Re-inventing The Wheel - Bessler’s Wheel!

The Bessler-Collins Solution to the Gravity-Wheel.

The concept that Johann Bessler discovered over 300 years ago and which took me most of my life to dream of, is simple.  We only have one action available to us to try to understand the concept and then try and make it into a reality. A weighted lever falls through a 90 degree arc.  It has two features to the fall that can be used to our advantage.  One of them is deciding where to try and make it land at a desirable point, to generate some torque.  The second one is to find a way to make use of the potential energy generated during the fall.

The answer has to be found here if we accept that Bessler discovered it.  There isn’t any other source of energy available.

NB In what follows I will attribute certain pieces of information to Bessler, but lack of space means I won’t be filling the page with explanations of where I found them or how I know what he meant.  I have spent a lifetime studying Bessler’s clues and it will take a large book to reveal each and every clue and how I deciphered each.  I’ve published some of the clues and their meaning, but they were easier ones to find and explain. But as well, there are still many clues identified but still not all solved.

As far as we know; this particular configuration has never been found before, or demonstrated  - until Bessler  found it.

First Bessler decided where he wanted the weight to land.  Ideally he wanted to generate as much torque as possible.  Initially he designed the weighted levers to fall in a 90 degree arc, but this produced hardly any torque and he knew that once the wheel rotated a little, the torque would be neutralised. The weight had hardly moved more than a few degrees backwards from under the axle.

Bessler used the potential energy generated by the weighted lever, during its fall, to shift the weighted lever’s landing point towards the following mechanism.  He used a scissor mechanism to achieve this.  These operate sideways best and can operate in reverse when conditions allow.  With five mechanisms employed, the gap between the mechanisms amounted to 72 degrees and moving into that gap would greatly increase the torque with additional benefits.  In reality the full 72 degrees was not available but at least half of it was and that amounted to significant increase on the original amount gained by the right angled fall.

The mechanism preceding this falling one, would counter-rotate about 30 degrees as the wheel rotated forwards reducing the amount of lift needed to return it to its prelaunch position.

Bessler mentions that at one point the weight shot upwards.  This is a very important point and is key to success. I explained it in my www.besslerswheel.com website at Swing Mechanics, click on the principle button (posted in 2010!).  Remember Bessler’s words “The weights gain force from their own swinging”.

Making the fallen weight rise up quickly is actioned by attaching a length of cord to the weight on the fallen mechanism and attaching the other end to the red dot on the falling mechanism.

Solving the Problem

After more than ten years research, Bessler finally found a potential solution which could be stated quite simply.  It was this concept which I dreamed of a couple of years ago.  Some of the potential energy gained during the fall of a weight, (before the weight lands) needs to be used to reduce the amount of lift required to return the weight to its pre-fall position. Bessler studied all possibilities and he found the answer - the special configuration of weights needed.

He divided the action of the falling weight into two parts.  The first part involved choosing where the falling weight landed, i.e., which part of the edge or rim of the wheel was best. The second part of the action used some of the potential energy accumulating during the weight’s fall, to move the falling weight sideways to land it at his chosen landing spot.

He used a unique scissor mechanism to guide the falling weight into a gentle arc towards the outer end of the following radius and its pivot.  If the weight had fallen through a standard right angle arc of 90 degrees, without the extending action of the scissor mechanism, it would give little torque and none available once the wheel was rotating.

Bessler’s wheel needed five mechanisms each consisting of  a lever plus one weight.  All the five weights were of equal size and mass. Having five mechanisms meant each one was 72 degrees from the next one.

So, depending on where the scissor mechanism landed its weight, could, for instance, make the wheel rotate up to 30 degrees forward. This is because when the weight lands about 70 degrees further back from the pivot point at the end of the six o’clock radius, it causes the wheel to rotate forwards about half that distance, or around 30 degrees. 

At the same time the previously fallen weighted lever mechanism begins to move backwards relative to the forward rotation of the wheel.  It moves backward about 30 degrees, which is more than it would have done if the weight had moved through its normal 90 degree fall, without the extension.  This reduces the amount of lift in the fallen (wl) needed to maintain rotation.

Because gravity is only responsible for the vertical distance the scissor mechanisms which forced the weight to move sideways as it fell, it did not use more energy than if it had fallen straight downwards, but it borrowed a little from the potential energy being generated by the falling weight. That potential energy produced during the fall, is largely wasted in making noise when it lands, but moving the weight sideways caused it to land much further back along the wheel’s rim, thus providing a larger mechanical advantage (MA), or torque; more than if it had fallen through the normal unextended 90 degree arc.

