Daves Generator or "The Slippery Slope of Old Iron Disease"

Warning!!!
This story is true and if you have "Old Iron" disease you too will have stories like this to tell anyone that wants to listen. If by chance you don't know what "Old Iron" disease is don't read any further. Save yourself!

Dave K asked for my help and this is my story. And I am sticking to it.

On a stormy and dark night our heroes were getting ready to do battle with the baddest of the bad, sand and old iron that hadn't moved for a day or two. OK, so it wasn't night, but it was raining.

Our mission was to rescue an older generator set. Now this generator was about a 1/16 of a mile off pavement, accessable on a sand/dirt driveway that would have been rough when it was dry. Of course there was a building in the way, so the trip also included a swing around that obstacle. Did I mention that it was also raining?

We had a small JD front loader with no reverse and dragster type slick tires, my old Dodge 4X4, some chains, 4X6 timbers and a high lift jack. McGauver would have been proud!

The loader was able to get the gen set moved a little ways when we figured out that some genius in the past had welded a couple of steel tubes to the bottom of the skids. Of course they were crossways to the direction of travel and now were acting like grader blades.

Move loader out of way and try the PU, it dropped, digging holes. Jacked up first one side of the gen set and then the other, added two 4X6 timbers to act as skids. Took two shovels and started to dig out all the sand, grass and weeds that we had bunched up under the gen set. Did I mention that it was raining???

Hooked up the chains to the gen set, wrapped them around the timbers to help keep them from shooting out, hooked up the loader again. Moved a little further, hooked PU to front of loader.

As we passed some onlookers with the train, I thought that I would have to go back and help them get their jaws off the ground. Sure wish I had pictures of that.

Went thru a "puddle" that I swear was up to the running boards of the PU, finally hit dry land and pavement. Just before we stopped one of the 4X6 snapped in two, no time to stop, keep this train a moving.

On dry land, it quit raining just as we reached pavement, we un hitched everything and looked over Daves prize. Then came the moment of truth, the forklift wouldn't pick it up! I suspect that it weighed just a smiggen over the 2000 pounds that I had been told.

No problem! I called my buddy with the wrecker service and went in the hole for another favor. His son Jarod came over and pretty soon we had the gen set on the trailer.

3 Hours of working in the sand and weeds and rain, did I mention that it was raining?

Would I do this type of work for a living? probably not.

But, that 3 hours was the highlight of my week!

And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks Dave for inviting me to the party!

I have the pics ready to post, will add them later this evening.

Marshall

Marshall asked about posting this before hand. Thanks for being thoughtful Marshall.

John

Here are some pics to help complete the story.



First attempt with loader. Note the "High" traction tires.


The train as it was getting ready to pull out of the station. Actually we tried several other combinations, but this is what finally worked, although with shorter chains.

Close up of the tires on the loader, amazing that it did not get stuck! Also you can see one of the 4X6's sticking out. We ran them under the first cross tube and then let them butt up to the second one. That way they had less chance of getting lost. We ran the tow chain around them at the front end of the skid, when we pulled they chinched up tight and were not going any where.

The road grader was working good, maybe too good? There was a bunch of sand and grass built up under the gen set in only a few feet.

Whew!!!

The tow truck that made short work of lifting.

Our Hero hard at work.


Once again Dave. Thanks!! I would be glad to be on your team anytime.

Marshall

Marshall--A great story and a worthy save. Did you say it was raining?

Tom B.

Lets just say we didn't need no stinking sunglasses. (as said by the bandits in Blazing Saddles)

Oh, the fun of it all ! After 50 years of it, I now realize my greatest pleasure is in the hunt and dragging the treasure home !!

Jim C.

Great story Marshall - How many KW is this little gem and what kind of motor does it have?

It has a Hercules engine. Did not get a chance to take a close look at the nameplate. Dave should have all the info. Thought he would have posted by now. Probably out in the shop getting this jewel fired up and producing power.

Marshall

Wow, sounded like a pain in the butt getting that thing out of the dirt and from behind the building, but that is one of the symptoms of old iron disease. Hey, atleast it wasn't raining.


Mark

Awwwww! You guys do it the hard way! Your supposed to wait until there's 1" of ice sticking everything down, with 6" of snow on the top of that, the wind clocking about 50mph, and a temp of about -20. If you'd waited for that you wouldn't of gotten wet or needed those confounded rain coats!!!! Oh, and you got too big of a wrecker! Your over doing it with one that big!

Thanks!
Richard

I see US Government painted on the side.

Surplus Gen set?

Rick

do we need a generator?

of coarse not


we earned a generator

Marshall
I have the exact same JD loader, and it was setup with the same tires when I got it. Mine was used in an aluminum foundry and was beat worse than yours including smashed glass and torn off doors, the solid tires ride hard and pounded it to pieces. Mine did not work in reverse when I bought but was able to fix it as well as all the custom body work that had been done. Center pins were also hammered out from the bad ride but I had fun with the portable boring machine to rework them. They are nice little machines but a little complicated with the Hydro Trans. It was a great help to finally get the factory service manuals, but most of the repairs were done.
I would love to buy that machine if your interested in selling.
That sounds like one of my adventures including the Old Dodge just substitute Red Clay and moonlight.
Wingit

The Dodge is mine, the JD loader is not. Not sure how all the parties tie in, yet. The loader and forklift belong to a sandblasting firm located in front of the area where the gen set was located. Not sure if that had any effect on the amount of sand we had to deal with They had two guys helping us.

