I will have to admit that when I started this section for Issue #5, I was not really a small engine fan. I always walked right past them on my way to look at tractors. They made a lot of smoke and noise and I thought them simply an irritant. I was very wrong. After many hours of conversation with Tom Jansen and Richard Backus, I will never look at them the same way. Tom is a passionate collector from Effington, IL and probably the most knowledgeable guy I’ve ever met. Richard is editor-in-chief of Farm Collector Magazine and Gas Engine Magazine. He wrote the historical background piece in issue #5.

Here are some photos of Tom’s engines that I couldn’t fit into the article plus period literature from the collections of Ken Leatherdale and Craig Sitter.