Engineering Products Company

The Engineering Products Company began producing a line of garden tractors in 1946 that they marketed under the Economy brand name. Assembled at their factory in Milwaukee Wisconsin from off the shelf components, production continued into the 1950’s.

A throwback to the days of steam traction engines models with chain steering were produced from 1946 until 1949.

Somewhere between the realms of full size farm tractors and riding lawnmowers lie the garden tractor variety like this nice selection on display at the Foothills Antique Power Association’s 12th Annual Power Show in Hickory, NC.

About as basic as you can get, they consisted of little more than a motor on a wheeled frame with a seat and a few controls.

Online sources vary on the dates of production but E.P.C. marketed tractors under at least three different brand names; Economy, Jim Dandy and Power King from shortly after the end of WW 2 into the 1990’s.

Most, at least in the early years were powered by Briggs & Stratton or Wisconsin engines like the models shown here.

Engineering Products Co. changed ownership several times during the 80’s and 90’s eventually being bought out by Yazoo.

Sources:

www.yesterdaystractors.com

www.tractordata.com

Minneapolis-Moline Uni-Farmor

It was a strange looking contraption, no doubt about it. It stood out from the crowd of regular tractors at the Foothills Antique Power Association of NC's 2015 show as it would at any event.

Minneapolis-Moline called it the Farmor or the Uni-Tractor. Some sceptics called it "The Motorcycle".

According to the ad copy under the plastic laminate it was the greatest advancement in agriculture since the invention of the pointed stick.

"Five machines in one, a self propelled machine for every harvest job at less cost than pull behinds." "One basic tractor with interchangeable harvesting machines." The attachment units turned it into a; forager, windrower, harvester, husker and picker-sheller. All of which mounted on the Uni power unit.

"Husk corn in the morning and combine soybeans the same afternoon with the same tractor."  "Change from one harvesting machine to another in less than 30 minutes."

Sounds good to me, I'll take two. Where do I sign? But wait! Why am I the only one standing in this line? Why indeed?

Introduced in 1951 Minneapolis-Moline manufactured the Farmor at their plant at Hopkins, Minnesota until 1962. It was powered by a M-M 206cu. in. 4 cylinder gasoline engine. Three forward speeds offered a range from .9 to 9.8 mph. one reverse gear was provided. During the final year of production in 1962 the sticker price was $3,900.

During the entire production run Farmor sales were limited. For whatever reason, farmers never embraced the concept, prefering to stick with the equipment they were familiar with. As always, If you can provide any additional information or insight on this topic please leave a comment.

Resources:
Minneapolis-Moline advertisement
www.tractordata.com
www.minneapolis-moline.com
www.agweb.com  The unique Minneapolis-Moline Uni-Tractor by Larry Gray Oct. 20, 2015

Lookout Boiler

Sometimes you just draw a blank. It's amazing how little information you can glean from the web about Lookout Boilers like this one that was displayed at the 2014 WNC Fall Harvest Days Show. It almost seems like the Lookout Boiler Company formerly of Chattanooga, Tenn. was stuffed down the ole memory hole like one of those pesky conspiracy theories. Go ahead, try a search ; you'll find more listings for law firms specializing in mesothelioma cases than the info you're looking for. Maybe that has something to do with it.

The vertical boiler design had it's share of advantages. It was relatively compact and light compared to horizontal boilers. It got up to operating temperature faster and was considered to be safer to operate than the locomotive style due to the design of the water jacket that precludes the crown sheet being exposed to the fire without water covering it, a condition that resulted in many boiler explosions. It was widely used to power small stationary engines and portable applications like fire engine pumpers that used vertical boilers almost exclusively.

On the down side a limited heating surface reduced the amount of steam available to convert to the horsepower needed for traction engine applications. The D. June & company was one of the very few to manufacture a vertical boiler traction engine. It was reputed to be a very effective road locomotive.

Located behind the boiler is a vertical steam engine bearing a reproduction Sears, Roebuck & Company decal that reads: 5 hp. 1904 600rpm B & OB steam engine, Southwest Michigan in the black border at the bottom. A web search result at www.ehive.com yields an ad from a Sears catalog offering Kenwood brand vertical steam engines that look very similar to this one that ship from a factory in Southwest Michigan. The listed horsepower ratings however jump from 4 hp. at 325 rpm to 6 hp at 250 rpm. The catalog says it's a "center crank type with throttling governor. Each engine furnished with governor, governor belt, governor pulley, oil cups, throttling valve, cylinder lubricator, belt pulley and a flywheel. Steam and exhaust pipe not furnished unless a boiler is ordered with the engine." The ad doesn't say what type of boiler. A Lookout maybe? The ad copy concludes by adamantly stating that under no circumstances will mounting bolts be furnished. In that regard you were on your own.

