Mystery Machines, Museum Models and Memories

Looking for information on belt-driven water pumps

I am looking for information on belt-driven water pumps. The tag on mine says Fairbanks-Morse, size 1, 5530, K67481. I would like to know the pump’s approximate age, driving horsepower required (minimum/maximum), GPM output and maintenance requirements. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Joe Kolar, Fenton, Michigan;
email: joek@corriganoil.com

Fifty years later, craftsmen still recognize their work

I recently attended the International Windmillers’ Trade Fair in Lamar, Colorado. Before I left south Texas, a friend gifted me a 17-inch-tall windmill replica. He said it had been in his family for years and he had no history on how it got there.

In Lamar, I displayed it and several other interesting windmill items just as conversation pieces. On the first afternoon of the trade fair, a gentleman came up and said, “I built that.” I looked at him with a puzzled face and again he said, “I built that,” and introduced himself as Ken Marks.

My first question was, Marx, like the famous wind-up toy manufacturer, or Marks? He started to explain that the Marks family had been making these 17-inch windmills since the 1940s. His father, Howard, had invented and developed this miniature as a replica of local farm structures in Nebraska.

Ken further explained that he personally had built and assembled this replica in about 1968, some 54 years ago. He inspected the mill as he spoke and said he would send his brother, Norman, over to look at it as well. Norman came about half an hour later and also inspected the windmill. Both men were super nice gentlemen.

After much deliberation, they agreed that this particular windmill was assembled between October 1967 and July 1968. One reason given was that it has a wooden bearing on the blade shaft the fan spins on.

During the time the Marks family’s company (Aeromotor Co.) was getting off the ground, Aermotor Windmill Co. placed an order with them for 17 replica mills. The original full-size mill has an Osage wood bearing that they boiled in linseed oil, just like many turn-of-the-last-century mills had, but the Marks family could not produce them quickly enough for large orders, so they went to brass bearings instead. That is how they were able to date my replica so specifically.

When we returned to New Braunfels, I got to share this history of this piece with my friend. Next September, the windmillers trade fair will be held in Poteet, Texas. If your readers have any interest in windmills, this will be the place to go in September 2023.

Mike Blahnik, New Braunfels, Texas

Anyone recognize this?

I found this picture as I was sorting through things in my basement. I don’t know what the piece is exactly, but I think it was a road building machine or a machine to groom a dirt road. I have shown it to three county engineers in Iowa but no one has seen anything like it before. Hoping one of your readers will have the answer.

James P. Colwell, 32 1st St.,
Woodbine, IA 51579

Lesson learned in taking advice

In 1964, I was 18 and hired on a harvest crew by Bud Schwisow. Bud had been harvesting for farmers for many years and had regular customers from Archer City, Texas, to Ekalaka, Montana. Bud’s wife and two kids were along and stayed in a trailer he pulled behind a pickup. Our crew of eight stayed in an old Airstream trailer pulled by the one truck we didn’t need to pull a header trailer.

Combines were four Super 92 Massey Fergusons. One was with a 14-foot header that could be hauled with the header on, allowing us to pull our Airstream along. The other three had 18-foot headers that we had to remove and trailer behind the trucks. Hauling that 14-footer on the truck with the header over the cab made a scary-looking outfit.

At each area, Bud would lead us from field to field with his pickup and keep all four combines together, but by the time we were finishing with his regular customers in Ekalaka at the end of August, we had a couple of our crew leave to go back to school, leaving us shorthanded.

We were basically finished there with regular customers but kept picking up small jobs, so we stayed a while longer. Some of the jobs were pretty small, so Bud split us up and sometimes we were combining a load and then hopping into the truck to take it to town. Bud was even running a truck or combine as needed. Moving from field to field, he was now usually giving us directions and he would take the load to town or the farmer’s bin.

The day came when Bud gave Ron and myself (my name is Ron also) directions to the next job, which was about 20 miles away. On the last move Ron and I made, he started pulling away from me going down a hill. I first thought he had a runaway, but when he started back up the next hill and sped down the one after, I knew he was coasting. When we got to that location, we had a little talk and I let him know how dangerous I thought that was.

I guess advice to a 17-year-old boy from an 18-year-old didn’t carry much weight. He just laughed about it and called it “using overdrive.” I figured he would do that again, and sure enough, he did. As we were getting along on that 20-mile move, Ron was ahead of me by about a mile. As I topped one hill, Ron was nearly at the top of the next one. I came to the top of that hill and it opened up to a beautiful valley and the gravel road dropped off real steep and then curved left down through the valley.

From a distance, I could see Ron and his combine were no longer on the road. As I got closer, I was just hoping I wouldn’t find Ron out in the prairie injured or dead. When I got there, Ron was busy pulling dirt, gravel and grass out of the header. He hollered at me to look over the combine and see what was torn up.

It was amazing that we didn’t find anything damaged. The header was probably saved from damage by the full-width 1/4-inch skid plate Bud had told us was an option. As near as I could figure, when Ron started to lose control and hit the brakes at that speed, the combine tipped forward and drug that header on the ground. I don’t know how else he got that header so full of crap. It must have been a wild ride for Ron. He wouldn’t talk about it, and as soon as we got done cleaning the header and inspecting the combine, he started it up and took off. I never saw Ron use overdrive again.

Ron Haake, Ft. Lupton, Colorado

Preserving pieces from the past

These two pieces of equipment were given to me and I restored them. They are a 1920s International Harvester disc harrow and a Cole planter with fertilizer hopper and drive wheel.

Wayne A. Beggs, Lincolnton, Georgia

Going along for the ride

This picture was taken in 1942. My father, Merlyn Boese (deceased), Storm Lake, Iowa, was moving a hog feeder. My brother, Jerry Boese (deceased) and I were riding along.

Beverly Glienske, Aurelia, Iowa

Could it be a dairy centrifuge?

Can anyone identify this item? It appears to be a dairy centrifuge, because when the handle is turned, the internal components spin very fast. Three sets of double cups inside spin as the handle is turned.

Clarence Gibbs,
Inman, South Carolina

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