20601 Old State Road, Haubstadt, Indiana 47639
Hercules engines powered many different kinds of equipment. A
complete drag saw unit could be purchased from the Hercules
Company. The original Hercules drag saw unit made its appearance in
1921 and was continued through 1928. In 1929 part of the operating
mechanism was modified. The original had a hand operated lever on
the end of the engine crankshaft to engage and disengage the clutch
mechanism. The later version had the clutch located as a part of
the large drive sprocket on the saw mechanism itself.
The engine on a drag saw was normally the 1? or 1? HP size.
There were some modifications to the engine. The off side flywheel
had a disk hub which provided one of the clutch surfaces. It also
had a longer crankshaft with a tapped hole in the center for
fastening on the clutch mechanism. Some of the drag saw engines
were equipped with a special fuel mixer with a valve in it that
prevented gasoline from running through it when the engine was at a
steep angle. Sometime later, the fuel tank was relocated from in
the engine base to a location at the front of the engine and below
the mixer. The original type drag saw is shown above powered by a
1? HP kerosene engine. Normally the drag saw was driven of a speed
of about 90 strokes per minute.
The illustration below is the later version of the drag saw with
the driven gear clutch operated by a hand wheel. It is powered by a
1? HP model X kerosene engine
Sears, Roebuck & Company sold very similar drag saw outfits
powered by the appropriate Economy brand engine. Drag saws were
offered in the catalogs from 1921 through 1931. The price for the
complete outfit ranged from $89 to $95 during that time.
From time to time Hercules put out special saw and drag saw
folders illustrating and explaining the advantages of their saw and
how much time it would save a wood cutter.
During this same time period, the Phillips Drag Saw Company
utilized a Hercules built 1? HP engine to power saws of their own
design. It used the standard engine without the modification
mentioned earlier. The engine had a Phillips tag substituted for
the normal Hercules tag; however, the regular Hercules serial
number was retained.
