• Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally 2012 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Massey Ferguson 35x
• 2011 Stationary Engine Challenge at Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally
• 2011 Innishannon Steam & Vintage Rally
• Stationary Oil Engine

Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally 2012 celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Massey Ferguson 35x

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Harry Fergusons launch of the Massey Ferguson 35x, this was to be the last of the older series of the Massey Ferguson tractor range before the launch of the 100 series in 1964 with models such as the 135 and following. In 1946 Harry Ferguson launched his iconic TE 20 or (Tractor England) range with Fergusons own three point linkage. By 1956 he had sold in excess of one and a half million of the TE 20 in various configurations. Continued growth and development in farming called for a newer and more advanced tractor and in 1956 the Ferguson 35 was launched with its grey and gold paintwork, 6 forward gears and up dated hydraulics becoming known as the ‘gold belly’ Ferguson, with 38 horse power which quickly developed a reputation for poor starting. In 1959 Ferguson introduced the 3 cylinder diesel engine to the tractor, produced by Frank Perkins and then becoming the Massey Ferguson 35 following the takeover by Massey Harris becoming Massey Ferguson with its distintive red and Stoneleigh grey colouring. This engine was the A3.152 which proved to be very reliable and upped the power to 44.5 horse power. In November 1962 the injector pump was tweaked to up the power to 47 hp and the engine was designated the A3.152x becoming the Massey Ferguson 35x. The tractor came in various types including basic, no rev counter, to the De-Luxe, which had various additions including deferential lock and rev counter. It also came in yellow which was generally for highway work and a multi- power version. Millions of these tractors were produced and worked in all types of situations all over the world. They were popular with the farming community for their reliability and speed with their ability to go anywhere; many of them are still earning their living to this day, I own one myself and this does occasional yard duties and has proved a very reliable work horse. They are very popular in the vintage world being easy to restore or conserve with a ready supply of parts at good prices.

We give a special welcome to these little tractors in all their guises this year and we celebrate their huge contribution to Farming worldwide as we celebrate their 50th anniversary.

By Pat O’Donovan

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2011 Stationary Engine Challenge at Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally

At a meeting of Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally committee early in 2011, it was decided to challenge the then Irish record of the largest number of stationary or barn engines running together in one area. The then record of 174 engines had been achieved in Mountbellew, County Galway, the year before. Word was put out by word of mouth and a press release to Irish Vintage Scene magazine, The Irish Farmers Journal, and the rally website. Owners all over the country and beyond were cajoled, coaxed, and encouraged to pull out engines known and unknown that had not seen the light of day for years all over Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In the months and weeks before the rally, engines were arriving in West Cork to stay with friends to be ready to go onsite for the big momentous occasion. They came in all shapes and sizes to the rally. Every make of engine was represented from Amanco, Bamfords, New Holland, Stitney, Ruston and Hornsby, Blackstone to mention but a few of the engine makers represented.

The weather was good on the Sunday, the day that the challenge would take place. From early on Saturday morning (7am!!!!) the engines began to arrive at the rally site accompanied by their enthusiastic owners. Much time was spent lining up the engines in neat rows for counting and getting them to run properly; as this was one of the conditions of the challenge. At 2pm the appointed time of the challenge, Mr Charles Deane, section leader and his team of scrutinisers counted 279 engines running in the field in Innishannon, the oldest being over 100 years old. An additional 9 engines present in the line up failed to run. This established a new Irish record for the most stationary engines running in one place.

The Rally chairman and organising committee of Innishannon Steam and Vintage Rally would like to thank all who put such a huge effort into establishing this record, to the engine owners who took the time and trouble to bring out their valuable engines, we say sincere thanks for all you do to preserve such a valuable and often forgotten part of our industrial heritage. It was a great achievement by all concerned.

By Pat O’Donovan

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2011 Innishannon Steam & Vintage Rally

It was decided at a recent meeting of the Innishannon Steam & Vintage Rally committee to challenge the current record of the number of stationary oil engines working in one place. This was done last year at Mountbellow Rally where 174 were gathered and working together in one field.

This we hope to beat at the 2011 Innishannon Steam & Vintage Rally on Sunday June 5th and Monday June 6th June Bank Holiday Weekend. We hope that this will give stationary engine enthusiasts an opportunity to display the many engines owned and cared for throughout the country and beyond.

 

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Stationary Oil Engine

A Stationary Oil engine is an engine whose framework does not move.  It was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s to drive a piece of immobile equipment such as a power tool. They were sometimes known as barn engines. At first they were a form of a steam engine but were later developed to become oil burning internal combustion engines.  They come in a wide variety of sizes and used for a variety of purposes including powering water pumps, sawmills, textile mills, corn mills and agricultural equipment.

In Agriculture they were frequently used to power various power tools such as pulpers, corn mills, sawmills and milking machines.  In fact anywhere a modern electric motor is now used the stationary engine was its predecessor.

The power was usually transmitted by means of a flat belt.  Sometimes it was fitted to a wooden trolley on steel wheels so that it could be moved to power equipment when required.  Some of the larger engines were pulled by a team of horses to power such things as Threshing machines and stone crushers.

In Ireland these engines were often used to power the earlier milking machines.  They were also seen in the earlier creameries to power the line shafting.

They were usually fuelled by petrol or paraffin.  Very large engines ran on a heavier type of fuel oil and were often too large to be moved, typical applications were electricity generators and large scale pumping.

Initially such engines mirrored steam engine design having the piston move horizontally with the crankshaft and valve gear exposed and employed a drop feed lubrication system.

The four stroke cycle design was most common but Petter a British manufacturer developed a successful two stroke cycle.

On medium size engines such as a 6HP the engine can be adjusted to fire every ten seconds when not under load and often drove wide flat belts to run a fine wood saw etc.

Many of these engines led to the eventual design of the common agricultural tractor which is an amalgamation of the steam tractor engine and a stationary engine a common example being the Saunderson tractor which is made up of a stationary engine mounted on a framework - chassis with four wheels that can now propel itself and uses its flywheel pulley to drive stationary equipment.

The most common manufacturers to be found at rally’s in Ireland and England are: Amanco – USA, Blackstone & Co. UK 1882 – 1936, Briggs & Stratton – USA, Deere & Company – John Deere USA, Richard Hornsby & Sons UK, Lister & Lister Petter UK, National Gas Engine Company UK, New Holland Machine Company USA to mention but a few.

The various types of engine included Stationary Steam Engines, Hit & Miss Engines, Hot Bulb Engines and Hot Tube Engines as well as the rarer hot air engines.

They are usually characterised on the rally field by their unmistakeable smell of paraffin and their constant phut-phut with the water pumps and other equipment attached to them.  They are often the neglected part of the rally but yet we can never forget the contribution they made to agriculture and industry.

Today they are regularly featured in Vintage Magazines and there is one that I know of that is specially dedicated to their preservation that being “Stationary Engine Magazine” depending on the make and model being sought and it’s rarity can often fetch considerable sums at sales. These engines deserve their rightful place at any vintage rally.