MTFCA Forum

This has got to be one of the most unique Model TT accessories ever made. The driver has to carefully align the setup with the buried valve. There is an odometer type counter on the shaft to confirm the number of turns open or close. Note: this is on a Canadian chassis with the horn button on top of the steering wheel. Not sure if the name-tag on the dash is for the truck or the manufacturer of the mechanism. Anyone know who made this?

Is it a rotary drill for shallow wells, or shot holes for surface mining?

If you click on the first photo to enlarge it, you will see that one take-off is labeled "open" and the other "close."

Because of the manhole cover in the photo, I am thinking it has something to do with a municipal utility. Perhaps a power wrench to open and close municipal water main valves.

Note that there appears to be either an odometer. Don't know if they are measuring depth or revolutions.

Pretty fancy stuff, if that's all it does. Around here, they just gave the hands a big T-shaped thing with handes about 3' across and a 5' extension to reach down into the hole where the valve was. Canadian water systems are probably buried deeper than in this area. "Open" and "close' may refer to opening or closing the slips or jaws of whatever drove the drill pipe, if thats what it was. It looks like it would be more trouble to get set up than to just use a manual tool for opening or closing a valve.

I wonder if that outfit might have been made by the same company that made the T-mounted airplane engine starters in the WWI era? There might be some commonality of parts.

Maybe testing it at the factory? Thats why the manhole? Doent look like a street scene. No seat and no fuel tank. That is cool.

For those following the 'Early American Cards' off topic thread - what do you suppose the car is hidden top right?

Adrian: a Kiblinger ??...That is, indeed, the very most rare and unusual TT accessory I’ve ever seen ! Considering for over 20 years I’ve been looking for a comparatively easy to find Warford pulley attachment.... Fascinating the aftermarket items folks invented. Thanks for sharing

That is a "valve exerciser". It is used to cycle (open and close) water valves to ensure the valves will operate properly when needed. We had a modern hand held model to cycle all of the fire water valves twice a year to keep them operable and find any that had froze from rusting and needed to be replaced. Here's a link to modern ones: https://www.hurcotech.com/valve-exerciser-products

Cheers,