THE YOUNG ENGINEERS’ GUIDECHAPTER I.BUYING AN ENGINE.There are a great many makes of good engines on the market to-day, and the competition is so keen that no engine maker can afford to turn out a very poor engine. This is especially true of traction engines. The different styles and types all have their advantages, and are good in their way. For all that, one good engine may be valueless for you, and there are many ways in which you may make a great mistake in purchasing an engine. The following points will help you to choose wisely:1. Consider what you want an engine for. If it is a stationary engine, consider the work to be done, the space it is to occupy, and what conveniences will save your time. Remember, TIME IS MONEY, and that means that SPACE IS ALSO MONEY. Choose the kind of engine that will be most convenient for the position in which you wish to place it and the purpose or purposes for which you wish to use it. If buying a traction engine, consider also the roads and an engine’s pulling qualities.2. If you are buying a traction engine for threshing, the first thing to consider is FUEL. Which will be cheapest for you, wood, coal or straw? Is economy of fuel much of an object with you—one that will justify you in greater care and more scientific study of your engine? Other things being equal, the direct flue, firebox,locomotive boiler and simple engine will be the best, since they are the easiest to operate. They are not the most economical under favorable conditions, but a return flue boiler and a compound engine will cost you far more than the possible saving of fuel unless you manage them in a scientific way. Indeed, if not rightly managed they will waste more fuel than the direct flue locomotive boiler and the simple engine.3. Do not try to economize on the size of your boiler, and at the same time never get too large an engine. If a 6-horse power boiler will just do your work, an 8-horse power will do it better and more economically, because you won’t be overworking it all the time. Engines should seldom be crowded. At the same time you never know when you may want a higher capacity than you have, or how much you may lose by not having it. Of course you don’t want an engine and boiler that are too big, but you should always allow a fair margin above your anticipated requirements.4. Do not try to economize on appliances. You should have a good pump, a good injector, a good heater, an extra steam gauge, an extra fusible plug ready to put in, a flue expander and a beader. You should also certainly have a good force pump and hose to clean the boiler, and the best oil and grease you can get. Never believe the man who tells you that something not quite the best is just as good. You will find it the most expensive thing you ever tried—if you have wit enough to find out how expensive it is.5. If you want my personal advice on the proper engine to select for various purposes, I should say by all means get a gasoline engine for small powers about the farm, such as pumping, etc. It is the quickest to start, by far the most economical to operate, and the simplest to manage. The day of the small steam engine is past and will never return, and ten gasoline engines of this kind are sold for every steam engine put out. If you want a traction engine for threshing, etc., stick to steam. Gasoline engines are not very good hill climbers because the application of power is not steady enough; they arenot very good to get out of mud holes with for the same reason, and as yet they are not perfected for such purposes. You might use a portable gasoline engine, however, though the application of power is not as steady as with steam and the flywheels are heavy. In choosing a traction steam engine, the direct flue locomotive boiler and simple engine, though theoretically not so economical as the return flue boiler and compound engine, will in many cases prove so practically because they are so much simpler and there is not the chance to go wrong with them that there is with the others. If for any reason you want a very quick steamer, buy an upright. If economy of fuel is very important and you are prepared to make the necessary effort to secure it, a return flue boiler will be a good investment, and a really good compound engine may be. Where a large plant is to be operated and a high power constant and steady energy is demanded, stick to steam, since the gasoline engines of the larger size have not proved so successful, and are certainly by no means so steady; and in such a case the exhaust steam can be used for heating and for various other purposes that will work the greatest economy. For such a plant choose a horizontal tubular boiler, set in masonry, and a compound engine (the latter if you have a scientific engineer).In general, in the traction engine, look to the convenience of arrangement of the throttle, reverse lever, steering wheel, friction clutch, independent pump and injector, all of which should be within easy reach of the footboard, as such an arrangement will save annoyance and often damage when quick action is required.The boiler should be well set; the firebox large, with large grate surface if a locomotive type of boiler is used, and the number of flues should be sufficient to allow good combustion without forced draft. A return flue boiler should have a large main flue, material of the required 5-16-inch thickness, a mud drum, and four to six hand-holes suitably situated for cleaning the boiler. There should be a rather high average boiler pressure, as high pressure is more economical than low. For a simple engine,80 pounds and for a compound 125 pounds should be minimum.A stationary engine should have a solid foundation built by a mason who understands the business, and should be in a light, dry room—never in a dark cellar or a damp place.Every farm traction engine should have a friction clutch.
