Anyone own a vehicle with a hand-crank starter?

[dibbons]

Just reminiscing about the 1947 International Harvester Model TD6 Agricultural Crawler Tractor we had on the farm as a kid. It was equipped with the "optional" electric starter (two six volt batteries) but the hand crank was stored in metal clips under the driver seat area. (In the foto you can see the round hole near the bottom of the radiator where the handle would slide in to the crankshaft)

When the batteries went dead, we brought out the hand crank and fired the machine up. The "starter motor" for the hand crank was a small gasoline motor. After a few cranks the starter motor would fire and start running, then after a couple of minutes, one would lift one lever and lower another lever at the same time. This would shut off the little gasoline motor and fire up the main diesel motor. The open exhaust made quite a deep roar, and gave the impression of a lot of horsepower. I used to drive it around, pretending I was driving a World War II military tank.

The only other "hand crank" starter I used was on a (1974?) Harley Sportster. It actually came with only an electric starter, but after being stranded a few times with a dead battery, I retrofitted a kick starter. A neighbor asked to drive the bike one day (he was approaching 40 years old-I was 29). I did not want to be mean, so I told him he could take it for a spin IF he could start it (remember I had removed the electric starter). He kicked and he kicked and he kicked, but never fired. I was relieved that he was not going anywhere on my bike.

I got on the bike, set the pedal almost all the way down to where it only engaged at the very bottom of the stroke, gave it one kick, and it came to life.

 

[famous bob]

Just reminiscing about the 1947 International Harvester Model TD6 Agricultural Crawler Tractor we had on the farm as a kid. It was equipped with the "optional" electric starter (two six volt batteries) but the hand crank was stored in metal clips under the driver seat area. (In the foto you can see the round hole near the bottom of the radiator where the handle would slide in to the crankshaft)

When the batteries went dead, we brought out the hand crank and fired the machine up. The "starter motor" for the hand crank was a small gasoline motor. After a few cranks the starter motor would fire and start running, then after a couple of minutes, one would lift one lever and lower another lever at the same time. This would shut off the little gasoline motor and fire up the main diesel motor. The open exhaust made quite a deep roar, and gave the impression of a lot of horsepower. I used to drive it around, pretending I was driving a World War II military tank.

The only other "hand crank" starter I used was on a (1974?) Harley Sportster. It actually came with only an electric starter, but after being stranded a few times with a dead battery, I retrofitted a kick starter. A neighbor asked to drive the bike one day (he was approaching 40 years old-I was 29). I did not want to be mean, so I told him he could take it for a spin IF he could start it (remember I had removed the electric starter). He kicked and he kicked and he kicked, but never fired. I was relieved that he was not going anywhere on my bike.

I got on the bike, set the pedal almost all the way down to where it only engaged at the very bottom of the stroke, gave it one kick, and it came to life.

View attachment 1715102814

View attachment 1715102815

One of the tractors we had when I was a kid had a magneto on it and had to be cranked to start. a bigger one sat w/ a dead battery for a while, my dad cranked it and didn`t have his thumb on the same side of the handle as his fingers, it back fired and knocked all his end finger joints down for life. Yes Virginia, there is a right and wrong way to hand crank an engine .

 

[RustyRatRod]

My 49 Ford 8N has one but I never use it.

 

[67Dart273]

Our "about 1928" Farmall "Regular" was crank, until Dad BUILT a starter into it. It had a gap between the bell and transmission. He had a machine shop do some work on the coupling, and mounted an old Ford starter in there with a flywheel. Installed a generator, V drive hydraulics and a snow plow. Plus, LOL, the obligatory front mount buzz saw, 'with no guard' from which a very young "your's truly" repeatedly risked life and limb 'throwing away' from the saw

This is the day we sold it, I DROVE it onto the trailer. The electrics had all been removed and you can see the mounts added for the snow plow / arms

When I worked for a parts store here in town some guy came in with about a 67? Datsun pickup, wanted us to send in a starter and get it rebuild. Asked him what it was off of, he told me a *** Datsun. I looked out the front window, and said "OFF THAT?"