When the extended scissor mechanism lands on the edge of the wheel, it lands gently because it has been diverted from its vertical path by the potential energy accumulating in the vertical fall.  NB, Fischer von Erlach commented on this by saying that the weight could be heard landing gently on the side towards which the wheel turned.

Bessler showed us that although the weight fell through 90 degrees, a previously fallen weight only needed to be lifted 30 degrees to reduce any braking effect it would have suffered without the lift.  This also provided an additional increase in torque leading to the rapid acceleration of the wheel, as noted by many reliable witnesses. These two actions happened simultaneously.

The five mechanisms worked in pairs and were arranged quite close to each other so the witnesses were able to remark positively on the extremely smooth rotation of the wheel. 

The fact that every time a single weight fell, a previously fallen weight was launched upwards,  in effect nudged the centre of gravity backwards continuously.  The wheel itself was recorded as needing its brake set to stop it rotating, and it would immediately beginning rotating as soon as the brake was released.  This tells us that the wheel was permanently out-of-balance.

Using a metronome set to the Merseburg wheel spin speed of 50 rpm, with five weights falling at every turn of the wheel, means the sound of weights landing 250 times per minute, or about four times every second! 

The Kassel wheel had nine mechanism so each one was separated from its neighbour by just 40 degrees.  Its spin speed unloaded was 26 RPM. Each weight landed 234 times per minute. Just under 4 times per second!  No wonder Fischer Von Erlach could only describe the “sound of about 8 weights landing gently on the side of the wheel”. 

The Solution

Using the scissor mechanisms to push the falling weighted levers sideways comes naturally to this device, it’s the way it moves most easily. Bessler commented in his Apologia Poetica,

 “A crab crawls from side to side. It is sound, for it is designed thus.” 

Not only does it move easily opening in one direction but is easily reversed and closing when the wheel is reversed.

All my versions of Bessler’s wheel are designed to turn clock-wise.

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The information box is smaller than I planned so here a bigger version.

The first red line shows the weighted levers.

The pink lines show the scissor mechanisms.

The green lines show the scissor guide arms.

The blue lines show the short extension to the green scissor guide arms. Each has a cord attached which provides a link to the weighted levers.  When a weighted lever falls, the end of the arm follows edge of the wheel, pulling the cord, thus lifting a previous fallen weighted lever.

The red dot on the end of the green scissor guide arm shows where the cord is attached.

The grey and black lines show the aluminium retaining bar, controlling the lateral sway I see when the scissor mechanisms fall.

Unfortunately my own model has not been finished yet.  I had hoped to finish it in time for my birthday but other calls on my time prevented this happening. I need to add the connecting cords and I’ll post a new picture when I’ve finished. At least this post shows where I’ve go to and hopefully explains my latest concept.

There are a few facts about Bessler’s wheel which I have been able establish with absolute certainty. I will explain more later, but for now;

1.  There are at least 5 mechanisms required.  

2.  An odd number of mechanisms are required, 5, 7 or 9.

3.  5 mechanisms produce the fastest RPM, more mechanisms produce slower RPM. This is because more mechanisms take up more room, leaving less space for their actions.

4. It is necessary for the starting point of the weight’s fall to be higher than its landing point.  This may seem obvious but it cannot be achieved with some current designs being made suggested, for instance 4 mechanisms cannot accomplish it.

I’m 81 today! Thank you anon 00:00 for the cake.  

And this!

JC

A Short Preview About My Planned Reveal of Bessler’s Wheel.

I’ve taken some photos of my wheel, and I’m colouring the parts to make the descriptions more readily understood.  This is being done on the assumption that either it isn’t finished by February 5th, this year, or it doesn’t work.  There could be two or three reasons why it doesn’t work.  Firstly,  maybe I’ve made a mistake in some calculations causing it to lock up; or secondly it doesn’t work because my whole concept is totally wrong.  Obviously I don’t seriously believe that, but I have to admit it is a possibility, however convinced I am that I’m right. 

