I was invited to the 'Wheels on the Vaal' event a couple of weeks ago , nice bunch of smiths there and some really interesting old engines! So having mulled it over for a while I went out and got these, a 1951 Branford Z1

And a Lister diesel 31hp triple, not sure of the model yet and maybe someone can help with that. 

I had a commercial fishing boat with a single cylinder Hicks in it.  I think we were the last ones commercially fishing with a Hicks powered boat.  To start it first you gave everything a shot of oil.  Then open up the throttle and manually retard the timing.  Then on your knees spin the flywheel with the compression release open.  Continue spinning the flywheel and flip the compression release closed.  Once firing start retarding the timing.  With practice this can be done in a little over 30 seconds.  Every half hour I would manually oil everything as the engine ran.  You had to be careful in a rolling sea because everything was exposed so lots of moving parts to snag body parts.

That was my first experience with antique engines and I have loved them since.

About 20 years ago my youngest brother and I owned a pig farm that had an old Wolsley power paraffin motor on the water pump, Not an easy start on a cold winters morning.

I'm thinking of the Lister on my power hammer? 

There is a gal in the Santa Fe area that has a gasoline powered power hammer at her off the grid place.  Maybe with a line shaft set up the noise might be tolerable.

A friend of mine had several hit and miss engines from small up to a beastly 10HP.

I saw a BIG 12 cylinder Hall Scott in back of a auto dealership hack in the 90's. Navy Gray in color with what looked like a boat in and out box transmission. One valve cover tag read something like 1,800 RPM, 2,000 rpm max, 2,200 rpm in emergencies. That engine was around 8 feet long.

Edited October 30, 201510 yr by BIGGUNDOCTOR

I have seen  hit & miss motors run a 100 LG  with a belt set up I think he has other tools set up to

the smith I know & with a lantern is  working when the power is out 

& where there are @ that can be a day or two

Ian, if you're into engines, you would like this big ol' engine we got recently. It's an English Electric 16SVG and the crane driver said it registered 31.6 tonnes. I have been trying to research its history to find about what year it was made, but without success so far. 

Ian, if you're into engines, you would like this big ol' engine we got recently. It's an English Electric 16SVG and the crane driver said it registered 31.6 tonnes. I have been trying to research its history to find about what year it was made, but without success so far. 

I wasn't really, but as I saw some at the 'do' I thought it might be fun!  and yes I find it somewhat frustrating too when one just can't find info.

That engine should run a fair power hammer, might use a whack of fuel though

I recognize the first one, its a z1 Bamford built around 1950. I think the company was henry bamford and sons?? You should be able to find someone with a parts book fairly easily.

the lister has me stumped, looks like one of the H series motors HL4 maybe??

edit it looks like the tag says ST4

Edited November 7, 201510 yr by yahoo2
eyesight failure

Good Morning,

That engine should run a fair power hammer, might use a whack of fuel though

Get the engine turning over and running, I'll bet you could disconnect a few injectors!!!! Forget the Belt, Direct Drive!!!

Hang On, Shut Up and Ride the Hammer. Way better than jumping off Bridges with an elastic band tied to your ankles!!!!

Neil

19 hours ago, yahoo2 said:

I recognize the first one, its a z1 Bamford built around 1950. I think the company was henry bamford and sons?? You should be able to find someone with a parts book fairly easily.

the lister has me stumped, looks like one of the H series motors HL4 maybe??

edit it looks like the tag says ST4

Snappy id on the bamford z1, how did you do it? Read the text?...... just kidding, I recon i'll have it running this week, not easy getting rings ect.

The Lister seems to be a sr4 but the specs. Are all over the place.

It seems I cant read when there are pictures to look at. I guess I shouldn't be annoyed when it happens to me. I worked on one earlier this year and got a lecture on what bits are interchangeable between models I dont recall where the rings came from they just appeared on my bench with a note as if by magic one weekend.

I have had problems with ford-new holland motors where they upgrade the motor specs over a ten year model run of a machine and then clear out their motor warehouse at the end and the last machines that are built have the old motor hardware and no documentation. So I buy parts, wrong conrod, wrong piston, wrong camshaft, wrong timing gear. It is very frustrating. I hope lister dont do the same thing. I see a few 2 cylinder versions with the same rocker cover design on welders and air seeder blowers but I have never had one to pieces so I have no details in my repair book.