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.

Hit n' Miss Engines at WNC Fall Harvest Days

Rare collectible engines were well represented at the 29^th Antique Engine & Tractor show last October as this photo illustrates. Looking down the line from front to back you see a Monitor, The Bamford, an unidentified engine, a Spotless and an Abenaque. This event sponsored by the Apple Country Engine & Tractor Association www.applecountry.org  is held the 4^th weekend in October at the WNC Agricultural Center near Asheville, NC.

A masterpiece of the metal caster’s art the data plate reveals that this Monitor is engine number 7 manufactured by Baker M’F’G Co. of Evansville Wis. Rated at 2hp. Turning 450 rpm.

Was it named for the famous Civil War gunboat? No, it was named after a windmill. It was the windmill that was named for the warship. Let me explain.

Baker Manufacturing was formed in 1873 to make a new steam engine designed by Allen Baker and Levi Shaw. It was described as a “rotary engine with three movable parts, a spherically shaped machine that worked like a slowly twirling penny.” Sounds interesting, huh? Although test of the prototype engine were described as a success, for whatever reason the owners decided they could make more money operating as a general purpose foundry and machine shop. In 1874 Baker began producing windmills and it was the Monitor Windmill that made the company fortune. Winning ribbons, gold medals and praise wherever it was shown it remained a mainstay of the firm for years. It wasn’t until 1904 that Baker ventured back to engine production. By 1912 Baker offered 2, 4 and 6 hp vertical engines, horizontal engines of 8 & 10 hp and 11 & 15 hp engines mounted on steel trucks. In 1919 Baker published a catalog called 51-E that offered equipment that could be powered by the engines that included pumps, milking machines, cement mixers and cream separators. All engines came with a 1 year guarantee. You can read everything you ever wanted to know, and probably a lot more, about the history of Baker Mfg. in a company history written for the 125^th anniversary in 1998 by Ruth Ann Montgomery that can be found at www.evansvillehistory.net/files/bakermanuf2.pi

A clean, green Bamford machine. When I enlarge the photo it looks like the data plate says that this is engine # 1060 that produces 2 ½ BHP at 450 rpm but at that magnification the image is very grainy so that’s not a sure bet. Henry Bamford an ironmonger by trade (that’s Brit speak for blacksmith) assisted by his son Samuel founded Bamford LTD in Uttoxeter England about 1871 and began producing an assortment of tools and agricultural machinery. Bamford’s business proved to be very profitable and the product line expanded through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. By 1881 their catalog listed 40 pages of products, by 1900 that had doubled. Among the products offered was the “Royal Horse Mower”, one of the firm’s big sellers. Bamford exported products worldwide but were late getting into the engine game. They began offering stationary engines in 2.5, 5 and 6 hp in 1920. In 1932 they expanded into diesel production with 6, 8 and 10 hp models. If you are interested in Bamford engines I highly recommend a visit to the Bamfords Engine & Machinery Group website at http://henrybamfordandsonsuttoxeterengland.couk  . It offers a wealth of information about Bamford LTD, an assortment of replica replacement parts and they will even date the production of your engine for you.

I don’t have any information at all on this neat little engine. If you can shed some light please do.

Chugging happily away in its own puddle of oil is this Spotless Engine. The plate on it reads “The Spotless Co. The south’s mail order house. Richmond, Va. Spotless sold the engine as a house brand as Sears sold engines under the Economy trade name but it was made by Jacobson Machine Manufacturing Co. in Warren, Pa. Jacobson engines were also marketed under Bulls eye, Maynard, Moody and Unito trade names. Jacobson produced hopper cooled engines in 2, 3, 4 ½ and 6 hp versions. Collectors of these engines will want to pay a visit to Don Worley’s Webpage at http://jacobsonengines.com  for a look around. He has posted a collection of period ads and photos and says that he has factory records that list all parts used on Jacobson manufactured engines.

The Abenaque Machine Works produced gasoline and Kerosene engines that ranged from 1 to 15 horsepower between 1894 to 1921. Writer Bill Vossler in a 2004 article for Gas Engine Magazine tells the tale of how Frederick Gilbert a successful starch baron while vacationing with his family in Vermont experienced a horse breakdown in Westminster Station and liked the area so much, he proceeded to establish a factory there. Rather than elaborate on this tale of intrigue and suspicious behavior that would surely draw the attention of Homeland Security today, I’ll just recommend you to the Vossler article. It’s an interesting read.

What appears to be an oddly misplaced billboard ad for the product is in fact the unique cooling system designed by inventor / engineer John Ostenberg. Described as “The coolest proposition yet.” In a 1905 ad, it employed two thin metal sealed radiators in place of evaporative cooling to remove engine heat.

