[Public-List] Hand cranking an Atomic 4

[crufone at comcast.net]

Gord, 

My understanding is to engage the crank handle at about 7:00 o'clock position. Hold handle with four fingers and your thumb on the lower side of the handle. Pull up directly toward 11:00 o'clock position smartly. Quickly with gusto. Allow the crank to disengage as the momentum of the motor rotates itself past the 12:00 o'clock position. For the second try re-engage crank between 6 and 7 o'clock slowly pull toward 7 o'clock and then with gusto pull directly up toward the 11 o'clock position. 



The idea to prevent breaking your thumb or wrist is to keep your thumb on the same side of the crank as your fingers and never continue pressure on the crank handle past the 12:00 o'clock position. When, not if, the engine backfires is what causes accidents. In that case, you want the handle to pull off/out of your hand which can't happen if your thumb is on the other side of the handle or you are pushing downward at let's say 3:00 o'clock your wrist will be broken. 



Most engines which I have hand cranked had a way to retard the spark. This feature helps to reduce but does not eliminate backfires.  This procedure is reversed on the clock references for counter rotating engines. Good luck. 

Michael #133 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net> 
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 3:25:50 PM 
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Hand cranking an Atomic 4 

The handle I bought this week is the same; I don't see much chance that the 
engine could give it a spin out of my hand. 

Regardless I kept my face away and made the starting torque a pull up on the 
handle rather than crouching low and winding it about. 

When the engine started it threw off the engagment part of the crank smartly 
and I was left with it in my hand, not connected to the engine.  It wasn't 
violent at all. 

That said - I'd still like to read how to do it 'properly'! 

Gord 







On 15/09/10 3:15 PM, "Tom Moffatt" <tmoffatt at xplornet.com> wrote: 

> On the hand cranking - when I had my Alberg 30 in the late 1970s I started 
> the Atomic 4 several times by hand. I think I must have had one of the 
> "factory-made" ones - The teeth were angled on the backside and there was no 
> problem with it automatically disengaging when the engine fired up - which 
> it did easily. 
> 
> Tom Moffatt 
> 
> 
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