Tuesday Torque: Big Falk Engine

We never get a good look at the tag on this beast, but I think it is a 10 HP model.  Falk engines came in 3, 5, 10, and 15 horsepower models, and this looks like the 10 HP ones I have seen.  Never having seen a 15 HP Falk, and not having much for scale in this video, I can't exclude that possibility.  Lots of neat motion going on here in one of the prettiest mechanical marvels of the early Twentieth Century.



There are three adjustments on top of the carburetor. One is for adjusting the mixture for the gasoline section, then there is the kerosene section that the engine ran on once it was warmed up a bit. The third one is for adding a little water to the mix to prevent the kerosene from pre-igiting or detonating. That section is left alone by folks showing these old engines. It is easier just to run them on gasoline, and if you don't work them you don't need water to make them behave.