OT Project ideas?

My Dad worked for a large construction company for many years, mostly highway work. He ran the maint shop. More often than you can imagine, people would run into the electronic sign and arrow boards! ( How they would not see those things is beyond me, but trust me when I say, things on the side of the road, even BIG LIGHTED things have a short life)

So more often than not, these machines were totaled. As they headed to send these to the scrap pile, he would salvage the diesel engines. These are single cylinder air cooled diesel engines, 5 to 7 horse power. Electric start. Very low fuel usage, with a very long life expectancy….. 100,000 hours plus.

So my question is, we have 2 of these in good running condition. Any ideas on projects these could be used for? Too little horse power for a splitter. They originally ran a 12 volt generator…… large alternator.

Why is 5-7 H.P. too little H.P. for a splitter? My splitter is 6.5 Horse, gas engine.

I know what you mean about a short life on the raodways. I worked doing highway maint. for 32 years.

I put one of those on my wood splitter. I mounted it with a Love-Joy connector. I used a 2 stage pump and at a fast idel it will split anything I can get onto the beam. that machine will run about 8 or 9 hours on a gal. of fuel. I mostly split 4' wood.
Got picked up the pump,wedge and valve from Northern tool.

check the drive shaft size, some alternator/generator rigs had a long tapered shaft on engine-- and the old Kohler engined Troybuilt Horse used them. A diesel engine tiller for garden use would be nice, since you have the engine would save cost of buying a BCS. Old Cushman scooter had a 5 hp version- Maybe see if you can fit diesel into some thing similar? a Heald trike kit with a cargo box would be useful around farm. What brand diesel engine are these- Haatz or Hartz is around localy, used for various things. Go green and use the engine and generator if available to repower small car with some batteries and jet engine starter- Hibreds supposed to the car of immediate future. Garden tractor?- find a old Sears Suburban iron case transmission/rear end and make a mini puller that could also plow/disc/cultivate. Simplicity 700 indicated a 7hp engine- the AC B1 was a rebadged Simplicity- so maybe you could couple flywheel side of engine to drive shaft. I did something similar putting a 12hp Tecumseh from a Bolens into Simplicity 700 frame. Maybe check salvage yard for old motorcycle frame- do like the Indian made Enfields with the small diesel engine swaps into their old Bullets with 5 hp or larger engine- article noted use of Italian Landinis(?) of 300cc to 425cc used (18 to 26 cubic inchs). Welder, air tools, a slow winter when other shop work done has resulted in many different (sometimes wierd) things being made. RN

Maybe not then, splitter is a good idea.

Believe it or not, these are Lamborghini diesels!

I also thought about a golfcart conversion for around the property.

On the signboards, they ran 10 days on 30 gallons of fuel. The scooter would be cool.

L.

Lamborgini's have very good reputation, might be what the Enfield conversions have. RN

Large alt? Could likely be rewired a bit on the voltage reg to make a dangy portable dc stick welder. Done all the time in the offroading community. Lots of info out there, even some prewired boxes from NAPA you can buy that include a 110 V DV plug and volt meter to give power to a universal motor like a grinder or drill.

Enfield motorcycle conversions?

L.

Enfields made in India- the Army dispatch model was a English Enfield Bullet model of 1950s design, British factory sent complete set of tooling, etc to India to make the Army model and when Army contract was filled the factory kept making the cycle for civilian sale. A 1970s or so modification was to put in a diesel engine at dealer level with some factory help. Engines noted were Italian agriculteral utility engines- I was thinking the make was something like Landini but Lamborghini would also be a possible maker. RN

save a couple for me ;-)

seriously, that sounds perfect to run a centrifugal pump for drip irrigation. i have a gas powered one on a shallow well that works great but diesel would be the cat"s meow.

Build an all terrain go cart and use one to power it. Maybe add some sort of transmission to it

water pump, or hydraulic splitter, or small genset.

Could they be LOMBARDINI rather than Lamborghini?

I have the same deal going on now, I picked up three (although one is a parts engine) Hatz single cylinder app. 7 hp diesels that used to run pumps. In fact, they came with the pumps too. Interesting little engines. These use a starter generator on them, both crank over, but I need to come up with a fuel tank system to get them running. In their previous life they were mounted on trucks and were tied into the truck fuel system.