Here’s a close-up of the data plate that reveals that this is engine number 267 that develops 5 hp at 335 rpm.

Streamlined Oliver Tractors at Dacusville

The 1930’s saw most of the developed countries struggling with the worst depression anyone could remember so naturally anything that suggested a brighter future had instant appeal.  Aviation was still new and exciting; airplane design became sleeker and futuristic looking. Streamlining was all the rage so industrial designers figured if it’s good for airplanes why not for whatever they were hired to sell. First came the Zephyr a 100 mph bullet of a locomotive then streamlined cars. Even things that didn’t move like toasters and Greyhound Bus Stations got the treatment, so when the Oliver Corporation introduced its new tractor line in 1935; you guessed it, it was streamlined.

The model 70 really was an advanced tractor design. Powered by a new Continental six cylinder engine that burned 70 octane gas instead of kerosene (where it got its name) it developed 28 hp on the drawbar and 31 hp on the belt.

The model 70 was offered with upgrade options that included an electric starter, a six speed transmission and optional rubber wheels in 1937.

The Row Crop Model 70 like this one on display at the 2014 Dacusville Farm Show owned by Kim & Jeff Jackson was produced from 1937 to 1948. Production numbers vary from 50,941 to 63,000 depending on the source.

Oliver’s streamlined series included the Model 66 like this 1950 Row Crop also owned by the Jacksons, one of 11,472 units made between 1949 – 1954. The 4 cylinder engine produced 22 hp drawbar, 27 hp on the belt according to the info on the show placard.

In 1948 Oliver introduced the Model 77 like this one from the Leon Moody Memorial Tractor Collection.  Production continued until 1954 with 34,447 units sold.

The Model 77 was available as standard or row crop and in LP, gas and diesel versions.

It came with six forward speeds, 2 reverse and a three point hitch. The 194 cubic inch Waukesha - Oliver engine put 32 hp on the drawbar and 37 on the belt.

Sources and Resources:

Jbern117.hubpages.com/hub/streamlining-design

www.pbs.org/wgbh/Americanexperience/features/introduction/streamliners-intro/

www.ehow.com

www.agriculture.com

www.yesterdaystractors.com

Dacusville Farm Show exhibit placard

Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors by C.H. Wendel

Sears and Roebuck Handiman Random Thoughts

When was the last time a musical made you think?"  proudly proclaimed the ad in the newspaper I was reading. Hmmmm! at nearly two hundred a pop for tickets one would hope it might stimulate a neuron or two to fire off. By that standard the eight bucks I paid for admission to the WNC Fall Harvest Days Show last October was a fantastic bargain because it triggered a question I'm still trying to answer, Who invented the riding lawn mower? 

I was reviewing photos from that show, trying to decide what to use for this post when I stopped at this 1939 Sears and Roebuck Handiman RT and the question began to form. Shure there were bound to be earlier examples of compact tractors but 1939 was still early and the design was heading in the right direction. When you look at these pictures you might think you're looking at what's left of one of these garden tractors but there really never was much more. An illustration from a period ad posted at tractordata,com shows a sheet metal hood covering the Briggs and Stratton engine and that's it. I also read that the hood created overheating problems and many owners just removed them. With a belt drive power takeoff on the single cylinder 376 cc Briggs motor it could conceivably have had a mower attached although that might have been asking a bit much of the little engine.

The David Bradley Manufacturing Co. which was purchased by Sears in 1912 only produced the riding version of the Handiman from 1939 to 1940 so this one owned by John Baum from Appleton, Wisconsin must be a fairly rare collectible. After the war Bradley produced the 2 wheel walk behind Handiman version which became the firms most popular product. 

So back to the question at hand. Most sources agree that Edwin Budding patented the first lawnmower in 1830, a reel type mower not much different from the push mowers sold today. Before then grass was not considered a problem as it was taken care of by horses, cows and goats. Around 1893 James Sumner of Lancashire England invented a steam powered lawnmower that was wildly unpopular as most people who tried it agreed that it was easier to cut their grass with a sling blade than keep the boiler fired. In the USA a Col. Edwin George designed a gasoline engine powered mower around 1919 but power mowers did not become widespread until after WW 2 and still no definitive mention of riding mowers. Sure, Cyrus McCormick and others patented horse drawn equipment in the early 1830's that provided a seat for the operator but that was for harvesting not lawn mowing. Beyond this point the water becomes murky indeed. Remember, this was a time when every town of any size had a foundry and machine shop and every boy wanted to grow up to be an inventor not a rock star. (Where did we go so horribly wrong?)

