Mint 63 Year Old Briggs and Stratton Engine on an RCA Generator
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- I picked up this little unit the other day.
What really drew me to this gen set is the fact that is was sold by RCA (Radio Corporation of America). I have never seen or heard of RCA building or selling a gen set.
Also the fact that the unit is in very good condition for being 63 years old!
Lets get it running!
I'm a retired radio tech. Back in the day RCA was very big in building radio transmitters and broadcast sights.
They built transmitters from about 100 watts up to 50,000 watts. My guess would have been that little gen set, might have been a backup generator for such a sight. Maybe 100 watt transmitter.
That grey colour was their standard colour.
That's pretty cool! That manual may be pretty scarce, you should digitize it and upload it online, so it will never be lost to time. This would also give you a way to reference it without more wear to the original
That rope pull though! That gave me a chuckle. I heard Mustie1 cackling off screen...
I follow him also just about to watch this Sunday’s 🤣👍
I though it was funny too
Im on Craigslist everyday lookin for stuff too in Minnesota..it'd be nice to find a treasure like that one 🙂👏
I love the way Mustie1 laughs the first time an engine starts up. Been watching him for years.
Rope Breaks "Now look what you've done. Hehe One of you guys want to get that for me?" - Mustie1
So much nicer sound than the current 3600 rpm "portable" generators
Yeah is that 1200?
@@skuula Should be around 1750.
Definitely does sound better, but you get more power out of a higher revving engine and smaller displacement.
It's kind of interesting that you can buy a portable generator today that makes the same amount of power.
But I seriously doubt any of these new generators would be around 50 years from now and still work. Even if they just sat in a box.
@@kens97sto171 A friend lives off the grid in AZ and has 18,000 hours on a Yamaha. I have 2500 hrs on my Yamaha, runs and looks new.
There's good stuff out there if you don't mind paying for it.
@@TheBandit7613
Thanks for the information.
So far I've had good luck even with my inexpensive generators from harbor freight. They don't get that much hard duty time, however they are getting old at this point and yet they still start every time. I am very careful however to make sure I turn the fuel off and let it run the fuel out of the carb.
The first one I got was one of those little $85 two-stroke models. That thing's going on 10 years old. Still runs fine.
I think if I was going to get something that I was going to use under load for a significant amount of time I would probably get a Honda or Yamaha, Ryobi makes a fuel injected model that I've seen on project farms UA-cam site. That would be kind of intriguing because it eliminates a lot of the storage issues with carburetors. Probably decreases fuel consumption I would think too
That was an awesome find Mike. I love the sound of that old Briggs. It runs perfect...
This Gen is almost like a Swiss watch: Runs like new after more than 6 decades! I wonder which company offers similar products today.... It is a real treat to see you working on these kind of engines.
@Lorne Johnson I have a 3 HP B & S engine on my edger, it was not started for over 25 years, I changed the points and condenser put gasoline in it one pull and it started.
Definitely way better made but just remember it only has 5 or 6 hours on it
I have a similar Briggs engine on my wood splitter...Love where the points and condenser are located.. No pulling the flywheel to work in them...Cheers; Mike in Louisiana
My old 7hp Kohler was on the outside as well. I was young and was going to change them out and pulled the flywheel off...guess what? No points. Followed the wire to the kill switch and found em under that cover...oh well.
Those old briggs engines are awesome that thing would run thousands of hours at that speed. Awesome little gen!
RCA was pretty much the place for any commercial broadcast equipment back in the 50's and early 60's. Like others mention I can see them marketing their "special design sheilded" generator as a back-up source of power to keep their slot as the One Stop for all your broadcast needs.
I briefly had a Military generator with a Briggs Model 23 on it, I loved that thing! Took me very little to get it going. It had wooden posts you could stick in the base and soldiers would carry it to their campsite to provide power to the site. It was really cool! They guy who bought it from me was sending it to Africa to his home village for them to work on and use in their village!
Made the same year I was born, back when Quality meant something.
Back when they used real copper winding's and the rated wattage output was continuous not surge.
And a 12hp briggs would actually give 12 hp.
