The first Clinton Engines factory was established in 1946 to manufacture small general-purpose air-cooled gasoline engines. It was first located in Clinton, Iowa, where 150 employees started producing a 1.5-horsepower engine. Initial production was approximately 225 engines a week. By 1947, the company had approximately 1,000 employees. The Clinton Engines corporation was established in 1946 to manufacture small general purpose air-cooled gasoline engines. Today the corporation is one of the largest suppliers of these engines which are used principally on power lawnmowers, and for other home, farm and industrial uses. A complete chainsaw line and air-cooled outboards from 3 to.
Recently we received the following comment on one of our blog posts.
What has happened to the long-time small engine manufacturer – Tecumseh?
I have an old Troy-Bilt tiller made by the Troy-Bilt Company (now made by some other company – MTD?).
This tiller has a Tecumseh engine. When the need arises, where will I be be able to get repair/replacement parts for it – if at all?
So lets take a quick run down memory lane with a bit of a history lesson.
1895
Lauson Manufacturing Company is founded by John Lauson.
1934
Tecumseh Products Company is founded by tool and die maker Raymond Herrick. Raymond planned to apply Henry Ford’s concepts of automobile mass production to refrigeration compressors.
1941
With the outbreak of World War II, Tecumseh Products Company was called upon to aid in the war effort by manufacturing artillery shells for the Allied Forces.
1945
With the end of World War II, Tecumseh Products Company returns to manufacturing refrigeration compressors. It soon expands into manufacturing compressors for residential and commercial air conditioning units.
1956
Tecumseh Products Company purchased the Lauson Manufacturing Company. By the time of the purchase, Lauson Manufacturing Company had grown into one of the largest manufacturers of small gasoline engines in the United States. After the purchase, Tecumseh Products Company reorganized most of the Lauson Manufacturing Company using the assets to create Tecumseh Power Company.
2001
Liquid Combustion Technology (LCT) is founded by in Travelers Rest, SC.
2009
Tecumseh Products relocated from Tecumseh, Michigan to Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan.
History Of Clinton Engines
2007
Tecumseh Power Company’s former gasoline engine and powertrain product lines are sold to Platinum Equity, LLC which continues to do business as Tecumseh Power.
2008
Tecumseh Products Company closes its small engine manufacturing division and sells off its Peerless transmissions business unit to Husqvarna Outdoor Products.
2009
Tecumseh officially closed its doors in February when Platinum Equity announces that Tecumseh Power Company had sold certain assets of its engine business to Certified Parts Corporation (CPC) of Janesville, WI, including all existing and unfinished engine parts inventory, tools to make finished product and certain intellectual property assets.
CPC also assumes responsibility for warranty of previously manufactured Tecumseh engines.
In an interview on February 10, 2009, Certified Parts Corporation President Jim Grafft stated “that he plans to move the engine operation to Rock County, Wisconsin, where he owns three facilities in Janesville and one in Edgerton, and will initially supply parts for Tecumseh Power engines. Grafft also said that his company could eventually resume engine production, which Tecumseh Power ceased in December 2008”.
2010
Certified Parts Corporation (CPC) enters into an agreement with Liquid Combustion Technology (LCT) to jointly manufacture air-cooled engines for the outdoor power equipment market. The agreement provided CPC with engineering, manufacturing, and sales capabilities allowing it to reintroduce the Snow King line of snow thrower engines and other engines formerly manufactured and sold by Tecumseh Power. The engines are exclusively represented by LCT, and sold under the Snow King, Lauson, and LCT brands and serviced exclusively by CPC and the existing Tecumseh Power dealer/distributor network. Traditionally, the Snow King line of engines has powered more snowthrowers than all other brands combined.
LCT’s horizontal 4-stroke gasoline engine offering was extended by this agreement and allowed CPC and LCT to provide single cylinder and V-twin vertical engines to outdoor power equipment manufacturers. According to Larry Zeman, VP of Winter Engine Products for LCT, “This establishes LCT as an engine manufacturer of choice as it continues to engineer a new generation of power.”
In short, Tecumseh engines and parts are currently manufactured by LCT, CPC and Lauson Engines.
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-Jack
More from my site
Maquoketa Company–Clinton Machine Company Administration Building | |
| Location | 605 E. Maple St. Maquoketa, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°03′57″N90°39′30″W / 42.06583°N 90.65833°WCoordinates: 42°03′57″N90°39′30″W / 42.06583°N 90.65833°W |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1947 |
| Built by | The Maquoketa Company |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000712[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 23, 2006 |
The Maquoketa Company–Clinton Machine Company Administration Building, also known as Building #7: Clinton Engines Corporation Administration Building, is a historic building located in Maquoketa, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[1]
History[edit]
C.A. Depue was the president of the Central Steel Tube Company in Clinton, Iowa when he opened a small factory in Maquoketa to manufacture machine gun components during World War II. He expanded the operation calling it The Maquoketa Company, and built a factory on the east side of town. This building was built as an office building for the plant from 1945 to about 1947. By 1950 the factory had grown to 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2).[2] That same year Depue sold the facility to Don Thomas, who moved his Clinton Machine Company from Clinton, Michigan to Maquoketa. The Maquoketa Company moved to Clinton, Iowa.
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Clinton Machine Company manufactured small gasoline engines, and by 1956 they were the tenth largest employer in Iowa. They changed their name to Clinton Engines Corporation in 1958. It was at this time that farmers began working in the factory and farmed around their shift work.[3] Thomas sold the company to the Charnay Group, an investment company based in New York City. The company manufactured engines for washing machines, chain saws, outboard motors, industrial air circulation fans, and lawn mowers for a variety of companies.[2] It won the President's 'E' Award in 1966. However, the Charnay Group failed to adequately support Clinton Engines financially, and it had to file for bankruptcy the same year. Clinton Engines was sold to Martin Hoffinger, a New York investor, who operated the company on a reduced basis. It was eventually downsized to produce spare parts for engine repairs. By 1999 there were only about 35 employees left. The plant was in disrepair when it closed that year. In 2000 the facility was donated to the city of Maquoketa, who tore down the factory and maintained the office building. The Jackson County Historical Society maintains the Clinton Engines Museum, the Jackson County Research & Family History Library, the JCHS Media Arts Center, the Clinton Engines Association, and a large program center in the building.[3]
Clinton Engines Corporation
Architecture[edit]
Building #7, as it was known, is a single-story, brick structure, with a full basement. The building was locally designed and constructed by employees of the Maquoketa Company in the Moderne style. This is the only building in the county that was built in this style.[2] It features simple lines, shapes, and planar surfaces. Both the main entryway on the north side of the building and its corners are rounded. The building sits on a 5-acre (2.0 ha) lot, and is fronted by a park-like setting, which is how the building was always situated. The factory sat immediately behind it. In the 1950s the property was planted with evergreen trees, shrubs, and flowers. They were removed over the years.
References[edit]
- ^ ab'National Register Information System'. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ abcWilliam C. Page. 'Maquoketa Company–Clinton Machine Company Administration Building'. National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-16. with nine photos
- ^ ab'The Clinton Engines Museum'. Jackson County Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2016-06-16.