No Idling Amongst the Tolland County 4-H Piston Pushers

I had fun the other night. No, I didn’t dance till dawn, or sip champagne from fine crystal glasses on a private jet (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I hung out at a 4-H Piston Pushers meeting.

I met a few of the Piston Pushers at the Tolland Garden Paths’ Youth Garden groundbreaking. Other Youth Committee members and I were so appreciative of their energetic, helpful presence that I knew I’d have to find out more about them.

The barn in which the meeting took place was warm.  A fire burned in a stove in the corner, and the place – as big as it is – was full of people. I was taken aback by the number of people. It wasn’t what I imagined.

I had not asked at the Youth Garden groundbreaking how many Piston Pushers there were in total. Over 30 youths, it turns out. I met three young ladies and was told that there are five total. The rest of the age 9-to-17 group were boys.  Several adults were there, too, in addition to leader Michael Hoffman and assistant leader Mark Kloter.

Not a bad turnout for a brisk, December New England weeknight.

The Piston Pushers are a group of 4-H Club members from Coventry, Ellington, Tolland and Vernon who are interested in learning how to repair and restore small engines. The beginners are given an engine (usually a Briggs and Stratton donated by the company) and told to take it apart. The parts – down to nuts and bolts – go into a bucket. Then the kids get to figure out, with some supervision and assistance, how to put it back together. Mark said that by March most of the beginners will be able to take apart and re-assemble a carburetor. Think about that the next time you’re assembling your desk from Staples or Ikea.

Mark said that not all the members come from backgrounds that include farms, garages full of tools or growing up with people who know how to use them.

“Some kids have never turned a wrench, and have parents who’ve never turned a wrench.”

He says that one of the appealing features of the club, the thing that captures the interest of many, is the tractor pulling contests. The “Pullers” of the group, as club president Aron Person referred to them, are interested in using their acquired skills to enter tractor-pulling contests.  “They’re a blast,” several members agreed.

The two major events they enter are the Scantic Valley Antique Engine Pull Show (at which, I am told, they are a “big draw”) and the Tolland County 4-H Fair. I talked to Miranda Crabb, who was working in a smaller barn (donated by Kloter Farms) on the Hoffman Farm property. She said that, though her brother was never a Piston Pusher, he often tinkered with engines. She grew curious and saw the club as an opportunity to learn some things for herself.

I loved watching everybody in action. In the photos you’ll see a bunch a small hands reaching to help reassemble an engine, a dad and his son working together over here, a dad and his son working on a project over there, some of the older kids using a manual and flashlight to figure out something on the lawn tractor outside….

And even before Mark and I talked about the subject, I saw evidence that the members learn more than mechanics. After the Pledge of Allegiance and 4- H pledge, the meeting opened with reports “respectfully submitted” from the club president, Aron Person, secretary Harmony Luginbuhl and treasure Will Moriarty.  Then they addressed new business. The tractor pull faction presented thoughts about changing their method and materials. Some key phrases I heard, getting just the gist of what they were talking about, were: research, ballast, weight shifting problems, uniformity, materials gathering and forming a work group.  Some things I heard about which I know nothing: stone boats, transfer sleds, pulling pad arrangement.

I also learned a helpful hint when Mike reminded the members not to remove spark plugs from equipment that sits outdoors because the space will allow water to ruin an otherwise good engine. Mike then asked, “When you fill the machine with gas, what do you do?” The kids knew – check the oil! As a visual aid, Mike showed a stainless steel pan with a little bit of engine oil in it. He said that during the recent storm, someone had problems with their generator. “This,” Mike said, holding up one end of the pan for all to see, “is all the oil that came out of it.” Not good.

Mark said that in addition to the obvious hands-on skills, the club members learn much more. In addition to safety seminars, such as a fire extinguisher presentation by the fire department (each kid got a chance to actually use an extinguisher), they learn diagnosis, troubleshooting, project planning and record keeping skills. Each member must choose a project, submit it to the 4-H fair to be judged, and keep records that include a financial sheet and project summary.

So these kids are doing something they consider fun, with real world applications, that reinforces math, communication, teamwork and organizational skills. Not bad.

When I asked about the adults present, Mark Kloter said, “Mike can’t do it alone, and he’s done a lot for almost 30 years. He donates his tools, pays for the heat, lets us use his equipment, gives so much of his time…”.

Time well spent. In a world full of appropriate concern for “today’s youth” and “tomorrow’s leaders,” I am grateful to say that things were looking pretty good in Michael Hoffman’s barn.