c. 1910s Cushman Type C 4 HP Engine with Green Paint

The Cushman Type C 4 HP Engine (serial #12659).

 This engine (serial #12659) was made by Cushman Motor Works in Lincoln, Nebraska. Established by Leslie S. and Everett B. Cushman, Cushman Motor Works began manufacturing 2-cycle marine engines at the beginning of the 20th century, obtaining patent 703695 in 1902, and patents 721287 and 736224 in 1903. In 1904 and 1905, the company converted the 2-cycle marine engines to stationary use. From 1904 to 1906, they added a 3 HP horizontal engine to their products, and in 1905, they added a vertical engine. In 1908, they started producing a 4-cycle vertical engine rated at 3 HP, which they made until 1910. Then, in 1910, they redesigned the 4-cycle vertical engine, which was rated at 4 HP, eventually leading them to the model represented by the two Cushman engines in Stuhr Museum’s exhibit. Both Cushmans here at Stuhr have a November 4, 1911 patent date, which seem to correspond to patent 1008309, dated November 14, 1911. That patent is for a friction-clutch and can be viewed as a pdf here. The company often called their 4 HP engine a “binder engine,” seeing it especially as an engine for grain binders.

 The box in front of the engine would have held the battery used for ignition; and the tank held water used for the cooling system. This engine has a 4” bore and stroke. The engine itself weighs about 190 pounds, while the entire outfit with tank, battery, and truck would weigh about 380 pounds. Cushman made the 4 HP engine until the 1930s, although the later models had an air cleaner and magneto. As late as 1934, a Cushman 4 HP engine with tank and battery cost $105. You can see a video of a running 4 HP Cushman here.

A Cushman ad from Farm.Implements,Vol. XXVIII,
No. 12 (December 24, 1914), p.55.

Notes

Information regarding Cushman's history can be found in C. H. Wendel, American Gasoline Engines Since 1872, edited by George H. Dammann (Sarasota, FL: Crestline Publishing Co., 1983), pp. 115-116.