One of the first Four Cycle Gas Engines - The Otto Silent 7 HP 1884

This is one of the earliest four cycle engines in the USA and one of only a handful that survive that were built in the USA. For further history - read about Nicholas Otto and his four cycle engine. This 7 HP Schleicher Schumm is as close as you'll find to his original design in a commercially produced American built engine.

[@roman8724]

Something about hearing these old engines running Just calms me down.

[@GoingtoHecq]

It looks like it's on a table until you walk behind it.

[@tomkosloski9766]

Sounds better than most music that's on the radio these days.

[@PatrickBaptist]

NO JOKE!

[@backpackerthrulife8497]

It really does. And it's far more beautiful than most of the "art" in the NY Metro.

[@Justin-ou6gq]

Such a boomer thing to say

[@finalthemickith476]

@@Justin-ou6gq I mean Id rather be a boomer if I could and have tons of money then this embarrassing broke generation

[@herejust4cars723]

@@finalthemickith476 I'm with you man

[@thgftiigghjfryyhgjiyreg8945]

oh man thats a lovely sound. you hear all four cycles. and this guys tech is still dominating the world. i cant imagine any new tech stay valid this long. german precision is not a myth.

[@Grabatire]

Would be nice to have included a more in depth explanation of what the components are and do.

[@ricksanchez8469]

I know engines pretty well, and I have no idea what half of the stuff is 😂 an explanation would have been really helpful 😂

[@macosx10.7lion4]

@@ricksanchez8469 It's a 4-stroke one-cylinder, a lot of he components have the same name and purporse, just look (and, in some cases, function) differently.

[@connerbaldwin8405]

Look at everything that exists because of Nicolaus otto, if it wasn't for this humble 7hp engine and the genius behind it we wouldn't be seeing the builds that are making over 1000hp not to mention just normal every day cars, all I gotta say is Nicolaus; good on you man, your legacy changed the world

[@guitarpro248]

Im just a little curious why they're running it so slow, it makes me think restricting the rpm is what's making it misfire. Either way it's pretty cool to see something so old in working condition! Also it's pretty neat to see the oilers keeping all the parts lubricated. I think it's really neat how everything was built to serve a purpose while also making it interesting to look at as well!

[@ChrisEpping]

They didn't run much faster than this originally. 100-200 RPM was optimal. The misfiring was due to getting the fuel setting just right. Using a flame carried inside a bronze valve to ignite a compressed charge isn't as fool proof as a spark plug.

[@weedesertrose123]

I would not be surprised if J Leno didn't have one. This a very cool engine. I could watch it run all day. Thanks all for showing it..

[@ChrisEpping]

Thanks for the comments. Mr Leno has some interesting gas engines, but nothing quite like this.

[@AnswerGeneral]

I'm falling deeply in LOVE with this Engine...!

[@AnswerGeneral]

I'll Love to Manufacture This Engine Here in my Country and put it into work...!!!

[@bugs181]

Such a beautiful piece of history and an even more beautiful piece of machinery.

[@martinthatsall1518]

What a great video - if only they were all of this quality! There are a multitude of lessons here for 99% of KZbinrs: 1) Stand still and hold the camera steady 2) No zooming. 3) No panning 4) No music 5) No vacuous chatter I can but dream . . . .

[@yiy3429]

What a beauty! Thanks for showing it.

[@steamer123]

VERY NICE Chris!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@scrambledmandible]

7HP at a working rpm of 160 gives a torque figure of 229.775 lb-ft, or 311.534 Nm

[@francescoejlli8985]

Immagine you’re at the International Exposition of 1867 and you see this piece of machinery for the first time

[@bijankumar2922]

Wonderful discovery of that time.

[@sidecrank]

Fine looking engine. Thanks Chris.

[@ChrisEpping]

Thanks for the comments John & Tom.

[@pr191148]

Immer wieder Spitze

[@bigg2441]

Some explanation of the function of the moving parts would be nice.

[@pieke10]

a close up was nice to se every thing!

[@hectorglover6392]

Beautiful!

[@johnlucas2037]

Just a few days ago the Technikum museum in Germany got one of the 6 remaining Brayton engines running... Otto purchase the Brayton in 1875 to study it's operation. As far as I'm aware this is the first time an original Brayton engine has run since the 1920's kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWjLZHuaaZV6nLs Very cool!