The old Dodge has been involved in most of my adventures over the past ten or so years. Even with over 209,000 miles it still outworks alot of newer trucks.

Marshall

We should have a thread titled Dave's Operatives.

Or the Dave K, 0ld Iron transportation co-operative...

My Clausing 5900 was a Dave find too.

Hee hee... Nice way to put it, Marshall- and guys, his documentary is almost entirely accurate... the part about the rain isn't totally accurate... it actually didn't rain, it was just humid enough to leave big puddles.

The genset is 'conservatively' rated at 25kva... 20KW 240/120v single phase. Engine is a Herculese JXLD 331ci flathead six, with American Bosch magneto, big Zenith carbeurator (like a toilet!).

Generator power unit is a KATO, and the controls are apparently done by the integrator, which was Consolodated Diesel Electric Corporation. Looking at the windings and control wiring, I'd have a very hard time believing that it couldn't churn out every bit of 35kw... at 20KW, I just can't see this thing as being under any real stress... especially with this big six ahlumpin' away at 1200rpm.

Originally tagged for the Civil Aeronautics Agency, the contract tag suggests 1957 or-so. The control system includes a 200A transfer switch (inside the big red box) as well as utility power monitoring, exercise timer, and based on the circuitry I see, it appears that this unit will automatically start when it sees a deviation of line frequency or voltage, and will wait in a 'ready state' (running) to see if the condition clears, and if not, will engage the genset to the load... and when the utility power returns to a normal state, will not disengage the genset and re-engage utility power until the util power has been stable for a certain amount of time... and of course, the genset will continue to run for a certain amount of time (in case of reclosure need) before shutting down.

This unit has an oilpan heating element, a submerged engine coolant heater, built in battery chargers (for 2 12v cranking batteries), and a bunch of other cool features.

Lemmie see... I'll tryin' figure out how to post pictures direct to this forum... so I can include the unloading process.

As far as it's status, the engine is free, magneto has a nice hot-blue spark, with impulser impulsing (thanks to John Boyer of JWB Magneto and Machine in Bettendorf, Ia), got a new set of solid-core wires, new plugs, and I even extended the crank (in oem configuration, the crank wouldn't reach the engine! (the integrator put a 3" extension on the radiator tabs, so the Herc crank was too short...).

I've got the old Zenith pulled down, and I see a few reasons why this machine was pulled out-of-service... first, one of the floats had a tiny hole, and by the crud-line inside the carb, it had obviously caused a high-fuel-level. Next was a jammed enrichener-pump-lookin' thing. Soldering the float later tonight, and reassembling it all... but will probably fit it with a propane mixer... and only use the carb in extremely-unfortunate situations.

Took me a little bit of fidgeting to get it to crank, and it's rollin' over really great... if I crank it for moren' 4 seconds, it registers 32psi oil pressure! The only thing it lacking right now is compression on #6. 1-5 are all sluggin' out 150PSI... 6 is dead flat... took off the side-cover, and the #6E valve is stuck open. It's soakin' in PB blaster now, and I'm gonna try to free it without lifting off the cyl head or int/exh manifold... we'll see how much success I get there... in any event, it's got compression, spark, and timing, so it SHOULD run...

"it actually didn't rain, it was just humid enough to leave big puddles."
Yea right! Thats why some of the guys are wearing those yellow coats, to keep the humidity out.

Sorry Dave. Its my story and I am sticking to it. Show me some pics with everyone wearing sunglasses and then maybe I'll concede.

It was wet, but we saved another hunk o' iron.

Marshall

Marshall,

Ah,..wonderful stuff !!

Nothing wrong with " Old iron " unless it is " tired old iron "

We could use some of the rain of yours over here!!

Regards from Melbourne,Australia,

AAB

Well, Aab- it's not the oldest Arn on the property, but it'll definately maintain the 'legacy' here... and I haven't found a piece that was worn-out so bad that it couldn't be bored-out, sleeved, and re-fitted to like-new tolerances and operation.

I sent the unloading pix to Marshall's Yeehaw account in hopes that he can post 'em for everybody to see how sophisticatedly-supercomplexically-technofunky the unloading technique turned out... and of course, what the machine really looks like underneath all that rotten plywood and public restroom stall-type cabinetry.

Oh, and AAB- it's been fairly dry here since we moved the machine- but I gathered up all the leftover rain from my driveway and faxed it to you... might be a tad thin when it gets to your end, so use it sparingly.

Got the pics.
I will post them tonight. Have to fix them first, need to add rain drops and puddles. Thinking maybe some dark skys and lightning.

Off today to save another piece of iron. Not as old, but still cast iron. Bought a Barker mill couple months ago, need to pick it up.

Marshall