bottjernat1 2,189 #1 Posted January 22, 2020 Thought I would share some digging i did a little while back on the clinton engines. I own a few of them. and i was just curious about where they started. I have a cousin in iowa i am hoping to go visit this spring of summer i am planning on stopping by the museum i hope and the Deere museum. The first photo is an engine cover off of one of my motors. The rest are gps photos of where the old plant in michigan is. So stinkin neat! My work buys pallets from the michigan pallet company which has a couple of pallet making places in michigan and one is in clinton. I have been talking to a certain driver whenever he comes back he said he would get me in contact with a few folks who could feed me with knowledge of the the old days! 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike'sHorseBarn 2,650 #2 Posted January 22, 2020 They moved to Maquoketa Iowa at some point in their history. There is a clinton engines museum there now. I'm making a trip to Iowa in September and I'm gonna try and stop in there! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bottjernat1 2,189 #3 Posted January 22, 2020 http://clintonengines.com/ https://classic-engines.com/engines-2/clinton/ Here are to sites to tell you some more history! I found a blog a while back that was super neat. but cant remember where i stashed the link. LOL 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
305 380 #4 Posted January 22, 2020 i went to the Maquoketa plant while it was operating with my father sometime around i believe 1959-1960. i do not recall much , except my father was not happy with them when we left 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 46,730 #5 Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) Why was he unhappy 305? You make it there guys take us along! Confused here your nameplate says they were in Clinton MI, but one reads says Clinton IA? Appears ther is a Clinton IA southwest of Maquoketa on the big river. Edited January 22, 2020 by WHX24 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
305 380 #6 Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) 47 minutes ago, WHX24 said: Why was he unhappy 305? they were also selling engines to competitors,which was ok ........ but he found out Clinton passed on some inside info to them. switched to Briggs & Stratton and Lauson/Tecumseh as soon as possible along those same lines , my father was also not happy with Nelson Muffler later on. they made a special muffler for him that was needed for the Tecumseh engine to fit the product, made him pay for the tooling since it was for our use only. found out they were selling that muffler to anyone who wanted it. ended up with attorneys involved , but things got settled my father was a fair, honest and generous man , but you did not want to cross him. his company is still around and doing great.....Clinton and the competitors are gone Edited January 22, 2020 by 305 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 46,730 #7 Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) Yes that is dirty pool. I don't think Nelson muffler is around any more are they? Never mind I see they are just a different name now. They used to have a manufacturing facility here In Montello, WI. that's long since closed. What company was your fathers? Edited January 22, 2020 by WHX24 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,337 #8 Posted January 22, 2020 Here's another site you might find interesting: http://clintonengines.us/Home.html 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
