American Agriculturist, September 6, 1924 
Building a Concrete Base 
For a Farm Engine or Mill—Queries Answered 
By F. G. BEHRENDS 
F ROM time to time 
the necessity arises 
of mounting a gas engine, an electric light¬ 
ing plant or other piece of machinery on 
some secure foundation. Of the various 
materials that might be used to construct 
such a foundation, concrete is unquestion- 
the bolt through the 
hole in the template 
and adjust for proper height. Place each 
bolt in a similar manner. 
After greasing or oiling the form, mix 
up a batch of 1:8:4 concrete, using clean 
and well graded aggregates. When mix- 
ably as satisfactory as any, and surely ing add enough water to give the batch a 
more permanent. quaky consistency. Place the concrete 
The size of the engine or machine to be in the form and work or spade it well next 
mounted will, of course, determine the to the form. Soon after the form has 
size of the foundation. For mounting been filled, the templates can be removed, 
small equipment the foundation may be the top of the foundation leveled off and 
constructed directly upon the floor. For the surface finished with a float. The 
larger machines, however, or under con- concrete will soon set sufficiently to 
ditions where the ability of the floor to allow the removal of the form. During 
sustain the weight of the foundation and the first few days while the concrete is 
the machine is questioned, the foundation curing, it should be sprinkled occasionally, 
should be given a footing on some solid After the engine has been lined up and 
surface. If a concrete floor is already in before it is finally bolted down, fill the 
the building and it is thought that the spaces between the pipe sleeves and the 
existing floor will not sustain the foun- anchor bolts with a cement mortar. 
dation and engine, a section of it, larger 
than the intended foundation, should be 
broken out. Just before placing the 
concrete, moisten the edges of this floor 
section and apply a paste of cement and 
Bolting an engine directly to a concrete 
foundation is less desirable, because of the 
rigidity of the concrete, than having wooden 
flanks or pieces between the engine base and 
the concrete foundation. The installation 
f)rive on ly 
E<30fj 'fetnpla'fe acts 
ers a top brace 
s/i] 
prices slip in 
p/s ce (pot o&'tec/) 
C/eat n*ifed 
Side on/j 
water. This will make a stronger bond 
between the floor and the foundation. 
When making forms for any kind of 
concrete construction, it should be borne 
in mind that the easier they can be dis¬ 
mantled the more satisfactory they will 
be. A form that may be easily dis- 
\ mantled after the concrete is hardened is 
shown in Fig. 1. It will be noted that 
the two end pieces are made enough 
longer than the foundation to allow for 
the tw r o end pieces and cleats. These 
cleats are nailed to the side pieces only. 
The end pieces, the length of each of 
which is equal to the width of the foun¬ 
dation, are merely slipped in place and not 
fastened to any other part of the form. 
After the end pieces are slipped in position 
hold the side pieces in place against them 
by two braces, one at each end near the 
bottom. The two templates, each of 
which carries two bolts, by means of 
which the engine will be fastened to the 
foundation, Will also serve as the two top 
braces for the form. It is very important 
that the two holes for the bolts in each 
template be accurately located and that 
the templates be placed in their proper 
position on the form. 
* 
Center the Engine 
Locate and bore the holes in each 
template for the anchor bolts for the 
machine. For an engine these measure¬ 
ments should be taken from a center line 
through the base of the engine. After 
obtaining these measurements, use a 
string and locate a center line through the 
form. Working from this center line of 
the form, locate the two templates the 
proper distance apart and then by measur¬ 
ing locate the bolt holes the required 
distance from the center line. Nail the 
templates in position. 
In order to allow for a very slight 
movement of the anchor bolts after the 
concrete has hardened, it is often desir¬ 
able to install them as follows: Slip a 
large Washer over the anchor bolt and a 
short length of pipe for a sleeve. Slip 
Brace 
naUs be3ces 
't> p° rt rr 
of such wood pieces allows for a certain 
amount of springiness, which is desirable in 
any engine foundation. The template will 
do well in this case. 
Concrete Drain Tile 
A 13-acre field on my farm needs draining, and I am 
going to put in underground drain tile. I don’t know 
where I can get day tiles, so I plan to make my own of 
concrete. Will you please give me complete instructions. 
