Is The WEIRDEST Engine EVER Made The Minneapolis Moline Z?

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Back in the 1960s, I worked for Southern Engine & Pump Company, an oil field service company. We sold and serviced Minneapolis Moline stationary engines and starter engines. They were all designed like those in your video. We did not have the proper machines to do cylinder work on them. There was only one shop (United Machine) that had the special machines from Minneapolis Moline to work on those engines. In the oil patch, most of the stationary engines ran on "field gas" which was just unadulterated natural gas directly out of the oil well. In those days, most of the gas was "flared off" (burned in 50 ft tall torches, so the fuel to run them was essentially free. The oil companies resisted switching to electric motors to run the pump-jacks because they had to pay for the power.

Well done gentlemen. Not hiding mistakes is a key sign of honest business ethics. Stay awesome!

I have been a Toolmaker for 40+ years and still make mistakes. Yes, it can be very humbling, and it takes the "wind out of your sails". My college professor had a great saying, "You are only as good as your ability to fix/recover from your mistakes".

Certainly an oddball design, but my vote for the weirdest engine ever is the 2 stroke opposed piston Napier Deltic, with 3 crankshafts housed in a triangular engine block. Totally outrageous! Thanks for your excellent content.

i love your videos. i am a retired mechanic and machinist. Del Monte farms and cannery had the largest fleet of M&M tractors and machinery in the world, from the 30s until M&M went out of business. they had their own factory direct parts dept and factory trained service shop. this was in central and northern Illinois. when a new design tractor model came out they were tested for a few years in the field and many went to del monte to do that.

Grandad was a dealer from 39 to 68 in Yale Mich Worn cyl/head units were sent back to MM for reconditioning .Spares were kept so that turn around time was reduced .MM felt that a bored block could be held to rounder standards than a sleeve .The R and Z blocks had a larg e side cover to facilitate rod bearing replacement in frame .Early MM 28/44s had roller cam followers and 4 valves per cyl MM was not afraid of cutting edge engineering

The cleaning guy is honest with his mistake and that’s integrity got my respect. Looking forward to seeing the next video.

The cleaning guy is old school man,he is taking ownership of his mistakes🇬🇷

So wonderful to see 70 YO machines made better than new. This is our country's history, and you guys are historians. RESPECT.

I have to say, I never expected to see this kind of content when I first started watching your channel, but now it has become my favorite stuff you guys do. I love the use of unconventional means and ingenuity to figure out how to do what is necessary to produce the final result and an actual running engine. GOOD STUFF!

I have a ZB and a UB Special. The ZB has a 206 cu in displacement and the UB has 283 cu in. These were great lugging engines. In 1950 my Dad worked for MM in the foundry on Como Ave. The cylinder blocks were often called "jug blocks". MM used a single jug block (2 cylinder) for the engine of the pull behind combine, and 2 jug blocks (4 cylinders) in their Z , U, and G tractors. Their big tractors had 3 jug blocks (6 cylinder). Their big engine had 800 cu in and was used in oil fields, cotton gins, saw mills, irrigation pumps plus even powering big HVAC units for the new large shopping malls of the 1950s and 60s. They were well respected. But then White Motor Co. pulled some stock deal and owned MM in 1963. This led to a new federal law about worker pensions, as White became the owner of the MM employee pension fund and used the $$ to fund part of their Hostile Takeover. Some former employees I have talked to said that under White Motor the high tolerance machines used in the engine production area were used until total failure. The quality of the engines produced in the later 60's suffered frequent tolerance problems requiring overhauls in specialty machine shops after very short lives. White bled MM (& Oliver, & Cockshut -Canadian) to death.

Had a boss who often said "If you aren't making mistakes once in a while, all that means is you aren't actually working."

I’m speculating that your .0005” taper at the top of the cylinder is better than original. I have no doubt that this old engine is going to run good and long considering the precision you are putting into it. Fascinating and unique piece of equipment.

I have a Moline UB sitting in the toolshed. Growing up, this was our largest tractor, next to a John Deere 720D. Dad bought a 1466 Farmall in the late 70s and we REALLY went big. I've always liked the Moline. It had gobbs of torque.

There was an old man that had a little garage with a tobacco wagon in it that had hit and miss engines bolted to it that he took to shows and festivals. I remember riding my bike by and stopping and watching them run when he would get out and fire them up to get them ready for a show. The old man sadly passed away recently.

It's what us peculiar people in the uk call a blind head engine. I've had both two and four stroke examples in the past.

You two guys are great , being a retired mechanic and done some engine rebuilding in my life I really enjoy the video !

My Great Grandfather worked for Moline Plow in the early 1900s when it was still in Moline IL. He wound up doing international sales, first being posted to Argentina and later to So. Africa. From what I understand the Moline had a superior horse drawn plow that was in high demand. When they started building tractors they were a small walk behind tractor with only the front wheels driven. The implement provided the rear support. The early ones were two cylinder and the later ones were four cylinder. They struggled during the Great Depression and sold off the tractor company and later the entire company, with Moline Plow ceasing to exist in Moline IL. Moline Minneapolis tractors were made by a new company that was formed by merging several companies. It would be interesting to know if the original Moline Plow engine survived the transition to the new company. That would explain why your engines were built with two twin block/head cylinder castings.

The other oddity of this engine that you did not mention is the rocker arms. The rockers are about 9" long end extend vertically directly from the valve to the camshaft. They pivot on dowels that are bolted down along with the cylinders to the crankcase. You can see them at 0:57 .