(Very) Large Buffalo Forge Blower

[SReynolds]

Buffalo Blower Model No. 201 I have zero info on this. I have seen pics of the 200 model and know nothing about them either. This must be for a very large forge (???)

Some facts about this model; The FAN size is 10.5 and the housing is 13 and 3/4 inches. I have seen nothing this large in hand cranked blowers. The ratio is 1 turn input to 46 at fan. I didn't receive the mounting legs and so made a support stand and clamp assy. Then fastened that to a 75 pound 16.5 inch truck brake drum.

It was/is in fantastic condition.I had a new wood handle made.There are ball bearings on the fan shaft only.

I would say that this is a very large blower as others I have turned only employ a 6 to 8 inch fan.

I'm going to use this on one of my forges temporarily anyhow. Perhaps I'll keep it around as a conversation piece...............or not.

Anyone have one of these 201 models??

[SReynolds]

I did read that the Buffalo 200 is a two (2) inch outlet.......the one pictured above is three (3) inch outlet! So,,,,,,,,, shouldn't conventional wisdom dictate that a three inch outlet would be a model 300 ???? Duh! Oh, the above blower housing can be rotated to a number of positions to suite a variety of forges.

There is a brass tag on the back side of gear box. I have seen this once prior on a unit for sale on e-bay. It reads MARSHALL WELLS HARDWARE CO.

[Stuart Stegall]

There was a frozen one on craigslist a few months ago, sadly it was soooo bad, it would have been easier to just build it anew.

[Trip]

I am guessing that it pushes a lot of air?!?!?!?!?!

[Frank Turley]

I have 6 Buffalo blowers, all different. I think that over a period of time, various designers got their fingers in the pie, so to speak. Five of them have the 13+" fan case. One has a cast gear box and pressed steel fan case, cranks clockwise, no cast number. Another is the same except has a cast iron fan case. Another has a cast gear box and pressed steel fan case, but cranks counter clockwise. Another has the cast gear box attached transversely to the cast fan case, similar to some of the old Champions. It has 300 cast on the fan case! I have another not operating at present. It languishes outside, but it is my only one that has 200 on the cast gear box. All of them are designed for a 3" pipe, and I think that is typical for most manufactured blowers in the U.S.

I have one huge Buffalo blower which I'm not using. It has a 5" wide by 19" diameter cast fan case. It is flat belt run off of a babbitted-bearing pulley, and all parts are intact. It has a combo squirrel cage w/blades, an interesting pattern. I think in the early days, this kind of blower with the 5" D pipe would furnish enough blast to run 3 or 4 forges.

[ThomasPowers]

I think they also made blowers for other industrial uses as well.

[SReynolds]

Yeah, it moves the air. It turns super free and very very easily..............untill I fasten on the fan. Then, it's a chore to crank it. I simply cannot believe how difficult it is to turn simply by fastening on that fan! Perhaps I won't have to crank it quite so fast once I see how the fire reacts to this blower.

I havn't connected it to a forge, yet. However, I can compare the flow to my Champion #400 by simply winding the handle and this large Buffalo moves quite a bit more air by simply turning it slowly.