# Hit-n-Miss engines... what's the big deal.



## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

Seems as if Hit and Miss engines are quite the rage on Ebay. Lots of parts being sold, lots of money being exchanged. What's the big deal with these antique engines?


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

alot of them are eighty years old and still working!! know a guy uses a hit and miss his great grandpa bought too pump water up from a crik . lets see a brigs, tecrapsy or honda do that!! plus they run on less than ideal fuel,i should have bought the old morse z i saw last year!


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

its kinda like stamp collecting, only different. i have about thirty of them ranging from 14,000 pounds down to around 300 lbs. 

10,000 lb Reid Oilfield engine


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

Less than ideal fuels... Like???? can you make them run on used oil etc?


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

ace admirer said:


> its kinda like stamp collecting, only different. i have about thirty of them ranging from 14,000 pounds down to around 300 lbs.
> 
> 10,000 lb Reid Oilfield engine


Very cool ace, so... do you run anything with them??? Or would that be like licking the stamp and mailing it?


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

ZealYouthGuy said:


> Very cool ace, so... do you run anything with them??? Or would that be like licking the stamp and mailing it?



Dude
you need to hit some of the Threshers Shows in Ohio next year. they have tractor pulls with them. I'm old enough to remember when we threshed grain with them. Give m one any day over some of this new crap. Nothing like waking up in a cool morning with a oil,wood or coal fire going on. There are also a lot guys who demonstrate their "Oil Pulls" Way cool stuff


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

Good one Zeal!. 

i have a few smallish (around 1000 lbs 12 hp) that i have belted up to generators. they will run on gasoline/LP/Natural gas. the diesels will run on used motor oil and other "stuff". the big oilfield engines were designed to run on well head gas "basically unrefined natural gas" but i run them on bottled LP. the bigs one are just for lookin at,,,or you could consider them big exercise machines when you are trying to crank them. 

the little hit and miss engines (800lbs, 8 hp and under) i run grinders (kinda like the burr mill you have). pumps, buzz saws, anything i can find. but yes you are correct, they are just for lookin at and listin too. 

i like the old equipment, this is my way of being involved with it. the big oilfield engines have 6, 10 and 12 inch exhaust lines..its more of a controled explosion when they run. 

having the low speed diesel engine belted to a generator makes me feel a little more secure (falsely i'm sure) it will run on just about any fuel you feed into it.


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## mohillbilly (Mar 24, 2005)

I have several old engines....one of my favorites is an old Fuller and johnson 1.5 HP......will turn an Dodge alternator over at 50 amps and at 14 volts before it starts to slowly "die".......Does this, at a fuel burn rate of about 1 quart of gas per hour!!!!!!! Ya, no Sh!*............ 


makes the best battery bank charger ever!!! (as far as gas engines go!!!! ) Nope, not for sale!!!!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

There's a Mennonite hardware store down the road from me that has a small one hooked up to a big ice cream freezer. In the summer they make ice cream in the parking lot


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

http://www.smokstak.com/


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## lacyj (May 14, 2002)

DH would love to own one. We try to make it to the state fair every year, so that he can check them out.


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## MN Mom (May 19, 2003)

Its the challenge. My dad and I have about 30 or so combined.

Everything is hot right now. Watch one of the car auctions on tv some time - 60s muscle cars going for millions.


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## Ed K (Oct 24, 2003)

ZealYouthGuy said:


> Less than ideal fuels... Like???? can you make them run on used oil etc?


zyg, 

I've seen them run on crude oil. I assume some of those people get the crude from wells of their own? Not sure about the used oil. Probably too thick to ignite easily.


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## tallpaul (Sep 5, 2004)

I am interested in a lister single- is that a type of hit n miss? They are bullettproof too I hear. Are there more commom under 10 hp diesel out there? I want to hook up a genset to a economical diesel/biodiesal set up.... You mention an ohio show... I am interested! Thanks


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

tallpaul said:


> I am interested in a lister single- is that a type of hit n miss? They are bullettproof too I hear. Are there more commom under 10 hp diesel out there? I want to hook up a genset to a economical diesel/biodiesal set up.... You mention an ohio show... I am interested! Thanks


 " Hit & Miss " are more gas oriented engines. The Lister diesels are tough as nails, but hard to find right now, due to recent diesel fuel changes. TRUE Listers haven't been made in years, & what you see are mostly imports from India, nicknamed " Listeroids." They are still in use all over the world. Some Indian manufacturers are good, some not, just like Chinese manufactures of equipment. A good quality Indian made will last forever & use little fuel. Be advised they are HUGE/HEAVY, so find a permanent mount & leave it there. 
I doubt anyone online knows as much about the Lister design as George on this site;
www.utterpower.com


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## seedspreader (Oct 18, 2004)

tallpaul said:


> I have been to Georges site... the availability is hit and miss too so it seems. I know they are heavy and a forklift is available  likely it will end up on a trailer or skid mount anyhow. At least thats the plan. I would love to find one of the beasts local


ditto, I would love to run one with a genertor and a pto to run other things off it.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

ZealYouthGuy said:


> ditto, I would love to run one with a genertor and a pto to run other things off it.


Me too,what a fine engine that real Lister is,I ever get the chance,will have to buy one.I would never pass up one if I saw it.

BooBoo


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

http://www.generatordepotusa.com/diesels.asp?prod=Lister6-1


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

i've got a listerroid 16 hp running an 1800 rpm generator. the modern lister type engines are diesel. the orginal lister were gas or diesel depending on model. for the price of an imported copy of a lister, you could find a used witte, fairbanks-morse, or ajax oilfield engine to run a generator. a true hit and miss would not be a good choice for a generator drive. the hit and miss system was used before carberators with good fuel/air regulation were feasable. the hit and miss engines are favored by collectors, so prices are pretty high.


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