The most likely reason why it might not work is simply the difficulty of building it the way I have.  Many excellent models I have seen over the years have gained my admiration, not so much for the attempted solution to Bessler’s wheel, but for the craftsmanship exhibited in the way they have been constructed.  If I had built in  three dimensions the whole structure would have been much more robust and rigid and not, like mine, prone to lateral sway and/or locking up, amongst other faults.  My wheel consists of a single three foot diameter of MDF, (Medium Density Fibreboard). Every anchor and pivot is a bolt fixed through the MDF. Each weighted lever rotates about a single bolt fixed through the MDF.  The levers should be double to rule out lateral sway;  the pivots should be supported at top and bottom, not just the bottom.  I got into the habit of thinking; check the design first by building something cheap and cheerful, and if it works then build something of better quality. Anyway, time will tell if it works and then others can test the design.

So it seems to me that I should explain the concept first, explaining  what is usually referred to as the work-around.  By this I mean overcoming the age old problem of producing a device which is made to rotate and do work.  This is to be achieved by designing a unique configuration using the fall of a limited number of identical weights, attached inside a wheel, which cause it to rotate continuously.  The work-around requires that the device is able lift the fallen weights back up to their pre-fall position, with no external input or assistance and no subterfuge.

There are many people who have studied this problem and built endless models, who believe there is a special configuration still to be found which will prove to be the answer, and also confirm Bessler’s claims to have found the solution and proved it over 300 years ago.  I believe I’ve found it, thanks to Bessler’s clues, but if it fails please don’t dismiss the “work-around” it’s correct even if the build doesn’t  work.

JC

UPDATE and Progress Report.

I’ve finished writing the text of the full explanation of how I believe Johann Bessler’s gravity-enabled wheel worked.  I’ve read and reread it umpteen times and I don’t think I can improve it much more.  But it definitely needs drawings and/or photos added, to make it fully understandable, which is what I’m working on at the moment.

I only got into my workshop a few days ago after being away over Christmas with my family, visiting my granddaughter, Amy.  She is a disabled TikTok influencer with over 4 million followers.  She has always supported me, in my efforts to solve Bessler’s wheel and in fact she only recently lost her beloved Hungarian Vizsla whom she named Bessler!  He was ten years old but had health problems. 

So, I’ve got a bit longer before I have to share what I’ve got, (yes I know - whether it’s finished or not and whether it works or not).  I will share my solution, as promised and include several photos of the wheel.

Anyway back to the task in hand.  I’m adding some short pieces of aluminium screwed into the backplate but bent over to catch and guide any weighted levers which are still subject to lateral sway - and occasionally miss the stop, ending locked up and immovable.  Same problem at the other end of some of the levers, which sometimes lock up in their contracted position, in their case a suitably placed bolt stops their over contracting.

I mention these minor but annoying matters because these additional features will probably be visible in the photos and add confusion to what might appear to be an already complex mechanism.  It’s not that complex and the once you see it in action, you will understand how it works.

So I’m confident about the design but not so much with the build, but I’ll do my best to finish it so you can all get to understand it, and make simulation or actual models.  Imagine being the first since Bessler to make a successful gravity-enabled continuously rotating wheel, capable of doing work.

Thanks,

JC

How Bessler’s Clues Hold the Wheel’s Design,

I’ve always been surprised that, given the huge number of clues I have found, deciphered and published, apparently nobody has ever taken my information about Bessler’s codes any further.  Of course I realise that without a drawing showing the exact configuration of the internal mechanisms, no one could know exactly how it worked and therefore no drawings have appeared.  

One of the things I revealed was the pentagram hidden in the first drawing in Das Triumphirende. (DT).   I thought that the obvious way forward with that knowledge would be to assume that at least one segment of the pentagram could hold vital information. It does but you have to work at it.  

There are other factors which have to be appreciated and worked out but the information is all there.  There is also vital information in the other three images in (DT).  The image in Apologia Poetica also contained information but was limited to having a pentagram secreted within it.  There are numerous other pieces of information buried within all three of his books, but I don’t include Maschinen Tracte (MT) because it was never published and any encoded stuff was included for discussion purposes among his future students.

Examine the picture below.  It demonstrates what I mean by ‘hidden in plain sight’, a favourite’ technique used by Bessler in many places.  This one appeared in Johann Bessler’s Das Triumpant Orffyrean Perpetual Motion book. It was a second version of the original design which was included in his first booklet, Grundlicher Bericht. There are a few differences between the two versions but mostly I use the second drawing to illustrate my finds.

