Allis-Chalmers Model L 15-25

They call him "Big Charley". Don't ask me why, only his owner can say for sure. I never have understood how you determine the gender of an inanimate object. Why not "Big Charleen"? Oh well, in this vile era of "celebrity" transformers you can be whatever you want, tractors too.

Allis-Chalmers introduced an all new 3 plow tractor in 1921 that they designated as the Model L 12-20 powered by a 4 cylinder Midwest truck and tractor engine that was state of the art for an automotive engine of it's day. Following test number 82 at Nebraska in September of that year A-C rerated the tractor as the L 15-25. At 1,100 rpm the 280 cubic inch vertical four produced 21.42 hp at the drawbar and 33.18 on the belt. Two forward speeds of 2.3 mph and 3.1 mph and 3.1 mph in reverse were provided.

Slow sales at the time due mainly to a glut of tractors competing for a limited market has made the L tractors highly collectible items today. During the entire production run from 1921 to 1927 only 1705 were produced. Those designated 12 - 20 may be the rarest of all. Beginning at sn. 20001 in 1921 by sn. 20134 the rating had been changed to 15 - 25. In 1924 an orchard and a road maintenance version were added to the line. These models also command a premium today. The L model was discontinued in 1927 at sn. 21705. Charley at sn. 21208 is one of only 374 produced in 1925.

Sources:

Illustrated Buyers Guide Allis-Chalmers Tractors and Crawlers by Terry Dean

The Allis-Chalmers Story by C.H. Wendel

Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors by C.H. Wendel
www.tractor.wiki.com

And special thanks to Roger Weinhold for bringing Charley to the WNC Fall Harvest Days 29th Antique Engine & Tractor Show. For info. about the 2016 show visit: www.applecountry.org

Adams Pull Grader

If you've ever wondered why the wheels on a road grader look like they're broken and might fall off at any moment you need to turn back the clock to a time when a road trip really was an adventure. In the last half of the 19th century roads were little more than muddy ruts that needed constant attention just to keep them passable. Some jurisdictions hired or contracted with individuals to maintain the public roads in a particular area. J.D. Adams was working as one such road inspector about 1885 when he had a better idea. Being well acquainted with the shortcomings of grading equipment of the period he began to look for a way to improve the performance. Just as a workman leans into a load he is trying to push, Adams reasoned that a grader's ability to excavate and move earth could be improved by shifting the weight of the machine onto the blade by adjusting the angle of the wheels. His design for adjustable angled wheels combined with an angled blade is the basis for road graders still produced today.

Although Adams had no formal training as an engineer he designed the first pull grader to employ the leaning wheel principle and was granted a patent for his invention. He started his business as a salesman visiting local governments while contracting the production with established manufacturing firms. By 1897 his business had grown to the point where he owned his own factory located in Indianapolis, Ind. In the years that followed J.D. Adams Co. expanded it's market into Canada and built marketing arrangements with Acme Road Machinery Co., Baker Manufacturing and Smith Trailer Corp. Adams Road Machinery was bought out by Letouneau - Westinghouse in 1953 who continued production using the Adams trade name until 1960.

The grader shown in these photos is owned by the Kissimmee Auction Company, a dealer in heavy construction equipment located near Spartanburg, SC. It's parked along the road front of their business on Wingo Heights Road along with another Adams grader, a Caterpillar pull grader and an Oliver crawler tractor.

Adams Road Machinery eventually produced self propelled graders but the early models lacked any power source being intended to be pulled behind draft animals, steam traction engines or whatever could be put into service.

By the same token the operator riding on the grader made all adjustments to the wheels and blade angle by hand.

The data plate on this unit has been severely damaged, it almost looks as if the model number has been ground off. The serial number is still readable ( 1026 ).

I've not been able to find an online resource that provides information about Adams road grader model and serial numbers. There are a number of photos posted on bing.com/images that closely resemble this grader but no reliable information about the model or date of manufacture. If you can contribute any information please leave a comment.

Sources:

www.constructionequipment.com The Leaning-Wheel Grader by Tom Berry.

www.archives.hcea.net J.D. Adams & Company, 1905-1961 and N.D. by Thomas Berry.

www.bing.com/images Adams leaning wheel graders. 

