Gas Traction Big 4 from Blomgren Estate

[Pauls Welding Minnesota]

Pushing a thanks button does not seem like enough to watch this in progress, so here is a thank you.
Allan do you allow visitors in the shop?

[Allan Severson]

Here is a short video showing the crankshaft installed in the crankcase with all the main bearing caps tightened. Keep in mind the crankshaft weighs 250-300 pounds. We feel this demonstration shows we have proper alignment. The bearings have about .003 clearance.

[FWurth]

Thats what it' all about, beautiful. An old time machinist taught me that any and all mechanisms should run freely and not bind to be successful, has never failed me yet. Again beautiful. F.J.W.

[Allan Severson]

Originally Posted by Pauls Welding Minnesota

Pushing a thanks button does not seem like enough to watch this in progress, so here is a thank you.
Allan do you allow visitors in the shop?

We do allow visitors but, I don't want it to get to the point where we have to (as a friend told me) "set up a program with tour buses for people to visit the shop or have a need for a concession stand to sell over priced food or a need to contact Ertel to get a souvenir toy tractor to sell."

[Craig A]

Allan........the local auto mechanic still has this sign in his shop:

Visit with the mechanic all you want. You're paying the bill.

[Alan Svanes]

After you use Time Saver how much clearance do you have?

Thanks for all of the posts Alan Svanes.

[Allan Severson]

With a dial indicator, and lifting on the crankshaft, we have .003 clearance

[OTTO-Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Allan Severson

Here is a short video showing the crankshaft installed in the crankcase with all the main bearing caps tightened. Keep in mind the crankshaft weighs 250-300 pounds. We feel this demonstration shows we have proper alignment. The bearings have about .003 clearance.

I really hate to nit-pick at this point, but you have the wrong music playing in the background of that video...

Shouldn't it be "Smooth Operator" playing when you can spin the crank that effortlessly.

Keep the posts coming. I'll try to get caught up on the Thanks when I can.

[34 40]

Originally Posted by Pauls Welding Minnesota

Pushing a thanks button does not seem like enough to watch this in progress, so here is a thank you.

X2, pushing the Thanks button just isn't enough when you're providing all this entertainment / elightenment and videos to boot! So, here's another THANK YOU and a job well done.

[Allan Severson]

Last Monday we had a visit from Orven Blegen and his daughter Barb. Orven is 95 years old today. He remembers seeing a Big 4 tractor at an implement dealership when he was a kid. Orven tells us we need to get our tractor running while he is still alive so he can see it.

[Brasherman]

Allan, it would seem word is getting around about the guy building a power plant from scratch!

[Norm Johnston]

Allan
One of my tractors early owners is still alive today and he went to the 1999 National rally (its first public outing) specially to see and hear the Big Four running. To see the smile on his face was worth a thousand words, He must of spent several hours with the tractor and has keept in touch with me ever since. I hope you have a similar pleasant experience with this guy. Norm

[Allan Severson]

We recently purchased a book called Straight from the Shoulder. It is pictures and letter proofs (testimonials) of the Gas Traction Co tractor. The testimonials were from 1910. I thought the last page was an especially interesting marketing strategy. I will post some more pages in the future.

[Allan Severson]

This picture is from the book we recently purchased. I thought it was unique because it has the word GASOLINE on the side of the square tank on the tractor. The testimonials in the book are from 1910, so I suspect the tractor to be the same vintage.

[Brasherman]

Interesting, plow one round while binding the next. One thing about it: It would be tough to walk that and pick up shocks...... Even bouncier in the seat I imagine!

[Tanner Remillard]

Allan,

I think this is the first time I have posted on this thread, but I have to say I am very impressed with what your doing. Being a machinist myself at Boise Paper, I always love the moment when I'm doing a project that involves several machined parts to make one component, and it all comes together nicely and works like its supposed to, just like the video you posted of the crankshaft spinning over. Im sure you get the same feeling. Its nice to do things right and make it all work. Fine job, and cant wait to see the finished project.

[Allan Severson]

The differential cover we are going to use as a pattern arrived last week. It had a very interesting trip to Blooming Prairie from Utah. It went from Utah to Las Vegas, to Phoenix and then to Blooming Prairie. Now another party is taking it to the foundry at Rice Lake Wisconsin. A special thanks to all who were involved. It should arrive at the foundry today.

[Tom Wahl]

Allan,
In the first picture there are two pieces of what appears to be flat steel next to the cover. What are those two pieces? I may have to stop by in August to see the progress. Tom

[OTTO-Sawyer]

Originally Posted by 34 40

X2, pushing the Thanks button just isn't enough when you're providing all this entertainment / elightenment and videos to boot! So, here's another THANK YOU and a job well done.

Well, I managed to get 10 more Thanks squeezed in before the button burned out again, but they're all on page 24

Hopefully the button returns again so I can add a few more on page 25 before the time limit expires on being able to.

Other threads will just have to wait their turn and hope I can get caught up on them as well.

[Allan Severson]

Originally Posted by Tom Wahl

Allan,
In the first picture there are two pieces of what appears to be flat steel next to the cover. What are those two pieces? I may have to stop by in August to see the progress. Tom

The sheet metal parts attach to the cover through the holes shown with rivets and deflect dirt and keep the oil in.

---------- Post added at 02:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ----------

Originally Posted by OTTO-Sawyer

Well, I managed to get 10 more Thanks squeezed in before the button burned out again, but they're all on page 24

Hopefully the button returns again so I can add a few more on page 25 before the time limit expires on being able to.

Other threads will just have to wait their turn and hope I can get caught up on them as well.

I'm glad to see people viewing this thread. I thought maybe I would have to put a kilt on to compete with the Easter Show In Austria thread. It was the kilt you were looking at wasn't it?