UPDATED BIG PICS - NJ Antique Power Equipment

[1971ford]

check out the tread on the john deere!

[FLATBEDFORD]

No flats with those!

[ezernut9mm]

very cool pics. thanks for sharing those!

[ezernut9mm]

check out the tread on the john deere!

i bought a car off a guy once and he had an old sign nailed to a tree at the end if his drive and it said "no lugs on drive". i asked him what it was all about. those wheels were exactly what it was referring to. they can do some serious damage.

[hardtailjohn]

No steam????!!!!!!
JH

[MaxKlinger]

Tony,
How far from your Northern NJ home was that show? We should make a Fordification trip out there. My flatbed and John and cooltoolguy's dumps would fit in. From the pictures, it looks like not everything there was perfect.

It was about an hour south of me in Titusville, NJ.

There was definitely a lot of stuff there that had been through a "so clean you could eat off it" restoration, but most stuff was a little rougher or partway through a restoration. Your flatbed and the dumps would have fit in well. Next time they have a show we should definetly make a group appearance!

No steam????!!!!!!
JH

Dude, that was my biggest disappointment. I'm a huge fan of reciprocating steam, and I was hoping to see some there. I've resolved that someday I'm going to have to be the one to restore and show up with steam power. That takes time and money though.

[71 LONG BED]

Isn't a steam engine like a time bomb?!

[hardtailjohn]

Isn't a steam engine like a time bomb?!

Absolutely NOT!!!!! The only time a steam engine is dangerous is when there's a complete idiot running it!
JH

[71 LONG BED]

I saw a television show that showed the aftermath of a steam tractor explosion. WOW!! They made it sound like it was pretty dangerous. Just like anything else I guess, if it is operated properly, it should be safe.

[MaxKlinger]

Boiler explosions are very dangerous and almost always fatal to the crew or operator of a steam boiler. However, they're pretty simple to prevent if you understand how they work.

Steam locomotives, tractors, and ships usually use a fire-tube boiler, where there is a fire box at one end where combustion takes place (wood, coal or oil burns). Tubes carry the hot combustion gases from the fire box through the water-filled boiler, heating water along the way. At the other end the gasses go to the smoke box, where it is carried out the stack.

The danger is at the steel wall dividing the pressure vessel (boiler) and the firebox. This is known as the crown sheet. Part of the crown sheet is horizontal, as the firebox is usually long and goes under a good part of the boiler. Under normal operation, the crown sheet is covered with water. When water boils, it doesn't exceed 212*F, which is well below the melting point of steel. However, if the water level drops too low in the boiler and the crown sheet is exposed, it can become hot enough for the steel to soften. Under the weight and pressure of the water in the boiler, the crown sheet can bend and eventually rupture. At that point all of the water in the boiler is exposed to the incredible heat of the fire, and flashes to steam instantly. As you may know steam expands to much greater volumes than water, well over 1,000 times. Therefore, the steam needs to find a way out quickly and usually tears the boiler apart instantly. A steam locomotive boiler could be thrown a hundred yards from the rest of the train by the force of the explosion. Usually the crew was scalded to death before they hit the ground.

To prevent this, there is usually a series of valves on a steam boiler backhead that are arranged vertically at strategic points. If you opened the valve and boiling water came out, the water was at or above that level. But if it was dry or only steam came out, there was no water at that level. Depending on the level the crew or operator would decide to add water to the boiler by the way of steam injectors. Later on, sight glasses were also used to indicate the water level in a boiler, but they were used concurrently with the more reliable series of valves.


So yeah, I love steam. I would love to have a small stationary steam engine some day:D

[71 LONG BED]

Wow, very informative. Thanks!

[FLATBEDFORD]

Wow, very informative. Thanks!

That's the engineer in him speaking.

[Pipes71]

I was supposed to go up there too Cant remember if I went to the hill climb that weekend, or some other show..but it looks like I missed a really good one..I used to go to those shows with my grandfather years ago in NJ and PA..next year I'm going!

[MaxKlinger]

That's the engineer in him speaking.

Sorry 'bout that.

I was supposed to go up there too Cant remember if I went to the hill climb that weekend, or some other show..but it looks like I missed a really good one..I used to go to those shows with my grandfather years ago in NJ and PA..next year I'm going!

Pipes, where are you located?

[Pipes71]

I'm in burlington county N.J