"Yep."

"What do you do, park downhill?"

"Nope, I have a crank." The balancer had a crank snout on Datsuns up into the ?? 70's but the radiator was in the way "by then."

Welp.........the God damn software did it to me again.............



Normally, you should be able to hand crank my Farmall 100 (same as Super A) except it has a front mount pump

 

[64DartGTinAZ]

I've got 2 '26 Dodges that have the input for the crank - haven't started either of them (long story ;-))

 

[RustyRatRod]

You can tell that guy has ZERO clue how to do that. I am surprised he didn't come out of it with a broken arm.

 

[TrailBeast]

I used to run down the track after hitting our TD4 cat with starting fluid and jump on the crank that was set just after TDC so I could get it turning.
I was only about 13 and couldn't kick it by hand yet, and it usually took two or three tries to get the starting fluid up in the cylinders and fire it off.
Every weeknight about 10:30 I would go out and stick an oil soaked rag under the oil pan and set it on fire to warm up the oil so it would start, to drive it down to the end of our 1.5 mile driveway in the snow so I could pull my Dads car up to the house when he got off work.
Kids today are useless sissies. (my own included)

Things like that are probably why I don't give up, and can do about anything I decide to do. (even if it does hurt now 45 years later)

One time we had to go pick up a road grader my Dad bought and drive it the 15 miles back home, but one problem.
The drive chains were out of it and buried under 18" of snow.
I asked why we stopped for the 40 gallons of gear oil, but it never crossed my mind that it might be for something like that.
Those damn chains are 20 foot long easy, and each link of the chain was 6 inches long and 4 wide.

No wonder a rear main seal in a car doesn't phase me.

 

[pishta]

My F'n cantankerous lawn mower is enough hand cranking for me. That **** started on one pull today, but last week it was a carb bowl removal and CA gas jello cleanout. My 76 Honda Express 'moped' (not really it didnt have pedals) had the best manual starter ever, you cocked a mainspring with 3 short pumps of the "starter lever" and when you pulled the brake handle, the spring would release and the thing would start almost every time. It also had a tickler on the carb where you could manually push the floats down to hyper fill the fuel bowl to make it a rich start. Crazy Jap engineers!

 

[67Dart273]

You can tell that guy has ZERO clue how to do that. I am surprised he didn't come out of it with a broken arm.

You see more of that than you don't on YouTube.



It APPEARS that he is pushing down on this thing.......

 

[RustyRatRod]

That last guy had it about right. You never want to push down. If it ever kicks back, there goes your arm. lol

 

[67Dart273]

That last guy had it about right. You never want to push down. If it ever kicks back, there goes your arm. lol

The Farmall? He pushed down as well. What many don't realize is that many? all? tractors that were originally crank only came with a magneto. These have a marvelous device called an "impulse." This is a mechanism that retards the action of the mag until it builds up and "snaps" which increases spark energy a little bit. You don't NEED a bunch of muscle to crank one, you need to get it up on compression, and then "up and over center." The mag will snap and it will start.

Unless it's flooded
Or you didn't choke it ENOUGH
Or really cold
Or the wires/ cap/ mag is wet
Or there's junk/ water in the fuel
Or the engine is really old and really tired
Or the plugs have 10 years of work on them....and they all do!!
Or..............LMAO

 

[RustyRatRod]

Yeah, the "Unless" list is what gets you. Thing is too, most hand crank vehicles had timing curves that would never allow it to kick back......but if it's real hot and been working and has heat soak.....LOL

The Farmall? He pushed down as well. What many don't realize is that many? all? tractors that were originally crank only came with a magneto. These have a marvelous device called an "impulse." This is a mechanism that retards the action of the mag until it builds up and "snaps" which increases spark energy a little bit. You don't NEED a bunch of muscle to crank one, you need to get it up on compression, and then "up and over center." The mag will snap and it will start.

