Hand starting wrench

[dcpky]

Hey guys putting final touches on 1948 Farmall H i bought a hand starting wrench at salvage yard Do any of you guys no where where they were mounted for storage on tractor i can;t see any place it be stored on tractor Also i have never used a hand crank to start tractor any advice would be great I want to show my grandson how they use to start tractors by hand The hand crank rod that sticks out in front of tractor works great it is all free the spring loaded head springs back and fotrh all that works good Thanks for any help

 

[rustyfarmall]

(quoted from post at 13:37:39 02/13/12) Hey guys putting final touches on 1948 Farmall H i bought a hand starting wrench at salvage yard Do any of you guys no where where they were mounted for storage on tractor i can;t see any place it be stored on tractor Also i have never used a hand crank to start tractor any advice would be great I want to show my grandson how they use to start tractors by hand The hand crank rod that sticks out in front of tractor works great it is all free the spring loaded head springs back and fotrh all that works good Thanks for any help

There really is no designated place to store the hand crank on a Farmall H. I've got mine poked in under the seat maounting bracket, and secured with a tarp strap.

The best way to learn how to hand crank a tractor is by watching someone who KNOWS how to do it safely.

The proper technique does NOT involve "windmilling".

 

[Anonymous-0]

I'm not sure where they were stored on the tractor but it seems to me they were stored near the draw bar, maybe the handle part was inserted into the axle bracket for the draw bar. What I do know for sure is what to do when cranking a tractor or any engine by hand. You never put your thumb around the crank. Never spin crank all the way around, just pull up on it.If it has a magneto on it, make sure the spark advance is set properly, otherwise it will tend to kick back and possibly a broken bone some where. Be very careful.

 

[armand tatro]

Best place to leave the crank (AKA"hand starting wrench") is hanging on a nail on the wall of the shop. I have been around Farmalls since the early '60's and have never used a crank to start a tractor! I have no desire to ever hand crank a tractor other than maybe during a overhaul. If that tractor has high compression pistons or low compression it will be a bear to crank. If you have never done this you risk breaking bones. Armand

 

[53 super H]

Best place for a crank is on the shop wall as a souvenir.

 

[sflem849]

(quoted from post at 17:07:25 02/13/12) Best place to leave the crank (AKA"hand starting wrench") is hanging on a nail on the wall of the shop. I have been around Farmalls since the early '60's and have never used a crank to start a tractor! I have no desire to ever hand crank a tractor other than maybe during a overhaul. If that tractor has high compression pistons or low compression it will be a bear to crank. If you have never done this you risk breaking bones. Armand

But he wants to learn so he can teach his grandson... :shock:

 

[LenND]

We had m's that had o hold down clamp on the flat top of the rear housing. You laid the crank flat on the floor and pushed it into the clamp. The only bad thing was you would step on it sometimes.

 

[stevee]

Ditto the "cupped hand" without the thumb over the handle.
When I was a teen (am 65 now), we crank started "cause we couldn"t afford a battery. Dad "got kicked" real good one day-- got knocked out by the handle on its return trip. He got up when we ran to where he was; he swore a good amount, then grabbed the crank and whacked the front of the old Farmall H a good one! Still have the tractor-- it outlasted dad and likely will outlast me, too.

 

[big_red_man]

I keep my hand crank between the frame rail and the engine on the magneto side of the engine. For starting, do as advised. Keep your thumb out of the way and only pull up (giving the engine a half rotation at a time). That way you do not "spin" the engine and you are much less likely to have a potentially arm-breaking "kick back". Good luck.

 

[mike1972chev]

ALL good advise below!!!! I agree,I wouldnt teach the younger ones to start cranking these things!!! IMO

One thing I will add to below statements thatI was taught by My step Grand father. NEVER fully straighten your cranking arm,keep your elbow bent! Thumb on SAME SIDE of the crank with your fingers,pulling UP on crank only! NEVER "wind mill" that crank handle!

He told me about how many kids in his school class had broken arms from Model Ts. My neighbor told me the Story about the wet plug wires on his DC Case when his Brother in law broke his thumb on the crank handle kicking back! I think I will just pull start mine,or leave on a hill,if needed to be.Or better yet,keep electrical system in good shape!

 

[mkirsch]

Someone's gotta know how to do it in the future when we're all gone. Better to teach them the right way now than let them discover the wrong way on their own.

Odds are pretty good that if someone gets their bell rung or their arm broke from doing it wrong, the tractor's going to end up in the scrap heap.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I agree. Leave it in the shop on the wall or better yet, bury it in a field so you can never find it. This commentary after a broken ulna and displaced right wrist that required 6 months of therapy and still not back to original-and like my doctor said-Im running out of parts!!

 

[DoubleR]

I had a MRI on my shoulder last week and the Dr. said my shoulder is a mess. She set me up with a specialist in a couple weeks. Last sept. I stuck the crank into my super C to hand start it. I got into a hurry and hadn't done it in a while and didn't have the crank in all the way. The T on the end was still in the slot for it in the tractor frame. I gave it a hard jerk and the only give was in my shoulder.I have been hurting ever since. The bad part is the starter on it was working fine and I didn't even have to hand crank it. Soooooo "BE CARE-FULL"

 

[Andrew Psencik]

On the left side of the tractor, on the top of the axle housing, there is a hole in the very top of the drawbar mount. The handle of the crank fits perfectly in there. Not sure if that's where it was supposed to go, but mine has been there for almost 70 years without getting lost. A.P.