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Has anyone ever attempted to hand crank their gasoline engine to get it started?
I haven't found anything in the manuals discussing hand cranking, so I figure I must have missed it. Anyone know where it is discussed and pictured?
I've never seen a handle to turn the engine over with.

And my last question.....Why would you want to hand crank? That's a back, and perhaps a hand, breaking question!!!

Hand cranking your M37 is not that difficult, and is a good way to get her started if your batteries are weak (i.e. they have enough juice to turn it over, but not to start it) or if your starter craps out on you. To hand crank it properly, you must:
(1) insert the crank through the hole in the bumper and engage the crank dog on the end of the crankshaft,
(2) with the ignition off, pull UP on the handle until you feel compression,
(3) turn the ignition on, reposition the crank so the handle is as close to the "6 o'clock" position as possible,
(4) briskly pull UP on the handle
If all goes well, your truck should fire right up. If it doesn't, try again.

Essential safety rules:

NEVER crank all the way around like you were winding a clock. If the engine kicks back on the down stroke of the crank, you can very easily end up with a broken arm.

NEVER wrap your thumb around the crank handle. A kickback will surely result in a broken or dislocated thumb, either of which is painful.

ALWAYS keep your thumb parallel to your palm when hand cranking an engine. This way, if the engine kicks back, it will just pull the crank out of your hand.

I dont think a crank was ever made or issued for the m-37, actually the crank nut w/ the ears was a holdover from earlier. The WWII trucks did have cranks issued I think they will also work in the M-37, they can be hard to find though

Hello there. One more essensial rule in addition to what friend Lifer said, is to make sure the tranny is in neutral, and the emergency brake is on. If you search the archives about 6 months ago you will see a picture of the tip of the cranck lever along with the matting crank shaft nut. Nothing special really. By the way, if your rig has the winch, you have to unreel the line in order to allign the lever to the nut.

put a short piece of 4 inch dia pvc pipe over your cranking arm so if it kicks back you won't brake your arm Got that from Roger Welsch who is a farm tractor nut and author of several books on the subject .

Hiya,

I've cranked my WC9 several times. I was surprised as all get-out when it fired on my first attempt ever. It's a blast.

Allow me to emphasize one of Lifer's tips: only pull up on the crank while in compression. I was lazy once, and instead of pulling it all the way around after it failed to start on the up-pull, I tried to push it down through the next compression cycle. Half way through the compression my hand slipped off the handle. When the handle recoiled, it came back up and wacked me in the bicep. The mark it left on my arm stayed for about a month. I'm lucky I didn't break it.

However, don't let these cautions scare you unduly, cranking an engine is a pretty neat skill to have. I approach with respect, and I certainly pay attention to what I'm doing.

Have fun with it...

I snitched this from Bill Wincapaw's webshots page. Nice shot of the dog, itself. Someone had the crank for sale, it was Bill or Carter?

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Thanks, Bruce! I tried to find that pic, but couldn't. As they say, a pic is worth a thousand words.

That's some great info you guys gave.
The photo helps to understand what the end looks like. Does anyone have any photos AND measurements of the actual handle? What size rod is used?

Is there any discussion in the manuals of hand cranking?

And lastly, can the handle be purchased?

Thanks for all of the responses!

Seeing the T on the end of the handle, now I know what the slotted hole in my non-winch bumper is for... cool.

zaden wrote:That's some great info you guys gave.
The photo helps to understand what the end looks like.

Like I said...a picture is worth a thousand words.

knattrass wrote:Seeing the T on the end of the handle, now I know what the slotted hole in my non-winch bumper is for... cool.

Awww, you young whippersnappers have been deprived of so much!

(I'll even bet you never had to bust through chest-high snow drifts to get to the outhouse for your morning dump, either!)

Lifer wrote:

knattrass wrote:Seeing the T on the end of the handle, now I know what the slotted hole in my non-winch bumper is for... cool.

Awww, you young whippersnappers have been deprived of so much!

(I'll even bet you never had to bust through chest-high snow drifts to get to the outhouse for your morning dump, either!)

Sounds like Minot AFB, North Dakota?