Wheel Horse Clock

[c-series don 11,540]

Back in August I bought this clock from a friend who was getting out of the hobby. The guy that he bought it from claimed that it actually hung in the factory in South Bend. Unfortunately without a picture of such I can’t verify. However I have been searching since I got it and haven’t found another one, so maybe it is one of a kind and did actually come from the factory. If anyone has seen another I’d just like to know about it. 
 When I got it, the second hand had fallen off and was laying inside the glass. I plugged it in and it worked only for a few minutes and then stopped. So I put it away for another day. Well last night I wasn’t doing much so I decided it was time to see what I could do to fix it. I did what a lot of us do when something is broken and went on YouTube. There I found a guy who went right in and took all the gears out of the movement, and I thought well I’m not going to do that no way. Especially since he didn’t show the reassembly. Next thing you know that was me! I took it totally apart, cleaned and lubricated it. It still did the same thing when I put it back together, so not wanting to give up I took it apart again. This time I noticed a tiny brass cog that didn’t seem to be moving as smoothly as it should be. I cleaned and lubed it up with some oil that is probably 5w or 10w and put it back together again. Now it works nice and smooth and keeps proper time. After being so proud of myself I showed my wife it working like it should. She said “That’s really nice that you were able to fix it, but don’t ever think about hanging that in our house!” As if after 32 years of marriage I didn’t already know that! So in the garage it goes as I had planned. Now I just have to make room for it by moving some signs that are in the way. I should have taken more pictures of the movement when it was apart, good thing I remembered it went back together! 

[WHX?? 55,346]

I have found replacement movements in the jungle but mostly for smaller battery hobby use clocks. They may have bigger ones tho.

[c-series don 11,540]

I was actually thinking switching to a battery movement, or at the very least replacing the electric wire and plug. The wire is quite brittle and the plug is just not in the best shape. 

[Bill D 2,631]

9 hours ago, c-series don said:

I was actually thinking switching to a battery movement, or at the very least replacing the electric wire and plug. The wire is quite brittle and the plug is just not in the best shape. 

Definitely change the cord.   You don't need a fire.

[WHX?? 55,346]

Story Here Don ... There was an old codger down the road who used to call in a fire every winter. Chimney fire. Volunteers would go out sirens & lights a blazin but they knew why they was goin. 

  He made sure he had plenty of beer and the boys would clean his chimney for him. He was too old to get on the roof himself. 

 

So we don't wanna see you have a party for the boys & showing off a clock cause you got bad wiring.. 

Edited yesterday at 01:06 PM by WHX??

[c-series don 11,540]

@WHX?? I definitely don’t want that Jim, especially since I don’t drink anymore and I don’t have the quantity of beer that I used to have in stock 🤣 I still keep some on hand in case friends come over, but not like I used to. Yesterday my wife said “And don’t think about plugging that thing in the garage. We don’t need our house burning down because of that clock!” 

[953 nut 64,369]

10 hours ago, WHX?? said:

we don't wanna see you have a party for the boys & showing off a clock cause you got bad wiring

            Nothing more embarrassing than a fireman having to call in a fire that he caused.             

Edited 16 hours ago by 953 nut

[rmaynard 16,916]

It's funny how images of things remain in your brain as you get older, but you forget what you had for breakfast this morning. The first time that I visited my local Wheel Horse dealer back in 1994, I distinctly remember a clock like that hanging on the wall over the parts counter. I assumed it was a dealer thing. 

[Handy Don 16,034]

I would definitely devote some research time to getting a battery movement. There are versions capable of working with hands up to 12” long with sweep second hands--these typically use one or two D cells.

Benefits include no fire risk AND automatic syncing for continuous correct time and spring/fall adjustments. 

[WHX?? 55,346]

5 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

getting a battery movement.

Sure i bet they even got battery ones with Bluetooth. 

20 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

clock like that hanging on the wall over the parts counter.

Hanging back of my parts counter in the day... 

 

1 hour ago, c-series don said:

don’t drink anymore

I don't either but I still gotta have something when Dan comes over... 

Prolly the only reason he comes over!

 

[squonk 45,662]

18 hours ago, 953 nut said:

            Nothing more embarrassing than a fireman having to call in a fire that he caused.             

That happened years back. One of my Napa customers was the Canoga fire chief. I hear on the scanner a fire call to his residence for a porch fire. He came in the store a while later and of course I harassed him about it. Turned out he was BBQ ing and things got out of hand! 

[clueless 3,348]

Back in my Sanford and Son days I would run across the old round glass globe clocks that had companies logos on them at yard sales and flee markets. The ones in great shape were a bit expensive butt the ones that the cord were cut off or the motor didn't work and had some aged look (patina) were cheap. Over the years I collected several, some you could just replace the cord and they worked, some a little tinkering would get the mechanism and they worked which make the back light work. I hung all of them in my shop running or not, a few years back I bought a battery power mechanism and put in one and it fit good, a couple of washer and it ran just fine, no light though. Put it in a few and they worked.