7f>e  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
31 
Farm  Mechanics 
By  Robert  H.  Smith 
Improving  a  Water  Power 
I  have  an  impact  water  motor  with  G- 
in.  wheel  and  %-in.  nozzle.  The  feed 
line  is  %.  in.  and  55  lbs.  pressure.  It 
does  not  furnish  enough  power  for  my 
neeas.  Would  another  motor  on  same 
feed  line  be  of  much  benefit  to  me? 
Massena.  N.  Y.  E.  J.  c. 
I  would  expect  the  addition  of  another 
motor  to  this  line  to  lessen  the  velocity 
of  the  nozzle  jet  somewhat  through  relief 
of  pressure  due  to  the  second  opening. 
This  would  apply  especially  if  the  ser¬ 
vice  line  from  the  main  to  the  wheel  is  of 
any  considerable  length.  You  can  test 
this  out  for  yourself,  however.  It  is 
probable  that  this  wheel  is  connected  to 
the  house  line.  If  such  is  the  case,  open 
another  faucet  while  the  wheel  is  in  use. 
sufficiently  to  permit  the  water  to  escape 
at  about  the  same  rate  that  it  does  from 
the  wheel  nozzle.  If  the  wheel  does  not 
show  signs  of  diminished  power  under 
these  conditions  another  wheel  could  be 
added,  another  nozzle  applied  to  the  wheel 
in  use  or  the  nozzle  already  in  use  en¬ 
larged  somewhat. 
Trouble  with  Motorcycle 
I  have  a  two-stroke  motorcycle  and 
have  to  take  it  all-  apart  every  10  weeks 
for  repair.  The  part  that  wears  out  the 
quickest  is  the  bearings  on  the  crank¬ 
shaft  and  connecting  rod.  Do  you  sup¬ 
pose  if  they  were  all  made  of  pure  bab¬ 
bitt  they  would  last  longer?  The  oil  is 
mixed  with  gas,  pint  of  oil  to  a  gallon  of 
gas.  The  bore  is  2%  and  stroke  ’J%. 
h.p.  2%.  Would  the  motor  fail  to  run  if 
more  than  a  pint  of  oil  is  added  to  a  gal¬ 
lon  of  gasoline?  Which  do  you  think  is 
better,  four-cycle  engines  or  two-cycle? 
Amsterdam,  N.  Y.  j.  A.  s. 
You  do  not  state  whether  the  bearings 
in  this  engine  are  of  the  roller,  ball  >>r 
plain  type.  If  of  the  roller  or  ball  type, 
they  would  not  be  tvide  enough  to  allow 
the  use  of  a  plain  bearing.  If  plain 
bearings  are  used,  the  die  cast  bearings 
obtained  from  the  manufacturer  will  give 
better  service  than  any  you  could  fit 
yourself.  The  present-day  motcu  cycle 
lias  either  ball  or  roller  bearings  at  the 
crank  and  crankshaft  bearings.  These 
are  easily  interchangeable,  a  new  one  be¬ 
ing  put  in  place  when  they  become  worn. 
Should  your  motor  have  plain  bearings, 
however,  your  trouble  may  come  from 
their  being  improperly  fitted.  They  should 
be  scraped  to  a  perfect  fit,  otherwise  the 
load  will  be  carried  by  the  portion  of  the 
bearing  which  touches  the  shaft,  resulting 
in  a  heavy  load  for  this  portion,  the 
squeezing  out  of  the  oil  and  the  rapid 
wear  of  the  bearing.  The  road  dust 
drawn  into  the  crank  case  of  a  two-cycle 
motor  of  this  type  also  results  in  tapid 
wear  of  the  moving  parts. 
The  four-cycle  motor  is  considered  to 
be  the  most  dependable  and  economical  to 
operate,  and  gives  the  best  service.  Be¬ 
cause  of  fewer  explosions  made  compared 
to  the  revolutions  per  minute,  the  'four¬ 
cycle  type  must  be  made  somewhat  larger 
than  the  two-cycle  to  secure  the  same 
power.  As  to  the  amount  of  oil  that 
your  motor  will  use  and  still  run,  this  can 
be  determined  by  experiment,  adding  a 
little  more  and  noting  results.  The  rate 
at  which  you  are  already  using  oil,  how¬ 
ever,  is  heavy.  Any  of  the  motorcycles 
now  made  by  the  standard  companies  will 
give  satisfactory  service  if  properly  used 
and  cared  for.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  motorcycle  is  fitted  with  an  en¬ 
gine  that  is  capable  of  driving  it  at  a 
ruinous  speed  if  opened  to  the  limit. 