You're a quality built piece of equipment. 👍 I hope you're not falling apart like I am.
Like fillg, glad this is so well preserved I was born at the end of 1955, too bad I'm not running just as well! 8-))
you got that right
I was thinking the same thing. Built solid and for the long run. Now-a-days everything is junk and throw away.
Nice piece Mike. Thanks for the video.
What an awesome find Mike! That thing is pretty sweet! I don't think I have ever seen something that old in that good of shape! Honestly wasn't surprised with how well it runs given the condition the rest of the unit was in. It was pretty funny when tat rope broke though! :) If I were you I would scan those original booklets so you can preserve them digitally as well! This thing will definitely make a nice show display! Now I just have to get my generators running that well... :) Nice Video!
First thumbs up...nice machine, if it wasnt for people like you this kit would be scrapped. well done
I like that gen set. It's so much better than those new ones that scream at 3600 rpm. That one just idles along.
On the farms model 19s we had better luck with UJ8, which is a series gap spark plug. Good luck. I loved it when the farm bought augers with Kohler motors. They had electric start.
Hello from north east Montana.
What a ripper - lovely old piece of kit
Now that is a big Flow Jet carb. Nice beastie, she is really clean. Love the oil bath air cleaner.
Man I want that set
Very cool unit. Thank You for showing it.
Jim
Nice. I remember those carbs. All you need now from the 1950's is a "Smudge pot" that they put at the end of a road so you will not run into construction at night. Engine has a smooth sound.
Neat as can be and that motor I'm sure is ball bearing mains made to last for ever what a great time piece made to last. .
Good find, even with the mouse nest
That generator runs great. You picked up a good one.
This Genset was probably marketed to the "Bomb shelter" builders or others that were concerned with power interruption due to possible attack - based on the cold war. -- which were rampant in the late 50s. You mentioned that many were building them in that time period - makes sense given the time period.
Plus the lack of electronics inside says a lot too. They were just becoming aware of EMP, and transistors in the day were being knocked silly by atmospheric testing. So they kept things simple, using points, condenser, and relay setup. They didn't have much in the way of delicate electronics in the day, so the power/frequency variances were well within limits. They were expecting to operate lights, fans, and maybe a tube radio in their bomb shelter, no air conditioning or fancy stuff. Maybe a hot plate or a coffee pot if they were set up well enough.
I use to be a RCA engineer. This is probably for a remote communication facility
Back in the mid to late 60's my dad would take hunting up in the Bald Hills in the Eatonville area of Washington state. I remember we came up to a repeater station on top of one of the mountains. Small building for sure but I could hear the engine just purring away inside... did sound a bit like a lawnmower back then! Good memories
Very nice score you don’t see too many of these model of Briggs & Stratton’s with this style of rope pole set up This generator set up looks to be pretty good condition for its age looks like it has been stored in a well stored environment and has been taken care of somewhat As much as you can ever really take care of something like this
That's a new excuse for not starting first pull - "60 year old rope broke".
Sounds really nice :-)
Robert Paxton McCulloch, McCulloch Chainsaws, go karts etc, married Barbra Ann Briggs daughter of Stephen Foster Briggs. Always thought that was real interesting that they definitely shared cigars over some whiskey talking engineering and engines
Thank you again.
Wow runs like new. I would ask if it was for sale but no way I would sell it if it was mine. A very rare gem to find!!!!!
I've been waiting for this video :) I was happy to see that the mice didn't damage it too severely! Now I look forward to watching the video on that Detroit Diesel-powered generator ;)
Beautiful! I was smiling the whole time she was chugging.
Runs like a top. Nice pickup!
Its amazing that sediment bowl gasket didn't leak. I keep 4 in stock for all of my IH Cub Cadet's
I like how you check things b4 you full tilt send it lol
Sounded like that beauty would run at full load all day!
Absolutely beautiful machine. The 20W recommendation is not surprising for that era. In fact, if I remember correctly it was called 20W-20. It was not unusual for a car, truck, or whatever; to recommend 30W for summer and 20W-20 for winter back in those days before multi-viscosity came along. Nevertheless, I'm glad someone now has this machine who realizes what it is and what it can do. Glad to have seen it.