[@celtisafricana4984]

Very mad scientist, especially at startup. And when it has it's little steam or smoke purges...

[@Jean-vz8co]

For the time and the condition...!!!!.... these engine was absolutely perefect..... fruit of the genial mind of these people...Only to admire...

[@ektouge8700]

Deutschland ist wirklich das Land der Dichter und Denker.

[@VAHOSS]

Amazing machine

[@clintonbecker6723]

awesome, thanks for sharing. the only thing i would like to see different is it actually running at 160rpm

[@mikeyoungblood1706]

Magnificent !!

[@keithleeuwen877]

Fantastic !

[@keithleeuwen877]

What an Invention !

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

So, how did anybody get any work done with this machine providing such entertainment? Great video.

[@mikewalton5469]

wow, what a fabulous engine. thanks for sharing!

[@jakedeutscher]

Sounds so good wtf

[@davidrapalyea7727]

Also, I watch the governor drop and see a cam follower move over the cam but can not see any motion elsewhere. A narrative for the sequence of events would be helpful, withclose ups to see it happen.

[@informujtecz6465]

Amazing.

[@larryscott3982]

More questions than answers. What the hell is the ignition? Compression ratio? Torque?

[@davida1hiwaaynet]

That's a beautiful, historic engine. I am fascinated with the slide valve and how the ignition works. Gonna have to do some research! Also; thanks so much for putting the text description at the beginning of the video! I hate it when an interesting engine video is posted but there is no backstory on it! :)

[@twistedyogert]

How was the fuel ignited? Was there a doorway in the top of the cylinder that was opened at top-dead-center that exposed the gas to the pilot-light?

[@adamrobinson4126]

that is so cool, what was it used for in its first application? other then just cranking it over and saying "its alive!!!" for me that would be a good enough application.. a very interesting peice of history awseome to see it running so well.

[@UnderGod-ie1lk]

That's awesome

[@jackd.flippin6656]

It's amazing to think about that this engine is older than the car. The first car was made in 1886.

[@fromgermany271]

How would you have made a motor car w/o a motor? But that motor was not useable for cars. It needed a gas pipe.

[@alexiadavid6873]

excelente vídeo me apasionan las aviones

[@benhajdu4040]

So cool. Mechanic here that would love to know exactly what's going on here. Trying to figure it out but it's tricky haha, meanwhile probably very simple!

[@cg462]

beautiful. I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions. 1st is, what are those six spring loaded adjusters for coming out of the top of the head? and is that clanking noise coming from the rocker?

[@ChrisEpping]

The six studs on the front of the head along with the springs provide tension to hold the slide valve against the head when the engine fires. The spring loaded cover plate maintains proper contact while allowing for expansion due to heat. The noise may be the rocker, or it may be the hydrogen flame relighting off the pilot.

[@cg462]

thank you for the interesting video

[@GIGABACHI]

😕 Whoever called that contraption silent must be cannon def. 🤣

[@godfreyhuckle57]

Would be nice to be shown how it works.eg Ignition and govenor

[@jameshankssr466]

Giving the size of that its hard to believe its only 7HP! Theres 7Hp engines today that you can hold in your hand!

[@spaceghost8995]

You can do a lot of work with just 7 HP!

[@halilkabaca4636]

Is ignition done every two Otto cycles?

[@jayzah]

Amazing! What were the applications of this engine back in the day?

[@ChrisEpping]

Yes, they did everything. This one happened to be the original electric generating engine for The Ohio State University in Columbus in 1884

[@xjohnlangerijs527]

Does it ignite 1nce, in every 8 cycle's, when no load? Nice example, of craftsmanship btw. Namasté.

[@davidrapalyea7727]

I am new to this topic and am aware of the original Otto slide valve engine from the 1860s and at least one reproduction. But wow. Talk about the "Missing Link!" This installation is priceless. I would like to know the provenance of this particular specimen. Where it was made, where it was installed, what did it do. And how the hell do we still have it! Of course I know nothing of the models either before this one or what came immediately after it. This looks like the golden age of industrialization. Suddenly home gas lighting (coal gas?) eliminates the entire external combustion boiler monsters for smaller scale needs. And how much would this thing cost to buy? How much daily maintenance was normal? It looks like it could simply run like this indefinitely.

