Re: Cranking query

Posted by Mark Witt on November 15, 1999 at 17:04:30 from (209.176.193.245):

In Reply to: Cranking query posted by Ludwig on November 11, 1999 at 18:27:33:

I bought a battery for my 300 utility from Wal-Mart for about $50. It has a built-in handle and a fairly small case, so lifting and carrying it is no big deal. It has tons of power and will crank the engine just about forever. I don't know your situation, but if you could arrange to keep the battery charged in the garage and take it to the tractor each time you use it then you would always be set. If you can't do that, can you find out why your battery keeps discharging? If the charging system works, you can protect against an electrical drain during idle periods by getting a battery disconnect switch from just about any auto parts store.

As for cranking, I haven't hand-cranked a tractor since my uncle's -- and I was in high school then (many moons ago). I never experienced kickback, but the whole thing was nevertheless a pretty miserable experience. The crank was about as long as I was tall, and seemed to weigh 25 pounds. The day would always be hot, I was hot, the tractor was hot -- yecch! I would much rather have had an electric start.

If you must hand crank, you should probably assume the worst and position your hands, arms, shoulders, and HEAD so a kickback will do you the least damage. Sort of like approaching a closed door and asking yourself, "How can I grab that handle so I can minimize my injury if someone kicks it open from the other side just as I'm ready to pull?"

The comments from the other guys about keeping your tractor tuned up are on target. That will minimize the chance of a kickback on any given yank, and also minimize the amount of yanks you have to do.

Good luck, and if you can afford it at all, buy that bettery!

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