THE YOUNG ENGINEERS’ GUIDE
There are a great many makes of good engines on the market to-day, and the competition is so keen that no engine maker can afford to turn out a very poor engine. This is especially true of traction engines. The different styles and types all have their advantages, and are good in their way. For all that, one good engine may be valueless for you, and there are many ways in which you may make a great mistake in purchasing an engine. The following points will help you to choose wisely:
1. Consider what you want an engine for. If it is a stationary engine, consider the work to be done, the space it is to occupy, and what conveniences will save your time. Remember, TIME IS MONEY, and that means that SPACE IS ALSO MONEY. Choose the kind of engine that will be most convenient for the position in which you wish to place it and the purpose or purposes for which you wish to use it. If buying a traction engine, consider also the roads and an engine’s pulling qualities.
2. If you are buying a traction engine for threshing, the first thing to consider is FUEL. Which will be cheapest for you, wood, coal or straw? Is economy of fuel much of an object with you—one that will justify you in greater care and more scientific study of your engine? Other things being equal, the direct flue, firebox,locomotive boiler and simple engine will be the best, since they are the easiest to operate. They are not the most economical under favorable conditions, but a return flue boiler and a compound engine will cost you far more than the possible saving of fuel unless you manage them in a scientific way. Indeed, if not rightly managed they will waste more fuel than the direct flue locomotive boiler and the simple engine.
3. Do not try to economize on the size of your boiler, and at the same time never get too large an engine. If a 6-horse power boiler will just do your work, an 8-horse power will do it better and more economically, because you won’t be overworking it all the time. Engines should seldom be crowded. At the same time you never know when you may want a higher capacity than you have, or how much you may lose by not having it. Of course you don’t want an engine and boiler that are too big, but you should always allow a fair margin above your anticipated requirements.
4. Do not try to economize on appliances. You should have a good pump, a good injector, a good heater, an extra steam gauge, an extra fusible plug ready to put in, a flue expander and a beader. You should also certainly have a good force pump and hose to clean the boiler, and the best oil and grease you can get. Never believe the man who tells you that something not quite the best is just as good. You will find it the most expensive thing you ever tried—if you have wit enough to find out how expensive it is.
5. If you want my personal advice on the proper engine to select for various purposes, I should say by all means get a gasoline engine for small powers about the farm, such as pumping, etc. It is the quickest to start, by far the most economical to operate, and the simplest to manage. The day of the small steam engine is past and will never return, and ten gasoline engines of this kind are sold for every steam engine put out. If you want a traction engine for threshing, etc., stick to steam. Gasoline engines are not very good hill climbers because the application of power is not steady enough; they arenot very good to get out of mud holes with for the same reason, and as yet they are not perfected for such purposes. You might use a portable gasoline engine, however, though the application of power is not as steady as with steam and the flywheels are heavy. In choosing a traction steam engine, the direct flue locomotive boiler and simple engine, though theoretically not so economical as the return flue boiler and compound engine, will in many cases prove so practically because they are so much simpler and there is not the chance to go wrong with them that there is with the others. If for any reason you want a very quick steamer, buy an upright. If economy of fuel is very important and you are prepared to make the necessary effort to secure it, a return flue boiler will be a good investment, and a really good compound engine may be. Where a large plant is to be operated and a high power constant and steady energy is demanded, stick to steam, since the gasoline engines of the larger size have not proved so successful, and are certainly by no means so steady; and in such a case the exhaust steam can be used for heating and for various other purposes that will work the greatest economy. For such a plant choose a horizontal tubular boiler, set in masonry, and a compound engine (the latter if you have a scientific engineer).
In general, in the traction engine, look to the convenience of arrangement of the throttle, reverse lever, steering wheel, friction clutch, independent pump and injector, all of which should be within easy reach of the footboard, as such an arrangement will save annoyance and often damage when quick action is required.
The boiler should be well set; the firebox large, with large grate surface if a locomotive type of boiler is used, and the number of flues should be sufficient to allow good combustion without forced draft. A return flue boiler should have a large main flue, material of the required 5-16-inch thickness, a mud drum, and four to six hand-holes suitably situated for cleaning the boiler. There should be a rather high average boiler pressure, as high pressure is more economical than low. For a simple engine,80 pounds and for a compound 125 pounds should be minimum.
A stationary engine should have a solid foundation built by a mason who understands the business, and should be in a light, dry room—never in a dark cellar or a damp place.
Every farm traction engine should have a friction clutch.