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After
seeing a video on Facebook showing a guy starting a Model T by
pushing down on the crank with his right hand, and then spinning
it with both hands, there were a lot of reactions from people
who knew better. This was mine.
Some guys crank like that and are lucky enough to escape
unscathed. But they're courting disaster. I DID break my arm
with stupid cranking like that, and I can tell you it hurts like
Hell. I passed out on the ground, and when I came to I drove to
the hospital one-handed. Since then I've paid attention to how
you start a Model T correctly.
1 Start ONLY by pulling up on the left. NEVER go
over the top. If your car won't start that way, fix it.
2 It's better to pull with the left hand because if
there is a kickback it's likely to throw your hand out of the
way so it isn't struck by the spinning crank. The notion that
you're going to pull your right hand out of the way before that
crank comes around is an idiotic fantasy. That spin is so fast
the damage will be done before you know what happened.
"But I'm not left-handed."
You don't have to be. This is not a fine motor skill like
throwing a baseball or handwriting. Just pulling up on the crank
requires no dexterity at all. It's just pulling.
"But it's awkward pulling the
choke wire with my right hand while pulling the crank with my
left." Of course it is. So don't do it. Pull the choke
wire with your left hand and pull with your right WITH THE
IGNITION OFF. Then turn on the ignition and pull with your left
hand to start.
"I've been cranking this way
for ___ years and never had a problem." YET. At age 73
Karl Wallenda had never fallen off a high wire. Then he went
splat. The fact that something hasn't happened doesn't mean that
it won't.
Here's how fast the kickback
happens. Note that with left-hand cranking it does no
damage.
And here's safer
starting.
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