[SEL] When is it an oil field engine?

[Curt Holland]

Glenn,
Like the Famous and the Foos you mention, I have seen Witte's on 
pumpers. I don't think of a Witte as an oilfiled engine either.
There are a handful of engines we just naturally think of as oilfield 
engines.
Maybe it is simply that these are the engines that were marketed 
exclusively(?) thru the oilfield supply catalogs.
There are engines like the Spence that Tom posted yesterday on OFES that 
leave no doubt it is an oilfiled engine because of the heavy back 
gearing and crankarms built into the subbase of the engine.
Certainly companies like Fairbanks marketed their engines to both the 
farm and oilfield segments. Did companies like Famous and Hercules make 
an effort to do so? I've never seen anything in their literature to 
indicate this....
Curt

Glenn A Karch wrote:

>Curt,
>
>I would define an oil field engine as one that was used in the oil fields
>for some purpose or another.  I have 2 HP upright Famous that came from the
>oil fileld and it was rigged to run on NG and also rigged to use one of
>those big Wico magnetos.  I also have a 6 HP Foos that was also rigged up
>the same way.  There was an ordinary F-M hopper cooled Z rigged up the same
>way.  I took them right out of the oil field junk yard along with many other
>oil field artifacts including a 25 HP superior, two 12" 35 HP Superior
>pistons, big Wico magnetos, misc parts, etc.
>
>We think of Bessmers, Reids, etc as being oil field engines, but I am sure
>they were also used in some non oil filed situations.
>
>Define a feed mill or a cotton gin engine
>
>Glenn
>
>Glenn Karch
>Haubstadt, IN, USA
>Hercules Historian
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Curt Holland" <curt at imc-group.com>
>To: "SEL(new)" <sel at lists.stationary-engine.com>
>Sent: Friday, July 09, 2004 7:59 AM
>Subject: [SEL] When is it an oil field engine?
>
>
>  
>
>>Guys,
>>Have a question for you. What exactly defines an engine as a oil field
>>engine?
>>-It's not the number of cycles.....I've seen a few (very few though) 4
>>cycle oil field engines.
>>-It's not the HP.....I've seen oilfield engines in the 4HP range.
>>-Some have side shafts and some don't......
>>-Some have hot tube and some are mag fired.....
>>
>>Is it the NG fuel use? (Did any OF engines use a fuel other than NG?)
>>Is it simply that it was marketed for use only as an oil pumper?
>>
>>Looking forward to your thoughts....
>>Curt Holland
>>Gastonia, NC
>>
>>
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