Guest okcslim Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I don't know much about this engine. I'm almost ashamed to say I've never heard of it. Its in a truck I'm restoring and here is the tag off engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlCapone Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 What is year and make of truck ? Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hercules made a lot of motors in the old days. They also Manufactured single cylinder stationary engines for many years, These were sold under the brand names of Hercules, Jagger, Arco, and the Economy line which was sold by Sears Roebuck & Company. These are quite common. A lot were installed in farm and construction equipment in the late 30, 40' and 50's. Also some of the Palmer Marine engines used in ChrisCraft boats were basically a Hercules engine. Cletrac used their engines for many years in some of the tractors in their line up. The little HG and OC3's for instance used a flat head 4 cylinder. They also built some Diesels in later years. Early on they did provide some engines for autos and trucks. Yes, More photo's are in order. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest newbymachineworks Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Hercules made a lot of motors in the old days. They also Manufactured single cylinder stationary engines for many years, These were sold under the brand names of Hercules, Jagger, Arco, and the Economy line which was sold by Sears Roebuck & Company. These are quite common. A lot were installed in farm and construction equipment in the late 30, 40' and 50's. Also some of the Palmer Marine engines used in ChrisCraft boats were basically a Hercules engine. Cletrac used their engines for many years in some of the tractors in their line up. The little HG and OC3's for instance used a flat head 4 cylinder. They also built some Diesels in later years. Early on they did provide some engines for autos and trucks. Yes, More photo's are in order. Dandy Dave! Single cylinder stationary engine are made by a different Hercules company. Built in Evansville, Indiana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Suspect this is a model M from the 4x5. See here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest okcslim Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 What is year and make of truck ? WayneWayne its in a 1923 moreland 1 ton I believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I assume the 7R, then, was someone's guesstimate...early Morelands were heavy on Cont'ls...As NEWBY said, the farm engines were a different company, based in Evansville (and, to make life more difficult for followers of those engines, there were also Hercules Gas Engine Co/Gas Engine Works in SF, 1890s, purchased by Peerless Motor Co 1907, and Hercules 1Cyl horiz oil engines built by The Engine Co of Indiana, Terre Haute, and, I don't doubt, various other "Hercules")...By now I'm sure Padgetts noticed the "M" was 4x51/2 (with all due respect, it's nice to know I'm not the only one occasionally overlooking details)...Possible--repeat, possible--candidates are the O, OX or OBX, the O and OX 4x5 in period listings, the OBX as 4" bore (but I have no stroke), part of a series of "O" 4s that share some parts...Try herculesengine.com, (engine, singular) who bought a lot of Herc inventory and fab's some parts (NOT herculesengines.com (engines, plural) which is for the farm engines)...ALSO check in with Jerry Biro---herculesparts.com---I don't think he deals with anything this early, but might have suggestions (he's spoken of very highly in the tractor forums)...Period catalogs list the "O" (1925 Rings, Herc "O" for 1924 BX and RR), the OBX (1930 Pins, Herc OBX for 1924-26 B, K, 11/2 Ton), and "O-OX" ( 1930 McCord gasket, Herc "O-OX" for some BX,RC.RR 1-11/2 Ton models (Cont'ls in some) but no years stated---DO NOT CONFUSE WITH HERC OOA, OOB,OOC ETC SERIES, LATER 4sWith sympathy, Bud.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 (Sigh)...your 1923 dating may be correct---looked at a 32 engine parts catalog and found "1922-26 Road Runner; BX-1 & 11/2 Ton.." and other models using the piston listed for the O/OX series of engines...these old catalogs disagree more than they agree... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 OK, Point taken on the same name used by different manufactures. I do know the farm engines are far more common that the early truck and car engines. Dandy Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dictator27 Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Studebaker used Hercules 6 cylinder engines in their larger trucks in the late 30's as well as the US6 6x6 2 1/2 ton WW2 army truck (hercules JXD).Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 First, I was wrong about the OOA/B/C being later---it appears they were contemporary with the O/OX etc...The O/OX etc were one of Herc's earliest series (they don't appear in a good 1917 ring catalog; earliest I found was a 1919 listing) and show in probably half the Herc listings in several period catalogs to 1930/33, but I have no actual production figures...The series seem to share piston ass'bly, valves and babbited rods/main caps EXCEPT for the OXC/OXCP, 41/4 bores that have their own sat of parts...I assume the "P" means power unit...Series engines listed are O, OX, OXA,, OXB, OXC, OXL, OB, OBX, all listed in my catalogs as 4" bores...I'm not completely sure the OBX isn't the OXB as catalog listings seem to confuse the two; perhaps the Herc parts outfit can sort them out...Remember these parts catalogs are never complete... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 We restored a 1936 Thorne gas/electric milk truck that used a Hercules 4 cylinder, an OBX as I remember. Jerry Biro was quite helpful and actually had nos parts, including an exhaust manifold, carb, fuel pump, etc. We have engine manuals for several of the early Hercules engines if I can find them. Hercules was still in business in 1998 when we finished the milk truck and they gave us, free of charge, several old engine manuals they still had on a very dusty shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest okcslim Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 We restored a 1936 Thorne gas/electric milk truck that used a Hercules 4 cylinder, an OBX as I remember. Jerry Biro was quite helpful and actually had nos parts, including an exhaust manifold, carb, fuel pump, etc. We have engine manuals for several of the early Hercules engines if I can find them. Hercules was still in business in 1998 when we finished the milk truck and they gave us, free of charge, several old engine manuals they still had on a very dusty shelf.Thank you any info you have for me would be very helpful, I do need a exhaust manifold for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Tierney Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I had started to comment that 1936 seemed a bit late for the O's, that Restorer32s Thorne engine had probably been an OO or a Q, but recalled I'd promised to look up something for a tractor enthusiast and got diverted...In looking thru a catalog for Ag stuff I noticed someAllis Chalmers combines 32-40 with the OXJohn Deere combines 29-31 and 34-36 with the "...O, OX..." (options? OX replaced O??)...Nichols & Shepard combines 29-36 (became Oliver, or was part of Oliver)...Minneapolis Moline combines 29-31...I had forgotten to mention Gray Marine converted the OX to their H50 AKA 4-50...(years unknown);...Also, I was wrong about the OXCP being a power unit, as one showed up in an Indiana truck...If NOS parts unobtainium, the above should give you a few more areas to search...It wasn't unusual for engine builders to peddle the last of the production/leftovers of a truck engine to Ag interests... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 The only Moreland with a Hercules listed in my late 20's Jahn's piston catalog is the 1922-25 model RR. The Hercules listed is the 4 " bore, no stroke given model O. Continental is by far Moreland's favorite, with the exception the one Hercules and a Waukesha used in the 4 and 5 ton Moreland 17G,19G, 16J,19J of 1917-18 Greg in Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I had started to comment that 1936 seemed a bit late for the O's, that Restorer32s Thorne engine had probably been an OO or a Q, but recalled I'd promised to look up something for a tractor enthusiast and got diverted...In looking thru a catalog for Ag stuff I noticed someAllis Chalmers combines 32-40 with the OXJohn Deere combines 29-31 and 34-36 with the "...O, OX..." (options? OX replaced O??)...Nichols & Shepard combines 29-36 (became Oliver, or was part of Oliver)...Minneapolis Moline combines 29-31...I had forgotten to mention Gray Marine converted the OX to their H50 AKA 4-50...(years unknown);...Also, I was wrong about the OXCP being a power unit, as one showed up in an Indiana truck...If NOS parts unobtainium, the above should give you a few more areas to search...It wasn't unusual for engine builders to peddle the last of the production/leftovers of a truck engine to Ag interests...We actually purchased an early power unit for parts for the Hercules we restored. Still have the power unit grill hanging here on the wall. Sturdy little engines. Used in many welders, tuggers and generators thru WWII. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) OK. Looked it up in my American Gasoline Engine's book by C.H.Wendel and you are correct. The farm stationary engines were a different company. Hercules of Canton Ohio did begin operations in 1915 and H.H. Timken was one of the organizers. Yes, The Timken that developed the roller bearing and the Timken Axle. The company was conceived by Charles Balough. Hercules became a subsidiary of Hupp Corporation in 1961 and then it was sold to the White Motor Corporation in 1967 when it took the name of White Engines Inc. In late 1976 private investors purchased it back from White returning it to an independent Status. My copy was published in 1983. I met C.H. Wendel at one of our local shows many years ago. There was also a third engine company called Hercules that was in San Francisco, Cal. Started in the 1890's. Was bought out by Peerless Motor Company of Lansing Michigan around 1907. Single cylinder stationary engine are made by a different Hercules company. Built in Evansville, Indiana. Edited October 15, 2015 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Hercules was still in business in Ohio in 1997. I phoned their customer service rep and told them we were restoring a Hercules engine and asked if that had any info. The lady responded that if anyone in the company knew anything about those engines it would be "Old Joe" who had apparently been with the company for ages. I talked to "Old Joe" and he allowed as how he thought they might have a manual on the shelf and he would look. After waiting maybe 10 minutes he came back on the phone and told us he did indeed have an engine manual for our model as well as 2 others. I asked him if they would copy the manual we needed. His reply was "we will just send you these manuals, we have no use for them". We finished the project in 1998 so it may be a challenge to find those manuals ( actually only 50 or so pages each) but I'll try. Too bad there aren't more "Old Joes" still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Eureka! Well, sort of. I found our manuals for the IX and ZX Series engines but not the O. The Hercules engine we restored was directly coupled to a 70? volt generator that supplied power to the electric motor than ran the Thorne milk truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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