Antique tractors

[John From Detroit]

There are two ways to control the speed of gasoline engine (really 3 but I'll skip the 3rd) one is by the Throttle method, restrict the air/fuel flow into the engine.

The "Hit and Miss" engines did it by a different method....

Ok, I won't skp the 3rd, Restrict the FUEL entry, let air run wide, this can cuase overheat thoug

What the hit and miss did is a governor held a valve open if the engine was running at "Speed" and then when the engine lost speed the vlave closed, compression happend and BANG it hit. kicking the very heavy flywheel back up to speed.  this caused the governor to hold the valve open and it "MISSED" till the speed again droped.

I've seen several of them running at one time or another.  Neat engine, actually very fuel efficent sicne it only drew fuel when it needed it.  Unlike today's engines which burn gas all the time.

[aka Porky]

What the hit and miss did is a governor held a valve open if the engine was running at "Speed" and then when the engine lost speed the vlave closed, compression happend and BANG it hit. kicking the very heavy flywheel back up to speed.  this caused the governor to hold the valve open and it "MISSED" till the speed again droped.

John, you were mostly correct.  On the three engines that I have, the exhaust valve is held open by the governor to eliminate compression so the engine can free wheel  on the momentum of the heavy flywheel.  Ignition is prevented  by interrupting the spark circuit.  When the speed drops off the valve is allowed to close AND contacts close to provide spark on the next compression cycle.   

[kevin]

I believe that most of the oil feild engines ran on Natural gas, since that was coming up outta the well too.

[aka Porky]

Kevin, that was the case for all the wells in southern Illinois in the '40s and '50s as I recall.  We used to drain off the liquid component of the oil well gas by product (we called it "drip" gas) and burn it in my grandmothers maytag washer motor.  It was a hit-&-miss engine too, but it had a very small light flywheel so it only missed about every other cycle.  It had a foot pedal starter lever that you stomped on.

I mounted the maytag engine on the rear carrier of my bicycle but it was so top heavy I had many crashes.  It only had one speed "too fast for conditions".  Stopping was always just a controlled crash.  I wrecked the bike before I mastered things like throttle controls, friction clutches, belt tensioners etc.....

[56kz2slow]

I am too young to have first hand experience with old tractors and don't know anyone running new ones to know much details about tractors.  But I do love hearing/learning about them.  A friend of mine does have an old Ford though.  

[cvrvr]

If you want to have a great Labor Day weekend, go to "Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion" show in Rollag, MN.

It has to be one of the most impressive show of antique farm equipment, steam engines, old style living.

George