Re: Regular

Posted by LenNH on March 30, 2009 at 09:48:24 from (71.235.191.159):

In Reply to: Regular posted by kennebunksawmill on March 29, 2009 at 06:06:26:

Even with an automatic impulse (as on F-4, H-4, etc.), I ALWAYS turned the crank very slowly and listened for a little "clink" that told me the impulse trigger had caught in its notch. Another thing: we are always warned NEVER to spin the crank by pushing down. I believe in this advice. The mag won't produce any hotter spark by spinning, because it is the impulse coupling which spins the magneto much faster than cranking does. I can't prove this, but I believe I have it right. I have seen people spin these big old engines, and they were lucky because the impulse caught and prevented a backfire.
I eventually got into the habit of retarding the spark on the tractors with adjustable spark. It may not have been necessary, but it could have been a little extra insurance against a kickback.
A lot of people were hurt seriously cranking cars, esp. cars like the earlier Ford T that did not have a starter. I expect they forgot to retard the spark. My father had his arm broken while spinning a T. Many/most cars up until the early 30s had a spark-retard lever or button (our '32 Chevy 1.5 Ton had a button like a choke; you pulled it out to retard, and I always did that to protect the starter; maybe not necessary, but couldn't hurt).
As to F-12 starting hard, I did not have that experience with 3 F-12s that I used over 10 or more years. Think the keys to easy starting are: good points and good magnets in the mag (they get weak over the years, and the spark suffers because of this). Proper timing. Proper fuel level in carb. Impulse has to work right, of course, in order to get a hot spark.
As to choking, it become a matter of knowing your particular tractor. My recollections (with cold engine) are: full-choke for a couple of cranks, maybe half choke until the engine starts. If it doesn't start with three or four pulls on the crank, assume you've got a little too much gas and open the choke. Continue to crank to clear out the flooding and if everything else is working all right, she'll probably go. Choking was a kind of "art" in the old days (that is, up until automatic chokes became common on all cars; my '52 Chevvy did not have an automatic, but I think that cars of that price range did begin to get automatic chokes shortly after that). You got to know your engine, you guessed what you needed depending on how hot or cold the engine/weather were. If you got good firing with full choke, you immediately pushed the choke in part way to get the engine running smoothly, and so on. It all became pretty automatic. I miss that about the older stuff--sometimes. I also miss the clutch and a gearshift, but then when I'm in heavy traffic and inching through stoplights, I am not so sure I'd really want to clutch and shift all the time.
We never seem to get everything we want, do we?

Replies:

Add a Reply Name: E-Mail: Subject: Comments: Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: Optional Video Title: Optional Video URL: Advanced Posting Options Email Notification: If you check this box, email will be sent to you whenever someone replies to this message. Your email address must be entered above to receive notification. This notification will be cancelled automatically after 2 weeks.   Advanced Posting Tools   Upload Photo  Select Gallery Photo  Attach Serial # List  Return to Post

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]