Picked up a pretty nice Fairbanks ZC346 this weekend and think it might be the start of an interesting generator package. It's 18HP at 350 RPM so fills my interest in slow speed engines quite nicely. I think I'll set it up to run on propane after I complete a total restoration back to new condition. It's in good running shape right now, just a little ugly.
Should be a fun new project!
chris
sweeeet!
look forward to seeing more of the old girl
bob g
I now know what total envy feels like. What an incredible machine. Which millennium and what galaxy did this thing come from? WOW!
What is the bore and stroke?
Casey
I have not found a good reference of serial numbers to determine the exact year of mfgr, but I'm guessing it's in the early 50's. Although it's certainly an old, large, flywheel engine, it is a fairly modern design with pressure lubrication, roller bearing crank, etc. Bore is 7" and stroke is 9". Weighs about 3000lbs. The good news is that these engines are still in wide-spread use in the oil field and are fully supported. Every part is available new including nice things like oversize piston sets. They're available at very reasonable prices (as long as you don't have to pay to ship them!).
The one I got even still has the clutch assembly and multi belt drive system on the side so it probably came off an oil well.
Great fun!
Chris
Well color me green with envy. ::) Not enough engine powered oil wells in the Land of TVA, everything is run by an electric motor.
Ron
Quote from: vdubnut62 on October 24, 2011, 05:26:37 PM
Well color me green with envy. ::) Not enough engine powered oil wells in the Land of TVA, everything is run by an electric motor.
Ron
Hell, we don't even have oil wells. ::)
Clearly I need to round up a few dozen of these thumpers for my microcogen buddies. They're thick here in Oklahoma. Some places there's dozens in a square mile still crankin' away on pumpjacks.
Maybe I need to start buying them all up before the price of scrap iron gets any higher and they all end up being shipped to china!
chris
18 HP at 350 RPM. Wow!
Where were they made?
Casey
Quote from: cschuerm on October 25, 2011, 05:11:30 PM
Clearly I need to round up a few dozen of these thumpers for my microcogen buddies.
Indeed! The shipping would be killer but I'd kill to have something like that to play with! ;D
These engines were made in the good old USA by Fairbanks Morse. This specific model is no longer in production, but you can purchase a new engine that is very similar from Arrow for big dollars. If anyone is seriously interested, I can probably scrounge up some more of the Fairbanks models though for very reasonable prices. Just might take me a bit. There are five sizes of the "ZC" engine:
ZC-118 - 7hp 400-700 RPM
ZC-208 - 12hp 400-700 RPM
ZC-346 - 18hp 350-375 RPM
ZC-503 - 24hp 300-525 RPM
ZC-739 - 36hp 300-525 RPM
Most came set up with a gasoline start tank and were run on propane or natural gas. In field service, they generally have a radiator mounted on the top of the cylinder and used convection flow for cooling.
chris
So do they make the earth move, helping the oil find its way through the earth, when they power stroke or does their own mass just hold them still?
OK. I'm not actually going to buy one now that I have Mr. Happy on the carport but what an adventure one would be. "Hey baby, wanna see my Fairbanks - in action."
Casey
Do they come in diesel flavors? ;D
Ron
Quote from: cschuerm on October 26, 2011, 06:09:37 AM
If anyone is seriously interested, I can probably scrounge up some more of the Fairbanks models though for very reasonable prices.
chris
Chris
What is considered a reasonable price for an 18 hp like you found?
And just what part of oklahoma might I have to go to get it?
Now lets see how many miles is it from Minnesota to Oklahoma? ::) ::)
Billswan
Ones similar to the 7 or 12 listed above I'm interested. Minnesota here also, halve the costs :)
QuoteDo they come in diesel flavors? Grin
Ron
Casey
Fairbanks did indeed make a large number of diesels from "not exactly small" to "power a small country". I believe the early single cylinder flywheel engines were the "Y" series. I don't currently own one, but am looking. There was a baby 20hp Y on ebay a while back for $2500.
