Antique Power Association, Inc., P. O. Box 4, Boswell, Indiana
47021
This story and engine are something I’ve dreamed of for
years. A friend of mine has always traded me out of my gas engines
because I told him years ago I was a tractor man. I decided I would
only keep a large engine.
My dream came true. My friend, Marvin Scott, located an H John
Deere parts tractor for me, so we made arrangements to go get the
tractor. After we bought and loaded it, we talked to the owner
about his engines and listened to several run. The more we talked,
the more interested I got.
He was telling Marvin about a 3-cylinder 50 HP Reeves that was
in the basement of an old flour mill in Chillicothe, Ohio. If it
were closer, he said he would buy it. We showed interest so he gave
us the name and phone number of the man who owned it. I decided I
wanted this Reeves engine if Marvin didn’t. The trip home
involved much conversation with the end result being I had a shot
at it.
About a month later, early on a Saturday, Uncle Ben, my nephews
Mel and Steve, Don Hufford, Danny Scott, Marvin and I left for
Chillicothe. We took Don’s 1-ton truck and trailer and a
borrowed truck and trailer. On the way we found a Massey 44 diesel
and an Oliver 77 diesel which we bought on the way back home.
We arrived at the mill at 7 a.m. and started removing parts from
the engine. The flywheels, plus lots of other parts, had to come
off. Uncle Ben, Mel and I started with the flywheels. Don and
Marvin went up to the third floor and cut holes to put log chains
through. They wrapped the chains around two 10 foot by 4 inch
‘I’ beams and dropped them to the engine. The chains were
hooked around the center cylinder and 2 three-ton chain hoists were
attached at the top. The winching began and I was a nervous wreck
until it was up through the hole. Once it was on the second floor,
we slid 10 inch channel iron under the engine and across the hole.
It was then lowered onto machinery rollers and moved away from the
hole.
Once we were on good flooring, we had to go about 30 feet,
around a corner and then onto Don’s trailer. With the help of
Don’s winch and a snatch block we got the cable around the
corner to the engine. It was easy from there on with the engine,
but, we had to hoist the flywheels, belt pulley, water pump, extra
cylinder and other parts through the hole. This may not sound like
much but the flywheels weigh 1500 pounds each and the pulley and
carriage stand weigh 1000 pounds!
At 4 p.m. we were loaded and ready to head back 30 miles to get
the Massey and Oliver.
This Reeves was built in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and is in reasonably
good shape. I’m a member of the Illiana Antique Power
Association, Inc. of Boswell, Indiana and I do hope to have it done
and running for our show June 30, July 1 and 2.
