The Waukesha/Climax Connection     (added October 2013)

(This is the second in a series of six articles about the various engine lines Waukesha acquired over the years that are no longer in production.)

 

In 1957, Waukesha acquired the Climax Engineering Co. plant of Clinton, Iowa, along with its line of engines. (These industrial Climax engines should not be confused with the Climax steam and locomotive engines that were manufactured in Corry, PA; nor the Coventry Climax racing engines, manufactured in Coventry, England.)

 

The following history of the Climax Engineering Co. is based on information from a variety of sources. Based on these sources, the company was founded in 1900 by James Dwight Lamb, as the Lamb Boat & Engine Company. By 1905 the company was building 2 and 4 cycle engines from 1.5 to 60 HP. In 1916 a fellow named George DuLaney re-organized the company as the Climax Engineering Company and was Chairman of the Board from 1920-38. By 1929 the company was being run by offices in Chicago. The records indicate that in 1933 Climax and the Chrysler Corp. were jointly building gas engines. In 1942 the General Finance Co. of Chicago took over the company. Liberty Products Mfg. Co. of Liberty, MO ran the company for a short time. During WWII the company also manufactured military grade hydraulic pumps. After the war, Climax also manufactured Max Weber's Roto-Beam Air Circulators (fans), the Till­Master rotor tiller and refrigeration equipment. In 1952 the company reverted back to General Finance which then sold it to the Eversharp Corp. and became its Climax Engine & Pump Division. There is the story about trying to machine Eversharps' razor blades at the Climax plant, but the plant's foundation on the "bottom land'' along the Mississippi River wasn't stable enough to machine the razor's razor thin edge. Eversharp got out of the razor business in 1957 and sold the company to Waukesha that same year.

 

Waukesha kept the Clinton plant in operation for another 32 years before closing it down in December 1989. The plant has been subsequently razed.

 

I am still researching the data on some of the Climax engine models and have estimated the unknown HP on some of the others.

 

Climax Model K67

 

 

The Climax engine models involved in Waukesha's acquisition were:

       

Model    Cyl Bore x Stroke CID HP @ RPM Years
CE46

1

5.000 x 6.250

122.7

10 @ 900

1948 -?

CE66

1

5.750 x 7.500

194.8

14 @ 700

1945 -?

CE81

1

5.750 x 7.500

194.8

17 @ 800

?

CE96

1

7.000 x 8.500

327.1

20 @ 600

1945 -?

CE101

1

7.000 x 8.500

327.1

25 @ 700

?

CE106

1

7.500 x 8.500

275.5

32 @ 800

?

CE246

2

7.500 x 7.500

662.7

64 @ 900

?

R41

4

6.000 x 7.000

791.6

130* @ 1,200

1934-58

R61

6

6.000 x 7.000

1187.5

194* @ 1,200

1937-57

R81

8

6.000 x 7.000

1583.3

261* @ 1,200

?

R110

6

6.125 x 7.000

1237.5

203* @ 1,200

1942-64

R165

6

6.125 x 7.000

1237.5

203* @ 1,200

1942-66

F2475

V8

7.500 x 7.000

2474.0

425 @ 1,200

1966-82

F2476

V8

7.500 x 7.000

2474.0

425 @ 1,200

1983-89

K67

6

7.000 x 7.000

1616.4

265 @ 1,200

1953-65

K75

6

7.500 x 7.000

1855.5

304 @ 1,200

1954-66

L3711

V12

7.500 x 7.000

3711.0

645 @ 1.200

1966-82

L3712

V12

7.500 x 7.000

3711.0

645 @ 1,200

1983-89

V80

V8

7.000 x 7.000

2155.1

340 @ 1,200

1948-67

V85

V8

7.500 x 7.000

2474.0

390 @ 1,200

1952-66

V122

V12

7.000 x 7.000

3232.7

520 @ 1,200

1951-67

V125

V12

7.500 x 7.000

3711.0

605 @ 1,200

1950-68

 


Climax engines discontinued before Waukesha's acquisition in 1957

 

Model    Cyl Bore x Stroke CID HP @ RPM Years

D148G

2

4.250 x 5.250

149.0

?

1946-?

D297

4

4.250 x 5.250

297.9

?

1946-?

K, KU

4

5.000 x 6.500

510.5

84* @ 1,200

1917-36

N4A

4

5.500 x 6.500

617.7

101*@ 1,200

1929-33

N4B

4

5.750 x 6.500

675.1

110* @ 1,200

1929-48

R6, RU

6

5.500 x 7.000

997.9

163* @ 1,200

1923-26

R4U

4

6.000 x 7.000

791.6

130* @ 1,200

1925-41

R6U

6

6.000 x 7.000

1187.5

194* @ 1,200

1925-43

R225

?

6.125 x 7.000

?

?

1941-48

RBU

6

5.500 x 7.000

997.9

163* @ 1,200

1926-28

T, TU

4

5.500 x 7.000

665.2

109* @ 1,200

1919-37

V120

V12

7.000 x 7.000

3232.7

520* @ 1,200

1943-51

 

*estimated HP based on the average BMEP of other Climax engines of the time.

 

Waukesha Clinton L3712G

 

Notes:

  1. The "Years" include the Climax Engineering Co years.
  2. The "CE" models series were horizontal, oil-field, "pump jack" engines built
    for Continental-Emsco.  Some of these engines are being built by Arrow Engine
    Co of Tulsa, OK
  3. Climax varied the compression ratio for various fuels by varying the depth of the combustion chamber "pocket" cast into the cylinder head.
  4. Climax marketed their gas engines as "Blue Steak", the color of the ignition flame.
  5. The L2475, L2476, L3711 and L3712 were Waukesha's updates to the Climax V85 and V125 engines respectively.
  6. The WEHS has service manuals and parts list books for most of these models.

 

Rocky, WEHS 5-2013

Copyright © 2013 Waukesha Engine Historical Society, Inc. All rights reserved

 

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