Improving  Make  and  Break  Ignition 
I  have  a  gasoline  engine  with  the  make 
and  break  outfit,  and  have  trouble.  I 
would  like  to  use  a  spark  plug.  Can  it 
be  done  ?  j.  f.  w. 
Ridgewood,  N.  J. 
Your  engine  can  no  doubt  be  fitted 
with  a  high  tension  ignition,  but  whether 
or  not  this  would  be  an  advisable  thing 
to  do  depends  somewhat  upon  the  con¬ 
dition  and  value  of  the  engine ;  also  its 
design.  To  make  the  change  it  will  be 
necessary  to  provide  a  plug  for  the  open¬ 
ing  where  the  present  igniter  block  enters 
the  cylinder,  and  this  must  be  tapped  to 
take  a  standard  spark  plug. 
The  current  used  for  ignition  in  a 
high  tension  system  must  have  sufficient 
voltage  or  pressure  to  force  it  across  the 
gap  between  the  plug  points  even  under 
the  compression  pressure  of  the  cylinder. 
This  calls  for  a  current  of  much  higher 
voltage  than  is  used  in  make  and  break 
ignition,  and  either  the  magneto,  if  one  is 
at  present  used  as  a  source  of  ignition 
current,  would  have  to  be  changed,  or  if 
battery  current  is  used  an  induction  coil 
would  have  to  be  introduced  into  the 
circuit  to  step  the  current  up  to  the 
voltage  or  pressure  required.  In  ad¬ 
dition,  a  timer  would  have  to  be  intro¬ 
duced  into  the  circuit  which  would  make 
and  break  the  circuit  at  the  proper  times. 
The  ease  with  which  these  things  could 
be  done  would  depend  very  much  upon 
the  design  of  the  engine,  and  if  it  is  of 
small  size  it  is  probable  that  it  would  be 
more  economical  to  exchange  it  for  a 
new  one  carrying  the  features  desired 
than  to  attempt  to  make  the  old  one  over. 
Perhaps  the  use  of  an  oscillating  magneto 
in  connection  with  your  make  and  break 
ignition  would  give  you  satisfactory  ser¬ 
vice. 
Why  Farmers  are  Turning  to 
CHEVROLET 
for  Economical  Transportation 
In  1922  Chevrolet  jumped  from 
seventh  to  second  place  insalesof 
all  cars,  and  to  first  place  in  sales 
of  fully  equipped  modern  cars. 
Purchases  by  farmers  were  the 
chief  factor  in  this  remarkable 
development. 
Farmers  are  shrewd  buyers 
and  study  costs  and  values  care¬ 
fully. 
They  want  automobiles  not  only 
of  low  first  price,  but  also  of  low 
later  cost  for  operation  and 
maintenance. 
They  want  room,  comfort  and 
the  ability  to  stand  up  under 
hard  conditions. 
They  find  that  Chevrolet,  fully 
equipped  as  sold  is  the  best  value 
per  dollar  in  the  low-priced 
field,  and  neighbors  tell  them  it 
costs  least  per  mile  to  operate. 
They  find  it  roomy,  easy  to 
handle  and  reliable. 
They  like  its  finish  and  its  long 
stream  lines. 
That  is  why  the  farmer  demand 
for  Chevrolets  is  daily  increasing 
its  lead  among  modern,  quality 
automobiles. 
Prices  F.  O.  B.  Flint,  Michigan 
SUPERIOR  Two  Passenger  Roadster 
SUPERIOR  Five  Passenger  Touring 
SUPERIOR  Two  Passenger  Utility  Coupe 
SUPERIOR  Four  Passenger  Sedanette 
SUPERIOR  Five  Passenger  Sedan  - 
SUPERIOR  Light  Delivery  *  ... 
$510 
525 
680 
850 
860 
510 
Chevrolet  Motor  Company,  Detroit,  Mich 
Division  of  General  Motors  Corporation 
There  are  now  more  than  10,000 
Chevrolet  dealers  and  service 
Stations  throughout  the  world 
Applications  will  be  considered 
from  high  grade  dealers  in  terri* 
tory  not  adequately  covered 