IHC Titan 10-20

Here's a 1921 International 10-20 owned by Fred, Melissa and Nathen Milner at the 2015 WNC Fall Harvest Day Show. Quiz Question: What characteristic of this tractor is apparent in this video clip?

 

Barber-Greene Ditching Machine

How many of these have you seen? For me not one until the 12th Annual F.A.P.A.N.C. Power Show back in May. Although It immediately grabbed my attention I had no idea how rare this 1951 model Barber-Greene Run About Ditching Machine owned by Max Miller of Conover, NC must be. You can usually find something posted on the web about almost anything but with the exception of a very brief video clip on you tube I've turned up zero about this machine.

There are a number of sites with histories of the company, an assortment of advertisements for used equipment, other types of ditching and excavating machines but nothing about the 51 Run About. If you can add some information about this machine or know of a source please leave a comment.

What I did learn is that the company was founded by Harry Barber and William Greene in 1916. While both were graduated from the University of Illinois with degrees in engineering, it was Barber who designed the equipment while Greene managed the sales and business aspects of their venture. Both men were employed by a company that produced material handling equipment and belt conveyors for factories when they decided to strike out on their own. Their plan was to apply the principles of mechanized production to jobs of a smaller scale. The first sale of the new firm was a belt conveyor for loading coal at a nearby coal yard. The second product they developed was a bucket loader for a cement company.

Since dirt is just another material to be moved it's not surprising that Barber-Greene developed a ditching machine for mounting on the back of a bucket loader in 1922. Hey, it's a conveyor belt mounting a bunch of little shovels.

During the 1930's Barber developed machinery for laying asphalt roads that made the company's fortune and became the foundation for the paving equipment that is in use today. Barber-Greene was well positioned to profit from the huge demand for roads and runways created by WW 2.

Barber's 1930 patent for a "machine for processing and laying roads" continued to serve the company well in the years following the war as America's love for the automobile continued to expand the demand for more roads and the machines to build them. The 50's and 60's proved to be very good years for Barber-Greene. The firm continued under the B-G mark until 1987 when it was acquired by Astec Industries, a major player in the paving industry. Astec sold it's interest in B-G to Caterpillar Inc. in 1991.

Sources:
Monograph by Dr. Richard E. Hatwick for the American National Business Hall of Fame at www.anbhf.org

www.digplanet.com/wiki/Barber_Greene

www.rodhandeland.com/BarberGreene.htm

Russell Engine No. 12563

It's hard to believe that another year has flown by since the last Dacusville Farm Show. I'm hoping there will be more steam power on display in 2015 so this seems like as good a time as any to look back at the other engine that was making smoke last year.

One of the operators at the show that I talked to described this engine as a 10 hp made in 1895 but a visit to the National Russell Collectors Association seems to contradict that statement. The list of serial numbers they have posted on their site ( www.russellcollectors.org ) places serial numbers 12359 to 12765 as manufactured in 1905.

Since that was about all that could be gleaned at that site I browsed on over to the website of the Massillon Ohio Museum and found better grazing at www.massillonmuseum.org/documents/russell-catalog-1904 . Page 38 of the Russell catalog features an illustration that looks very much like this engine. The description offers that it's a 5" bore by 7" stroke running at 250 rpm to produce a nominal 6 hp with a maximum of 9 hp. Other details include: boiler shell diameter 22", overall length 8' 4 3/4" , width 4' 3" height 7' 7 1/8" weight 4000 pounds. The ad copy states that the " Baby" was first built for the Southern trade and is particuarly designed for hilly country, which certainly fits the Upstate of the Carolinas. Be sure to check out the Russell catalogs the museum has posted on their site, interesting reading.

In 1842 three Russell brothers; Charles, Nathan and and Clement pooled their resources and with $1500 in capital formed the the C.M. Russell Company and opened shop in Massillon, Ohio. Since they were all carpenters by trade they naturally built houses, made furniture and engaged in the usual carpentry business. In 1853 they expanded into the manufacture of railroad cars. This is not as big a leap as it may seem since railroad rolling stock of the time was largly constructed of wood. This proved to be a successful endevor as the company eventually made over a thousand cars for various railroads.

