Note: a field service manual for these hammers is available in the vulcanhammer.info Guide, link above. Although the California series hammers were successful and a definite expansion of Vulcan's product line, they suffered from two major weaknesses: They had a sliding valve that was very difficult to manufacture. They were only suited for driving piles, … Continue reading DGH Series Hammers
The centennial celebration was one of the finest gala events -- and certainly the best documented -- that Vulcan ever put on. Following are some facts about the celebration: The banquet took place on 31 January 1952. It was scheduled to coincide with the end of the AED (Associated Equipment Distributors) meeting in Chicago. The … Continue reading Vulcan’s Centennial Celebration
George was the only one of the three Warrington brothers to marry; Chester was his only child. In 1933, with James Warrington's death, Chester inherited a company with which he had had little to do until that time. He attempted to direct it from Washington. The failure of Cord-Auburn-Duesenberg, coupled with a looming war and … Continue reading Vulcan At War
In the deep foundations industry, the Warrington family is primarily associated with Vulcan. But for many years, and especially in the half century between 1890 and 1940, a good part of the family was engaged in other activities. We invite you to visit our companion site Chet Aero Marine which goes into the family's involvement … Continue reading The Warrington Family: Broadened Horizons
Most Vulcan air/steam hammers are single acting, i.e., they rely exclusively on gravity during the ram drop to produce the kinetic energy--and thus the velocity--to drive the pile. Before World War I Vulcan had developed the #5 and the California series of hammers that gave the ram "downward assist" during descent, but the Super-Vulcan Differential-Acting … Continue reading “Super-Vulcan” Differential Acting Hammers, Closed and Open
The Vulcan Pile Extractor was the last major design by James N. Warrington (U.S. Patent 1,736,104) to enter production, which it did in 1928. The extractor uses a simple, valveless design where the ram is thrown upward by the incoming steam or air. It strikes an anvil located in the top of the machine. The … Continue reading Vulcan Pile Extractors, and the Wood Pile Puller
From the late 1880's until the end of the "Roaring Twenties," Vulcan prospered with its Warrington-Vulcan steam hammers, supplemented by the California hammers. However, as steam was making its exit as the prime mover of construction equipment, it became evident that the Vulcan product line needed some upgrading. This is a survey of some of … Continue reading A Product Line in Transition
Although not the "flagship" of the Vulcan line, the "California" series pile hammers are an interesting part of the company's story, both in themselves and how they came about. The California series hammers were developed by James N. Warrington. His ill health forced him to leave Chicago and live in Los Angeles, California. It was … Continue reading California Series Pile Hammers
William H. Warrington (1846-1921), the major investor and manager of Vulcan Iron Works until his death, at which time the direction passed to his brother James. Of the three sons of Henry Warrington, he was without a doubt the best businessman, but occasionally things did not go according to plan, as was the case with … Continue reading 327 North Bell Avenue Facility
Although Vulcan is best known for its air/steam hammers, out of necessity as much as anything Vulcan produced a line of drop hammers for most of its history. Until the advent of "automatic" hammers such as the Warrington-Vulcan hammers, drop hammers were the only way driven piles were installed. Drop hammers were (and still are) … Continue reading Vulcan Drop Hammers
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