|
Hello Everyone, Well show season is upon us and we all hope our pride and joys will start when we want them too. I went to A-Day at Delaware Valley College on the 23rd to 25th of April. This is an event put on by the students at DelVal open to the public. I took my 1923 Fordson, a SIMAR 35C and M-E G14-W7 rototiller, a Standard Twin Garden Tractor, my Ideal 30" Lawn Mower, Maytag Gasoline Engine Powered Washer Machine, and my ignition type display. This was the first show I have particapted in that was judged. There was 13 classes, I was entered in 5. There was only 7 tractors, 5 John Deere 2-cylinder's and a Farmall Cub besides my Fordson. I won 'Best of Show' for 'Antique Machinery' and Antique Farm Equipment' with the Fordson. The SIMAR 35C, Standard Twin, and Maytag got first place in their class. The M-E, Ideal, and igntion display got second place each.  Now back to Rototillers, Charlie Zook had some hats made up with the "ROTOTILLER' logo on them, they are great. My attempt at 'superscript' is not as good as the actual hat. While researching Graham-Paige Motors the story of Bell Aircraft making the engines came to my attention. Bell was stuck with thousand of engines after Joe Frazer cancelled the contract. They used these engines to make a powered wheelbarrow called the 'Bell Prime Mover'. One collector from Ohio emailed me some pictures of one of these machines that has been in his family for decades. 
The engine is mounted side ways, this is possible with a 2-cycle engine. A different intake and exhaust system is used and a kickstarter is employed at the front of the engine. 
|
Bell Aircraft sold the Model 343 line to Home-O-Nize Company, Muscatine, Iowa. Home-O-Nize formed the Prime-Mover Company in February 1950.* Home-O-Size is now called HON Industries, manufacturer of office furniture. Prime-Mover was sold to BT Industries and is now called BT-Prime Movers; in June 2000, BT was the world's No.1 supplier of Industrial equipment and still located in Muscatine. Another email I got was from a man who purchased an Bolen machine that came with 'Lightning Quick Change' lower housing, dozer blade and a 32" Field Mower. This Field Mower was made in 1955 and I had only seen one picture of it and that was in a collection of literature that I just got on ebay.com. 
I have had a rash of emails about these two brands. Wizard is sold by Western Auto, Magna-American is now owned by MTD. My contacts for these are: http://www.outdoordistributors.com Check these guys out for all the post 1960's brands. MfgSupply.com http://www.mfgsupply.com/MowerTiller.html Western Auto Dealer Store Fortuna, CA Attn: Sondra WAutoNAPA@aol.com Tina Pool-Dickinson Communications Manager TPool-Dickinson@WesternAuto.com Western Auto Supply Company 816-316-4418 - phone 816-316-4495 - fax |