Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Wayne 480 question

Pardon my ignorance, but my Wayne 480 is labeled a pre-visible pump. Does that mean it is a mechanical pump (vs an electric one)?
I assume the big handle is to pump the gas and the dial (not to be confused with a clockface pump) measured quantity? I assume this type of pump predates visible pumps, hence the name. Thanks for your help!

Greg

First of all, where on the pump was it listed as a pre-visible. This is like looking a tomb stone that states the person died on the year 2 b.c. There are is no such pumps as a "pre-visible." In a resent gas pump book there was a picture of an Erie pump. Below the picture it stated the pump was a 1908 Erie pre-visible. Well, Erie didn't go into business until 1922, and the pump shown was introduced in 1935. My point is that the term "pre-visible" is something we invented, it wasn't used by the pump companies in 1920 and many pumps made years later are grouped in this catagory, just because they look old.
For instance your 480 came out in 1920, after Guraranteed (Fry) and Fleckenstein had already marketed true visible pumps. If you really want to get technical about the term "visible," Tokheim's first pump had a glass cylinder with measurments on it, so actually Tokheim came out with the first visible in 1891 so all pumps are post-visible.
In my new Gas Pump Identification book I refuse to use the term "pre-visible" because again people will call a pump a pre-visble just because it looks old.
If you have a copy of my book, look on page 292, there is a Tokheim 483-G. If one of these were found all rusted, by someone who didn't know much about pumps, they might call this a "pre-visible" but it came out in 1948.
Your 480 was introduced in 1920 and is basically a hand-operated pump with a meter.
Jack

Thanks Jack, for your reply. Being relatively new to the hobby, I saw these pumps being referred to as pre visible.....
I did not think this pump was that old. That explains the difficulty in finding parts. I'm glad I rescued it!

Greg

p.s. just ordered your book

The 480 is an inclosed mech. curb pump [278 with sheetmetal covering the mechanics, globe tower and lights above the dials]. NICE find.

I'm thinking of painting it Shell colors, yellow and red. I did find evidence of both colors on the pump. Any opinions if this is correct? I know pictures wil be hard to find.

Greg