[@ChrisEpping]

This engine was bought new by Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio in 1884. I was used to power an Edison dynamo for lighting purposes in the main hall classrooms, library, and chapel. It only ran a few hours every evening. After it was retired after a few years of work it went to the engineering department for experimental purposes. After a stay there it was retired in 1911 and kept around as a relic. It is amazing it survived and was not scrapped as most of them were.

[@davidrapalyea7727]

Chris re Ohio State. That engine is priceless! An actual commercial engine retained in working order by the original buyer for about 150 years. And of course the Edison dynamo almost certainly was DC which makes the entire thing that much more interesting. Kind of reminds me of the oldest working light bulb at 110 years. More or less continuously. newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/16/the-worlds-oldest-light-bulb-has-been-on-for-110-years/

[@coffindancer38]

Not seeing or hearing a four cycle engine, its a hit and miss!

[@ChrisEpping]

It is both! It’s a four cycle hit and miss engine.

[@PatrickBaptist]

Def neat-O

[@nophdcoyote2891]

Did any of these run on hydrazine?

[@ChrisEpping]

NO - this engine originally ran on coal gas - which is primarily hydrogen. The engine itself can run on any combustible fuel, but the ignition system needs hydrogen to work properly.

[@jnichols3]

How do you get that on a mower?

[@LeDeKe]

By 1983-1990, in India (the least bothered country in terms of engine evolution), the humble TVS 60 moped made half that power of 3.5 bhp out of just 60cc 2 stroke puny engine-bore. And that moped, sold a millions by 2022, in less average income people country. ☺️☺️☺️

[@twistedyogert]

It's interesting that there's no spark-plug like in a modern engine but instead a pilot light like on a furnace. When was electric ignition added?

[@ChrisEpping]

Electric ignition was actually used on earlier non compression engines, but it wasn't introduced into the compression four cycle until several years after this engine was built.

[@twistedyogert]

Thanks for the information. BTW that is a beautiful engine.

[@twistedyogert]

Were they ever used for non-stationary applications before Karl Benz invented the automobile? I would think that an obvious application would be for powering a boat, since there is no risk of a boiler explosion and one person can run it safely.

[@ChrisEpping]

Engines like this weren't used in portable applications due to the lack of a coal gas supply for the ignition fuel. This engine would run on any combustible fuel, but the ignition had to be operated on something with a high percentage of hydrogen. It wasn't long after this engine was built though that they had figured out different types of ignition (as well as raised the horsepower/weight ratio) and the automobile was born.

[@kx250braap]

It's crazy to think my pressure washer has almost 2x the power and is about 5x smaller

[@dieselgeezer18]

but the engine in the video has a hell of torque

[@pl747]

I know it may be considered priceless, but if it had to have an appraisal, I wonder what it would be?

[@kylechapin1057]

Sounds like Ron Swanson

[@tonysuffolk]

Was this a "hit and miss" engine. That would account for the firing only happening as the engine slows.

[@markmitchell450]

Lovely to see it running But it's a shame that so little information was provided or even better still a walk around pointing out what does what

[@ChrisEpping]

Sorry, this video got far more traffic than ever intended. It was published initially for the collector audience that mostly understands these engines. To explain it to them would be somewhat redundant, but you are correct an explanation would be beneficial for general audiences.

[@Frank289100]

CHRIS, IT MAKES 7 HP BUT THE TORQUE MUST BE ENORMOUS. ANY IDEA HOW MUCH?

[@ChrisEpping]

I could not tell you to be honest, but there were tests done on these, so the info might be out there. But at this speed - it would hardly make the 7 HP.

[@devilswish8876]

Im some what confused considering the working principel of that engine why wuld you use hydrogen when you have propane? Is the hydrogen used to create somthing like pre ignition chamber ore implosion effect ? to my that thing does not have any magnetos ore similar It hears like combustion compresion ignition usein internal/external burning engine so perhaps it is bouth? bigest confusion is that dual fuel usage thing

[@ChrisEpping]

The hydrogen is needed for the flame ignition. A Propane flame will not survive the loss of oxygen from the movement of the flame from outside the cylinder to inside. Hydrogen burns at a higher O2 concentration range and will thus stay lit long enough to ignite the charge in the cylinder.

[@DSAK55]

Is this spark ignition?

[@AndreLuiz-ip3fh]

DSAK55 hot tube, as you could see it firing a match in the motors head.

