That is one well balanced engine. I've seen so many horizontally mounted engines that looked like they were going to shake the cart apart. Yours just sits there and happily runs so smooth.
On those engines the crank shaft has the counter balance - the run far smother than when the counter balance was in the fly wheel also after they started casting or bolting the counter balance into the crank shaft - the could safely increase the HP and speed - early engines turned slower as not to brake the crank shaft - that's a common problem when the counter balance is on the fly wheel - In the 80s there were 1000s of witty engines in serves putting voltage on pipe lined - They were run on diesel crude
In July of 1967 my family visited Yosemite National Park in California, at the east entrance near Lee Vining. Since that location is many miles from the nearest power line they had a generator supplying power for the ranger station and the related buildings in the nearby buildings. It was a single-cylinder Diesel running at about 200 RPM with a belt drive to an 1800 RPM generator. What impressed me was the sound and the electrical output, 240 volts at about 200 amperes. The sound was a muffled chug, chug, chug that resonated in my chest lungs. Years later the Park Service expanded the services at that location and brought in a power line from Lee Vining.
I worked the offshore oilfields and mountain oilfields for decades - oil is often drilled for in very remote areas - I had worked on many of those engines & generators - there 1000s still in service today - the muffler makes them very quiet - witty made engines / gens into the 1980s - most areas that there in service have 100s of yrs of replacement parts - there re-ringed every 5 yrs
Great job from one Jersey boy to another. Due to my age, I’m now living in a condo in Florida so your videos are a way I can still tinker without the need for property, stored toys and dirty hands. None of these are a complaint but a relaxing joy!
I like that you're not afraid to make the old engine work. A lot of shows I go to, people never run more than a small water pump or whatever, and the hit and miss gas engines only fire every once in a while. Like they're afraid to put a good load on it. This is cool to hear them with a real load. LOL. Be safe!
Very nice complete set. Good to see that you kept the original look and not overpainted it as a glossy machine, but just clean and nice to look at. Thats how I like to see these old machines. The real look of an old working engine. Looking at the Hz-meter it runs quite stable.Hz is the indication of right rpms. Maybe the magnetic field has somewhat losses his strenght, just keep it running and will come back.
That is so sweet to hear that classic diesel engine.run like she did back in the day I elect you as gen tech of the century thank you young man for bringing classic gen set's back to life
We were taught to keep the fuel tanks full in storage on our aircraft to prevent condensate. The manner is , I believe, the reverse of your description, but same effect. Pull in hot humid air, cool, condense. Voila - water! Repeat daily!
My grandfather and I drove up the Alaska highway in the summer of 1965. The background noise of an old one lung genset could be heard in every little outpost in the sticks before electrification reached everywhere... Brings back memories
There still many of those engines in service west of the Mississippi River - there still portions of the western US that don't have grid power - those are set.up to charge battery's in remote areas were there is no grid - witty made engines into the 1980s or so
The Amish would love this ..... My Great Grandfather had a Delco system on his Farm and house.. Had a bunch of batteries start the gasoline engine once per day and charge the batteries then had lights in the house at night no need for kersene lamps ..
Out of all your gen sets, this has to be one of my favorites! Love the sound too. Glad finally see a decent video on it! I was really hoping to make the hike up to the Jacktown summer show this year( would be my first time there) and maybe see this thing, but I'm not so sure that's going to happen this year sadly. Ohh Well!
Nice job . I love old engines like this . So simple compared to what we have today . I run a 2007 VW Touareg V6 tdi . Service is easy oil and filters etc . Any other issues you have to connect it to a computer and see what's wrong . I've got an old generac generator I was given . That wouldn't start . Got it running last summer . Making power too . Immensely satisfying ressurecting old machinery .
I love how almost all of the controls are inches away from that gigantic spinning flywheel. Makes you wonder how many operators these things maimed back in the day...
The good old days of no safety net, low safety standards, lower life expectancy, and being a man meant to show how little you valued life. Make America great again!
I want to say that that is a great running engine. I just came back from our hit miss engine show in cabool MO. This weekend. I had my drag saws and maytag engines. We all had a great time and a safe time to. I do like the engine and the generator it sounds great and runs good. Great video.
