Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Fry Pump identification

Hello, I registered some time back when I started my project & then got sidelined by life so I guess I'm an old new member. I'm restoring a Fry 5 gal. MW I inherited from my late father. I feel fortunate that I have the original glass cyl. & what I believe is the orig. globes & the cage. I'm trying to figure out is this a model 17 or 117? What I think is the s/n on the base is Q-1603751-01. I would also like to know aprox. what yr. it was made or was in service. I tried sending some pictures way back when I registered with a dig. camera & it was a pain in the ask, but now I have a smart phone & I'm sure it's easier. Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

To my knowledge:
All the 5 gallon Frys are model 17s. There are several different versions of the 17:cast iron base, no base, steel base, etc. Many variations throughout their years of manufacture..teens through mid/late twenties ? Dave

If it will help you any in dating the years of the Fry 17, my pump has an original brass manufacturer's tag which lists numerous patent dates beginning with January 1916 and ending with September, 1926.

Pat Mulvihill

Thankyou Dave & Pat, if my pump had a mfg. tag on it, where would it be located? On the handle side of the pump it's marked (raised letters) 5, PAT APPLIED FOR, BB-2412. On the other side, AA-2461. If I can send a picture, could you tell me if it has a steel base or cast iron? thankyou

It sounds like you may have an early pump. Patent dates do not tell you when an item was manufactured, just when it(or elements of it)were patented. I would guess mid-late teens. You may have a tough time finding any parts for this pump. Good luck and keep us posted. Dave

On my Fry 17, just below the tall, upper hinged access door on the front of the pump, there is a bolt threaded into the piping hardware. Just below this bolt are the brass Underwriter's Laboratories plate (rectangular), and just below the UL tag is the Fry manufacturers brass plate. This Fry plate is also rectangular but has curved ends. On mine this tag lists the Model #(17) and the pump number (92-433), and the numerous patent dates. If these brass tags are missing on your pump (as they often are), the rivets that held them in place may still be there covered by paint.

My Fry 17 has a steel base but has a cast iron dome top. It is very easy to distinguish between these two pieces, especially with the effort it takes to place the cast dome top onto the glass cylinder. Hope this gives you some help.

Pat Mulvihill