Usage
Hit-and-miss engines were made to produce power outputs from 1 through approximately 100 horsepower (.75 - 75 kW). These engines are slow speed and typically ran from 250 revolutions per minute (rpm) for large horsepower engines to 600 rpm for small horsepower engines.
They were used to power pumps for cultivation, saws for cutting wood, generators for electricity in rural areas, running farm equipment and many other stationary applications. Some were mounted on cement mixers. These engines also ran some of the early washing machines. They were used as a labour-saving device on farms, and allowed the farmer to accomplish much more than he was previously able to do.
The engine was typically belted to the device being powered by a wide flat belt, typically from 2 - 6 inches (5 - 15 cm) wide. The flat belt was driven by a pulley on the engine that attached either to a flywheel or to the crankshaft. The pulley was specially made in that its circumference was slightly tapered from the middle to each edge (like an over-inflated car tyre) so that the middle of the pulley was a slightly larger diameter. This design kept the flat belt in the centre of the pulley.
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