Very interesting, I watched a demonstration with a hit and miss engine and how it matained Rpm at different loads just hit more often . You have a very nice demonstrator . Good job
The cart you build is really nice. I love the fact that it's 100% functional, but it also looks aesthetically pleasing. You guys have exceptional eyes for creating really nice looking machines, be they show pieces or just fun around the yard, bummer that you don't have more time for them, but eh, that's life, right? Again, the cart looks really nice.
Man, that thing is a beast. Sure seems kind of archaic for 1941...looks more like 1900-1920 and it looks like it came right out of a black and white 1920 catalog. Still, I am a bit surprised that by 1941 it's not powered by a flathead four cylinder engine. Of course that wouldn't be half as much fun. That would of course change the footprint and maybe it's all about being a diesel vs gasoline. Nicely done!
I find your programs fascinating, your descriptions and work is fascinating. You are so lucky in the States having access to ex-Service generators some of which look almost new, In South Africa we have no access to anything like this! Thanks for your efforts.
Awesome old machine, seems to be running pretty good for being 80 years old, pretty sure the stuff being made now days wont be running in 20 years let alone eighty. Simple and well built, wish we made things like this now!
Those style engines are still made and sold world wide look up lister CS engines - if you need a lead let me know - hey have a listerroid version - it's a clone of the original lister - but has been up graded to roller bearings - also the counter balance is in the crank - They sell them as air compressors - with a kit to change them over to a diesel engine - If your mechanical it's easy to do - Although the burn clean there not EPA compliant - there certified for CHP units in Europe - that is combined heating and power - homes use the during the winter to generate heat during the winter and the power generate is used in the home or sold back to the grid - There is a lister CHP in a hotel in Poland that has been in service for 90 yrs - I've seen the old brass bushing type in the oilfields running with a quarter inch cleares at the mains that had been like that for a long time - brass bushing are perfered in dirty or Sandy areas
Grew up using belt driven threshers powered by 40s tractors and small engines like this. Listening to that little lady croon reminds me of good times, hard work, and satisfaction in what you accomplished! People were generally smart enough to stay clear of flywheels, drive lines and other hazardous parts! Warning labels were not needed. There was always the one guy that got complacent. Usually happened before procreation, therefore the gene pool was saved! Now look what we have! Argh!!!
The older engines with the counter balance in the fly wheel do walk all over - the newer engines have the counter balance at the crank jernol and vibrate very little -
Super neat! Thanks for sharing this. I enjoy it at the show in the past. That early type fuel filter with the brass disks is very interesting. Hopefully some fall shows!
My Dad started work for Oil Well Supply Co in 1937 out of the Ellinwood,Ks store. He was the field man for “OILWELL” pumping units and Witte engines. As a kid seen many new B & C models and later the little 98RC engine come in crates and then go out to the customers.
Witty was still manufacturing engines in the 80s - I've seen many that are still in service - there many that are used to keep voltage on pipe lines - it increase pipelines service life up to 3 times longer - they keep a negative charge on pipe lines
@@gaildimick1831 I'm a third generation mechanic electrician - my grandfather started working on stationary engines in the very early 1900s -- It was before AC generation took over - he started when many power plants were 110 DC - Even the French quarter in New Orleans had a 110v DC power plant on Bourbon street that powered the French Quarter when my grand father was a kid - It was a hybrid power plant - they charged a large Battey bank 2 hours in the morning and evening - it was a 110v DC plant - witty engines were - from the begging my grandfather spoke of them as an excelent engine for driving generators in the oilfields - it's cool that you have some -
@@gaildimick1831 I'm retired now - I started in the oilfield in the early 70s - I had uncle's that were in the communications business also I learned electronic at a young age - My knowledged was recognized from my start about gens and solid-state drive systems - back then we bought old retired locomotives and up graded the engines fro 2 MW to 6 MW sets then we changed the traction motors over from being controlled by resistor Banks to being controlled by solid state DC drives - in the oil field those guys are coined SCR electriciins - you have to be good to do that kind of work - also the crews will ride those guys into the ground if they can - It was as if I had been pre seasoned to work in the oilfields - Also I started at a perfect time - I had the knowledge of the old systems and the new systems - Growing up I was taught all about the old hybrid systems also one of my uncle's was on a sub during WW2 - There were still old farm houses in the 60s that still.had the 32 volt farm light plants - I remember a farmer that refused grid power - he said he could get pole power for 35 cents a kw or he could generate his own power for 1.5 cents a kw - diesel was about 10 cents a gallon for Farmers - his generator had a heavy low speed engine so I guess it generated 12 kws per gallon of fuel it burned to charge his house battery's - I remember those old 32 volt frigidare fridges that were in farm houses back then also the motor driven inverters so they could have 110 v AC appliances lol - Today when I tell guys that some of those engines generated 27 KWs per gallon of fuel there astonished - - running slow there is time to burn all the fuel -
nice setup, she runs great. lets see a modern genset run in a 100 years. never happen. new stuff fails sitting in the garage. cool video.im a diesel mechanic so i love this stuff.