In the picture note the six columns or pillars, not including the main one supporting the wheel.  The tops of two of them (numbered 4) are drawn in three dimensions, numbered 4, but the other four, numbered 12, are two dimensional and their tops are indicated by my short red lines. The latter act as datum points. The two on either side of the central pillar provide pointers to enlarge the circumference of the wheel. 

The green line which is extended from the left side of the picture and aligns with the centre of the wheel, indicates one of two possible diameter lines. Two lines each drawn 18 degrees apart from the lower end of the green line conform to Euclid’s pentagram construction advice. The yellow line at 18 degrees from the green diameter line crosses the wheels edge at exactly the point where the hidden rope emerges from behind the wheel.

Confirmation is provided by the other two datum points which align with the purple 18-degree line and the hatching lines on the wheel and the capital letter M. If you draw a line similar to the purple line but aligning the left sides of the two red lines, the alignment is perfect with the hash marking in the wheel. I think that both lines finish in the same place but obviously they can’t both do that as well as align perfectly with the hash markings.

Notice that the outer circle now includes the left side of the ‘T’ pendulum, the point of the padlock, and touches the bottom and right edges of the rectangular border of the drawing.

The padlock in this version is numbered 42 instead of 24; a typo?  No, it indicates that the drawing must be turned upside down.  

While we are on that subject,  notice the shadows under the main wheel drawing are shown on the left as they should be, given that the window is above the wheel to the right, but why then are the shadows under the sideways-on wheel shown on the right as if the window was above it on the left, which it clearly isn’t. This tells that the wheel needs to be turned upside down but also from left to right or right left, to create a mirror image which would place the shadows  correctly. The division point where the two half images separate is at the foot of the left hand pillar, numbered 12.

That’s all for now.

JC

Meaningful Numbers?

I know there are some who comment here in this blog on apparently meaningful numbers, relating to Bessler and his wheel.  

Here are some other apparently meaningful numbers -  5, 2, 55

Tomorrow is my 52nd wedding anniversary. 

Next month is my birthday 5th February, another 52

Bessler added two more forenames to give JEEB, alphanumerically 10, 5, 5, 2

Using the Caesar shift as Bessler did gives WRRO, alphanumerically 23, 18, 18 , 15.

The O represents his wheel, the two Rs can be seen supporting the wheel in the picture at the top of this page, notice they point in two different directions to indicate two-way wheels. In confirmation of this the word “RATH” meaning Councillor is written backwards. There other pieces of information hidden in the picture

The W has two purposes; firstly it is composed of two Roman number 5s, a favourite game he played in his many chronograms,  double 5.  Secondly it has an extremely important role in his wheel, enough said for now!

Apologia Poetica was planned as one book, but he added part 2 to defend against his enemy’s accusations. Part one ended with chapter 55. It included a code embedded in this chapter composed of 55 verses.

The 5s relate to the number of mechanisms in his wheel.

The 18s relate to the pentagram/pentacle embedded in his wheel, all of the angles in the pentagram are multiples of the number 18.

The O with its small inner circle is the wheel and axle. “It is also known as a circumpunct, The circumpunct (☉) is an ancient, universal symbol of a dot within a circle, representing concepts like the sun (Ra in Egypt, Apollo), gold (alchemy), God/the divine (Stoicism, Gnosticism), the universe, or a vector pointing outwards. Its meanings vary widely by context, from representing the unity of the cosmos and consciousness to a simple directional sign, making it one of humanity's oldest and most significant symbols”. (Courtesy of google.)

In the picture you can see Karl’s crown overseeing everything.

The two grasses are actually Arundo donax commonly used in organ reeds.  Bessler’s brother, Gottfried helped with thecconstruction of Bessler’s wheel, being an apprenticed organ maker, hence the inclusion of a reference to organs.

D.M.M.P.M I don’t have any confirmation of this, but I guess it stands for Doctor of Mathematics, Medicine, Perpetual Motion.

The number of letters used in the picture number 5 on the left including the central O, but on the right Bessler has cheated by making the double F of Orffyre into one letter, but also conjoined the two letters Y and R of Orffyre into one letter to total 5 including O again.

So I seem to have a numerical connection to Bessler and the timing seems just about right. Of course it’s just a coincidence - isn’t it?

JC

IT’S 2026 - HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY CONTRIBUTER0

 

I wish all of us the best of luck this year, in our continued quest for the solution to Besslers Wheel.

