New Way Stationary Engines

Aim - To serve and support the New Way Stationary Engine restoration community.
There was a New Way Stationary Motor inclined to Hit and Miss. It was designed that way but intermittently it would missfire and this in the confines of the beekeepers shed fired my imagination, grabbing my senses. I just loved the sound of the New Way 3.5Hp working - likely fuelled by a too rich mixture.
With each missfire came the tell tale puff of blue smoke and via the old sawbench, the beekeeping manufacturing business was underway, alive and well. Alf was in his element. Romance, nah, hard work but Hoots the New Way went a long way in firing the imagination of times past running in the present. The present, after all, that's where life is, it's not in the past, but romancing the past, that's the present if you're living it.
The priveledge of life. Present and past is now!!! - alive.

Ye Olde Sawbench & New Way Motor kept company by Howard Rotary Hoes

Friday, April 4, 2014

Australian New Way Engine Models

New Way Motor Company of Lansing Michigan was an innovative company that had a vision and desire to produce a light weight engine that was fairly portable and readily used in industry and on the farm. Theirs was the honour of being first to commercially produce Air Cooled Engines. Today the production of Air Cooled engines is based on many of the ideas and principles utilised and invented and in some cases patented by the New Way Motor Company.

LANSING PLANT and PRODUCTION
New Way commenced production in 1905 after sale of patents and equipment of the Clarkemobile Motor Company. The New-Way Motor Company commenced production in a building that was barely 100 foot long and their commercial production in the first year to 18 months consisted of Vertical 3.5 Hp. and 6-7 Hp. Horizontal engines. They commenced exporting almost immediately and Australia was a ready market for their innovative, efficient yet simple engines.

AUSTRALIAN MARKET
From 1906  J. H. Horwood Ltd were already importing New-Way engines and by 1922 nearly 1500 were in use in South Australia, their home State. NEW-WAY Motor Company Agents were established in virtually every state of Australia in the early 1900s. (source TROVE)

Examples of key New-Way Motor Company  Agents
  • South Australia -J. H. Horwood - Largest Aust. Agri. Machine Manufacturer - Foundry (1906)
  • Western Australia - Messrs. Harris, Scarfe and Co.  (1910), W. R. Grigo and Co. (1918)
  • Queensland - W. A. Preston, Machinery Merchants, inventors (1910)
  • New South Wales - Moffatt Virtue Pty Ltd, Machinery Merchants, Sydney (1912
  • Victoria - James Alston, Melbourne (1914)
  • Tasmania -Dehle, Bennison, and Co. , Launceston (1908)

AUSTRALIAN BACKGROUND for PRODUCTION
Horwood's Iron Foundry (Est by 1852) as the first foundry in the Colony was crucial for Horwoods becoming the largest Agricultural Equipment manufacturers in Australia and probably the Southern Hemisphere. By 1918-19 well established production facilities would enable ready adaption to easily produce a range of New-Way Engines.

TIMELINES (Aust and U.S.)

HORWOODS

  • 1906 - HORWOODS established as New-Way Motor Company agents
      • HORWOODS sells 1000s of New-Way Engines in South Australia establishing the brand's reliability.
  • 1919 - Production established for a range of engines.
      • Ready availability of Local Parts for range.
      • Petrol engines only produced locally
      • Local Agencies established for local New Way Engines.
  • 1919 - Range of Petrol New-Way Engines produced locally
      • 1.5 Hp. Pump Engine
      • 2 Hp. Engine [exp. Horizontal]
      • 2.5 Hp. Engine [exp. Vertical]
      • 3 Hp. Engine [exp. Horizontal] 
      • 3.5 Hp. Engine [exp. Vertical]
      • 4.5Hp. Engine Vertical - This was the most popular engine sold by Horwoods
      • 6 Hp. Engine [exp. Vertical]
      • 6.5 Hp. Horizontal
  • 1921 - Horwoods manufacture only the 4.5Hp. engine.
      • Most popular in range - 4.5 Hp Vertical
      • Ceased production of all other engines
  • 1906 - 1921 - Horwoods import current Lansing New-Way Engines
New Way Lansing Michigan
  • 1905 - 1910 - Manufactured Series S engines
      • Vertical 2.5 and 3.5 Hp.
      • Horizontal Twin 6-7 Hp.
      • Horizontal 7 Hp.
  • 1910 - c 1917 - Manufactured Series S engines
      • Horizontal 7 Hp.
      • Horizontal 8 Hp. and 12 Hp. (Hit n Miss)
      • Vertical 6 Hp
      • Horizontal 6.5 Hp.
  • 1912 - c 1917 - Manufactured Series "J" Horizontal engines (Jewel), Series "M" fuel / kero and Series "F" fuel / kero
  • By release of 1918 Catalogs
      • Specialised and upgraded production with Kerosene and non-hinged engines of small range of Hp.
      • Series "M" kero range not petrol
      • Series " F" 4Hp Kero and 4, 4½, 6, 7½ Hp. Petrol.
  • So by 1919 New Way was specialising only in Series "F" for petroleum.
LOGIC 
By 1919 New Way Motor company had ceased production of the Series "S" and "J" engines. Manufacturing concentrated on series "M" and "F" engines - compact and lighter. 

      • Series "M" was a step into specific design for kerosene engines also with an option for fuel/petrol. 
        • Horwoods specifically state they were only manufacturing Petrol engines.
          •  It is incomprehensible Horwood with their expansive manufacturing facility would only manufacture the petrol version when the only practical difference was the carburetor. 
          • This indicates they did not manufacture the Series M engines.
      • New way Motor Company had ceased production of Series "S".
        • Casting materials which were out of production and could be used by Horwoods to continue production in Australia.
          • 2.5 Hp, 3.5 Hp, 4.5 Hp, 6 Hp
      • New way Motor Company had ceased production of horizontal Series "J".
        • Casting materials which were out of production and could be used by Horwoods to continue production in Australia.
          • 1.5 Hp, 2 Hp, 3 Hp, 6.5 Hp
  • Evidence points to Horwoods continuing production in Australia of some of the Series "S" and "J" engines. 
    • Recognize that New Way Motor Company was by then producing a very limited range of HP,  and nothing below 4Hp
    • Horwoods produce a wide range of engine Hp. as per the advertised range for the local engines.
The fact that New Way America was no longer producing their wide range of engine Hp. in either the vertical or horizontal petrol engines when Horwoods were advertising ready availability of local engines and locally produced parts means their facility was producing the full range of spares in their factory and foundary production facilities.

The advertisements below are exclusive in featuring Horwoods on this day. Simply same paper same day so it removes all doubt of intent and engine range and spares availibility. Both advertisements also feature the same "Local Agent" so closing the supply loop.


NOTES:-
Exhaustive research has now been done on New Way production in Australia. Where we recently thought there may have been another manufacturer of the Australian 1½ Hp. pump engine, we now believe this was actually produced by Horwoods as shown here. It should also be noted that by 1922 Horwoods was also only producing one New Way engine. This was the 4½ Hp., their most popular line of which they had apparently sold hundreds if not thousands. 
The 4½ Hp. New Way [Series "S", Model "E", Type "C"]  is the only model to fit the production volume criteria for a 4½ Hp.

Production of this magnitude is obviously not ramped up overnight. Given the advertising example is for JUNE 5 1919 it is clear that initial production of a fewer model range etc would have occurred much earlier. This is further reinforced by taking into account the ready availability of a full range of spares as declared in the advertisment.

Australian New Way Production Commencment - In order of c1917

That's New Way
Did it again.

Enjoy George