I love to see old antique machines working. I have a 1938 Singer Industrial sewing machine model number 111W113 for leather work, it came with an antique electric motor with a clutch mechanism that works opposite of how one works in a car. I operate the sewing machine using bicycle pedals. The electric motor would make the sewing machine run faster than I can sew.
I could listen to that bad boy chuff along at full load all day long. Actually want something similar to this to actually work when I get my Empire of Dirt fully set up since 3-phase and 240v supplies are hard to come by. I do want an open case though, wanna see the counterweights, rod, et-al whirling around in there. It'd run my shop air, my lathe, mill, maybe some lineshaft items that don't need to be super precise like bench grinders or bandsaws.
@@theodoredugranrut8201 I was thinking miniature tractor - like large lawn mower size - electrically powered of course. So if you see a Tesla with a chunky trailer of batteries, it wasn't Elon's idea ! #range_extension
A guy would be amazed with condensation... I've walked into my shop several times and could tell exactly how much calcium chloride was in my rear tractor tires... Top of the tires dry and the bottom wet right at the fluid level Nice toy. I love old iron
Oh that's my favorite. I used to pray both valve stems we're at the top of the rim before I shut down my 504 international in case they puked. Calcium is great for traction but good god did it eat rims if it leaked.
@@TheOtherBill I saw that, was considering going to it on my Ford 5000 but just have them dry for now. I have noticed that it doesn't have quite as much bite though. If I do fill them it definitely won't be with calcium
All those slow turning engine burn clean - they also can have up to a 27:1 fuel efficiency - at slower speeds there is time to burn all the fuel or even the oil that slips by the rings - many in the oilfields are run on diesel crude that's about #6;fuel oil - that one will run at 14:1 efficiency or so - that's 14000 watts per gallon of fuel burned - they rarely smoke - If they smoke the valves will carbon and it's difficult to start them - it's easy to change out the rings -
Great video. As for the filter type that is actually pretty common in marine application up til the 60’s and even 70’s. The tug I work on was built in 1958 and it had some oil and fuel filters of that style. They have been mostly replaced by standard modern filters but there is still a couple left
Most of the older engines had a tube or sock filters - it was a cotton sleeve over a mesh wire - You wash them out and reuse them - the cotton sleeve for a fuel filter last for several decades -
load banks are cool but mustie1 will plug in stuff like heat guns and lights, some people dont understand load banks and would be more impressed with lights or drills plugged in and working. love your vids keep up the great work
Cool old machine. That type of filter is called a "cuneo" filter, have no idea why. I was taught about them in aircraft maintenance school but have never seen one in actual use, 30 years later.
It's interesting you remember the name of that filter - I had worked on crude oil pumpers in the oilfields - in the marsh country in the deep South were oil started being drilled long ago - many of those old pumping stations were built in the 1920s - in the 80s many had never been upgraded - those old engines had those fuel filters with a bunch of disc - I never knew the name of them till you said the name lol
Even if the engine would pass all the modern emission crap it would be banned because it does not have the required amount of complicated electrical crap and is way too easy to work on
That fuel filter you demonstrated was still used in power plant lube oil systems very recently. Twisting that t handle was part of an operators hourly rounds.
I didn't see him show the twist clean fuel filter but they have been around forever - i had worked on generators and pumps in the oil fields and there were many large stationary engine built in the 1920s with the original filters - some were the twist type
Just my 2c, from the video it looks like the injector is running a touch lean, but I will say she sounded great and had a good bark to her. It will be great to see a video at a show with all the engines running, yes it's some work but dam just all the gens he has running would run every light in a town :)