By CINDY LADAGE
Wrenching Tales
The Baraboo Steam & Gas show takes place not far from the Wisconsin Dells, and the show has some of the glamour of that beautiful area. Last year the club added a new building to the grounds, a replica of an old gas station; and out in front of the station was a 1919 Model T Ford donated by Earl Petzke.
The grounds also are home to the Fuller & Johnson museum which focuses on the F & J engines. The museum opened in August 2008 as part of the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club grounds. The 30-by-40-foot building was designed as a replica of what an original Fuller & Johnson dealership may have looked like.
F & J was founded in 1840, and originally called Fuller & Williams. It sold farm machinery until 1870, when John A. Johnson came into the company. He was born April 15, 1832, in Norway and in 1844 his family emigrated to America, where he started selling farm implements for F & J.
Johnson became a partner in the firm that became known as Johnson Fuller Co. After buying the Madison Plow Works it began to manufacture farm machinery. In 1882 the company changed to the Fuller & Johnson Co. (F & J) and it built plows, corn planters, wagons and mowers.
F & J is associated with the Gisholt Co., which was started by John Johnson. The subsidiary became its own company in 1890 with Johnson as president, and moved across the street. It made tools for producing machinery.
The company introduced engines around 1887 when a student named Frank D. Winkley joined F & J – he is credited with developing its gas engines. In 1900 the Gisholt Co. started producing oil-cooled engines and called them The Madison Gas Engine. A 1967 article in Gas Engine Magazine stated Gisholt "produced these engines until 1903, when the engine division was sold to F & J. Mr. Winkley went to work for F&J, also.
"He went on to invent and patent the air-cooled farm pump engine, for which he received $1 per engine from F & J. John A. Johnson died Nov. 10, 1901; it was then that his son, Frederick A. Johnson, took over his position."
Engines are a theme at the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club Show. On the grounds is a diesel shop moved there from Sauk City, Wis. One unusual sight was Paul Loosen’s Allis Chalmers WC tractor with the cab built at an AC dealership.
"There were only eight of them made," Paul explained. "They were supposed to be on an AC 45."
The cab was constructed with a Model T top and is plywood inside. The AC WC on which the cab is mounted belonged to Paul’s Uncle Willard. "This was the first tractor he had, all the rest went to scratch. My uncle was into Big Macs, and that is why there is a dog on the front – it is from a Big Mac truck."
It was Paul’s cousin who got him into this hobby and hooked him up with the AC gentleman who helped him with the cab: "The guy said they made this at a dealership. He said AC made a lot of stuff for themselves."
One of the older tractors was Ken Majeski’s 1909 Case. Ken, from Ellsworth, Wis., said, "This is the smallest Case made after 1900. This is a full-sized 30-horsepower traction engine. It was used on small sawmills for grinding feed and for general farm work. I have had it for seven years; when I got it, the boiler was junk."
Tom Winkler of New Holstein, Wis., had his lovely 1922 8-16 Avery right outside the club’s Avery building. Tom collects oil pulls and gas engines and said this was his first Avery.
"I like it and wanted it done up right and as original as possible. It took six months to paint it and do lots of little things; it was in very good condition. It was used to move machinery in manufacturing plants."
One vehicle many had never seen before was a 1970 Gehl Blazer, an amphibious machine that could drive on land, float in the water and even had detachable skis for winter. David Kerl, a farmer from Mazomanie, Wis., said this was considered a pleasure-mobile to be used in snow or sand, or just getting around.
"The Gehl company contracted with the Alsport Company (out of Norwalk, Ohio) to make this, but it never got off the ground," David said. "They made 75 of these and this is Serial No. 1."
Tractors were not the only displays that caught attention at the August show. Jay Hankee of Viroqua, Wis., had beautiful miniature barns on display. "I have been making barns since 2011," he said. "I dreamed about making them as a kid." These days he makes about two barns a year.
For more information about the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club, log on to http://badgersteamandgas.com
Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.
