Witte Dieselelectric 12HP

[flywheel]

I might as well just fess up right now, I'm the person who just bought the 12HP Witte on ebay a couple of days ago.  I have been looking into finding a decent one for a couple of years.  Most of the ones I have looked into had a problem of some sort or were missing parts and needed work. 

The complete history is known on the one I just bought, it has spent its entire life in central Indiana.  I bought it because its close and I can pick it up and not have any shipping to pay.  Its about a 5 hour drive to pick it up.  I have made arrangements with the seller for storage until I have time to pick it up. 

According to the serial number this engine was built in 1942, information on the Witte can be found at www.popengines.com

It has been overhauled by a proffesional diesel mechanic like Bob g over twenty years ago.  It has been used very little since and has been in storage for over ten years.  All the work and expense has already been done on this engine.
                                                                                                                                                                flywheel
                                                               
                                                               

[LowGear]

Aloha flywheel,

Knowing a girl's history always leads to a nicer date.  Maybe someone you'd be willing to bring home and introduce to the family.

I'm crating mine up almost as I write.  $600 from port (Seattle - Tacoma) to port (Kailua-Kona).  Much better than the $1050 I was quoted this spring.  And I got her started all by myself this September.  It's amazing what 20 degrees ambient does for the attitude of a diesel.  And keeping it below 1000 RPM sure smoothed stuff out.  I say "she" with a grin as once you see one of these units, I do mean units in the Biblical tense, you know they be male and those large flywheels sure look like well you know what they resemble driving that piston in & out and in & out.  Uppy-downie may be great for our Anglophile brothers and sisters but Made in the USA has a certain warmth about it as well.  I'll stop before this becomes a total dime novel.

Welcome to the club.  Please keep us posted.  I'll post a couple of photos tonight of the crate as it grows up and around my BD.

Casey

[flywheel]

Casey, Thanks for posting the ebay link on the Witte.  After spending nearly a hour on the phone with the owner and his son finding out everything I could about it I figured if I wanted it I better just snatch it up before someone else does.  It was not on ebay very long. 
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[LowGear]

I dropped the Witte off at the shipper Friday.  A really nice experience so far.  I pay for the shipping when I pick it up.  That should be in about three weeks.

Casey

[flywheel]

After nearly 15 hours and 580 miles the Witte Dieseelectric is home.  I made the trip to central Indiana to pick it up today.  It is MUCH larger and HEAVIER  than I thought it would be. 

We had a difficult time getting it loaded with only a chainfall on a beam trolly.  The bed on my 150 Ford is 6 1/2 long and the Witte takes up the whole length of the bed.  One end is against the cab and the other end against the tailgate liner which I had to force shut.

After getting it home and looking it over I measured the flywheels, they are about 3 X 28 inches.  The generator head is also very LARGE and HEAVY and also has a weight attached to the shaft. 

It may take a day or two get it unloaded, I may post a pix or two tomorrow of it still in my truck.

I will be the third owner of this engine since it was new.  I have the complete history from the 80 plus year old gentleman I bought it from.  He obtained it from the original owner in the mid 80's. 

                                                                                                                             flywheel

[LowGear]

Congratulations!

I'm sure you know you just did 580 miles with better than a ton in your F150.  I think that speaks pretty highly of FoMoCo.  You nerves must be about as fried as they can get.  I'm prescribing two aspirins, two hot toddies, 20 minutes in a hot tub and a friendly bed for at least eight hours.

My Witte BD arrived Thursday and I picked it up Monday.  I had crammed another 1800 pounds of crap and a couple hundred pounds of crate onto the Witte so it was grossing 3360 when it landed in Kailua-Kona.  The BD weighs in around 1200 pounds when you count the generator, cast iron mounting frame with 10 quart oil sump and then the engine him self.  My wonderful trailer waited patiently while I transferred all the really important crap from the crate and some of the crate as well to my tow vehicle.  The folk-lift drivers were pretty concerned when they saw that 3300 pound box setting on a 2000 lb axle utility trailer.  "You're not really going to .....?"  26 miles home on 45 MPH roads is almost fun when compared to 580 miles interstate.

The next adventure, like yours, is to dismount the power plant from its ride.  I'm thinking inclined plane and rollers.  The trailer is a tilt-bed and should work pretty nice.  I'll work with it on the carport for a year or two until the power house is constructed.

I'll be looking for your photos and some smoke.

Casey

[flywheel]

Ain't gonna be no inclined plane and rollers here, I will have a hoe or endloader come out and unload it off the truck.  I did stop several times along the way home to check how warm the tires were,  and yes they were warm.  580 miles was the round trip and that is enough for one day!

I also got a freebee diesel engine along with the Witte, its a Faryman air cooled about 8 -10 hp.  The gent said he didn't like it cuz it was made in Germany and was all metric. He said he never did try to start it but it sure does have a lot of compression.  He said he would just give it to me if I wanted it, I said I would take it.  Probably added another 125 pounds or more to the load.
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[flywheel]

Yes I think my Ford 150 is overloaded, glad its got the towing package.   Unless you see one of these 12hp wittes in person you will not realize how big and heavy they are.  The witte takes up all of the 6 1/2 foot length of the bed.

Here are a few pix of it still in the truck.
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[flywheel]

More pix

[LowGear]

Hi flywheel,

What can I say?  Yours is bigger than mine.

Is that motor on top of the generator being used as a starter?

Casey

[vdubnut62]

What is the thing up on top of the generator? Looks like an OLD brush start induction motor?
Ron

[lowspeedlife]

It appears to be an excitation generator. lots of old gensets had a small generator to excite the main generator windings.


Scott R.

[flywheel]

That thingie on top of the head is a exciter, I don't believe its a stock item.  The fella I bought it from said the generator does work but I'm kinda doubtful.  Perhaps there was some other type of exciter on this genset.  There are wires going from the exciter to the inside of the large head.
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[flywheel]

I have the Witte unloaded and inside the garage.  My ford truck is probably smiling with all that weight off, it sure did steer funny on the trip home.

I took the easy way out and had a friend unload it with a hoe, his comment was that sob sure is heavy.
The original exciter probably was attached to the end of the gen head and failed for whatever reason.

I'm not certain what I will do with the generator end just yet, it may even work but I have my doubts by looking things over.  The head and engine have been in storage for a long time, the head will have to come apart for cleaning of acorns and walnut shells.  There is no way to clean it out without taking the head apart.  Has some frayed wiring, and  one wire inside that is hooked to nothing, probably from the exciter modification.

The other option is to just install a different head which I already have.

I have all winter to decide.

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[slowspeed]

Hi Flyweel
How is that big Witte doing ?I also have a Witte 15 HP Gas or was set up for Propane
Model c15rc bore 6 stroke 8  ser # 43528
Have not taken any time for this engine
It is gas and I am in to Diesel right now
See you have a Benz is it running WVO
My son is planing a move to hawaii from Phoenix
Is their a need for or are people looking for Lister Witte Engines? Wold like to get him set up useing Oil for his power in Hawaii
Jeff