[@ChrisEpping]

It's actually not spark or hot tube, it's flame ignition. An open flame is transferred from the pilot light to the inside of the cylinder head at TDC to ignite the charge. It's a very precise system with porting and the proper fuel (hydrogen) to work properly.

[@smeezekitty]

Hydrogen?? Where does that come from?

[@nakkimonssi9762]

why all your engines are horizontal?

[@ChrisEpping]

Most early American engines are horizontal

[@JD-yx7be]

i bet it has way more then 7 lbs of touque tho?

[@marcuscook5145]

You should put this on a dyno lol.

[@andrefelipe2643]

It's a water cooled engine ?

[@ChrisEpping]

Yes

[@tandemcompound2]

where did you find that?

[@ChrisEpping]

It was installed new in the Physics lab of Ohio State University in 1884 & remained in the University long after it was no longer in use.

[@tandemcompound2]

gotta be one of the oldest gas engines in the US, shud be in a museum. The Henry Ford museum has a late model Newcomen engine-- Fairbottom Bobs.

[@ChrisEpping]

There are four of these engines in the country that are of this identical early design - just differ in size. One is in the Smithsonian (4 HP) (currently on loan to the Bethlehem Steel Museum in PA). Two of them (both 2 HP's) were in the Henry Ford Museum - but they sold one at auction in the 1980's and it is now part of the Coolspring Power Museum also in PA. The other one is still in the Ford Museum. This 7 HP and the smaller 2 HP at the Coolspring Museum are the only ones that are run regularly.

[@Mercmad]

Notice how a lot of other manufacturers copied these engines ?

[@michaelkoutsodontis5458]

It's a boxer engine sweet

[@RampartF86]

The 4 cycle terminology is wrong, this is a 4 stroke engine consisting of suck, squeeze, bang, blow. Four strokes which make up one cycle.

[@V0ID_beats]

and now my 50cc scooter engine can do 7hp which is not much bigger than my hand

[@TheBeardedSandman]

steam punk right there

[@RBFR01]

When woman in 2022 be needing...

[@garyr7027]

Now I know where the term horse power comes from, part of the noise it makes sounds like horses trotting on brick streets.

[@hondaxl250k0]

Not 4 stroke. It’s hit and miss...

[@fromgermany271]

4-stroke!! Hit&miss is about controlling the rpm‘s. No throttle, just on/off mechanics for the exhaust valve. The valve stays open, if the rpm limit is reached.

[@hondaxl250k0]

@@fromgermany271 did not think it was considered 4 stroke. Being that with no load you get many more strokes with out a fire.

[@fromgermany271]

Your thoughts might not change the fact that this one few existing early 4-stroke gas engines. And the number of misses between the hits is not only depended on the load, but also the energy stored in the flywheel. Like in a car. Lighter flywheel, faster throttle response, but rougher idle. From your nick I would assume you understand that. I remember XL250 having a very light flywheel.

[@hondaxl250k0]

@@fromgermany271 yes. I’m a big motor head.. old and new.. most of the older engines I’ve delt with were 2 stroke diesel. And run on crude oil

[@fromgermany271]

@@hondaxl250k0 crude oil sounds like very small 3-digit rpm‘s and big volume. And saltwater. 😎

[@jsamc]

This thing is a monster and only 7 HP ? it's really scary. The exhaust from these engines are responsible for the death of millions of people. I am not impressed.

[@ChrisEpping]

That is about the most ignorant comment I’ve read. The low power output is due to this being one of the first engines and the technology was new. The exhaust from this engine has never killed a mouse. But the engines that evolved from this one prototype have bettered the lives of billions of people since.

[@jsamc]

@@ChrisEpping Yeah, yeah the internal combustion engine should have been obsolete decades ago. It's people like you who continue to champion these types of engines and thwart greener alternatives.The internal combustion engine is a dinosaur that refuses to DIE !! You and your I.C.E groupies need a paradigm shift. Love Lungs and not I.C.E's.

[@jsamc]

@@ChrisEpping Technological history ? You mean technological conspiracies. You just continue to keep your fossil burning contraption nice and shiny and I'll continue to wish all of you neanderthals will grow up. By the way is there room in your exhibit for a telephone booth ?

[@mr1enrollment]

@@jsamc : Chill dude take your meds. The past is not the issue - the future is. Try learning how to express your concerns in a positive format. That is unless you got a phone call from God.