Hand Crank Deuce

[1redgmc]

I can tell you from experience (I have a 1931 Ford Model A truck) that you ALWAYS PULL UP on the hand crank and NEVER PUSH DOWN because when you do - that is precisely the time it backfires and sends you to the ER. If you are pulling UP and it backfires, the worst that happens is that the crank is ripped from your grip.

That being said, old tractors (and Model T's and A's) usually have a special crank nut that is keyed to release the crank handle in the event it should catch.

These external crank handles are also inserted from OUTSIDE of the engine compartment through a hole that was designed to accept it.

How exactly would one position themselves to apply a ratchet to the crank pulley nut?

I am not saying you can't - but that I probably wouldn't want to risk it. I'm just sayin'...

 

[DaveP]

I still have knots on my fore arm where a 8N ford tractor whacked me 35 years ago. I think a multi would have ripped my arm off.

if anybody trys this --- take video for us.

 

[eaw46]

My 42 Deuce ( CCKW ) came with a crank handle behind the seat I have never used it but it is there. I think a gas motor would be a little easyer to start than my M35 with a crank. I have cranked an old car once and it started but you have to be real careful. Eddy

 

[5ton4ever]

On some old tractors you retard the mag and it won't kick back.(as much). On the deuce I guess you could drill a hole in the radiator and put a crank on the end of the crank, but you won't see me trying it! big gob of bondo should also plug the hole. rotsa ruck. Park it on a hill.

 

[Capt.Marion]

I can tell you from experience (I have a 1931 Ford Model A truck) that you ALWAYS PULL UP on the hand crank and NEVER PUSH DOWN because when you do - that is precisely the time it backfires and sends you to the ER. If you are pulling UP and it backfires, the worst that happens is that the crank is ripped from your grip.

Since people are discussing using cranks to start other vehicles, this cannot be said enough!

Also, NEVER EVER EVER wrap your fingers all the way around the handle of the crank. If it backfires, you want the crank to be able to slip out of your grasp WITHOUT taking any of your fingers with it!

 

[wreckerman893]

In old movies I have seen them start aircraft with a hand crank.

I would assume that there was some sort of gearing system to make the engine spin fast enough to crank. Either that or some sort of compression release that allowed the engine to gain momentem before starting.

I'm not a big fan of hand cranking anything.....I don't even like pull starting the big military air compressor I have.

 

[unclemikey]

Hand cranking is bad, Hand propping can be worse!

 

[tm america]

how about a kick starter on your multi fuel?It could be like a dirt bike?

 

[SixSpeed]

Thought this might apply. Here is the background:

Well, the story begins with my 66 chevy with Unimog 404 portal axles on it's maiden voyage through the Rubicon trail. She worked awesome!

Day 3 on our way back through the head of the starter broke off and rendered the starter utterly useless. (It was brand spanking new by the way) We had to bump/push start the truck, in some cases down a hill. After an afternoon of downhill rock racing in a full size, it was getting dark and we were only about 2 hours from the exit. Half way up Cadillac hill the front drivers side tire slid off a rock and pinned me in a crevas killing the motor (Stupid carberators). Needless to say there was no push starting the truck. The truck was wedges between the front and the back and the only way it was going to move was to get it started and in gear.

My brother aka "ToolBox Tommy"... has some hairbrained ideas, some are just retarded, others you just look at him and smile. Then there is one of those times when you look at him and want to give him a big pat on the back. This was one of those times.

Tom-"Why don't we jack up the front end, put the rear in nuetral and leave the front end unlocked. The driver side is pinned. We could wrap a wench around it and pull start it!"

Well my buddy in a jeep was not willing to drive back down Cadillac hill in the pitch black darkness. So he went into town to sleep and wait for the parts store to open to get me a new starter, My brother "ToolBox", my brother-in-law and myself slept in our seats.

The next morning, we were determined to get it running, hoping that someone would come by to lend a helping hand, however no traffic throughout the night or in the morning, left us to our own thoughts. I remembered I had the Hub Socket and 3/4" rachet and joked that we could just crank start it, based on speculations ToolBox made the prior evening.
Well guess what... IT FREAKINNG WORKS!!!!

Here is the video....(sorry there is a minor bit of profanity in it, my brother-in-law got a little excited! lol)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbQr8OZPynM[/media]

 

[roger-wilco-66]

In old movies I have seen them start aircraft with a hand crank.

I would assume that there was some sort of gearing system to make the engine spin fast enough to crank. Either that or some sort of compression release that allowed the engine to gain momentem before starting.