Well another one for gen set doctor to get back up & running like it did when she was new love the color that is on that classic gen set
Very nice piece of history, you scored, hope the price was right. Congratulations
What a great find man
I had an army Gen way back leland
& Faraday 2500 watt. Slip rings for a.c. and a commutator to energize the field coils. I wish I kept it.
That is awesome. 1800 RPM - wow. Must be long stroke? I was dying off until you put that fan shroud back on when it was under load.
my age 63 years ago .. nice video & rope from 57 more rare !
Nice machine, Mike ! Always enjoy your videos & the units you find & feature.
I've got several (Winco, Homelite, Wards, Pincor, Dayton) powered by what I call the Big Block Briggs single cylinder cast iron block engines (9 - 16 hp). You got me interested in them when I found your channel a few years back. Neat machines.
Could the generator on yours be a Kohler re-badged as RCA ?
NICE VIDEO.
Where did you get the stroboscope and how expensive was it also ???? Thanks, VF
Very nice.. a collectors item....
That's just a cool generator!!!
Nice piece 👌
the gen set end bell vent holes do not seem large enough to allow mice to get in ...how did the mice get in? Just spotted it at 11:11 to 11:40 , THE NASTY TOPO
GIGIO followed the output wires hole from inside the box , there is a huge gap underneath its rear bottom edge that does not contact the body of the gen set.
if left as is ... it could happen again depending on where the gen set is stored.
Great video ..learned a bunch about flicker points.
Does the lack of leaded fuel hurt the valves?
its never hurt any of my old engines but ethanol will eat up rubber fuel lines like its battery acid
Would be good to use lead fuel additive for the valves.
I am a radio collector and I can say that there are some radio collectors that may be interested in that generator being made by RCA. And being such a rare find, might be willing pay some very serious money for that RCA item. Ebay under RADIO COLLECTIBLES, not generators.
I wonder if it could be a generator originally made for the military. We had one almost identical in an outlying building that went back to the 50's. Old bomb shelter...
i am IMPRESSED. those electrical diagrams make me chuckle. in those days you didnt see any warning decals. cause people had what is known as common sense. like dont put your hand UNDER a running mower... bad things would happen.
Really cool man. Thing doesnt skip a beat when load is applied. When I first saw 62hz with no load I thought the same thing (perfect). Surprised you still had to adjust the governor!
That Model 23 Briggs only makes 5.27 hp @ 1800 rpm delivering 2500W. Strange. My Onan 2CK-1M military unit is only rated for 2000W and the engine produces more power (~7 hp @ 1800) from a larger displacement (38 vs 23 ci) twin. I guess it must be a case of the military underrating. That is a super unit. Pretty much ready to work, looks like. Great show, thanks!
Don't know about portable generators but at one time RCA had motor-gen sets to power arc light units on movie projectors.
Like you I worked on Gen Sets from about 1971 till 2010 ish, hear in Ireland.The amount of Sets I worked on varied greatly as you can imagine from all over the World from Lister to Blackstone to GM and Cummins. I had only one failing, I was asked to fault find a Gen at the Russian Embassy in Dublin I was informant to refare to them as Soviets, upon arrival I was greeted by Two Security Guards one Interpreter and one Official I looked at the Set ( which did not resambel any thing I saw in my life,I asked the Interpreter for a Manual on the set after an good 30 minuets of their commune one came back with the Manual. I Was all set to investigate this Machine and looking at it I Exclaimed its in Russian OPS. The Official looked at me and said,"you Irish have the sane sense of humor as us",They then brought me to a room wherein we consumed large amounts of very good Russian Soviet Vodka. Never found what Set was . Thanks for the memory
I have a similar unit but it's an Onan 2500 watt 60 cy runs at 1800 rpm one cylinder and electric start :-) Might be nearly as old. Nice find.
Another great vid Mike!! Thanks for taking the time. As others have asked, what are flicker points?
I have an engine similar to that without the generator
Mike, you would be the consummate approvement agent (like U L) of Craigslist and FB Marketplace antique engines and gen-sets. I don't know how it could work, but we would trust your assessments.
