A One Cylinder HEER ENGINE

Gilbert Irps
September/October 1985
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3156 Waldron Rd. Kankakee, IL 60901

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Most engine collectors are of the opinion that Heer (pronounced Her) Engine Company, of Portsmouth, Ohio, only made two cylinder opposed engines, and for all practical purposes, they are correct. However, a one cylinder Heer engine does exist. The Heer Engine Company was a takeover of The Ideal Manufacturing Company, of Portsmouth, about 1910. Chris Heer was president of the company and Oscar Ehrman was chief engineer and tool designer. The Ideal Company did make an upright single cylinder engine for a short time, but their main product was a two cylinder opposed engine. Chris Heer evidently agreed with the Ideal thinking, and all of their engines were of the two cylinder opposed style.

In 1912, Oscar Ehrman, designed a small, one cylinder, hopper cooled engine to see if Heer wanted to get into the small engine field. At this time, the smallest gas engine being made by Heer was a 10 HP opposed type. The 3' bore engine was built, but for some unknown reason, Heer decided against manufacturing them, and the idea was discarded. Mr. Ehrman evidently kept this sample engine, and used it at his home. In 1915, the firm was again reorganized as The Reliable Engine and Tractor Company, with Chris Heer as president, and Oscar Ehrman, chief engineer and designer. Mr. Heer evidently valued Mr. Ehrman's services as engineer, as the accompanying photocopy of a letter I have, concerning Mr. Ehrman's draft status shows. Whether the letter was effective, is unknown.

After the death of Mr. Ehrman, this engine was given to Cliff Comer, of Dayton, Ohio, by Mr. Ehrman's widow. Ehrman and Comer were close friends, both men being tool and die engineers. Upon Mr. Comer's death last February, (1985), I purchased the engine from his widow.

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