Was this the begining of the move to production of machinery? The sources I've looked at are unclear. How did carpenters aquire the metal working and mechanical expertise to manufacture steam engines? Most likely they simply hired employees who had the necessary experience but who they were isn't reported.

By 1882 C.M. Russell & Co. was fully engaged in the production of steam engines and by all accounts they were very good at it. Russell engines had a reputation for quality, reliability and ease of maintenance. The engine serial numbers posted on the Russell Collectors website run from 1275 in 1882 to 17156 in 1924 for a total of 15,881 engines.

Russell also made stationary and marine engines, road rollers, threshers, sawmills, water tanks and assorted accessories for their steam engines. They even made a brief entry into the overcrowded gasoline tractor market. C.M. Russell & Co. was sold in 1927 but the service branch of the company remained in business until 1942.

Other sources:

Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines by Jack Norbeck 

May 4, 2018 

I received an email from Mr. Young from the National Russell Collectors that offered the additional information and corrections about this engine. Your comments and corrections of any misinformation that appears on this blog are always welcome and appreciated. His email follows:

It''s was recently brought to my attention, that your article about Russell engine #12563 was about one that we (The Russell Collectors) did not have on our list of existing engines. 

    It is not a big surprise to me that we frequently run across one that has not been previously noted. There was a time when we requested information about engines and we received quite a large response, but not everyone was willing to have their name put on a list, so we will probably never get every one. Thus one occasionally turns up.

    I would like to clear up some confusion about this engine and the facts supplied by the Russell Collectors. The serial number information comes from actual factory records. It may have been purchased new at a later date, but that is the date the factory says it was built.

    Another factory record reveals that #12563, is a portable, on a standard lap seam boiler, with a six inch bore and an eight inch stroke.

    The factory records that The Russell Collectors have, were given to a local Russell engine owner, by ex-factory employees, way back in the late 30's or early 40's, when the steam hobby was just getting started. At that time the Massillon Museum was not much of a museum and was not much interested in the Russell Company and there was concern that the data would disappear. We do know that some did!

    In addition #12563 is not the model known as "The Baby". A closer examination of your photos show that the engine has a steam dome and the classic Russell cast iron smoke box. A "Baby" has neither of these features. 

    The boiler specs should be for a 6 x 8 engine, not a 5 x 7. It's a little bigger.

            Mehl Young

                for 

    The National Russell Collectors

Hit n' Miss Action

Here's some hit n' miss action from the Foothills Antique Power Association of NC's 2015 Show at Hickory, NC.

The David Bradley Tri-Trac

One of the most interesting items exhibited at the 25th Power from the Past Show was this 1953 David Bradley Tri-Trac owned by Iber and Frances Tripp from Simpsonville, SC. Looking like a cross between a scooter and a mechanical scorpion, it's not what comes to mind when you say garden tractor.

The David Bradley Manufacturing Works was purchased by Sears and Roebuck in 1912 and produced house brand proucts for the retail giant from that point forward. After World War 2 Bradley introduced a two wheel walk behind garden tractor that was produced from 1946 until 1966 that proved to be a very popular product and is what most people think of as a David Bradley garden tractor. According to one account Sears management pressured Bradley to produce the Tri-Trac because they wanted a small riding tractor to compete with the International Harvester Cub. Maybe it was the radical design or maybe it just didn't perform to expectation, for whatever reason the Tri-Trac was only produced from 1954 to 1957 with disappointing sales numbers.

 

 

It often seems the internet is just an endless circus of depravity peopled by cross dressing freaks and tatoo encrusted performing animals but if you search long enough you occasionally find a nugget. I found one of those rare sites that offer origional source material online while researching the Tri-Trac. Collectors and others with an interest in Bradley and Roper products will surely want to visit the website of the Bradley Historical Society at www.bhsil.org . Here you can browse a collection of issues of The Pioneer Plowman and The Roper-Bradley Newsletter, both in house published newspapers about the goings on within the Bradley factory.

