Engine-driven tire pump

Tires were not very reliable and drivers had to be ready with a hand pump. [1] These came as single, dual or triple cylinder construction hand pumps. The different cylinders had a large pump cylinder feeding a smaller diameter cylinder to give a higher pressure at the hose. [1]

Kellogg Engine driven pump on 1914 Chalmers Six right side of engine facing front

Several companies developed engine-driven tire pumps in the brass era of the automobile. [1]

The Kellogg brand was the most popular. In 1914, the company claimed that 60,000 of their pumps were in circulation. [1] Available as an after-market product for $15 and some higher end models came with an engine powered pumps. [1] Chalmers automobiles had a “power inflator” which was driven by a lever operated sliding gear and this meshed with the transmission. [1] A piston would pump air through a supplied hose to the tire. [1]

In 1923, a Wissler friction-driven pump was introduced which was mounted to on car's running board. [1] To operate the car's rear would be jacked up, the care put into low gear and the rotating wheel placed against the pump to operate. [1]

A third type introduced by The Mayo Manufacturing Company of Chicago was a spark plug pump which was less labor-intensive. [1] To operate, one would remove a spark plug and screw this pump in its place. [1] The piston would provide a two-stage pump to push air into the tire while preventing lubricants from entering the tire. [1] A rather fast system this system could inflate a tire in less than four minutes. [1]

A. Schrader's Son from Brooklyn which produced valve stems also made a spark plug pump. [1]