1927 Fairbanks-Morse flywheel engine

[Ausfahrt]

I bought this engine about 5 years ago at a yard sale. It was an impulse purchase and since it was not frozen and all the parts were present, I figured that could get it running again in short order.

Well, This stationary engine lived up to it's name in that it remained stationary in the corner of my garage for about five years until I acknowledged the fact that I just didn't have time to mess with it. So I dropped it off at the shop of a local vintage tractor restorer who said that he would be happy to look at it during slow times if I was not in hurry.

This is what it looked like when I bought it:

So it doesn't look very different now than it did five years ago but now it runs. I am new at filming and posting videos and this one leaves a lot to be desired since the lighting is terrible and I mumble through portions of it. Hopefully, most of you will see the engine and appreciate it for what it is.

 

[Quest]

cra--zeey! (Thx for sharing)

Q.

 

[440Magnum]

I think you and I share many interests! Beautiful old FM popper! When I was a *little* kid (like 3 years old), we lived for a while in Oklahoma while my dad was in grad school. I loved to get dad to drive out into the country past the oil well pumpjacks powered by little engines like that. The start of my fascination with things mechanical, I guess. I have a few faint memories of doing that, but mom and dad said I wanted to go see the oil pumps every weekend. ;D

The Burton Cotton Gin festival happens near here every spring, and there's a whole field full of all sorts of similar engines popping away. Then at the end of the day, they fire up the gin's Bessemer two-cylinder two-stroke hothead diesel and bale gin a bale of cotton under its power. The Bessemer, also known as the 'Lady B,' is one of the biggest of its type still in (occasional) use. If you go to the gin's webpage I think they have the history of it, but basically it ran WITHOUT BREAKDOWN for about 50 years until a crosshead failure in the early 1960s! They put in an electric motor to power the gin while it was down, and it served as a backup engine until the gin shut down for good. The gin (and engine) have now been restored and in addition to the show actually process cotton for a few farms a year:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afSxOM-3xBQ

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEuJ4EVwHs

AMAZING to see (and hear, and feel) in person!

 

[bama7x57]

Thanks for sharing!!! I love old engines.

 

[afoulk]

I love old hit and miss engines. I've been trying for years to get out to coolsprings, pa to their Power Museum for their June show, but have yet to get the time or money to make the trip. Nor do I have anyone interested in really going with me My small gas engines class in highschool (probably around 1996) started making the trip out there for the october show, but we had to turn around and go back because of snow. My teacher for that class was an antique tractor nut and had a bunch of old John Deeres and some Allis Chalmers, but he had a couple New Holland hit and miss engines and brought one in for us to watch run one day. I've been hooked ever since

 

[GreeCguy]

Excellent!!! I love these old hit and miss engines. Good job and keep the videos coming!

What kind of oil are you using in your oiler for the cylinder?

 

[JHZR2]

Neat!! What oil did you use in the drop oiler and what grease in the bearings?

At the NJ state fair they have a ton of like new and restored engines of various types like this. It is a major hobby and seems like a really neat thing to fix up.

Keep us posted! Thanks for sharing!

 

[oilmaven]

Too cool...Thanks

 

[andyd]

A buddy of mine has a make and break, that powered the wood shop he bought. It the parts are stored and the engine is fine. Last, I knew he still has it and very willing to sell.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Thanks for the replies, fellas.

Those were cool videos Magnum, thanks for posting the links.

As for the drip oiler, I am just using 90 weight gear oil since anything thinner seems to drip through too fast. I am not sure that it is working properly since the drip speed seems too fast regardless of how I try to adjust it.

I'm also not at all sure what oil I should use in the drip oiler so I am open to suggestions.

 

[BigCahuna]

Every June in Rheinbeck New York, they have a vintage motorcycle swap meet. It's not just motorcycles tho. They have a little of everything, and a bunch of those hit and miss motors. Some of the displayers have them hooked up to various things so you could actually see them performing work, like they did in the old days.The vintage motorcycles and old parts alone are worth the trip. They also had and old plane that was restored. I had a hard time getting my friend away from it.,

 

[yucca]

Love it! I still stop, look and listen to these things in action when I see them on pump jacks out in the field.