Unless it's flooded
Or you didn't choke it ENOUGH
Or really cold
Or the wires/ cap/ mag is wet
Or there's junk/ water in the fuel
Or the engine is really old and really tired
Or the plugs have 10 years of work on them....and they all do!!
Or..............LMAO

 

[dibbons]

The story goes that an employee of Henry Ford died because of complications that ensued after an injury from a hand crank (Model T or Model A?). Supposedly, that incident encouraged him to develop and install electric starters. True or false?

 

[fl 71]

Wife's 1957 MGA

 

[Unconventional]

It's not just limited to tractors and automobiles. My friend buys a BSA 500 single basket case, British Wentworth of course. Bike was already stripped for desert play, the single biggest Knobby tire I had ever seen on a motorcycle, at the time. We got it put back together with the help of a Clymer manual. Gas it up, no choke Amal, it had a "tickler button". He gets on that sucker cranks it down to the compression with the kickstarter as we always did on our jap bikes, winds up and gives it a big kick. Over the handle bars he went. We did figure out exactly what it liked for cold starts, eventually. Once it was warm it was a "one kick wonder", but the bruises before that had us shaking our heads.

 

[H22A4]

Yeah potential for broken arm and also broken thumbs. Never have your thumb on the other side of the handle... keep it on the same side as your fingers. The potential kickback will break your thumb.

My brothers MG TD has a hand crank.

 

[dibbons]

I am not in the market for any more broken bones (fractures to date: radius, pelvis, clavicle, maxilla, mandible, orbital process, phalanges (2), scaphoid) so I am trying to picture what kind of contortionist can spin a crank with all five fingers on the same side of the handle?

 

[67redcudavert]

It sounds like a lot of people got broken arms about 100 years ago. My grandfather was one of them, he did not have full range of motion in his right arm.

Charles Kettering at DELCO developed the first electric starter about 1912 or 13, Cadillac got them first.

About 50 years ago when I was a young un I had a ScottAttwater outboard motor that I managed to drop off the back of my rowboat. After fishing it out and draining all the water out, it would start on the first pull every time.

 

[dibbons]

Briggs and Stratton were like that, but Tecumseh not so.

 

[H22A4]

I am not in the market for any more broken bones (fractures to date: radius, pelvis, clavicle, maxilla, mandible, orbital process, phalanges (2), scaphoid) so I am trying to picture what kind of contortionist can spin a crank with all five fingers on the same side of the handle?

Hand Cranking - Safe and Easy

Notice how his thumb in the picture isn't wrapped over the bar but beside his fingers instead?

 

[JoeSBP]

same way you charge a machine gun with a reciprocating charging handle, and hold the steering wheel when driving over rough terrain!

 

[dibbons]

How about a Chrysler powered two-wheel drive motorcycle (Rokon) with a pull rope starter?

how does a two wheel drive motorcycle work - - Yahoo Video Search Results

 

[JoeSBP]

what about the tractors that start with a shot shell?

 

[67Dart273]

Things like that are probably why I don't give up, and can do about anything I decide to do. (even if it does hurt now 45 years later)

Yup. When I was in Jr, and Sr high school, there was many a day around 4:30 when I got home had to crank that old ***** of a Farmall so I could plow snow out of the driveway.......and bust the giant berm the county plow made. Even though it had a starter, Dad never had much of a battery in 'er and it was ALWAYS dead. I'd plug in the charger as soon as I got home, and then "hope" it would fire before running clear down............sometimes would, sometimes not.

One time I had gone up the (steep) hill above the local cemetery to Gramma's house to plow them out. Coming down, I got it out of gear and took off. I was thinking SERIOUSLY about jumping!!!

 

[dibbons]

I used to "power shift" my Dad's 50's Ford wheel tractor without using the clutch. The gears were close enough together that nothing much ever happened. However, one day my cousin was driving (with me and Dad riding along, each one leaning on an inside fender) and he decides to power shift (without the clutch) with the old man aboard! Well, he got an *** chewing.