Hand Starting 25 HP Ball Oilfield Engine

[afretired]

Well I have finally got most of the bugs worked out of hand starting the engine. It works a lot like my 15 hp Reid in that it really doesn't take much gas to get it going. it seams that every time I work on an engine I want to give it to much gas. More is not always better. At the end I cut the air mixture down to much and it dies, just trying to get it to fire more consistently.
David Davis

[con-rad]

awesome! very easy start. goes to show you, people that crank engines over and over with a rubber tire on a little engine probably just don't have their engine adjusted well enough to start easily.

I'm glad to see the engine running. i wanted to buy this engine when i saw it available, but i had no way of bringing it home!

conrad

[afretired]

You have to have everything just right. To make sure I could do it I went out this evening and with the temp at about freezing I fired up the hot tube and waited a few minutes and on the second attempt it took off running.

Bringing the engine home wasn't that big of a deal I just borrowed a trailer from my cousin. The problem came trying to get it unloaded. It took me a few weeks to get something big enough to pick it up off the trailer and set it off. Then get it in the building.

David R Davis

[con-rad]

opposite problem here... i have several tractors at my disposal to unload, but no trailer to borrow and my 1-ton pickup is up on jack stands getting new spring hangers, bushings, and trailer brake wiring!

how did you determine how to set it up "just right"? trial and error? is there a good universal starting point to set the gas valve on these engines?

conrad

[afretired]

Best guess is the engine and skids weigh about 7500, which is a lot more than a front end loader on a tractor will handle. The main problem was reaching out about 10' and picking it up. We finally got it set off with a boom truck and one end set in my building. So I decided to come in from another door with my tractor (75hp) and drag it in the rest of the way. On the smooth concrete all it would do is spin even with the differential lock. Anyway we got it.

As for the air fuel mixture it was trial and error. Reading the original Ball directions that are out there on the web really helped though I had spent considerable time before hand. With my Reid is takes just a very little gas, and the same is for the Ball. But it's hard to get past the old saying that "more is better".

Under the "Starting" section, I think the key is ...it talks about drawing the mixed air and gas into the front of the cylinder...”It usually requires two of these operations to charge the cylinder, and on the third reverse turn of the wheels bring them back more than a quarter turn and with considerable vigor, which will raise the compression enough to ignite the charge in explosion chamber. When impulse occurs turn on a trifle more gas at the dial. If charge is too rich the explosion will occur with a dull thud, and if not enough gas in the mixture more than three backward turns of the crank will be required to get an explosion.”

So with this I started with the gas about off and worked my way up until I got an impulse. Of course make sure you fully purge the old gas out before you prime it again.

[con-rad]

Thanks for the tips! that's all very good to know for when i get my big ol hunk of iron!