I would recommend that you put a shot-glass amount of marvel mystery oil in the gas tank ,remember back then they had lead in the gas that acted as a lube property , in all gasoline powered generators ....they will last many years doing that one thing ..! Are you sure that is not a Alternator ? Good find ..!
The lead wasn't in gas to lube valves. It was the original anti-knock agent, before MTBE, and the ethanol everyone loves.
MMO is just a light oil that'll get burn't up in the combustion process. This is an old iron block briggs, and chances are this is going to be used so infrequently, his great grand kids would need to be the ones worried about sunken valves.
Start with high rpm on stroboscope, then adjust lower. Going the other way often results in false readings.
dude you scored big time 😁😨👍👍
Curious if the field is a permanent magnet or induced?
So mike is this the bigger version of the engine that your using on the trifecta engine over at roadking’s place or is it the same size
Could the W stand for westinghouse? Not sure about the A unless it means American. Tried looking it up online and westinghouse was all I could find
Greetings. I have the same engine but w starter/gen.Gen. some say engine was rated 10 to 15 hp back in the 60's how can that be? It is a great engine
the paint is in great shape because somebody re painted it lol
Do you have to use leaded gasoline in an old engine like that one ?
It would seem that under light load the voltage would be 130V or so. Is that a problem for hooking up household devices? How loud is it? It sounds fairly quiet. Quiet is a good thing. Runs nicely!
what a gem runs sweet well dun, what about the parts washer I am interested to see it finished, please.
do you think it would be possible to make the electric start function work?
Famous last words "I wasn`t expecting that"
wires imbedded in brushes are known as 'shunts' I have heard these engines are somewhat
more quiet than newer aluminum block engines.
yup, more dense mass
Looking 4 a gen head for my cast iron Briggs Stratton 16 HP with auto gen for a starter.
You have a very good gen-set.
You kep saying " generator" but is it not an alternator?
Even though it's AC it's still a generator. The brushed DC only generator as in older automobiles is specifically referred to as a Dynamo.
Yes technically
As per Engineering it is a AC alternator.
Hence 61hz
A DC generator has no Hz.
@Chuck Kirchner Wow I only asked
@Chuck Kirchner Then why do you refer to your own 1kW machine on your porch as a generator? Lol. Now relax. No one is arguing, they just sharing.
Is the generator a Hobart Mfg. ?
would a generator like this put out 240 volts for my English tools?
Not on it's own, you would need to feed the 120v into a step up transformer to get 240v.
Thanks for watching.
Back in its day, there were not multi grade oils, 20W or 30W for most engines. When multi grade oil came it was a big deal and slow to accept. Sure would not want to run modern electronics with that, sure neat to see and hear run.
My old Winco 2200 watt is never happy at all unless it's got 400 watts load, at least.
The manuals appear to have silverfish damage.
sounds like you now have a pissed-off mouse.
If you ever want to part with that old girl I would definitely be interested. Same age as me.
Shielded ignition implies used for communication equipment. Possibly intended for military use or a prototype to demo to military. I doubt that the PB relay was intended as flicker relay,,, I don't think the mechanics of it would survive at the hinge point. It probably puts the field resistance in when engine is up to speed.
Freakin Awesome!
Beware of the dry rotted rope!! lol
What was that light ? You used that was cool. Is it like a timing light ?
Sounds like a tank (maybe German or American? That sound is my favourite sound, gta 3 had a good clip of similar in their tank and transport truck)
That is the exiciter for the gen
What do you do with all the stuff you get after it is up and running, Do you sell or what ?
24:23 surprise super human strength.
thats a good one because its slow so it will last a lot longer
Where does one get a load tester and how much??
Same engine I have! The AFB means it takes a direct mount generator/pump or clutch as it has a
tapered shaft. it has ball bearings at the pto shaft end. freaking mice. being a nine HP it should
be good for 4500 watts.
In the 50's you wanted a generator for your bomb shelter.
Nice!!
RCA likely didn't make any part of this. It looks like a back-up power supply for a transmitter set.