Crank Starting - Safety

ive seen it go wrong crank starting engines. ive nearly been caught myself. i know someone who was it broke his wrist. done with care and proper maintenance its fairly safe. do it wrong and it hurts.

ive seen the crank handle get stuck on a 3cyl ruston diesel engine it didnt fly off luckily and the engine was stopped before it did. but it gave everyone a fright.

I had the same thoughts as you CTS about that picture of the Cat 30.

My wife's uncle who was talented in many areas, such as a crane operator on some really big jobs, like the smoke stacks on the old PG&E power plant at Morry Bay Cal, and added a 3 speed brown transmission to his early 70's Chrysler New Yorker. In the late 1980's I helped him clean up his parents place in Atascadero Cal. Part of which was a Cat 30, plow, and grain drill he had hocked up for one pass planting. Which looked like to much load for a Cat 30 to me. With my dumbfounded look he started telling me his "improvement to said Cat 30". Maybe all made up but I saw the shift lever in the New Yorker he was driving with a large car trailer behind. He claimed to have added a bit taller piston for more compression, to pull the load. And in doing so had to jump off the track onto a extended crank handle. In my mind I could see him flying right over the top of that 30 if the timing was off. But who was I to question him as he gave a pickup load of cable chokers. Oh he did haul the Cat 30 to the Riverside area with the New Yorker and his home built trailer. And no traffic accidents with him, as his sister (my mother in law) was CHP secretary here local. She knew many things that did not make the news. He died of natural causes just few years ago in his 90's.

As per CTS instructions, my one incident with a crank was starting a RD 7 on a frosty morning. Had a short hose on fuel barrel, so pickup was close to track to pump fuel. I cranked with the quarter turn over the top. It jerked the crank out of my hand and I backed up. Hit truck and hand was still extended in front, crank hit my knuckles on top of extended hand. Still feel it 40 years plus on the right day. Not like broken arm, or worse. But always moved truck before starting after that.

When I first had my 22, I used to get it spinning pretty good with the crank.I had no idea that the impulse coupler could cause it to kick back. When you are on the bottom part of spinning the crank your head is right above the crank. I finally read the manual and found out that you put your right hand on the radiator and pull over the top
with your left. If you slip, you fall away from the crank. Much safer this way.

I learned to drive a Model T Ford Truck - and the starter was in front of the radiator. About Ten years old or so, Dad made sure I knew how to handle the crank and Spark/throttle levers. I never got hurt, crank torn out of hands a couple times, teaches you quickly to pay attention. Those old "buzz coils" were amazing, sometimes even give you a surprise!

When I started helping a neighbor with his Thirty, I learned the proper way to handle that long throw crank - Right hand on the intake to the air cleaner, right next to the radiator, and left hand pulling the crank over the top! Right hand would work as a CHOKE and if things got out of hand, you could kill it quickly by cutting off the air supply.
Years pass - many cranks, many ropes and a few starting bars. I always respected those darn mechanical bent iron starters!

There are a multitude of ways to get hurt on machines - the key in my opinion is common sense - if you do not know - find out - READ THE MANUAL - ASK THE EXPERIENCED.
then follow those instructions.

Stay Safe and "keep 'em crawlin'"
cts

trembler coils. make the knees tremble. they could deliver some serious voltage.

Motorcycles? Harleys in particular, back in the day sent many men over the handlebars trying to kickstart the beasts the wrong way. There are definitely techniques to manual starting any engine and if the procedures are not strictly followed injuries or worse will happen.