—G. E. F., Del. 
TT is possible to make your own tile 
I of concrete very readily, but you will 
•want a first-class machine, and have 
facilities so the tiles can dry and cure 
properly in order that they may have 
maximum strength and durability. With 
this form of cement product, it certainly 
does not pay to overlook anything that 
will improve the quality of the finished 
material. Write to the Portland Cement 
Association, 111 West Washington St., 
Chicago, Ill., for a booklet that will give 
you all the details of construction. They 
will put you in touch with the most re¬ 
sponsible manufacturers of tile-making 
machinery. _ 
No Chemical to Clean Cesspool 
Do you know of any chemical that will clean a cesspool? 
If there is such a material will you kindly tell me what it is 
and where it can be purchased?—I. K., Dutchess County, 
N. Y. 
T HE principle upon which a cesspool 
works is that the disintegrated ma¬ 
terial will seep out through the walls of 
the cesspool and pass into the surrounding 
soil. In open porous soils this action 
will continue for a long time. In heavier 
soils, solids pass out from cesspool and 
gradually fill up the places in the soil 
surrounding it and it is only a matter of 
time before the soil becomes so filled that 
no more material can seep away. 
Because of the reason ,of the failure of 
the cesspool to continue acting it will be 
seen that there is no chemical which can 
be put into it itself which will clean out 
the surrounding soil. The only remedy 
is to abandon the cesspool which has 
ceased to work and dig another. 
Send 
for 
this 
free 
Booklet 
A Hundred and One 
Farm Uses of 
CONCRETE 
\i is • 
“A Hundred and 
One Farm Uses 
of Concrete ” 
Wouldn’t you like to have more time for yourself? 
Wouldn’t you like to know you were through 
fixing up fences for once and all? Wouldn’t you 
like to know when you build a hog house that 
you will never have to repair or rebuild it? 
I. . 
You can be sure of these things when you 
build with Concrete. Concrete is not only sani¬ 
tary and economical. It is permanent. 
Send today for your free copy of “A Hundred 
and One Farm Uses of Concrete.” 
This practical little book has been especially 
prepared for you and other progressive farmers. 
It is well illustrated, and contains samples of blue 
prints which will help you in your building 
improvements. 
It also gives you worthwhile information about 
Concrete silos, dairy barns, barn floors, feeding 
floors, hog houses, milk houses and many other 
forms of Concrete construction. 
Finally, it tells you exactly how to make good 
Concrete; how to proportion and mix the ma¬ 
terials, how to get the greatest values out of every 
sack of cement you buy. 
You simply cannot afford to be without this 
practical little book. And remember, it is free. 
Write for it today. 
PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION 
347 R&dison Avenue 
NEW YORK 
oA National Organization to Improve and 
Extend the Uses of Concrete 
Offices in 29 Cities 
TheWINDMILLwith a RECORD 
The Auto-oiled Aermotor has behind it 9 
years of wonderful success. It is not an experiment. 
The Auto-oiled Aermotor is the Gen¬ 
uine Self-Oiling Windmill, with every moving 
part fully and constantly oiled. 
Oil an Aermotor once a year and it is always 
oiled. It never makes a squeak. 
The double gears run in oil in a tightly enclosed gear case. They 
are always flooded with oil and are protected from dust and sleet. 
The Auto-oiled Aermotor is so thoroughly oiled that it runs in the 
slightest breeze. It gives more service for the money invested than 
any other piece of machinery on the farm. 
You do not have to experiment to get a windmill 
that will run a year with one oiling. The Auto-oiled Aermotor is 
a tried and perfected machine. 
Our large factory and our superior equipment enable us to produce economically and 
accurately. Every purchaser of an Aermotor gets the benefit from quantity production. 
The Aermotor is made by a responsible company which has specialized in steel windmills for 36 years. 
a ■ i iinjAmAP Chicago Dallas Des Moines 
AEKMU JL UK CU* Kansas City Minneapolis Oakland 
w 
HEN WRITING TO ADVERTISERS BE SURE TO SAY 
YOU “SAW IT IN AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST” 
