Maxmobile Blog

When David Maxwell began operations in the 1890′s, large electric motors were scarce and expensive. Blacksmith shops and early machine shops were often powered by one large gasoline engine that turned a line shaft the length of a small building. Along that length of large steel tubing were numerous pulleys and belt shifters that powered individual machines. Speeds were changed by shifting the long leather belts from one pully to another thereby increasing or decreasing an individual machines speed with respect to the speed of the line shaft. The early engines were started by turning a large flywheel that had to be spun by a very muscular arm. Once started the engine would run at a governed speed until its spark was grounded out or its fuel supply interupted. The belts had tensioners that were engaged with a long lever, otherwise they idled around the line shaft’s pulleys. They often flapped against the back side of the belt giving a sound much like a barber’s razor being stropped against a short piece of leather attached to the barber chair. As electrification across the country increased, the price of motors dropped until each machine was eventually powered by its own motor.
When workers became disgruntled over management practices they would all start their machines simultaneously causing a severe load on the drive engine and it would stall out, bringing the entire factory to a standstill. The ‘good old days’ were tough and inginuety flourished.