I never heard of such a thing.....
We had the engine and transmission on a pump jack to water my cows when I was a child. I would go down and pour a quart or so of gas in it. Start it, and let it pump until it went dry. Twice a day every day as long as the cows were in the field.
I have seen a few. When I was young (well after 1929) there were still some in use out on the farm areas that did not have electricity yet.
When I was a kid my neighbor had the motor and drive from one of them and we tried unsuccessfully to adapt it to a gokart. The engine had a kick starter and was a bugger to keep running but that is about all I remember at this late date.
I was at an estate sale once that featured one of these and as I was looking at it, an old timer came over and told me when he was a kid, every farm had one and on Monday morning you could hear them all going (unless it was rainy). Evidently before rural electrification. -- H
When I was a kid in the late '40's, my Dad rigged one up on a scooter but we could never keep the thing running, either. I don't how they were ever able to get a load of clothes done washing.
Tom G.
Yes, and looking at those photos and the rollers at the top used to squeeze water out of the just washed clotes reminded me where the expression "Don't get your tit in a wringer" came from.
My collection of arcane stuff happens to include a spark plug for one of those Maytags. You'll note it comes apart for cleaning and has a copper sealing gasket and dual outer electrodes.
Jeff
Looks like the insulator nose is cracked.
My grandparents had just such a machine on their farm in the 40's. They had it in a shed attached to the rear of their farm house and an exhaust pipe leading outside. They didn't get electricity until the late 40s.
They also had gas powered clothes irons. Used white gas and pumped up pressure.
Obviously none of you ever attended a steam show, before gasoline engines there were steam driven wringer washers
theres likely a show near you, they can be very interesting
My, what good eyes you have grandma!
You're right, it was cracked when I got it and a piece fell off the first time I took the plug apart. It's secured with epoxy now.
Little chance I'll be needing to use that spark plug soon though.
BTW, for you youngsters, those plugs screwed into the engine's cylinder head with NPT pipe threads. That's the way I remember all those early spark plugs were. No wussy gaskets and fine easy to strip threads for them!
Jeff
Before gasoline there were STEAM POWERED apliances like wringer washers.
go to a local steam show, they are amazing
I happen to know about the washing machines, but I was floored at a restaurant in Guthrie where they have an excellent condition, little used Maytag lawn mower proudly displayed!!!!
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The machines in mid-50 were electric as I recall. The ringers would bind-up if to many clothes were put in the ringer and had a quick release or something at the top to SAVE my fingers when the family members didn't want a tit in the ringer. I was tasked with putting the clothes through the ringer. And the women firmly explained to me this was not a toy. They were proud of an indoor ringer/washer.
Oren "My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."
We were using one well into the 40s until REA came through. It was a single cyl. though and I had never seen or heard of a 2 cyl. Still a lot of them on display at fairs and in collections.
Harry K
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