FIRING WITH WOOD

These hints are what have worked for me on a 65 Case. Each year we saw wood throughout the summer, and at shows we run a rock crusher, thresh, pull it on a dynamometer, and plow with an eight-bottom John Deere plow, all while firing with wood. I don't think any activity requires more power out of a steamer than pulling a large plow. We plow every year at the LeSueur Pioneer Power Show in LeSueur, Minnesota, and soil doesn't come much harder to plow than that. We have pretty long rounds there and never have to open the firebox door until we reach the end, usually with nearly the same pressure that we started out with. On a Case, it's more work with wood than with coal, but you can certainly make it work.

For what little I know, I have probably talked way too much, but I would like to close off by saying that in our hobby we should continue to explain what we know about different engines, valve gears, boilers, and their positives and negatives because that is how we learn. We should try and be careful not to talk down or degrade anyone's engine though. There are positives and negatives to all of them and as long as people are on this earth they are going to have preferences. Some engines are going to be better suited to a certain person's needs so they are naturally going to like that particular make better. I have a 65 Case and I like it because I can do so many things with it but I certainly like a host of others as well. When I am plowing I think the design is very well suited to that activity as it works at a high pressure, has lots of power and takes very little power to move on its own weight, etc. etc...

Now you people already know what's good and bad about most engines. Oddly enough, the activity that I use it the most for is what it is probably the worst suited for: running a sawmill. We saw a lot of lumber with the thing. I saw wood quite often with the two friends I mentioned above in the article, and what often happens is that they are on the carriage end of the mill while I shag slabs and fire the 65. Well, about now reality sets in and after a few hours of this, those bunkers seem to keep getting higher and higher to climb over. The firewood gets heavier and heavier to hoist up on the platform. My friend doing the sawing prefers a fire-from-the-ground side mount engine. He likes all engines, but doesn't necessarily love Case any more than the rest, so it doesn't exactly bring a tear to his eye to work the tar out of me going up and over those bunkers all day long. So, do I wish it was a Minneapolis or Russell sitting there on the mill on a hot summer day? Probably. Do I judge my engine or anyone else's on one activity alone? I try not to. Let's keep comparing makes, sharing whatever information we have, but try not to degrade anyone's steamer. There are pluses and minuses about all of them and remember, when you downgrade an engine, any engine, the criticism isn't received by the engine, it is received by the owners. And the people are what make the hobby what it is. Good luck with the wood, my friends! My address is above, and my phone number is 507-455-1027. Let me know if this works or not (it will). I would love to hear from you.