[AT] anti-freeze

[CEE VILL]

Hi all,

I remember going with my Father to buy alcohol for $ .99 per gallon (bring your own jug to fill) to use in his car for winter.  It was colored purple so those who were inclined to drink it would know it was the poison kind, not the drinking kind.  That was known as temporary anti freeze.  Due to its low boiling point, one would have to have a low temperature thermostat to prevent cooking it out.  I think the thermostat was around 140 deg. F. The alcohol would definately boil out if left in until warm weather. Permanent anti freeze was on the market (Zerex and Zerone and maybe Prestone) but it cost $ 3.00 per gallon more or less. My Grandfather was more progressive and used that in his car. I am guessing it was 1950 before my Dad saw the light on that one.  The tractors got drained.  That usually ended up being my assignment around 10:00 PM when my Father decided it might freeze that night.

Charlie V in WNY



> Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:13:37 -0600
> From: alfg at sasktel.ne
> To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
> Subject: Re: [AT] anti-freeze
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "charliehill" <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 7:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph Goff CLOSE THE DOOR
> 
> 
> > John my dad used to tell me about not being able to get anti-freeze during
> > WW II and folks putting kerosene in the cooling system.
> >
> 
> Charllie, my Dad also talked of using either diesel fuel or kerosene as 
> anti-freeze in his John Deere D way back in the fifties. I don't know if he 
> couldn't afford anti-freeze or if it wasn't available. It would have cost a 
> fair bit to fill up that big cooling system on the D so maybe he was trying 
> to avoid the cost. He did comment on at least one occasion when the 
> "anti-freeze" (kerosene) got so thick in the radiator that it stopped 
> circulating and actually overheated the engine.
> This would likely have been in the early fifties before electricity came to 
> the rural areas so block heaters were not an option. No battery chargers 
> either so when the batteries wouldn't crank anymore it was time to grab that 
> big cast iron flywheel and try to start the tractor. I sometimes wonder how 
> they survived those winters. We have it pretty easy now even though we 
> complain about the cold.
> 
> Ralph in Sask. 
> 
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