Different sources will point you in different directions. Wikipedia for example has this advertisement for a Ransomes motor lawnmower from 1902 and yes that's a seat. If you turn to page 153 of C.H. Wendel's Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors you'll see a photo of a McCormick Auto Mower with it's boat tiller steering and a Deering self propelled mowing machine both from the 1890's neither of which were big sellers. Were these the first riding lawn mowers? I wouldn't want to bet the farm on it. If you have the answer or just want to add your 2 cents worth please feel free to post a comment.

Sources and Resources:

http://www.gardenguides.com

http://www.en.wikipedia.org

http://www.gasenginemagazine.com

http://www.tractordata.com

http://www.americanlawns.com

Encyclopedia of American Farm Tractors by C.H. Wendel

Kay-Gee 1640

There's nothing that sounds like steam through a brass whistle. I bought my ticket and walked through the gate at the Dacusville Farm Show and was wondering where to begin when it sounded, almost like an answer to my unspoken question. There was no longer any doubt about which way to go, just head for the puffs of smoke rising into the blue sky.

I had decided to go to the show on the off chance there would be an operating steam engine on display and I hit the jackpot, not one but two sat side by side with steam up, a Keck-Gonnerman traction engine and a Russell portable.

The Kay-Gee was a 19 or 20 HP single cylinder side gear model, probably manufactured around 1920, although I haven't been able to locate a source to verify the serial number.  The Russell, I was told was a 10 HP made in 1895.

Although the company went through a series of changes before 1884, William Gonnerman joined John Keck that year to form Keck-Gonnerman and the firm began producing a line of steam engines at the factory located in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. The firm also manufactured threshing machines, mining equipment and saw mills and quickly became the largest industry in town.

The steam engine line was a mainstay but as the market evolved the company added a two cylinder kerosene tractor in 1918 and a 4 banger in 1928. Steam engines remained in production until 1930.

You can read a more detailed history of Keck-Gonnerman in an article that was written by Brian Wayne Wells for Belt Pulley Magazine at his website at www.Wellssouth.com . Another interesting website is at cygnuschronicles.wikidot.com which has an account of a family owned Kay-Gee engine and illustrations from two Keck-Gonnerman catalogs.

I was surprised by how much there was to see at this show, the second one sponsored by the Dacusville Heritage Association. It usually takes a number of years to build an event's participation to this level. We'll wander around and check out more of what was on display in future post so don't touch that dial. So what's in store for 2015? Don't know. As of this writing the Dacusville website hasn't been updated from last year but if you're interested in attending check www.dacusvilleheritageassociation.org as summer approaches.

A Keck-Gonnerman under steam.

Here's a short video of a Keck-Gonnerman steam tractor at the Dacusville Farm Show near Easley, SC at  the end of August 2014. We'll have more from this great show in future post so stay tuned.

Clyde's Amazing Antique Boneyard

In the fall of 2007 I was vacationing in western North Carolina when I stumbled upon what has to be one of the largest collections of unrestored portable steam engines, antique tractors and parts to be found. I won't tell you where these critters go to die because you might too. Clyde doesn't take trespassing  on his property lightly.

I was rolling down the mountain at a good clip when I spotted a gaudily painted engine parked beside the highway. I eventually got turned around and headed back for a look. I pulled off the road and got out my camera to snap a few pictures.

I shot several different views and was about to get back in my truck when I happened to glance across the road. Amazing the whole side of the mountain was littered with old machines. As I stood there looking a state trooper pulled up and asked if I was having car trouble. I told him I was just looking at the old engines and he nodded and drove off. I crossed the highway and walked a short distance up a side road before I spotted the small coffin that served as a no trespassing sign and turned back. I hadn't gone far when Clyde pulled up and wanted to know if I had been on his land. I convinced him that his sign had done it's job and that I was interested in portable steam engines. Like most collectors he enjoyed talking about his hobby and graciously invited me to a tour of his museum. 

                      

I spent more than an hour wandering over several acres covered with rows of tractors. There were McCormick Deerings dating from the 20's and 30's, Fordson's, John Deers and others that I couldn't even guess who made.

There were a number of A.B.Farquhar portable engines and others that I couldn't identify.

There were boilers stripped of their engines and plumbing and in every stage of disassembly. I asked Clyde if he restored or sold them but no, he just collected them. Restoration was pretty much limited to a coat of paint to slow the rust down.

It was a memorable afternoon on a perfect fall day and the high point of my vacation trip to the mountains. I have not been back that way in the years since and couldn't say if the engines and tractors I saw are still there but I hope they are. They seemed to be at home on the side of that mountain.

Text and photos by Steve Ritch all rights reserved.