old machinery porn

[Les]

Saw this on the way to the office today and it made me think of many of you people.  Mike Lamb and his propensity to make "art" from image especially!  I could have spent the day there just fondling the steel. 

[Marc]

Is that the engine in the back?

[Les]

yes and it turned over with the handcrank!  the steering was the most facinating - used a vertical rod that twisted onto a pitman arm and was self centering with bed springs!

 

[Chad Fabry]

I'm betting the engine is a Wisconsin AKN. Cast iron w/ ball bearing mains.

[John Dirks Jr]

Homemade contraption.  My neighbor has something along these lines.  I'll try and get a picture of it.

[Les]

the present owner thinks his father may have built it from plans that were in Popular Mechanics or Mother Earth News.  More likely Popular Mechanics.  I seem to recall something in the "Michigan Farmer" publication from the 30's or could be I am just dreaming!

 

[Erby]

LIfe is but a dream!

 

[John Kogel]

I don't know if sitting on top of the cylinder head is considered risky, but so far, nothing bad has happened. Thanks for posting the pics. It predates the M E News, IMO.

 

Edited June 1, 2019 by John Kogel

[Les]

That is a Fred Flintstone Crotch Rocket! 

 

[Chad Fabry]

On 5/31/2019 at 11:30 PM, John Kogel said:

I don't know if sitting on top of the cylinder head is considered risky, but so far, nothing bad has happened. Thanks for posting the pics. It predates the M E News, IMO.

 

When I was a kid, a friend and I stuffed a 16 hp engine into a suspensionless mini bike. We had to drill a hole in the seat to install the spark plug.  Following an unfortunate incident,  we added  padding to isolate the spark plug from the seated rider. Luckily, my friend was later able to father children.    

[Marc]

Growing up, I had a go-kart made by my father out of a railroad cross-tie, with a 2X4 secured to the front of it with a single large bolt.  By resting the feet on it, I could pivot the 2X4 on the bolt and steer.  Anyway, the horizontal shaft engine had the spark plug on top and was the highest point of the cart.

One day, I'm going down a country road and was amusing myself by grabbing the tall grass off the side of the road, pulling it out as I zoomed by, until I grabbed too much and it pulled me off the cart, with the cart ending upside down about 30 feet away, the rear end sitting right on the tip of the spark plug and engine still running, though poorly.  When I grab some metal part of the cart to upright it, it shocked the living hell out of me on account of the energized tip of the spark plug now being stuck in the ground and therefore grounded., energizing the engine and anything conductive connected to it.

Didn't ever pull any more grass again. Must have been still in my single digits at that time.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Marc