheet metal not
far off the highway. After introducing myself to the renter of the
farmhouse, I learned that I was not the first to inquire about the
engine. The owner, however, lived elsewhere in Missouri and had no
intentions of selling the machine. I was afforded the opportunity
to look under the sheet metal and saw a rusty but well-preserved
engine with an unknown array of rods and valves, and a brass name
plate labelled ‘The Dayton Gas and Gasoline Engine’.
The unusual character of the engine spurred my interest and with
some diligence I was able to locate the owner. He told me the
engine was purchased second-hand in 1915 and used on the saw rig it
sat on to cut firewood for the neighbors. In 1940 the Dayton was
parked in its present location along a fencerow where it has
remained idle ever since. The only thing that kept the engine from
total destruction was the cover of sheet metal and tile for which I
will always be grateful.
The owner, now in his mid-nineties, had offers from several
people but he thought he would get the engine working again so he
refused to sell. Having grown up in Ohio, I felt a close
association to the Dayton and after several months of negotiations,
a deal was struck! On a sunny Saturday in September, my wife,
six-month-old daughter and I drove to Salem to pick up the engine.
When we returned home I went to work sandblasting off the years of
rust, wasps’ nest, and chicken feathers. I took several
pictures from all sides to be sure that I could reassemble the
numerous parts after cleaning. Then began the process of restoring
and rebuilding the engine from top to bottom.
A drawing from Patent No. 555,717 dated March 3, 1896, which was
obtained from the U.S. Patent Bureau in Washington, D.C. The Dayton
pictured here is a vertical engine.
Overall the Dayton was in good condition. The piston was not
stuck, although new rings had to be ordered. I had a new gas tank
made, and while fishing in Canada, I found a solid copper water
tank at an antique shop which, when polished, proved to be a
perfect union with the rest of the engine.
The large cast nameplate carries a ‘C’ of unknown
significance in one corner and a serial number of 406 in the other.
Even more important are the four patent numbers stamped on the
plate which were valuable for restoration and operation. By
submitting these numbers to the U.S. Patent Bureau with the nominal
fee of $ 1.00 per number, I was able to obtain complete copies of
each patent with appropriate sketches. This yielded a wealth of
information about the design and function of the Dayton engine.
After hours of cleaning, polishing, and rebuilding, I was able
to reassemble my engine in preparation for running and apply
several coats of navy blue paint. This was the only faded remnant
of color to be found anywhere on the engine when I first got
it.
The Dayton engine is characterized by several unique features
not found on other engines. Most notable among these is the
positioning of valves, ignitor, and carburetor in a valve chamber
on top of the main cylinder. A rotary shaft geared into the main
shaft, rotating counter clockwise and at half the speed of the
flywheels, carries three eccentric cams for operation of the valve
and ignitor rods.
Essentially, when the piston rotates into position to receive
fuel, the cam lifts a roller on the rock shaft which in turn opens
the long-stemmed intake valve, while simultaneously causing the
trip arm to open a valve in the carburetor for gasoline. On the
compression stroke the ignitor points are closed by a similar
cam/roller movement, and when tripped the resulting explosion is
followed by opening and closing of the exhaust valve. This
seemingly complex procedure is repeated continuously, but movement
of the governor weights allows the trip arm to only admit gasoline
when needed to maintain speed.
The entire operation of the Dayton engine relies on the careful
adjustment of numerous springs, gears, valves, and rollers. After
over 40 years sitting idle and a year and a half of restoration, my
Dayton ran for the first time on July 14th, 1984, at the
Illinois-Missouri Tractor and Engine Show in St. Peters,
Missouri.
The action of all the valves and gears, accompanied by the deep
bark of the exhaust, made all the long hours of cleaning and fixing
worthwhile. As is often the case when rebuilding an engine, the
assistance from fellow ‘engineers’ cannot be
overemphasized. Several friends, especially Jim Philips and John
Zalabak, provided much-needed help throughout the restoration. My
wife, Nancy, deserves special credit for her appreciation of my
hobby and realizing the need for ‘engine therapy’.
By the time this issue was being sent to press, we were notified
that George had moved to 4922 W. Becker Lane, Glendale, Arizona
85304.
An overhead view of the valve chamber (top), rods (center), and
rock shaft with rollers against the cam gear (bottom). From left to
right, the rods include a gas valve, intake valve, ignitor rod, and
exhaust valve.
Above is Arthur L. Crabille on his homemade tractor. Crabille
writes, ‘I mentioned that I was building a tractor using a
Crosley engine. I now have completed the ‘FUN’ tractor,
which I started in June, ’82 and finished in a year’s
time.
‘In the construction I used a golf cart rear end, cut-down
Model T Ford front end, 12′ trailer front wheels, 13’ rear
wheels (721 Firestone steel belted tires, no less), Toyota
steering, seat from a single bed, sheet metal and chrome bumper
from an old commercial refrigerator, a Johnson outboard gas
tank.
‘Total cost was under $300.00.
Surely, this is a unique tractor!
Crabille, who lives at 2704 Sunshine Drive, Lakeland, Florida
33801, is a member of the growing Florida Flywheelers Club.
Ron and Vicki Shipman of Route #1, Oak Ridge, Missouri 63769 are
the owners of the outfit on the bottom of our back cover. Both
tractors are 1936 CC Cases. Ron has owned one of the tractors since
childhood, restoring it completely in 1981. The other CC was
purchased in central Illinois in 1982. Ron worked a full winter
bringing it up to shape.
The truck, a 1947 2 ton Dodge, was restored over three months in
1982. Ron decided, ‘If you’re going to haul antique
tractors, you need an antique truck to do the hauling.’
Ron belongs to the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club of Egypt
Mills, Missouri. He and his wife Vicki travel extensively to shows
in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky. Ron shows tractors
and pulls competitively, as well.
Ron’s first tractor restoration, in 1980, was a 1935
Montgomery Ward Twin Row. It goes to local shows, but because of
its rarity usually stays shedded at home!
