N.M.P. Co. Hurricane Jr. Lawnmower

The business card he handed me read, Kirk Kahler, “Vintage Garden Tractor & Horse-drawn Farm Equipment Collector”. Fair enough, he does own some interesting collectables, like this Snappin Turtle , the mower that asks the question, “ Why don’t they put hood ornaments on lawn mowers any more?” We took a look at the Turtle back on 2/15/17. This post is about the mower you see in the background behind it, the N.M.P. Co. Hurricane Jr.

Kirk tells me he’s not been able to learn much about this mower. I’m inclined to agree. A search for “hurricane lawn mower” turns up results like, “Dad attacks son with chainsaw, son runs over dad with lawn mower.” I like this kind of post. We’re in uncharted territory here. Let’s get started with what little I have been able to glean. 

The most striking feature is the mow deck with N.M.P. Co. Hurricane Jr. boldly cast across the front. The fact that its aluminum is interesting and makes you wonder why? Not nearly as durable as steel and any savings of weight would be negligible. 

Next take a look at the friction wheel blade drive. No belt to replace but you have to wonder how well it would work when the grass gets tall and thick. In the original photo file size you can make out just to the left of the blade drive wheels, “National Metal Products Co. , K.C. Mo.” . Who were they? What did they do? Did they operate a foundry? I’ve found zero information about this company online.  

Power is supplied by a Clinton model B 700 - 22 four stroke gas engine. Not the ubiquitous Briggs & Stratton, but not completely unknown either. The data plate reads, “ Clinton Machine Company Inc. Clinton Michigan. According to Wikipedia, Clinton moved to Maquoketa, Iowa around 1950 , so it might be fair to  speculate that the engine and mower predate the move, sometime in the mid-to-late 40’s. The serial number of this motor is 97832A. If you had access to a list of Clinton serial numbers you might be able to approximate the date of the mower’s manufacture that way. 

There are at least two other surviving examples of this mower, judging by comments posted on smokstak.com. You can read the brief thread and see a couple of photos of one of them by paying a visit to that website.

Well that’s about all I’ve found on the Hurricane Jr. Maybe there’s someone out there in Muleland who’s sitting on a treasure trove of catalogs, owner’s manuals and other assorted goodies they would be willing to share. If so, I’d love to hear from you. Add a comment below or  send an email and I’ll add an update to this post. On the subject of comments, don’t expect to see them appear immediately. The internet being what it is, I have to screen them first, but anything that’s of value or fit to print will get there eventually. In the meantime enjoy these photos or pay a visit to the Steam Expo. 2019  at Cumming, Ga. Most likely Kirk will be there again with his collection.

Resources:

www.smokstak.com 

https://en.wikipedia.org 

 

A 1913 16 HP Aultman-Taylor Traction Engine

Cornelius Aultman got an early start on his career. At the age of fourteen he went to work with an uncle as an apprentice millwright. For reasons not recorded this arrangement didn’t work out and he was back at the homestead a few months later. Laying around the house, plopped in front of the electronic sewer and sponging off the “rents” wasn’t a career option for a young man back in the early 1800’s, so Cornelius soon found himself in a new job at a shop that made spinning wheels. This venture proved more successful but he didn’t hit his stride until he spent two more years as an apprentice learning the machinist trade.

In 1851 he opened his own shop in Canton, Ohio under the name of the C. Aultman Company. This was a time when machines were revolutionizing agriculture and the western frontier was opening up. In 1862 the Homestead Bill offered 160 acres of land to any farmer who paid $10 down and pledged to farm the land for five years. This created a huge market for tools and equipment produced in shops like Aultman’s.  

Sometime around 1856 Henry H. Taylor entered the picture as a sales agent for C. Aultman Co. Taylor was a wheeler dealer who had already made a fortune in Chicago real estate, banking and insurance. Apparently Henry’s chief function as a partner in the new Aultman and Taylor Manufacturing Co. was to bring bags of cash, along with his numerous business connections, to the table. C. Aultman Co. had been working on a new design for a vibrating threshing machine and by 1867 a new factory to produce it had been constructed in Mansfield, Ohio. 

Threshing machines needed a power source to run them and the best option available was the steam engine. I have not been able to find a definite date of when exactly Aultman began building steam engines, but in Jack Norbeck’s  Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines, examples from 1889 are the oldest shown. 

Engines were built under both the C. Aultman Co. and the Aultman Taylor brand name. Portable engines, steam traction engines and road locomotives were produced.  Horsepower ranged from 8 to 25 hp. Both simple and Compound engines were manufactured. All told, at least 5,870 engines were made before production ended in 1924. In addition to the steam engines they also built sawmills, windstackers, and horsepowers. 

By all accounts Aultman-Taylor made high quality products. Boilers were high pressure, rated for a working pressure of 150 psi and hydrostatic tested at 200 psi. An independent steel frame was used to mount the traction drive gearing and wheels. This isolated the boiler from the jolts and strains that was transmitted from the ground on traction engines that used the boiler itself as a frame. This design undoubtedly saved many a boiler from damage and stress due to everyday use and traveling the roads of the day. 

By the early 1920’s steam engines were rapidly being replaced for most applications by the internal combustion engine and electrification in many rural areas. Sales dwindled and Aultman - Taylor apparently failed to adapt to the new environment. The company faced liquidation by 1923 and it was eventually absorbed by Allis-Chalmers Co. 

You can find a detailed history of Aultman-Taylor Co. that was written by a Dr. Lorin Bixler and printed in the Nov. / Dec. 2000 issue of Farm Collector Magazine at their website. Collectors and history buffs will want to check out advertisements in a digitized version of The American Thresherman and Farm Power  from May 1915  available at Google Books. The 1913 16 horsepower Aultman Taylor traction engine shown in this post was photographed at the 2018 Steam Expo. at Cumming, Ga. presented by the Cumming Antique Power Association. www.capa-ga.com .

Resources:

Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines by Jack Norbeck 

www.farmcollector.com 

https://books.google.com