ACMOC
Login
ACMOC
Off Topic? Belt Driven Centrifugal Pump

Off Topic? Belt Driven Centrifugal Pump

Showing 1 to 8 of 8 results
ctsnowfighter
Topic Author
Offline
Send a private message to ctsnowfighter
Posts: 1,049
Thank you received: 19
This is a centrifugal pump - possibly Byron Jackson? - Flat Belt Driven on the Sacramento River.  
This particular pump is usually hidden under water, some times one can see the top of the impeller housing and the remainder of the priming line.
River is extremely low - 38.9' at Colusa when I shot these pictures today.

Notice the concrete Belt Trough -   Discharge pipe is to the left of the trough.  
In all probability this was driven by a PTO on Caterpillar Tractor - possibly Sixty --- reason I believe this to be true - it was on I. G. Zumwalt "home orchard", probably predates Diesel Power.

At one time there were several orchards belonging to I.G. Zumwalt Company along the Sacramento River -  Many of them had centrifugal pumps belt driven from tractors, even up into the 1960's.

For those that do not know -- I. G. Zumwalt was one of the earliest Caterpillar Dealers.
CTS


 
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Fri, Jul 1, 2022 11:18 AM
D4Jim
Offline
Member
Send a private message to D4Jim
Location: NW Kansas
Posts: 1,318
Thank you received: 5
That is an Old one!!  Looks a lot like the old BJ but could be a Gould or some of the similar ones.

 [attachment=68277]Byron Jackson pump..jpg[/attachment]
Attachment

Cats Forever

Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Fri, Jul 1, 2022 10:29 PM
neil
Offline
Moderator
Admin
Send a private message to neil
Posts: 6,952
Thank you received: 14
Reply to D4Jim:
That is an Old one!!  Looks a lot like the old BJ but could be a Gould or some of the similar ones.

 [attachment=68277]Byron Jackson pump..jpg[/attachment]
Attachment
Thanks for posting this! This kind of setup is exactly what I'd like to take to the show to run my belt pulley on. How big do you think that pump is? It would be very cool to see it restored and I can't imagine it would take much, given there's nothing to them. Seems a shame to see it sitting there in the river. What mechanism would they have used to prime it?
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sat, Jul 2, 2022 9:04 PM
gauntjoh
Offline
Member
Moderator
Librarian
Admin
Chapter Two
Send a private message to gauntjoh
Posts: 1,153
Thank you received: 1
Reply to neil:
Thanks for posting this! This kind of setup is exactly what I'd like to take to the show to run my belt pulley on. How big do you think that pump is? It would be very cool to see it restored and I can't imagine it would take much, given there's nothing to them. Seems a shame to see it sitting there in the river. What mechanism would they have used to prime it?
In the pictures there is a small pipe coming out of the top of the pump.
In the area of England where I live which is called the Fens, much of the land is below sea level and so water is collected in ditches and pumped up into the rivers by large centrifugal pumps which used to be driven by steam, then diesel, now electricity. They use a small vacuum pump to prime the main centrifugal pump presumably that's what the small pipe in the pictures is for.
Interestingly while most pumps these days are electric, because of the huge potential risk of widespread flooding if the electricity supply failed (overhead wires blown down etc.) there are many Caterpillar packaged generators for standby use just in case. 

We have a dealer decal for I. G. Zumwalt in the library.
 [attachment=68288]I G ZUMWALT COMPANY COLUSA WILLOWS CALIFORNIA.jpg[/attachment]
Attachment
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sat, Jul 2, 2022 9:23 PM
ctsnowfighter
Topic Author
Offline
Send a private message to ctsnowfighter
Posts: 1,049
Thank you received: 19
John,
I suspect that photo of IGZ Decal is one of those I submitted years ago. Probably in one of the postings of Dealer Decals?

RE: Pump and small pipe with half union on the upper end of the volute housing --- yes, that is where they would have pulled the air from the system (Prime) and in many cases even today on the smaller applications they use a hand pump. For example a Douglas or other make with a piston seal and flap (check valve) in the bottom of the piston chamber.
One must remove all air from the pump or risk cavitation problems and ruin the impeller.

The attached photographs are from a Irrigation District pumping plant --- this plant had 3 pumps powered with 150 Hp Westinghouse motors, pumps were rated at 30 Cubic Feet Per Second at 24' head. This particular plant has not run in many years. One of the pictures shows the priming pump on the right side of the motor and the sump pump on the left side.
These plants were all way below ground grade - in a pit - and as evident in these pictures - you can see standing water and the "bathtub" ring where the water has risen over the equipment in the past years.  The suction side of these pumps has been blocked off - the pipes filled with concrete as they penetrate the levee placed for flood protection.
That is why you see a plate and the small pipe rising from the suction side of the intake pipes.

Hope you have taken a trip into yesterday - there are few locations locally that still have intact centrifugal pumps, let alone operating plants. Reclamation District 108 has at least two large plants running centrifugal pumps.

cts
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sat, Jul 2, 2022 10:02 PM
gauntjoh
Offline
Member
Moderator
Librarian
Admin
Chapter Two
Send a private message to gauntjoh
Posts: 1,153
Thank you received: 1
Reply to ctsnowfighter:
John,
I suspect that photo of IGZ Decal is one of those I submitted years ago. Probably in one of the postings of Dealer Decals?

RE: Pump and small pipe with half union on the upper end of the volute housing --- yes, that is where they would have pulled the air from the system (Prime) and in many cases even today on the smaller applications they use a hand pump. For example a Douglas or other make with a piston seal and flap (check valve) in the bottom of the piston chamber.
One must remove all air from the pump or risk cavitation problems and ruin the impeller.