Resources: Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines by Jack Norbeck

Farm Engines and How to Run Them by James H. Stephenson   

International Harvester Action

Here's some chuffing and poping action for all you hit and miss fans.

International Harvester Portable Engine

In the early years of the 20th century International Harvester, like many of their competitors, sought to produce a full line of agricultural tools and equipment with the goal of providing the farmer with a device for every need. A look through a catalog of the period reveals that by and large they succeeded. With an array of labor saving machines offered it was only natural to produce a power source to run them. To fill this market niche they produced internal combustion engines ranging from 1 to 25 hp.

This beautifully restored example was displayed at the 2015 WNC Fall Harvest Days Antique Engine and Tractor Show sponsored by Apple Country Engine & Tractor Association. www.applecountry.org As is often the case at these shows, not a lot of information was provided. This framed photocopy of a page from a catalog was all that was offered and it didn't even give the date of manufacture which made learning more about it somewhat difficult.

The data plate on the engine offered that it was a portable engine by IHC of Chicago. Serial number EF421E producing 10hp at 350 rpm. The framed page from a catalog states that these engines were ideal for running huskers, shredders, threshers, shellers, pumping,well drilling,stone crushing and generating electricity for electric lighting. In short, pretty much any device you could power with a belt.

Visits to a number of websites turned up information on International portable engines but nothing that would definatively identify this particular engine. The closest match I found was at www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/2796/5964.pdf with an illustration for a Titan tank cooled10 hp @ 350 rpm engine from 1913. If you know of a site that provides a listing of serial numbers for these engines please leave a comment.

The thing that caught my eye about this engine was the evaporative cooling system with water from the engine being dribbled across a screen before running down to the collecting tank. Company literature of the period refers to it as tank cooled which I found somewhat misleading since that suggested something more like an open hopper to me.

I wonder if the brass bright work is original equipment or a later embellishment? Most likely original since that was the way they built things back in the day.

 

Farm Collector Salutes The General

When Farm Collector announced their annual show photos issue back in November I rounded up some of my favorite shots and sent them in. Members of the Foothills Antique Power Association of North Carolina and participants in their 12th Annual Power Show might want to visit their favorite newsstand and checkout the February 2016 issue because two of their exhibitors were selected to be included, not bad for one club! In order to avoid any possible question of conflict the photos shown here are not the same exact ones published so you'll have to get a copy of the magazine (plug-plug). And the winners are.......

A 1939 General built by the Cleveland Tractor Company owned by Ned Story.

A 1939 Sears & Roebuck Economy owned by Floyd Sigmon. It seems 1939 was a good year for tractors. 

Titan 10-20

This International Harvester Titan 10-20 was one of the most interesting exhibits at the 2015 WNC Fall Harvest Days event. A lifelong Tennessee resident it was purchased new by John Kennerly from a dealership in Jonesborough Tn. ca. 1921-22 who used it to power woodworking machinery. From there it was used on a farm in Washington County Tn. for a number of years. It has been owned since 2007 by Fred, Melissa and Nathen Milner from Johnson City, Tn.

Produced from 1914 / 15 to 1922 this tractor came off the line near the end of a production run that totaled around 80,000 units. According to Smokestak.com about a thousand examples are known to survive today.

A must see website for International fans and collectors or anyone with an interest in industrial history is www.wisconsinhistory.org a site provided by the Wisconsin Historical Society where you can browse their McCormick - International Harvester digital collection. The following information is extracted from International Harvester General Catalog number 20 page 321.

Titan 10-20 specifications: Rated hp. belt 20 drawbar 10, forward speeds 2 1/4 and 2 7/8 mph, reverse 2 7/8 mph, engine rpm 575, bore 6 1/2" stroke 8", wheel base 91" , total length 147", width 60", height 66 3/4", turning radius 14', fuel capacity 16 gal., water 40 gal., shipping weight 5710 #.

Note that only one engine speed is listed. This resulted in different size belt pulleys being provided.

Sitting on top of the two cylinder engine is the magneto which " furnishes current for the jump spark ignition. The engine starts and runs on the magneto - no batteries required." The black box which might be mistaken for some kind of battery is in fact a force feed mechanical oiler. It's interesting to note that both pistons operated together which resulted in a rocking motion of the entire tractor. If you look closely at the video clip of the Titan posted earlier you can just make out this motion. This motion is obvious in the original video but after Youtube got through "processing" the upload, the result leaves much to be desired. The pipe above the engine connects to the 40 gal. water tank to cool by a thermosyphon system.

This photo provides a good look at the operators platform and controls. The can like object next to the fender is the water air cleaner.

"Strong durable roller chains are used. They are the best known final drive for a farm tractor."

Additional resources:

www.nationalihcollectors.com


www.wellssouth.com


www.tractordata.co.uk


www.smokstak.com


And a special thanks to the Milners for bringing this great bit of history to the show.    

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?