 

 

The December 29, 1953 issue of the Pioneer Plowman featured an article titled Sears unvails Tri-Trac that offered the following insights. The Tri-Trac was targeted at the "sundown farmer" the suburban owner of 1 to 30 acres who wanted to garden after work at the factory or office. Bradley estimated the population of this market at around 2,000,000. The price was to be set at less than $700. The specifications were listed as length 102", height 48", weight 894 pounds. A single cylinder 6.2 hp air cooled Wisconsin motor powered the machine. An eight foot turning radius, a front axle that was adjustable in 2" increments from 48 to 72 inches for row crop widths and a " fingertip control" 0 to 4 mph adjustable clutchless drive were listed as selling points. Twelve attachments were to be available including a lawnmower, a 9" plow, a snow plow and a "bulldozer".

This article also provides a photo of Gabe Kerouac, assembly supervisor, test driving the first Tri-Trac to roll off the assembly line. Unfortunatly the collection of The Pioneer Plowman ends with the March 30, 1954 issue and jumps to the Roper Bradley News of August 1966 so we can't learn more about the Tri-Trac during the rest of its production run. Maybe some day someone will donate the missing issues and the rest of the story will become available.

 

 

Sources and Resources:

The Pioneer Plowman Vol.7 No. 1 Dec. 29 1953 available at www.bhsil.org

David Bradley Tractors by Terry E. Strasser published in the Nov. / Dec. 2001 issue of Gas Engine Magazine available at www.gasenginemagazine.com



 

 





 

A 1844 Griswold Cotton Gin

The prospect of seeing something I’ve never seen before is the main reason I go to these shows and the Foothills Antique Power Association’s (SC.) 25^th Power From the Past Show on May 30, 2015 at Greer, SC. didn’t disappoint.

I was taking some photos of his McCormick-Deering engine when Jerry Neely walked up.

We talked about his engine for a while and then he directed my attention to what was sitting behind it on the trailer which up till then had pretty much gone unnoticed. It doesn't exactly jump out at you, it looks more like a piece of furniture than a machine but that's fitting for the period it's from, when the world was transitioning from an agrarian past to an industrial future. Be honest. Did you pick up on it?

What I was looking at was a reconstructed Griswold Cotton Gin that was originally made in 1844 which is pretty unusual in itself but the real story lies in how it came to be there.

Starting with a pile of badly decomposed timbers and rusted metal parts he found behind the barn on the family farm Jerry began a remarkable bit of reconstructive mechanical archeology and reverse engineering.

With little more to work from than an old photo from the 1920's and a few pieces of wood that were still intact enough to dimension from he scaled off the rest of the machine using a CAD program.

It was an amazing story, and since there's no substitute for firsthand knowledge I asked Jerry to work it up and send it for posting on The Mule. 

He said he'd give it his best shot so here's hoping he's burning the midnight oil at the keyboard and one day soon you'll get the skinny straight from the horse's mouth.

His experience is bound to provide valuable insight for anyone who might be considering undertaking a similar project and the photos he took illustrate the reconstruction from debris pile to a working machine.

A Frick Eclipse steam traction engine powering a Frick sawmill.

A 1923 Fordson

If you've ever driven Highway 176 between Spartanburg, SC. and Asheville, NC. you've almost certainly noticed Inman Tire and Feed. It stands out in welcome contrast to the surrounding strip mall sameness like the proverbial thumb. It's a worthy bit of Americana in its own right but what lurks on the covered front porch is the subject of this post.

Where you might expect to find shelves covered with merchandise or maybe a bench or even a swing sits a 1923 Fordson Tractor. It doesn't actually belong to the store I was told but after 30 some years in residence it's probably established some sort of squatters rights.

Clarence Gibbs the tractor's owner disputed that number placing its arrival about 20 years ago. He vaguely remembered driving it around in the parking lot but not a lot more. Whatever the actual number, two things can be gathered. It ran when parked and it's been a long time.

Henry Ford was born and raised on a farm and learned to dislike farm work at an early age or so the story goes.  After his success as an automobile maker he turned his attention to building a light affordable tractor to make the life of a farmer somewhat easier. His business partners however were reluctant to venture into this already overcrowded market and these early efforts came to naught.  It wasn't until Henry had gained undisputed control of the company that Ford returned to tractor development.  Much to his disgust he learned that someone was already using the Ford name to market a tractor line so he created the Henry Ford and Son Corporation to manufacture the

Fordson Tractor. The Fordson F was introduced in 1917.