I joined the Besslerwheel forum on November 5, 2003, and I suspect that in the New Year of 2004 I predicted that the solution Bessler’s wheel would be found in that year.  I also predicted success on this blog in every Happy New Year blog, probably since I started it.  I was always confident and yet beneath my confident manner, I didn’t actually know what the solution was or even if there really was one, but as George Michael sang it “you just gotta have faith!”

So now, when I say that I’m confident that this year, we will learn that there is a solution and I really do know what it is, I won’t disappoint!  I’ve written a complete description of how and why it is the solution, and I’m still working on finishing my Proof-of-Principle model,  which I hope to show working before my 81st Birthday, 5th February.  I am still adding some images to the description, because text is not enough.  When the wheel is finished I’ll post some pictures working or not.  This is the first time in my life, I know have the complete solution and I will share it as soon as possible.

I haven’t done much work on the PoP model, over Christmas, because of other activities.  As well as Christmas and visiting our far-flung family, all gathered up north, I’ve taken my wife to have surgery on a skin cancer on her face, to a hospital about an hour away, five times since the beginning of December.  The last appointment is next Monday and the surgeon has stated that she will have a 99% cure and full recovery.

If the solution is correct or some other person’s is better, or beats me to it, it will only be the second time in the whole of recorded history that the correct configuration has resulted in a working model.  If it’s mine, it will actually be Bessler’s wheel, and it will then be the only one ever recorded.  Yes the design is recorded in the four drawings in Das Triumphirende  (DT) but you just have to work through all the clues to eventually find it.  It’s taken me about 65 years since saw the first picture, although I didn’t start to really examine them until about 2010, 15 years ago.

Best wishes to you all,

JC

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

 I probably should say Happy Holidays, but I’m in the United Kingdom, a Christian country and my King is head of the church, and I like tradition, so I chose this greeting, but it’s for everyone anyway.

I have plans to share everything I have concerning Johann Bessler’s so-called perpetual motion machine, as soon as possible in the New year 2026.    I am busy refining the text of a document I will be posting,  while trying to put together some quality diagrams showing  the details of the machine I’m building at present.  Knowing and understanding the concept underlying Bessler’s machine, is one thing; putting it together to complete a working model is something else entirely.

All five mechanisms, each with a single weight. are fitted, but I’m adding some refinements not necessary in a professional model.  I’ve had problems with the levers locking up due to over extending and also they are still suffering from lateral looseness.  I hope these additional fixtures will solve the problems.  Once they are working as designed I will add the cords and screw-hooks (instead of pulleys) and release the pent up energy!

JC

Update and Fingers Crossed!

My wheel build is approaching its final iteration and when it’s finished I’ll publish everything. Anyway, I can’t afford to keep my designs to myself much longer, I’ll be 81 next year and who knows what’s around the corner. I can’t swear that it will work, but I believe it will, and if it does …. great! If it doesn’t I’ll post the design and maybe someone else can make it work.

I’m very confidant that I know and understand the basic concept and as far as I can tell, the current configuration fits within that concept and matches Bessler’s machine

I know http://Karl said the mechanism was very simple, but it’s not so easy to design and configure the correct construction, when you haven’t seen it in reality. The last piece of information came to me about two weeks ago and yet the answer was in front of my eyes for many years! My advice to those using his clues to find the solution should examine any puzzling bits of information and try to imagine how they might fit.

There were things that had to be done to improve the actions of the various parts, mostly loosening the stiff nuts to allow some limited lateral motion and then retightening just a little. I have tried to reduce friction but not at the risk of lateral motion interfering with overlapping mechanisms. I’ve already added washers to increase the spaces between the various parts, where their actions overlap adjacent ones. I counter my fears of too much friction by reminding myself that this wheel is supposed to be able to do work, which of course means it should be able overcome minimal friction.

I’ll make the connections via the closed loop screws using my venetian blind cord. The lifted weight has to move quickly, as I demonstrated in my old web site at http://www.besslerswheel.com/ and proved that this was Bessler’s instruction in my web site at https://www.gravitywheel.com/ - and was in agreement with Bessler’s advice.

Even though I believed I’d found the solution a couple of years ago, it has proved extremely difficult to get to this point and I’m still apprehensive that I may have missed something or got it wrong. It’s for this reason I’ve only posted deciphered codes and clues and not pictures of my models. But I have few doubts that this is the right configuration and all that’s needed is to connect the mechanisms and keep my fingers crossed that I’m right.

