Wisconsin 4-cylinder

I got to looking at a motor we have in a old combine we have and its a 4-cylinder wisconsin. It is air cooled and my Grandfather told me he used it up till the late sixties. He said the little motor was a beast and would move the old combine around prety quick. Does anyone know anything about these and how they might do in a car.

 

Omg

 

in a car? nope, but grandpa is right, they are a beast, had many of them way back when

air cooled

 

He said he had thought about putting it in one of his t's one time to see how it would do.

 

I've seen a picture on here somewhere of a homemade car with one in it, interesting but not really that good. I've worked on a few over the years, all kinds of Wisconsins for that matter. They are good industrial engines, that's what they are made for. That's it!

 

Thats what I thought he was taliking about it today and was wanting me to ask on here. He is just board and looks for shit to do.

 

Crank brakers

 

As others have stated, they are an industrial strength workhorse. As a kid I spent summers working on an Iowa farm baling hay with a baler powered by one. One small point, if they ever shut off hot, you will never, never, never get it re-started until it is totally cooled off.
I actually had a 1940's rail frame midget race car that had a Wisconsin 4cyl. air-cooled engine transplanted into it. Never did get it running and after I sold it, it got a proper restoration with a Harley V twin.

 

They came in 3 or 4 sizes. I remember equipment I sold years ago that had those motors. I recall VH4D....VG4D....and maye V465D model designations. That was LONG ago (back in the late 60's and into the 70's). Horsepower was typically 20 and up to 40hp or so. They were designed to operate machinery, where the rpms's were usually fairly fixed by governors. Not high revving....4000 tops. All air cooled. Not much low rpm torque either.

 

Hey, Bart78;

Go through this thread on cyclecars.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226791

That mill should be good for one of those, & your Gramps can have more fun than is legally allowed. .

Marcus...

 

v465d is 65 hp. 130-135 lbs of tq at 1600-2000 rpm
I'm thinking about putting one in a fiero.

 

Theres a guy here in Hawkins Texas that collects and restores them his name is Chris Karlson he has swaped one on to a farm all and built a 4wd utv out of one he probaly knows more about them than anyone if you need to know about them let me know PM me and I will get you his #He has over 50 restored old motors

 

...if I'm not mistaken, those combines were run with those engines, not propelled by them, they were pulled with a tractor or horses. I doubt those engines had enuf power to run & propell a combine. Good lil engines tho.

 

I have a flathead V-4 Wiconsin on my Hyster forklift and a large overhead valve one on a stump grinder.

 

I honestly can't comment on their use in combines but I have seen thempower and propel swathers very well.

 

Antiquated design from the 1930's

Very long stroke, good low end torque for what they were, but very inefficient design. Flat head, and low compression.
Prone to run hot and vapor lock often.
Unique sound.
Used in the Miniature Train Company G16 amusement park trains.

 

When you check on the price for parts you will forget the idea fast.

 

I have one on a mobile man lift, yes work horses's but really a constant speed motor usally low rpm idle and higher work speed, kind of ugly looking to

 

the first engine i ever took apart and rebuilt was a Wisconsin V4 , got it in trade from a friend for some mini-bike parts. it's in my brothers shed on a log splitter

great motor for that , can't see one in a car

 

as stated before, they were a bitch to get started if you chocked one!!! my ol man used a flathead waterpump for the pully and a light frame to make a "belt tightenr" run off the PTO. unhook the tractor pull around to the side of the combine hook up the PTO. spin the PTO and pull a handle to tight'n the Vbelt. smoke and squeal cus and swear, that wisconsin would pop and bang fire would fly!!! once it would start he would wind the hell out of it! stay back! if i got to close he'd drill me one in the ass and smack in the head!!! i guess he didn't want me to get hurt

 

there was a crude class at thunder valley when i was a kid, econo rail! wow was this something!! they must of had a $50 buy it on winners!!!!!! i'm talking crude shit!!! I remember one with a wisconsin engine!!!

 

First engine I built by myself was a 24hp version, at age 10- my gramps had a fleet of agricultural lime spreaders, a bunch of REO's, R190 Binder, and a trio of M35 deuce-and-a-halfs, and the spreaders had Wisconsins to drive the feed chain and spinner- they look and function like a snow-country sand truck, but throw the material a lot further. Biggest ones we had were 40HP, which would be plenty big for a small self-propelled combine, and a lot of pull-behinds had them. Tough suckers, and usually just run at a constant governed full speed as tugmotors, what they do best.

 

Yep I've seem em put onto log splitters,fork lifts,skid steer loaders,enen welders.I also have a little Ford v4 that is ohv and has about 60hp a v6 ranger trans would bolt up I hear,I sure would like to see somebody use it in a mini rod or cyclecar.I,d like to get my money back out of it.

 

A local mechanic put one in a Vanguard pickup in the 1950's, no good at all!!! Lousy power and not much MPG either.