Deere & Company purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company in March of 1918 and for eight years continued to manufacture Waterloo Boy Gasoline engines at Waterloo, Iowa. In 1923 they introduced the John Deere Model "E" gasoline engine. This engine was manufactured in 3 sizes (1-1/2, 3, and 6 Horsepower) until 1946 with very few and very minor changes in the design of the engine.The smallest and most numerous of the Model "E" is the 1-1/2 HP, with a 3" bore and a 4" stroke. Most of these engines used hit and miss ignition, an igniter, and a low tension magneto ... only a few used a spark plug, battery and coil. The head is a "dry" head with the fuel mixer cast as a part of the head. The gasoline tank is mounted below the flat oil pan and between the skids. The engine features an enclosed crankcase. Oiling of the engine is accomplished with an oil cup mounted on the oil pan. The balls of the governor rotate inside this cup of oil and splash oil to all parts of the engine. There is no crankcase ventilation.
John Deere 1-1/2 HP Model "E" Casting Kit
I first became involved with this kit in the early 1990's when Jerry Frisbie approached the company I was working for and asked them to make the patterns and castings for a 3/10 scale model from the full size engine he brought in. I ended up taking the measurements ad making the patterns and I'm proud to have been a part of a model kit that was officially licensed after a meticulous review and approval process by John Deere to assure its authenticity and quality.
I have continued to oversee the making of the castings and so it was natural when Jerry decided to move on to other things that he turned the sales and manufacture of the kit over to me.
Almost everything to build this detailed model is included except the John Deere paint. This is a 3/10 scale model of John Deere, Model E, 1-1/2" HP, spark plug gasoline engine. Machinist kit includes 200 page step by step instructions, 124 drawings, and 947 close up photographs of machine setups.
The completed engine has a 1.050" bore, 1.350" stroke, and 5.400" diameter flywheel. The overall dimensions are approximately 9"L x 6-1/4"W x 5-1/2"H
This is a kit that the first time machinist or father and son team can build! Here are some comments by builders:
"My first IC engine is this .3 scale John Deere 1.5 BHP Model E. The castings and instructions were developed by Jerry Frisbie of Dinky Dears. Jerry's castings, drawings, and instructions are first rate. I learned a lot and even cut my first gears from the instructions in this kit."
"The Dinky Dear castings and instructions are first rate. The drawings are correct, the castings have all been annealed, the instructions are extremely detailed, and there is a photo of nearly every machining setup. I have built this engine and learned a great deal from the "teaching" in the instructions. For example, I learned to cut gears from the instructions"
