Charging Set, 300-Watt Variations

[charlie fitton]

I have several years of brochures (downloaded) - I hope this one works.

The chorehorse was presented as the maid of all labours..light, pump, butter churn, and to charge your radio batteries. Run an entire farm on 300 watts!

This flyer seems to be home oriented, but it would certainly work for a cottage...

The local flea market also had an example of the same unit that we know and love, but in 110v... kick myself for not buying it.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Bob.

I suspect two factors are at play here.

In the Manitoba area, the ratio of these charging sets found with the grill guard setup vs the metal shroud, or none at all, is easily in the order of 4 to 1, or higher, but most, if not all would have been Canadian Pattern Models. Very few true British Pattern Charging Sets are ever found out here. That tells me the Canadian Army quickly discovered the grill guard setup offered better protection for the charging set and vastly improved handling ability for Signals personnel who had to hump them back and forth for remote operations. The latter point is probably one that was not fully appreciated at the start of the war when wartime use of wireless was still not fully thought out. But all this likely prompted a changeover to the grill guard format protection in all subsequent Canadian Pattern Models at some point in the second half of the war, if not sooner.

We do run across 24-Volt units out here (with grill guards) and as Charlie pointed out, most if not all of these, are probably postwar conversions of wartime charging sets to meet the 24-Volt upgrades to the newer generations of Military Vehicles and Signals Equipment.


David

[Bob Carriere]

..... the CMP early gathering at Odessa started out as a small part of the Odessa antique flea market..... there was a collector who showed up with a small flat trailer covered with all possible variety of these small generators.... some military some civilian, some with rope start, some with pedal start....... not a clue who he was.....wonder where that collection is now and whether it will ever surface again......

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by charlie fitton

I have several years of brochures (downloaded) - I hope this one works.

The chorehorse was presented as the maid of all labours..light, pump, butter churn, and to charge your radio batteries. Run an entire farm on 300 watts!

This flyer seems to be home oriented, but it would certainly work for a cottage...

The local flea market also had an example of the same unit that we know and love, but in 110v... kick myself for not buying it.

Nice brochure ! do you have any more ?

[Mike K]

This is a 1936 brochure. The first model appears to have bewn released in 1936 , made in Illinois USA - the "Iron Horse"
I think the Canadian made version, renamed the "Chorehorse" was produced later.

[Mike K]

A post war advert from Australia. Breville manufactured electrical appliances including domestic radios, the brand still exists today. Breville also made military standard multimeters during WW2. The Breville lighting plants may have been army surplus models that Breville badged as their own ?

Another Australian brand was 'Cooper', these were sold as single stand shearing plants and lighting plants.

[Mike K]

Go down to your shoe store and buy a Chorehorse !

1937 and 38 adverts for the earlier 'Iron Horse'.

[Mike K]

1000 miles from the city

[charlie fitton]

Mike Kelly;Nice brochure ! do you have any more ?

Yes- Yes I do

And to add to the discussion - I think the engine is an Iron Horse - used for washing machines and the like, and the generator is a Chore Horse

[David Dunlop]

Does anyone have a manual with specifications for either the British or Canadian versions of these sets? Just looking through the two OMC manuals I have and realized no weights or dimensional data is provided in either.

David