[SEL] Guess what is showing up at Portland...

[Spencer Yost]

OK - it has been two and one half years since I got the engine during a 
great trip with Steve, Brice and Dave Rotigel.   It has been two years 
since I have been to Portland.   But the 25 HP Ball oilfield engine will 
finally be at Portland this year.    The trailer is finished, the skids 
are finished, and I am just waiting on the crane to lift the engine onto 
the skids and the whole shooing match onto the trailer.   This will 
happen this Friday.    Check out the pictures of the trailer and skids here:

http://www.atis.net/forums/album.php?albumid=29

The engine is not running and this year I am planning on spending the 
week at Portland getting it in running condition an hope to have it 
running by the end of the week.   I am missing several things for the 
engine so I actually could use stuff.   So this is  call for anyone with 
oiling trees, oilers, wicks, various plumbing, gasket material, propane 
stuff, piping anything you think I might could use and you are willing 
to sell, bring it on to Portland!

Also, I could use some thoughts and ideas on loading and mounting the 
engine.  Some folks - one in particular I really trust - think I should 
somehow bolt the engine to the trailer.    I like the idea, but I am not 
sure I can bolt this in any meaningful way .   To bolt down, I could not 
use the hardened all-thread that is bolting the engine and skids since 
those won't line up with the steel under the deck of the trailer.    The 
steel under the decking is 2"x4" 'L' irons and these are all I have to 
bolt to.  The 2" leg is the horizontal portion (the part the decking is 
screwed to), so I imagine I could drill 3/4" holes through the bottom 
skid, through the deck, and then through these irons and use 3/4" 
bolts.  I have three irons crossing under the length of the skids.  So 
that would be  total of 6(three on each side) 3/4" bolts holding the 
bottom skid to the trailer while my 6 hardened all-thread holds the 
engine and skids together.   My question:   Would 6 3/4" bolts really 
hold a 6000+ pound engine while running and even if they would, is this 
really necessary?   I plan to obviously chain and strap the sucker good 
for traveling and those bolts wouldn't help in an accident anyway.  As 
for running - it wasn't bolted to the concrete foundation I found it on 
in PA.  It was just sitting on it and it obviously never shimmied or moved.

Any thoughts and comments on the trailer loading and mounting would be 
much appreciated!


Take care,

Spencer Yost