How did that lumber that built yer great grandparents’ house get cut? How did they wash their clothes, pump their water, and churn their butter? Well, if they were well-to-do they probably had portable engines like these to run simple machines.
I went to the Mid-Iowa Antique Power Show this past weekend and shot some video of the machines in action. And in-action is my favorite way for antiques to be. I mean, it makes me a little sad when I see an old fireplace in disuse, or an antique camera being used as a bookend. That’s why I admire hobbyists like these who keep history alive. I shot video here because if you see still images of these, you’re only getting half the picture.
If you know anything about engines this may seem like “duh”: but I asked my dad why some of the engines make that put put bang bang sound. Well basically each bang is the little explosions being set off by the spark plug or whatever, and in between explosions the wheel is just coasting. With some of the engines youd hear a bang then the wheel would go faster, start to slow down, and another bang! the closer together the explosions I guess the more consistent the speed. The engine in yer car is doing that in a way but it’s just more controlled.
This show was pretty good but if you really wanna see some awesome engines you HAVE to go to the Old Threshers Reunion. They’ve got these tractors that look more in shape and size like early 19th century steam powered trains. Which is basically what they are except they don’t need tracks to run.
ps. I just realized that adding “&fmt=6;” to the end of a youtube video address makes it higher definition. So I’ve gone back and done that to previous videos I’ve posted!