15 HP Reid

Dustin D Ehli

Junior Poster
WMSTR Lifetime Member
Everyone, This has been our latest project.
It is a 15 HP right hand longshaft Reid.
Serial Number 4477 which puts it at 1909
It was used on one of the original Frank Phillips oil leases in Bartlesville OK, right next to the Caney river to pump 7 oil wells.
Since the video we have finished up work on the clutch shoes and a few other things.
Pretty good gouge in the bore from the wristpin but it still runs good enough for show purposes

 
Hi Dusty,

Would a person have to re-sleeve the engine to fix the gouge?
Is the engine running at governed speed?
Are you bringing this one to Steam Up?

That should be enough questions for one morning.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Jerry,
Probably could get away with JB weld to fill the gouges for a show engine, for now we are leaving it as is since it runs good enough.
Rated speed is 165, in the video we are around 60 or so, we do not have the governor for it, so it is just us controlling speed with a valve on the intake and a needle valve for fuel control.
Steam up, what sense does a gas engine have being at a steam event, although it would be fun to fiddle with it on a brake some day since it does have a clutch.
 
Nice video Dustin!

Anything old like that is welcome at the Steam Up! Especially since steam stuff may be in short supply there this year!
 
When is steam up anyways, ill have to see if we could make it work.
Would need my brothers to help run it
 
Hi Dusty,

I will get Steam Up on the calendar soon. In the mean time, Steam Up is 11 April 2015.

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Bring it, I have brought a truck, diesel engine, buzz saw, and pieces that I was rebuilding on the Russell one winter.
 
Ill see what we can come up with, if it works maybe we will bring it, hopefully it is not a muddy mess like other years.

Jerry, are you going to have a brake there??
 
Well we will see.
If it works out we could bring it up maybe, get our 100 lb tank topped off and run it for a while.
We run it on propane
 
Dustin,

Will you tell us about the Reid engines? When they were used in the oil fields, did they run on natural gas that was taken from the well? Are some of these enignes still in use?

Later,
Jerry Christiansen
 
Yes used in oil fields mostly in the east.
Reid started building engines in the mid 1890s out of business in 1939 I believe
Built in oil city pa, most ran off well head gas and also used it for the hot tube so they had free reliable ignition.

It sorta has a bark to the exhaust so would it annoy people if we brought it to steam up. We will see, no promises yet
 
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