rope starting a tractor

[bill mart]

saw the "we all must reminded" video and this was in the related videos column. any input? Bill
rope starting a tractor

 

[Ultradog MN]

That video has been posted here before. Maybe on the N board.
I thought it was rather clever myself - American ingenuity.
The only sad part was all the times he had to issue safety warnings - for the clueless who probably shouldn't even be on a tractor much less start one that way.

 

[37chief]

We learn something new here every day. I think as long as another vehicle is available, I would just find a set of jumper cables. What ever it takes. Stan

 

[Bryce Frazier]

I agree... I have seen it done, and could competently accomplish the task myself, but there are a LOT of "tractor owners" that would kill them selves before they ever got it to pop....

 

[Bob]

ALMOST as much fun as rope-pull starting a John Deere "R" diesel!

 

[bill mart]

Bob,the pony or the main engine? Bill

 

[sourgum]

Well you learn something everyday. But what happens if the rope somehow doesn't release and the car starts to be reeled in to the PTO shaft. Guess you depend on your skilled assistant to know what to do.

 

[Bob]

I'll keep it easy and say "pony"!

 

[Mike (WA)]

Probably wouldn't work with most newer tractors having an electrically controlled independent PTO. If a stick transmission, I'd unhook the implement and pull start it. But I think he said its hydrostatic, so that wasn't an option. Wonder how many hydro tractors have a clutch-operated PTO?

 

[bill mart]

sourgum ,that would be worth watching! Bill

 

[Robert Major]

Hi Most modern tractors you can't do this with due to hyd pack everything . I think the real idea behind it is the older tractors or this lever operated Chinese type stuff.

How i see it is If you have let the smoke Genie out of your 8n or what ever starter or electrical system and it's toasted. Jump leads won't really help you. It's an emergency only fix if you need the tractor and are waiting for parts or to get it fixed.
Regards Robert

 

[JD John]

The early "R" had a rope (small cable) start option for the pony motor. A small knob on the dash you could pull to get it started if the battery was dead.

 

[Russ from MN]

The JD R that I grew up driving had a hole in the dash marked (crank) and dad said the first ones had a rope start pony.

 

[Brown Swiss]

It did work, but I would not do it, first thought is is something goes wrong, his good looking assistant could end up sore the rest of the day. I think it is dumber than redneck, and I am a redneck. Second what if there is not an implement hooked on, could you see your should have stayed in the city neighbor dragging his mower over to his tractor so he could start it, cause that is how they do it on u tube! LOL The solenoid had a petty solid click, probably had a bad connection. Just my two cents!

 

[tractorguy2]

i saw a video once of a guy rope starting a Cletrac. he had a large wood pulley on the PTO.

I wouldn't try it.

One of dads customers used to start a G John Deere by putting a pry bar in the fly wheel slots. To tight to buy a new battery.

 

[hd6gtom]

My mom says her dad had a Fordson that was very hard to crank start. When he did not have help to pull start it, he would wrap a rope around the belt pulley, hook his team to the rope and have them start the fordson. That worked ok till the fordson backfired and drug his team off their feet backwards. he never did again. I guess that was one of the first pony starters.

 

[petetx]

Jumper cables would have been easier and safer

 

[Keith Molden]

I think, from the mark on the front portion of the deck, he should be checking to see why the blades are rubbing on the deck instead of being the brain that he isn't. Just too dumb for words in my opinion. Keith

 

[ditchwitch]

Well you know i have never thought of that. But any port in a storm i always say. I do understand the danger of it and i do. But if it gets you out of a bind and going again i say go for it.

 

[tim s]

Yes it worked, but he should read the " We all need to be reminded." post.....he is a qualifier for a bad accident for sure......

 

[Robin Hood]

My first car was a 72 Super Beetle. After a few months the generator went bad, and not having much money, I used to park it on a hill and drift start it. I got to thinking one day that I could put one of those generic rope starter pulleys with a notch for the rope knot on the generator pulley and pull start it with a length of rope. I was able to start it that way, but only when the motor was warm. Sure did get some stares.

 

[JimB2]

Hi, many year ago we had an IH 10-20 that we used on the forage blower and it was a crank start. We started it many times by one person grabbing the belt and run with it and another person popping the clutch on the 10-20. Once you had the forage blower spinning there was enough inertia to start the 10-20.

JimB

 

[pete 23]

My late brother in law would jack up a rear wheel, back up another tractor tire to tire, jack that one up and bingo.

 

[jeffcat]

That was one CRAZY video. Check out some of the others on there too.I will agree that the saftey story got a bit long winded. I have a 1986 Homelite 180A-75-1A Generator with a Briggs 16hp ROPE start engine. If you know how it will pop righ off every time. Try to start a Model "L" Gravely with the start strap in winter sometime if you don't know how!!! At a tractor show I watch a guy start his old Holt dozer with a crow bar in the flywheel. This is how they were made to start!

 

[VicS]

I thought it was pretty cool. Going to see tomorrow if our hydro JD with electric pto switch will engage the pto without the engine running. Sure can't pull it. Reminds me of my friend who a few yrs ago had a 630 LP John Deere that something was wrong with the starting. He was a Union Carpenter so got home just before dark and didn't have much time to fix it. Needed to farm every evening till at least 10 pm. He would hook his ZA Moline to the 630 put the ZA in low with just a bit of throttle. Get it going then hop off run back to the 630 climbing on (it had a 14 ft disk) slamming the clutch up , when it started. lock the brakes. This would stop the ZA and while it was bouncing and spinning he would jump on it and pull the clutch out. We was talking about this at New Years. About how God looks out for Fools and Sinners. Vic

 

[ShadetreeRet]

Everything on that tractor sure did look awfully "new" to be having starting problems. Even the tires looked new. JMHO.

 

[Owen Aaland]

Started out Farmall Hs many times with the belt pulley. Sometime with a rope, other times just grabbing the pulley and turning it by hand.

 

[L.Fure]

(quoted from post at 07:01:48 02/04/15) Started out Farmall Hs many times with the belt pulley. Sometime with a rope, other times just grabbing the pulley and turning it by hand.

I did the same with a VAC Case, back when I was young. I used it as my wood hauler and was too poor to buy a good battery. I even thought about putting a larger wheel on the pulley so I could start it like a two-banger JD. Until my dad saw me starting the tractor this way. He promptly went to town and bought a battery for me. He told me he didn't feed me all those years just so I could kill myself starting a tractor.

 

[Kenneth R Ohnstad]

long winded son of a gun