The attached photographs are from a Irrigation District pumping plant --- this plant had 3 pumps powered with 150 Hp Westinghouse motors, pumps were rated at 30 Cubic Feet Per Second at 24' head. This particular plant has not run in many years. One of the pictures shows the priming pump on the right side of the motor and the sump pump on the left side.
These plants were all way below ground grade - in a pit - and as evident in these pictures - you can see standing water and the "bathtub" ring where the water has risen over the equipment in the past years.  The suction side of these pumps has been blocked off - the pipes filled with concrete as they penetrate the levee placed for flood protection.
That is why you see a plate and the small pipe rising from the suction side of the intake pipes.

Hope you have taken a trip into yesterday - there are few locations locally that still have intact centrifugal pumps, let alone operating plants. Reclamation District 108 has at least two large plants running centrifugal pumps.

cts
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
In case anyone is interested below is a link to the museum I used to volunteer at which has several very large diesels which were used for drainage in the Fens, sadly no Caterpillar diesels. There is, however, out in the yard a large Worthinton diesel engine with centrifugal pump, awaiting restoration which was made in the USA.
The Mirrlees engine is unusual in that the fuel is injected by compressed air (at approx. 600psi) rather than being mechanically injected.

Our collection - Prickwillow Museum
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sat, Jul 2, 2022 11:04 PM
trainzkid88
Offline
Member
Send a private message to trainzkid88
Location: b.berg qld
Posts: 2,249
Thank you received: 28
Reply to gauntjoh:
In case anyone is interested below is a link to the museum I used to volunteer at which has several very large diesels which were used for drainage in the Fens, sadly no Caterpillar diesels. There is, however, out in the yard a large Worthinton diesel engine with centrifugal pump, awaiting restoration which was made in the USA.
The Mirrlees engine is unusual in that the fuel is injected by compressed air (at approx. 600psi) rather than being mechanically injected.

Our collection - Prickwillow Museum
another method is to have a drum or bucket of suitable size above the pump and filled with enough water to prime the system to the pump. a hose with shut off is fitted to the drum and runs to the pump. you simply open valve count to 20, start pump, wait for drum to refill and turn off valve simple and it works they had a old chemical drum for this purpose on the top of the bore pump house at school every few yrs fit another drum as it got brittle from the sun. it was a line shaft turbine pump the shaft guides were water lubricated.

"i reject your reality and substitute my own" - adam savage. i suspect my final words maybe "well shit, that didnt work"

instead of perfection some times we just have to accept practicality

Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sun, Jul 3, 2022 4:49 PM
trainzkid88
Offline
Member
Send a private message to trainzkid88
Location: b.berg qld
Posts: 2,249
Thank you received: 28
Reply to trainzkid88:
another method is to have a drum or bucket of suitable size above the pump and filled with enough water to prime the system to the pump. a hose with shut off is fitted to the drum and runs to the pump. you simply open valve count to 20, start pump, wait for drum to refill and turn off valve simple and it works they had a old chemical drum for this purpose on the top of the bore pump house at school every few yrs fit another drum as it got brittle from the sun. it was a line shaft turbine pump the shaft guides were water lubricated.
i worked on a 6cyl k series mirrlees-national in a ocean going tug. priming the oil was around 40 strokes on a hand pump till it spilled over in the sight glass. she made 1800hp at 450rpm. she started on 400psi air but full mechanical injection.
my mates boy couldve stood in the cyl mind you he was only 4.

"i reject your reality and substitute my own" - adam savage. i suspect my final words maybe "well shit, that didnt work"

instead of perfection some times we just have to accept practicality

Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sun, Jul 3, 2022 4:55 PM
ctsnowfighter
Topic Author
Offline
Send a private message to ctsnowfighter
Posts: 1,049
Thank you received: 19
Reply to trainzkid88:
i worked on a 6cyl k series mirrlees-national in a ocean going tug. priming the oil was around 40 strokes on a hand pump till it spilled over in the sight glass. she made 1800hp at 450rpm. she started on 400psi air but full mechanical injection.
my mates boy couldve stood in the cyl mind you he was only 4.
Priming these pumps would take a HUGE reservoir to fill the pump and suction lines!
The belt driven is about 12 Inch suction.
The electric driven have 30 inch suctions and suction is about 75-100 feet from the water in river. Lines must go through a levee and down the river bank.
On many of the smaller pumps, they did use a reservoir to prime them.
CTS
Please log in or create an account to join the conversation.
Sun, Jul 3, 2022 8:28 PM
Showing 1 to 8 of 8 results
YouTube Video Placeholder

Follow Us on Social Media

Our channel highlights machines from the earliest Holt and Best track-type tractors, equipment from the start of Caterpillar in 1925, up to units built in the mid-1960s.

Upcoming Events

Veerkamp Open House 2025

Chapter Fifteen

| Placerville, CA

Lake Goldsmith Steam and Vintage Rally

Chapter Nineteen

| 1234 Carngham-Lake Goldsmith Rd, Lake Goldsmith, Victoria, 3373, Australia

Stradsett Park Vintage Rally

Chapter Two

| Stradsett, Nr Downham Market. Norfolk PE33 9HA UK

Chapter 2 The Link Club's AGM

Chapter Two

| Faulkner Farm, West Drove, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE14 7DP, UK
View Calendar
ACMOC

Antique Caterpillar
Machinery Owners Club

1115 Madison St NE # 1117
Salem, OR 97301

[email protected]

Terms & Privacy
Website developed by AdCo

Testimonials

"I also joined a year ago. had been on here a couple of times as a non-member and found the info very helpful so I got a one year subscription (not very expensive at all) to try it out. I really like all the resources on here so I just got a three year. I think its a very small price for what you can get out of this site."
-Jason N

Join Today!