Smoke Rings

We now have a list of 23 Comfortractors, none listed in Canada-we think there are surely some there.

Maybe I ramble on too much, but we even got a letter from a fellow telling us he had seen a tractor like we advertised for in Illinois-which we purchased last winter.

In the 35 years we have been married, I don't know if I ever wrote a letter, but now I have written up to five letters a day answering people. We think it is very exciting corresponding with people from all over the country.' (That's part of the hobby fun, LeRoy, hope you continue many years with it.)

ED F. EDWARDS, P.O. Box 197, Big Bend, California 96011 has sent us a write-up on his engine and two pictures: 'I recently acquired this engine and I would like to find out what it is, what company manufactured it and about what year?

There are no casting numbers on any part of the engine and no apparent place for a nameplate to go. There are several very odd things about this engine. The cylinder from the head half way back is tank-cooled; that is to say a water jacket is cast around the cylinder, where as the other half of the cylinder is air-cooled with rather wide, rounded fins that are spaced far apart. The piston connecting rod is round. The intake valve is inside a bell-shaped casting, which a 1?' pipe screws into which the carburetor is down at the end of, so that the gas and air mixture is drawn up the 1?' pipe and (around) the intake valve (stem and spring) and into the cylinder. The bell-shaped casting also serves as a folcrum or pivot point for the exhaust rocker arm. There is a babbitted, cast iron guide which is bolted to the side of the cylinder head which supports and guides the exhaust pushrod. There is a single governor weight in the flywheel which operates the hit and miss governor.

The flywheels measure 29?' x 3' and it has a 6' bore and 10' stroke.

Perhaps the oddest feature of this engine is that both of the main bearing caps are bolted on at approximately a 45° angle away from the cylinder instead of directly on top or at an angle toward the cylinder as on all other old engines. Both main bearing caps are broken, but I have all the pieces.

I hope to hear from some of the experts out there. Maybe the identity of this engine will prove to be somewhat of a challenge. I will answer all correspondence.

'I have just acquired a 6 HP open crank Dempster engine, shop #15711, class 6H. There are many parts missing and I would like to correspond with anyone having a similar engine. So I can find out what parts I need.

If you feel you can help this man with his Dempster engine please write ED PROSS, 931 Delphi, Lafayette, Colorado 80026. (Ed would also like to see an article on pouring babbitt bearings. And so would we-anyone out there have the time and ambition to send one into us would be appreciated.) Babbitt Connecting Rod Bearings.