Commatoze

We were discussing diesel powered heavy equipment over lunch today. I said I vaugely remember an old, old dump truck or semi that was owned by a neighbor when I was a kid. I could swear that he started it by inserting a blank 12 ga. shotgun shell into a chamber between the seats and pulled a trigger of sorts. The thing literally roared to life, belching black smoke, while causing the unknowing bystander to check their drawers. I guess it was in the days of 6 volt systems. Imagine the battery current required to turn a starter. Anyone ever hear of such a thing? Guess it went the way of chain drives. Anybody remember them?

-Tom-

cp

I remember seeing such a thing in the movie Flight of the Phoenix. I think it was called a Kreighoff starter or something like that. The airplane in that movie was a C119 and they used Wright 3350's, and every one of them I've ever seen (which isn't very many--twelve, I think) started with an electric starter. Maybe they added the Kreighoff starter for movie drama.<br><br>Are you sure the old truck didn't have an air starter? A lot of old trucks, especially Macks, used compressed air starters.

Commatoze

I can't remember. It's been nearly 40 years. I thought I remember he carried a box of blanks. I do remember it letting out a tremdous BANG! as it started.

I remember that movie...the old &quot;Flying Boxcar&quot;

Monty

Yeah, what your referring to sure sounds like an air starter.

SolidJunkMM

OK I know those of you that don't know me well will be suprised to see me relate this to old tractors but......<br><br>There was an old English (I think) diesel tractor that DID use 12ga blanks to start. I believe it may have been Lanz tractors that used this system.<br><br>So it is possible that the old truck may have had this system on it.

tool

Yes there were tractors that used 12 ga. shells to start. So there could quite possibly have been trucks as well. My neighbour is an antique tractor/pulling tractor mechanic and he was telling me all about them one day a while back.<br><br>There is a guy down the road with a crawler and a little gas pup engine to start it, pretty slick so long as the @$#@$% pup will start I guess.<br><br>A guy I used to work for was telling me how when he was young a farm he worked on owned one of the first diesel tractors in the area, some mammoth opposed twin job, I guess getting that pig started was a chare some days, it had a gas pup engine as well. One day when they started it, something backfired somehow and it was running backwards, (must have been a two-cycle like an old Detroit I'm guessing????) anyway they didn't realise it and when put in gear to pull ahead was backing up!

UTAH

There was a show on the Discovery channel last year about Rudolf Diesel. They demonstrated a few of his first industrial engines - all of 'em cranked by compressed air.<br><br>Best to y'all<br>Bill

Dieseldude4x4

My old John Deere R model had a pup or pony motor they call them. It's a little opposed two cylinder gas engine that is electric or rope start. The exhaust from it flows through the big two cylinder (416 cubic inch) block to warm it up. Then you engage a clutch and the pony starts the big motor. Turns a lot of heads when I fire up that little pony and then throw the clutch to fire the big motor. See pic below of the ol R.

Speaking of running backwards, I had an old B61 Mack do that one time. I went to let the clutch out not knowing the trailer brakes were froze on and when the front end came back down, it stalled the engine and the force of the frame settling out before I released the clutch turned the motor backwards and it ran. Makes all kinds of funny noises and smoke comes out the intake. Scared the EDIT out of me, thought I blew up the bosses truck.

pwabbott

A friend in our rural subbivision has a lot of vintage diesel equipment. He brought his big D6 Cat over to my place to clear brush. His starter was broken he used a push start. Had his helper take his Case backhoe, placed them blade to blade. With Cat in reverse and Case pushing it backwards he pops the clutch and the Cat roared to life. <br><br>I memember the old Cats starting with an explosion, and the pup gasser engine to start the big diesels, back in the dark ages before the Korean War, or was it WWII? ???

DieselDaze

Hey... Ive seen that!<br><br>I have a good friend that restores old.. very old big trucks. <br>He is particular to the old chain driven Macks.<br>Ive been over to his place before when he did indeed, use 12 gauge blanks to start the trucks.<br>There is an audible &quot;pop&quot; right before the truck comes to life.<br><br>Its a great show to watch those old Macks bellow out the black smoke! Im sure the California EPA has my friends name on some sort of &quot;hit list&quot; though! <br><br><br><br>Rich<br><br>

rattle_rattle

This thread brought back an obscure memory. My grandfather used to have an old diesel engine that he used with a saw rig. It had a BIG flywheel that he would spin to crank her up. The strangest part I remember was the glow plug arrangement. It had a plug you removed and inserted a cotton wick into a little cup. You lit the wick with a match, blew out the flame and then it glowed and smoldered. He would then screw this glowing wick back into the head and give the flywheel a spin. Seems like it turned at about 100 RPM at full throttle. Hadn't thought of that in a long, long time!<br>

Commatoze

There's nothing like the sound of a big chain driven Mac dump truck coming to a stop. I'll bet a lot of guys have never heard one before. Bare sprokets and the mondo chain. Grease flyin'. Talk about an OSHA nightmare! Guess I'm showing my age. I love old machinery and engines. There's a bunch of guys near me that restore antique &quot;One Lungers&quot;. I enjoy watching those things operate...and watching them squirt oil here and there adjusting spark and carb. Fun...<br><br>Since I moved up and out to the country, my wife and I have been going to the fall fairs in our area. We've enjoyed the antique tractor pulls, but I was surprised at how low the old gasoline engines rev. I expected to see flames and smoke, but they just go putt putt putt and yank 15,000 lbs. across the dirt.

B1 Power Wagon

Here are a few questions that will prove my nooby status ;D<br><br>Was the air used to turn the starter or spin up the turbo? I'm pretty sure that the very early engines didn't have turbos, but did the engines with air starters have them?<br><br>How exactly did the 12ga. blank start the engines? I assume that quickly expanding gas plays a factor.<br><br>Tim (still learning) Way<br>Albuquerque, NM

cp

[quote author=B1 Power Wagon link=board=8;threadid=5547;start=0#48748 date=1033769153]
Here are a few questions that will prove my nooby status ;D

Was the air used to turn the starter or spin up the turbo? I'm pretty sure that the very early engines didn't have turbos, but did the engines with air starters have them?

How exactly did the 12ga. blank start the engines? I assume that quickly expanding gas plays a factor.

Tim (still learning) Way
Albuquerque, NM
[/quote]

The air starters were an air motor, similar to the motor that powers an impact wrench, air drill, or die grinder.

I've never seen one of the 12 ga. (Kreighoff?) starters, but imagine they work like a piston with a Yankee screwdriver at the end--you push on the Yankee screwdriver to produce a rotation at the business end.

Dieseldude4x4

Comatoze: If you ever get down this way, I'll show you some diesel and gas two cylinders. The old R pictured above turns 1150 wide open. But that is with a 5 3/4 inch bore and eight inch stroke. She don't pull real good till you get down about 850 or so. The gas 60's are turning about 1400 or so. They are a blast for sure, I got eight of them all together.