Delco-Light: More Than Lights

By Dennis Vriend
Published on May 14, 2013
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The flywheel end of Dennis’ 850. 
The flywheel end of Dennis’ 850. 
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Dennis Vriend’s Delco-Light Model 850. 
Dennis Vriend’s Delco-Light Model 850. 
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A 32-volt Hoover vacuum cleaner. 
A 32-volt Hoover vacuum cleaner. 
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A 32-volt Black & Decker 1/2-inch drill. 
A 32-volt Black & Decker 1/2-inch drill. 
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The Delco-Light decal. 
The Delco-Light decal. 
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The Dixie Maid electric churn. 
The Dixie Maid electric churn. 
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The 32-volt battery is made up of 16 battery cells. 
The 32-volt battery is made up of 16 battery cells. 

I was amazed when I found Sam Moore’s piece on Delco-Light 32-volt systems (Farm Collector, January 2013), and doubly amazed to find a complementary piece by Jerry Friesner in the March 2013 issue. These systems were very popular in rural areas in times past, but it seems very few collectors today (even us old codgers) have even heard of them or are interested.

I grew up in the boondocks of western Canada where “real power” did not exist until the late 1950s and into the ’60s. My family was slightly better off than many, so I grew up in the 1940s-’50s on a farm with a 32-volt system while my classmates used kerosene lamps.        

The market leader

While Delco (Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co.) built by far the most popular machine, my family had a Power Chief: a water-cooled, 1,000-watt, 1-cycle unit with 16 glass cells to make a battery of 32 volts (Delco units were mostly air-cooled). I remember the engine/generator unit as being quite problematic and we frequently reverted temporarily to kerosene.

There were many other manufacturers as well, but I’ve read that Delco consistently held 50 percent or more of the market. General Motors bought the company in 1916. Between 1916 and 1947, Delco produced 80-90 different models. The Model 850 was very popular and was produced during the entire period with only minor changes.  

Rebuilt in red

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