REVOLUTION !!!

During the industrial revolution there was pretty much only two was to run a factory, one was to locate the factory or mill on a river and allow moving water to turn a wheel which in turn turned machinery.

The other method was steam power, many factories and mills had stationary steam engines which operated the machinery through belts and pulleys or by gear.

to keep the steam engines from running away out of control, Governors were used. these were usually a pair of steel balls mounted on arms, as the engine ran the centrifugal force would push the arms outward as the governor spun. As the balls and arms spin they operated a cut off. When the ball mounted arms were fully extended the governor would slow the engine down by operating a control linkage. It was the use of this style governor that brought about the term "Balls Out". When a engine was operating Balls out it was at it's maximum operation.