The most sophisticated Lister of its day, the FR series was designed by A.J.'Joe' Morris just after the end
of WW2, and was in series production by 1948/49. Using features of all the earlier engines, including cold-starting
change-over valves, chromard liners, water cooling and individual unit injection pumps, the engines were available
in 1,2,3,4 and 6 cylinder versions. One unusual feature about the engine was the use of gear drive to all the engine
auxiliaries except the fan belt, which was crankshaft pulley driven.
In addition to the basic industrial versions, the company offered the FR for just about every type of application,
including generating set, marine and on the smaller engines there were applications in things like large cement mixers
and agricultural machinery.
The engine was ultimately too complex for a market which was looking to reduce the dependency on expensive imported
engines, and the engine did not sell well overseas. In the UK it gained a strong following, particularly in the marine
field, where it was installed as a propulsion unit and as an auxiliary generating engine. One unique property was it's
requirement for SAE10 lubricating oil, at a time when most engines required SAE30.
Technical Details:
Bore & Stroke: 3.75" X 4.5"
9hp at 1800 rpm | Weight (tank cooled less tank & water) 1174 lbs | Weight (rad cooled, less water) 1355 lbs
Other Variants: Engine produced in 1,2,3,4 and 6 cylinder models. Most were available with integral clutch and gearbox
combinations
Collectibility/Availability:
FR's are not that popular, as they are uninteresting visually. Three, four and six cylinder models are of even less
interest, as they are heavy and bulky engines. Singles and twins feature in engine sales, while the threes and upwards
tend to be scrapped.
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