I'm not a big fan of hand cranking anything.....I don't even like pull starting the big military air compressor I have.

The Me 109 and many other aircraft (P-47 Thunderbolt also comes to my mind) had geared inertia wheels that could be brought to speed by a hand crank. The pilot released a clutch when it reached the right speed and BANG (or not).

I drove VW Beetles (the old ones) for a long time, and had a faulty battery one time. I heard that the old air cooled could easily be started with a spider lug wrench, and tried it. Worked like a charm! It was so easy that I continued to do that for almost half a year...

But I'm not sure if the multifuel could be started like that. You would need a long lever to overcome the compression and clear the cramped space in front of the motor, but with a long lever you can't get things to move fast and far enough. Besides that, if it would start, getting the tool out of there between the belts and the moving radiator fan could be a bit hazardous. I think I wouldn't try it.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[parlusk]

it would be nice but i would think your fingers would get the worst end of that deal

 

[militarysteel]

i suppose maybe you could rig up a inertia wheel, nothing else by hand sounds possible, you might be able to hook one of those Air-Actulated Starters to it. maybe hook up a Aux air tank some where, with a ball valve so it doesn't go empty after the truck sits for a while, maybe install a schrader valve incase it does go empty, and then starter supply pipe big enough to flow the correct volume, you would defiantly want to have your ether ready if it was cold out and your foot ready on the petal for when it hits off,

 

[roger-wilco-66]

What about a cartridge starter (Coffman device et al) ? Wouldn't function without some major engineering to the cyl-head, though.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[paulfarber]

I regularly hand start my jeep (4 popper) and have started my CCKW (inline 6)and you don't die or have massive kickback if you do it right... of course those are low compression gas engines.

But a deuce? Nope... as mentioned the compression is gonna stop you dead PLUS you have accessories turning (alt, compressor, IP, water pump). Maybe if you have a long enough lever, but then you have to rotate it with enough force and RPMs to kick off a cylinder.

Scariest thing I ever hand cranked was a Cessna 172. Scared the crap out of me.

 

[Katahdin]

What about a cartridge starter (Coffman device et al) ? Wouldn't function without some major engineering to the cyl-head, though.

Cheers,
Mark

That's a cool idea. Instantly made me think of this:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IACjOvyx5hs[/media]

 

[XanRa]

i have nothing to say realy ethier but im listening...or.. er.... reading

 

[Stretch44875]

Here ya go, a wind up starter for diesel engines, up to 18 liters. No batteries, air starters, or cranking on the crankshaft, just a lot of cranking on the starter to wind it up.

Startwell Mechanical Starters - Diesel Engine starting - spring starter - back up starter- startwell - simms - manual starter - alternative to electric hydraulic and pneaumatic

 

[Crawdaddy]

I didn't think about the radiator being in the way. I don't have my deuce yet, but I thought the crank of the motor hung low enough that it was below the radiator. Hopefully the starter will never fail on me, because I will definitely need a push/pull start, or build a field expediant hill, because down in Louisiana, we don't have anything that resembles a significant change in elevation. Oh well, I figured someone had thought about it before, and apparently they have.

 

[cattlerepairman]

Here ya go, a wind up starter for diesel engines, up to 18 liters. No batteries, air starters, or cranking on the crankshaft, just a lot of cranking on the starter to wind it up.

Startwell Mechanical Starters - Diesel Engine starting - spring starter - back up starter- startwell - simms - manual starter - alternative to electric hydraulic and pneaumatic

Ingenious. I have hand-crank-started a 3 liter 4 cyl air-cooled genset engine and portable fire pumps with the 1200 and 1600 ccm air cooled VW engines for years and years. Here is a pic: http://www.zoll-auktion.de/auktion/daten/bilder_auktionen/215137_2.jpg
None of this compares to trying and hand-start a 7 liter Deuce multi.

I hate hand-cranks because of the danger to life and limb they pose. You can do it right 100 times, but then the b***tch does not start and you become careless. Ouch.
In the systems I used, the hand crank had a T shaped end that slid into a special nut on the crank shaft end. Much like a worn slit screw, the nut was cut at an angle that allowed the T to grip the nut in the direction of cranking, but pushed the T out of the nut if one turned the wrong way (or, if the nut started turning faster than the crank when the engine caught).

That mechanical starter device in the post above is an ingenious contraption that saves many fingers.

 

[Kohburn]

I was going to mention a wound spring starter.

startwell covers that