1125 Brookline Avenue Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703.
This is a picture of a little traction engine that took two
years of spare time to make and was completed in 1991. The frame is
made of angle iron bent and welded. The wheels are off a horse
drawn manure spreader. I don’t know what make it was but would
like to find another one just like it. The fenders are made of 10
tank is an expansion from a hot water heating system and the water
gauge on the side takes the guess work out of how much water’s
in the tank. The steering box is from an old Ford truck and I
fabricated the drag link. The steering wheel is from a Case
separator.
The engine itself is quite interesting, in that is has a
variable cutoff governor mounted in the flywheel. I haven’t
seen another factory made engine that small with that type governor
before. I think it was made by a company named Payne.
A friend used it to power his shop by line shaft and flat belts.
I got it at his estate sale. It has a 2 x 3 bore and stroke and 2-3
HP.
Because the governor is in the flywheel, the engine can’t be
reversed. A transaxle from a garden tractor solved that problem. It
does about 2 HP in high, which is fast enough, since it was built
with the kid in mind.
The boiler is 18′ around and 32′ high without the
firebox and carries 125 lbs. It’s Wisconsin certified, and from
a cold start to full head of steam, it only takes 45 minutes
without crowding the fire. The whole thing fits nicely in a
standard pickup box, which makes hauling quite nice.
The picture was taken at the Eau Claire Show in 1991 by Ray
Ebling. This show’s always the second week end in August. Maybe
we’ll see you there.
With the passing of time, it seems there’s fewer of the old
folk around that I grew up with, until this year, I think I could
count all the familiar faces on one hand. What a sorrowful thought
that would be but, through faith in our Lord, we may yet meet on
another shore for a different kind of reunion.
