20HP Brown Cochran gas engine.

[John Merry]

After receiving alot of e-mails from a wanted add I placed for Brown engine parts I thought it might work better to put the reply on photo gallery and the history of the engine. My uncle and me discovered the engine in the spring of 1970 after an old prospector told us of an engine with very large flywheels at a remote mine. The engine was located in Hells Canyon near the Snake River up a very steep ravine a little over 1/2 mile with only a 2 foot wide foot trail to it and several very steep rockslides and drop offs along the way. The engine was in a small clearing next to the mining equipment it powered, a large rod mill and woofly table.I was 16 years old at the time and was amazed at such a large engine in that remote place.After finding the owner and purchasing the engine for 20.00 my uncle found the cost of removing with a helecopter too much expence so we tried to bring the flywheels down that steep narrow trail with the help of 2 other men. The first several hundred feet went well but then the terrain dropped off very steep and the trees got smaller and smaller until there wasn't anything strong enough to hold the 4000 plus pounds of flywheels and crankshaft.It started to get very dangerous and we couldn't go back so my uncle decided to let them go and hope for the best. They rolled about 800 feet gaining alot of speed, hit a mound and went airborn, then landed sideways and collapsed ending up in the bottom of a thickly wooded ravine. I remember sitting on a large rock watching them go and knowing they would never survive. My uncle gave up on the engine. I never forgot about the engine and in 1986 I decided to salvage it. Me,my wife and brother spent quite a few weekends getting the base ,cylinder and head down from the mine with a sled I made. Me,my brother and brother in law carried and dragged the 450 lb crankshaft over a 1/4 mile through thickets,rocks and boulders in the creek bed. I havn't mentioned snakes yet but there were plenty of them all with rattles. I noticed my 6 year old son playing with something with a stick so I went to check him and found a rattlesnake big around as my arm in a coil over a foot tall. I grabbed a big stick and made it move back into the brush, had to be at least 6 feet long. In 2004 I decided to ressurect the Brown and had Gary Martin of Martin Model and Patterns make an exact wood pattern of the flywheels with the pieces I had brought back.His pattern even has the hollow balancing core like the original.The flywheels have been cast and am waiting for machining. The crankshaft has been straightened. The parts that are missing from this engine is the sideshaft and the sideshaft rear support mount. I know it would be easier to win the lottery than find these parts but thought I would try anyway. John

[John Merry]

Here's more pictures.

[John Merry]

By the way that's my son Troy standing on the flywheel.

[Jordan]

i don't have any parts for you but you made a nice find john. Good luck in the restoration.And at least you saved her from the scrap man.

Jordan

[John Davidson]

There don't seem to be many Brown engines around. Don't think any one is keeping a roster. I have a 6 HP farm portable tank cooled # 2538. Have seen 2 other Brown engines. That 20 would be nice to see running some day. Good luck in finding parts or a engine to copy the parts you need. I have a very small (3" X 6 1/2") 32 page catalog on the Brown. They list engines up to 50 HP. It says the 20 weighs 5000 lbs.

[John Merry]

Photos of 20hp Brown wood flywheel pattern and cast wheels. I have 2 original pamphlets on Brown engines and they both list the weight at 5500lbs for the 20hp engine. Different flywheel weights were probably available such as electric lighting ect. depending on the equipment being powered.The unmachined flywheel castings weigh almost 2000lbs each. Anyway it was alot of cast iron to remove by hand but with a case of iron fever nothing is impossible!

[Jordan]

Wow those flywheels are massive

Jordan

[slocan kid]

Hi John I sure get a kick outta seeing other fellas dragging engines down mountain sides... looking at your pictures I swear I'm looking at my own photo album. I've been very fortunate as I have found several particularly rare engines at higher altitude mine sites here in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, such as a F-M 12 hp break-down hoist, San Francisco Hercules, 1895-97 Weber and also a F-M combination engine/compressor. What really intrigued me was your commitment to go all the way and have the flywheel pattern made and recast, your playin in the big leagues now. That F-M compressor ( 22hp) I have has a missing wheel and I figure the only way to replace it is to do what you've done. If you wouldn't mind could you tell me approximately how much the pattern and casting cost and also was the pattern maker and foundry in Washington state. I'd like to shoot the breeze about finding engines in the bush with you and I can talk a helluva lot faster than I can type so if you've got a minute some time my number is 250- 226- 7535 Thanks Slocan Kid