3.5hp Austral by Ronaldson-Tippett. Tested October 1917. Engine No.1874

Price when new: £128. Approx weight: 28Cwt (1.4tonne) Approx RPM: 250

This engine came from Young, New South Wales. I swapped a restored 1928 Fordson tractor for it. The Austral had apparently run a laundry in Young, NSW(a former gold mining town). The Moffat-Virtue records record it as being sold new to a farm (as a portable) at Greenthorpe NSW, however written over this is an owner at Koorawatha which is about 20km away. So a change of ownership must have happened early in its recorded life. Both of these places are not far from Young so the engine has not traveled much. The engine was brought into Young after a working life on the farm and made into a stationary engine to run the laundry. When it was removed from the laundry it was mounted on the transport it was on when I aquired the engine, which is a large Lister transport.

A brief history of the Austral Oil Engine

Some Recent Shots of the Austral Showing it Fully Assembled.

Click here to see the Austral finally placed on its correct transporter

 

Click here for a movie of the Austral running (1.2mb)

 

Click Here For Some Pictures from a weekend working on the Austral

Bringing the Austral to Sydney. The first movement of the Austral in 20 years. June 2002.

In my yard July 2002

The business end of the sideshaft

Some detail of the engine. Note the original striping

The Austral's first rally. Cambelltown in November 2002.

Australia Day 2003.

October 2004. Exhaust pipe cast for the engine.

Exhaust pipe sitting on the engine before the mounting holes are drilled.

Macksville Sept. 2004

Sydney Sept. 2004

24th October 2004. No.1874 stands at its birth place in Ballarat, Vic. for the first time since 1917

Cambelltown May 2007

Macksville September 2007

Sydney September 2007

 

I bought this little hopper cooled 3hp in January 2005. It is pretty complete except for a magneto but it needs a lot of work. It is No.5316 & was tested 3/1925. It was sold new by Qld Machinery Co. Ltd.

 

A Couple of Original Advertisements for the Austral Oil Engine

This ad shows the massive 11hp Engine.

This ad shows the 6hp-8hp engines.

This ad shows the later style engine fitted with a magneto.

My Austral Transporter

Austral Engine Numbers

Austral Gallery

Ronaldson-Tippett Centenary Rally

 

 

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