20601 Old State Road, Haubstadt, IN 47639
Do you remember the June 1992 issue of Gas Engine Magazine? That
was the first issue of GEM to have the Hercules Engine News column
in it. That was seven years ago. Since then the column has appeared
in all but a couple of issues because of missed deadlines.
It has been an interesting and rewarding experience to hear from
so many people about their Hercules and related engines. It has
also been a learning experience. Many new and unknown little
features or other tidbits of info have turned up. New literature
has turned up.
The June 1992 issue featured a picture of a Hart Parr tractor
that apparently was taken from advertising material of that time;
however, that won’t be the subject of this column.
In that first story a 6 HP model D Economy tank cooled engine
was shown. That still is the only one that I have actually seen. I
have heard of a couple of others, but they did not have all the
original equipment. Their where about is currently unknown. I did
receive copies of literature that shows the parts peculiar to the
tank cooled. I also have a copy of the cart plans and the buzz saw
setup for these.
Construction of the Hercules Gas Engine Company buildings
started early in 1913; they were complete and equipped so that,
according to newspaper articles, the first engines were produced
the week of January 19, 1914. It is not clear as to whether these
were actually the Hercules-built D models or the assembly of the
last of the Sparta type Economy engines.
Although the Hercules factory buildings still stand, much
modification has taken place and it continues yet today. Several
small industrial supply businesses occupy what was once the machine
shop area. There was a fire in the old buggy works building, but
damage was slight. The old power plant is being dismantled and will
soon be history.
BUT history lives on. There seems to be a growing interest and
demand for the Hercules and related engines. What color do you
paint them? How do you time them? What year was it made? Where can
I get parts? Who has the decals available? I can buy one, but how
much is it worth? These are among the many questions that are
asked.
Many years ago, I stated making notes about Hercules and related
engines that I saw at shows. That led to recording and listing all
the engines I saw. Then people would call or write giving info on
their engines and the list continued to grow. The list now totals
3,249 Hercules and related engines. I suppose that I will keep
adding to the list. It is reasonable to assume that there are two,
three or four times this many out there that I know nothing about.
It is really not what could be called a registry, but rather, just
one man’s hobby that has gotten out of hand.
Just recently a call came from a man in Texas who is involved in
the Cummins engine business down there. He was looking for items of
Cummins history and there is some connection with the Hercules Gas
Engine Company that is necessary to help fill in the story. I
discovered about 100 pages of material relative to Cummins.
Lord willing, the column will continue with more information
about the Hercules built engines and their history.
