1909 Root & Vandervoort A Lucky Engine
1909 8 HP Sideshaft, Serial Number E8763
June/July 2002
Dick Wells
Jerry Balvin's 1909 Root & Vandervoort. Rated at 8 HP,
this sideshaft, volume-governed engine was one of R & V's
finest engines. Engines in this class were available either with or
without a mounting base, and as either hopper-cooled or
tank-cooled. Jerry's engine was originally equipped as you see
it here, complete with clutch pulley. These volume-governed engines
featured a volatilizer attached to the exhaust box and a heater
tray under the air intake pipe to ensure starting in cold
climates.
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Some people are lucky. Some engines are lucky. This is a story
about both; Jerry Balvin and a 1909 Root & Vandervoort 8 HP
sideshaft engine.
Jerry is a farm equipment service technician in Toledo, Iowa.
During his farm calls, he'll often ask about old engines that
may need discovering. Most leads are dead ends. However, he heard
about an abandoned farmstead and a rumor that an old engine had
been seen in the corncrib.
Jerry knew the place, it had been a premier grain and livestock
operation in the early 1900s, but had long since fallen into disuse
- 80 years of neglect had resulted in sheds falling down around
horse-drawn equipment with overgrown brush everywhere. After
securing permission to enter the property, he went to the corn
crib, opened the crib doors and found ... nothing. That didn't
stop Jerry. He thought back 80 years to what might have happened to
a stationary engine replaced by a tractor or electricity. Noticing
that the south end of the crib sloped away to a tree/brush
undercover, Jerry thought an engine might have been pushed out the
crib, left to roll down the hill into the valley and forgotten. His
intuition paid off, as 10 yards into the brush was the old engine
he been told about. But not just any old engine, this was a 1909
Root & Vandervoort sideshaft (lucky Jerry).
Closer inspection showed the farm wagon truck the engine sat on
had rotted away, leaving the unit partially buried. Jerry later
learned that the Root & Vandervoort powered a lineshaft in the
crib for a sheller and large gristmill for livestock feed. It was
also used to power an elevator in the fall.
Bill's skills as a painter are clearly evident in the
finished product. Also clearly visible in the photo above is the
rotary-drive Wizard magneto that sparks the R & V.
There was only one living heir to the property, a lady in her
90s living in a nursing home. Jerry made contact with the power of
attorney, who was not very interested in selling anything. For the
next two years Jerry politely and persistently stuck to his goal of
acquiring the engine. He occasionally visited the Root &
Vandervoort, covering critical parts with a bucket and cans to keep
water out of the engine. Jerry finally persuaded the estate to sell
the R & V, expressing his intention that the engine was going
to stay in the community and not be resold or traded. A fair deal
was made, and the engine was his.
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