As far as prices on the ZC's go, they seem to cover a pretty wide range depending on size and condition. I'd say you can pick up some good "fixer-upper" 118s easily under $1000. A completely re-manufactured 346 ready to plop down on a pump jack and run for the next few decades might well push $5000.
They are very smooth running engines. Here's short vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8J0rwGZLN0&feature=related
And here's one of the little 118s running on a roll-around cart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=4jATtqp-YTo
Here's a vid of a Fairbanks Y diesel driving a generator head. I *LOVE* the sound of this engine!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t44dwcUcYlk&feature=relmfu
I have located one of these but have not persuaded the owner to part with it ....yet :-)
Chris
Well according to google maps I am 603 miles from Tulsa Oklahoma, Is that at all close to some of those oil field fairbanks engines?
Billswan
I live just outside of Tulsa and there are many in this area. I've heard that there is a shop in Hominy, OK (just NW of Tulsa) that has a large quantity of these engines. Need to go investigate some day!
Chris
Yep, I think I'm going to really like this engine! It's great to be able to drive a few blocks and pick up almost any part you need. Got a freshly overhauled magneto with impulse coupler for $125 at the local oilwell supply store. Also picked up a complete pre-packaged gasket set right off the shelf. Shopkeeper said he had pretty much everything for the 118 and 208 engines in stock in the store and pointed to a shelf of overhauled cylinder heads. Had many things for the larger engines, but not nearly as much stock. This thing is turning out to be the most maintainable engine I've run across so far!
Chris
Quote from: cschuerm on November 02, 2011, 06:07:37 PM
Yep, I think I'm going to really like this engine! It's great to be able to drive a few blocks and pick up almost any part you need. Got a freshly overhauled magneto with impulse coupler for $125 at the local oilwell supply store. Also picked up a complete pre-packaged gasket set right off the shelf. Shopkeeper said he had pretty much everything for the 118 and 208 engines in stock in the store and pointed to a shelf of overhauled cylinder heads. Had many things for the larger engines, but not nearly as much stock. This thing is turning out to be the most maintainable engine I've run across so far!
Chris
Wow, Maybe I will have to come on down some day and see for my self.
May be DanG might have a deal ............someday........?
Billswan
350 CI. Is that four or five Harleys?
Casey
Chris, All,
Does anyone know if someone has converted one of these big singles to diesel operation? You'd have to rig a single roller cam drive to push a simple injector pump and install the injector where the spark plug is presently located. How to raise the compression up to around 16 to one is the other major challenge.
RCA, I've never heard of one being converted to a diesel but the internals certainly appear to be robust enough to handle it. The ZC's are pretty low compression engines by default. I can't see any reason you couldn't just machine off the top of the cylinder to increase it to whatever you wanted though. My only concern would be whether you'd have enough meat left to re-bore and tap the head studs. Not sure what the inside of the waterjacket looks like in that area. Be an interesting experiment!
Chris
Couldn't you fab up a longer rod?
Ron
Quote from: vdubnut62 on November 20, 2011, 05:31:12 AM
Couldn't you fab up a longer rod?
Ron
That would be one way alright but might be risky. I don't know that I'm competent enough to attempt lengthening a con rod. Heat treatment and annealing would be in order to make sure that stress risers were minimized. That component takes quite a pounding. In Canada since we went metric I guess engine components take a kilogramming. :D
I don't think I'd try lengthening the rod, but it wouldn't be too hard to whittle up a wooden rod of the correct length then take it to a foundry to have a new one cast. A little machine work to prep it for bearings and you might have something.
chris
Quote from: cschuerm on November 20, 2011, 12:13:04 PM
I don't think I'd try lengthening the rod, but it wouldn't be too hard to whittle up a wooden rod of the correct length then take it to a foundry to have a new one cast. A little machine work to prep it for bearings and you might have something.
chris
I don't think the con rods in these engines are cast. They aren't a cast I-beam like we are all used to, they are a solid steel round rod.
Con-Rods are typically forged, save some of the newer "pressed" powdered metal stuff. Billet maybe, cast probably not.
Terry
RCA, you are correct that the con rod is round, however, it appears to have a parting line as though it was a cast part. Maybe forged? Dunno...
Chris