As I’ve said before; there are five mechanisms with five equal weights and Bessler’s connectedness principle controlling their actions. The cord is always taught and the wheel will be permanently out of balance. I thought I’d proved to everyone that at least five mechanisms were needed, at my old web site, but I cannot say at this time whether eight would work but I would point out Bessler’s hint in MT numbering which I detailed in my website at www.theorffyreuscode.com The Orffyreus Code back in 2009.









There is an oddity about the numbering of the woodcuts in MT. Bessler included the number of each illustration in his woodcuts, like those in the above illustrations. These are present up to and including number 104. They are of a similar style except for the numbers 52, 72, 92 and 102. In each of these cases the number two is drawn to look like a Z. All other examples of the letter two are shown in the usual curved way.

To solve this puzzle we need to look at the identified numbers to see what is special about them with relevance to Bessler. The twos help to point to their accompanying partners, namely 5, 7, 9 and 10. The first and most obvious fact is that the number 5 is identified. The only other numbers are the following odd numbers, 7 and 9. Why would this be done, I wondered. These numbers are similar to those internal angles in the pentagram, namely, 54, 72 and 90, it seems to me that ever since I discovered the pentagon and the ubiquity of the number 5, that Bessler seemed to be suggesting that his wheel would not work with an even number of weights and that 5 was the ideal number. So 7 and 9 weights would also work but it might be difficult to fit in to a wheel. The number 10 might include a double 5, I don’t know?

If you were to use my configuration with an even numbers of weights……it would fail. Bessler tried it with four and it could barely turn.You need to get the message and stop ignoring the elephant in the room - and also please forget the ‘Y’ shaped levers, they weren’t in Bessler’s wheel, and were a product of Ken B’s imagination. The suggestion that Bessler secreted his supposedly lucky number 7 in his drawings is ridiculous, and that’s not just my opinion. There is no evidence that Bessler even thought of the number 7 in any special way - in fact there could be a much stronger argument that 5 fulfilled that role. He was only interested in providing numerous hints and clues to anyone wanting find out how he did it. I think he loved the fact that he had everyone fascinated and mystified by his invention.

So this is my last attempt at completing Bessler’s wheel, after 65 years (if I include the simple balsa wood, glue and ball bearings I began with at the age of 15!). I sincerely believe this is the closest anyone has come to success and even if this fails I believe my explanation revealing how and why it does not conflict with any physical laws will lead to a successful conclusion- a working model of Bessler’s wheel.

I will describe I’ve how believe Bessler’s worked without conflicting with the laws of physics and used the force of gravity.

That’s the plan anyway! I’m trying to get this done and tested before the end of the year. Announcement planned on or about or around New Year’s Day, win or lose!

JC

The Future of Bessler’s Wheel.

Assuming a working model of Bessler’s wheel materialises very soon,  apart from generating electricity, I’m always interested in other potential uses /benefits arising from the design.  The world will be looking for ways to use it.  We have discussed many times the potential for energy generation and there are as many doubters as proponents of the potential for useful electricity generation.  For me it's simply a matter of scale; if you can produce a tiny amount of electricty from a small machine then a bigger one will produce more.  How much bigger the wheel would have to be remains to be seen, but as I have often said, several wheels in series, on one axle obviously has a much larger capacity to produce multiple amounts of power than a single wheel.

There are other possibilities for its use.  In third world dry climates there is the potential to pump water from wells, irrigation of crops, greening of deserts, air-conditioning and refrigeration units.  In cold climates there are a number of ways to produce pwarmth into suitably insulated buildings. But what of the actual mechanical design, might it be adaptable for other mechanisms?

I mentioned many years ago that because a working Bessler wheel would be changing linear motion into rotary motion, there could be potential for using the Bessler mechanism in a similar but alternative way, a reversal of the action.  So a device which converts rotary motion into a linear one. I'm thinking of an inertial thruster but not a reactionless drive.  So the mechanism is driven in reverse by, say, a small electric motor which rotates a disc with a weight on its circumference to produce a linear force on one side of the rotating mechanism.  Such a device mounted on wheels should cause it to move in the direction of the force.  It might even offer a space drive. Who knows if it would work, but logically if Bessler's wheel worked then so should this.

Once the technique Bessler invented is known, better ways of achieving the same thing may well  be invented and his design relegated to the history books, but that is progress and highly desirable. 

JC