Scorned by some today as crude, dangerous and hard to operate the Fordson still had a lot to offer in the early years of the 20th century.  At a time when steam traction engines weighed slightly less than the average Dreadnaught it weighed in at a dainty 2,500 pounds.  With a 63" wheelbase it could turn in a 21 ft. circle. The 4 cylinder engine produced 18 hp on economical and readily available kerosene and best of all it was priced within the reach of the average farmer. At its introduction in 1917 it was offered at $750 by 1922 the cost was reduced to $395.  I'll take two at that price!

The Holley Kerosene Vaporizer shown here is the heart of the technology that enabled this tractor to operate on kerosene and other low grade hydrocarbon fuels. It was equipped with two separate float chambers, one for gasoline and another for kerosene. The operator would start the tractor on gas and after a short warm up period switch the fuel to the large kerosene tank mounted above the engine.  Exhaust gas was used to heat a fuel/ air mix to 500 degrees F. by means of a coil of tubing in the manifold before it returned to the vaporizer to be mixed with more air and supplied to the engine.

The Fordson used a thermo-siphon system to circulate 11 gallons of water in a jacket that enclosed the cylinders down to the crankcase eliminating the need for a water pump. The engine and the radiator were bolted together without hose connectors.

The crankcase, gearbox and rear axle not only enclosed the running gear of the tractor but also formed a massive and rigid frame. The transmission provided three forward gears and one reverse. Literature of the period claimed the tractor could pull two 14” plows in any type of soil under a constant load of 1,500 pounds on the drawbar with 25% power in reserve in the intermediate gear.

The drive wheels measured 42” with 12” face equipped with steel angle cleats. Plowing speed was claimed to be 2 3/8 mph, low gear 1 ½ mph with a top gear speed of 6 ¾ mph.

Where you might find an instrument display or gauges on a modern tractor is a list of patents granted to Fordson. Why a farmer would need to consult this list while plowing remains unclear.

Sources and resources:

The Canada Connection, the Greater Production Fleet by Rick Mannen published in Antique Power Magazine, March/April 2009

Henry Ford’s Revolutionary Farm Tractor by Sam Moore from Farm Collector Archives, August 2011

Automotive Industries, The Automobile, Feb. 21, 1918 digitized by http://books.google.com

www.antiquetractorsupply.net

www.tractor-manuals-downunder.com/FordFordson.html

Frick Portable Steam Engine

About seven years ago I was traveling to a job related training class when I spotted this Frick portable steam engine  serving as an applique flag pole, a few miles from Harrells, NC.  I was familiar with Frick as a manufacturer of refrigeration equipment but production of steam engines came as a surprise. I stopped to snap some pictures but no one was in sight and time was pressing so I didn't learn any details about this engine.

Looking at an illustration from a 1925 Frick catalog in Jack Norbeck's Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines this is almost certainly a 50 / 65 hp center crank engine with a 150 psi working pressure boiler. The boiler was designed to be fired with readily available fuel like sawmill scraps which would be a likely use for this engine in the area where it was located. Although this engine is largely intact, it clearly has been a long time since it was operational.

George Frick founded his company at Waynesboro,Pa. in 1853 and began producing farm machinery. Sawmills were added in 1875 followed by portable and stationary steam engines about 1876 and traction engines in 1877. In 1883 A.O. Frick, George's son developed the first Frick ammonia compressor which launched the refrigeration business for which Frick is known today. Steam engine sales peaked around 1900 and gradually declined through the depression years until traction engine production ended in 1927 but portable engines continued to be manufactured until 1945. 

If you're interested in reading more about the history of Frick Manufacturing a visit to www.threshermen.org won't disappoint. In addition to a brief history of the company the site has a number of interesting period photos including a shot of an engine like this one taken at the Frick factory. Click on the club projects tab and look for "Frick's 150 years of history".

The Connecticut Antique Machinery Association website www.ctamachinery.com is also worth a look. Under photo essays they have posted a number of interesting photos that show the re tubing of the boiler of a 1902 Frick traction engine as a club project. It gives a rare look at the inner workings of one of these beast.