Cast Iron Quarterly Bluebonnet Antique Tractor Club, Branch 171 of EDGETA December 2009, volume 4 Merry CHRISTmas!!! Things have really kicked into high gear this last quarter. If you didn t make it to any shows, well, you re just too busy. Yes there have been some nice shows indeed. We will start off with some pictures from the Alvin show.
We had a good turnout and there was plenty of Bar B Q for those who displayed.
Hope Arkansas I was at a show in Hope Arkansas a few months ago and snapped a couple of pictures of interest. First, if you feel your mower just doesn t have enough power, this baby is for you. Yes there are 5, 20 hp engines on there. Next for you military buffs, a different kind of green.
Tech Section Octane Most of you have heard the sayings about High Octane. If we want to call something powerful we call it High Octane. You can buy High Octane sports drinks, High Octane tennis shoes, and many other High Octane items, but do any of us really know what High Octane is? Well I m probably going to bust some bubbles on what High Octane is and isn t. Octane is a number given to gasoline to rate its anti detonation qualities. High octane fuel does not have more power then low octane fuel. Matter of fact it has a slightly lower BTU content then low octane fuel. Yes I know about now your thinking this guy doesn t know what he is talking about. Let me explain. I know we have all seen the ads put out by the Gas companies telling how much more power you will have when you use their higher octane fuel. They know most people don t understand octane, and so use that to their advantage to sell you the higher priced fuel. In industry terms, octane has never been used to describe the power content of fuel. It is the ability to resist detonation. That is why it used to be called antiknock. So how did power get related to Octane? In the late 50 s through the 60 s car companies were building more powerful engines trying to get more buyers. There are lots of ways to get more power from an engine. One of the cheapest ways is to up the compression ratio. That s all fine and dandy, but the fuel of the day did not have enough octane to resist the detonation that comes with higher compression. Does anybody remember Phillips 66 gas stations? The 66 originally was the octane rating of their fuel, (the rating has since gone up, but the name stayed the same). Their gas was higher octane then the stuff most of the others were selling. Most gas of the 40 s into the 50 s was around 55 octane. These were the days of 4.5 6 to 1 compression ratings.
Fuel with a higher octane ignites at a higher temperature. Thus, when you raise compression, you raise combustion chamber temperature. You need a fuel with a higher ignition temperature or the fuel will self ignite before the sparkplug fires. The higher compression makes the power, not the higher octane. Lower octane fuel burns more complete then high octane fuel because of the lower ignition temperature. That is why in the 70 s and 80 s compression ratio s dropped dramatically. Higher octane fuel sends more raw fuel out the tail pipe because it doesn t burn as complete as low octane fuel. When I worked for the City of Galveston as a mechanic, we watched a General Motors training video explaining what Octane was and was not. Can you use high octane in your tractor or stationary engine? Sure you can, but you will be spending more money then you need too. When most of these where built octane was around 50. That is why the low compression ratios in these engines. Some guys run Colman lantern fuel in their stationary engines because it never goes bad in the tank. It tends to burn cleaner and also has a pleasant smelling exhaust. Colman has a rating of around 55 octane. For a tractor, at 7 plus dollars a gallon that can get pretty expensive. Some guys like to run AFF, (aviation fuel), gas in their engines, not because of more power but because it has a longer shelf life then pump fuel. So there you have it. You make the call and keep those flywheels spinning! Aldersgate Methodist Show This year we again hosted the Aldersgate show. There was a nice turn out and the weather was perfect. Dan Hinton even brought his new Spoker D.
Aldersgate Methodist Church always treats the club good. There is fun and food for all who attend. A Big thanks to Roy Lamar for helping me get my Model AA truck home. It had accumulated a lot of rust in the gas tank from setting and would not keep running. That s the nice thing about clubs, there is always someone willing to help out.
Here are a few pictures of the Santa Fe Christian Church show This was a late afternoon to evening show. Thanks to all who showed up! We even managed to have a hay ride which turned out to be very popular.
Member Spotlight This month we have the pleasure to meet our club Safety Inspector, none other than Dan Hinton. I have known Dan for a few years now and I have to say he and his wife has been a blessing to me and many others in the club. Dan is always willing to lend a hand and has a vast knowledge of all things John Deere. Dan got interested in tractors when he was a boy growing up on a farm in Alabama. He learned to drive on a John Deere 70. This must have made quite an influence as he now has over 60 tractors, 30 running and 30 waiting to run. Dan has owned an auto salvage company, Goldust, for over 20 years in Pasadena Texas. His company is located on Spencer and Beltway 8. You can t miss it as he has around 20 tractors out front. Dan is especially proud of his newest tractor, a Spoker D. Dan is always looking for something collectible to add to his collection. Right now he is looking for a Waterloo Boy tractor, so if you have one laying around that you re not using anymore you might want to give Dan a call. Here is a very small sample of Dan s toys.
What s fer sale I have an Oliver model 99, (not super 99), for sale or trade. I think it is a 1953 model. It is stuck and been setting outside for a long time. It has iron back wheels in back and Case tractor spindles grafted on the front axle. I d like to get what I paid for it, $500, or trade for an engine or an old F12, F14, F20 or other old Farmall. Vernon (409) 925 8029, (281), 455 3845, Inthelt@aol.com. Lonnie Fisher has a 2 hp Cushman stationary engine he is selling. He is asking $800. It s a pretty engine. You can contact Lonnie at 281 383 2952, I jfisher@verizion.net. Armond Bayou Nature Center On November 14 we once again strutted our stuff at Armond Bayou. This show was well attended and the weather was very nice. There were so many displays space will not let me post all of them here. This was the clubs largest show to date. So sit back and enjoy the fun from Armond Bayou.
Christmas dinner We had an excellent turn out for the Christmas dinner. This was the first year to have it at the Monument Inn. I would have to say this was the best dinner yet. Dan Hinton and his wife Jeannie hosted the meeting because Larry was sick.
There was great food and conversation. We even did the song Twelve Days of Christmas. Jeanne also sang solo for us and did a wonderful job. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Hello from the Steed household where this old fella is still recuperating from one of the worst head and chest colds I can ever remember having in all of my now 65 years, but alas, today I seem to be much better. I sincerely missed your camaraderie (and the great tasting eats) at the annual luncheon and final meeting of the year, but with the good Lord's willing, I promise that I'll try my very best not to get sick so that I can make next year's event. First, I'd like to personally thank each and every one of you for the continued support to our club you've shown, for it's you the members who keep our group of vintage iron collector's going. Though we did experience some rain-outs at some of the spring tractor events, I believe that we made up for those at the summer and fall shows as everyone in attendance seemed to have a great time and a few of our members came home with very nice awards. And last but not least, I want to wish all of you and your families a "Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year". Larry
Well that s it for this year. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! I look forward to seeing each and every one of you next year. Vernon Achord BATC Contact information: Larry Steed, Club President 281 485 9764 (h); 713 899 5888 (c) candy3505@comcast.net Joe DeFord, Club VP 713 294 2749 (c) jdeford@verizon.net Ann Yeates, Secretary 409 316 1229 (h) YeatesBrian@yahoo.com Candy Steed, Treasurer 281 485 9764 (h) 713 898 8122 (c) candy3505@comcast.net Dan Hinton, Safety Officer 281 487 3698 (shop) 281 460 2280 (c) golddusters5703@earthlink.net Vernon Achord, Jr., Newsletter Editor 409 925 8029 (h) inthelt@aol.com