Hand crank

[yank]

Did hand cranks come with all trucks or are they an option? If I had a hand crank where would I find it?

[Les Parker]

Always fitted to Series vehicles. Generally fitted behind the front seat on 88" and 109" hardtops. On Airportables, there is a special hold-down on the RH side of the bonnet.

[TeriAnn]

The hand crank also comes in handy if your battery is low and you need to do some winching.
Very slow due to all the gearing, but it works.

[Jeff Aronson]

Did hand cranks come with all trucks or are they an option? If I had a hand crank where would I find it?

Les is right; there are clips behind the seats into which the crank mounts. And you really can hand crank a well-tuned engine. It's a lot of effort, particularly when the engine oil is thick from the cold.

The hand crank required a hole in the front bumper through which you inserted the crank. The Series III front bumpers don't have the hole, so you can't use a crank on them.

Jeff

[leafsprung]

huh?

The Series III front bumpers don't have the hole, so you can't use a crank on them.

not true, even the early RRs have hand cranks

[Terrys]

years ago (30+) I used to handcrank mine every day through the winter. They rear main leaked enough to sling oil onto the starter and the bendix wouldn't engage below about 20 degrees. That truck almost always started on the first flip of the crank.
For the newbie who wants to try it; word of caution; always pull up, not push down.

[galen216]

Les is right; there are clips behind the seats into which the crank mounts. And you really can hand crank a well-tuned engine. It's a lot of effort, particularly when the engine oil is thick from the cold.

The hand crank required a hole in the front bumper through which you inserted the crank. The Series III front bumpers don't have the hole, so you can't use a crank on them.

Jeff

Both my '76 and '74 SIII's have had the bumper and hand cranks.

My new NADA truck has the hand crank in clips on the left side rear tub. My friend's '73 has it in the same exact place.

[Daurie]

My s3 has the hole. The other day just for the heck of it I hand cranked my truck. It was cold, I didn't pump the acclerator, and it hadn't been cranked in a few days. I turned it till I felt a compression stroke and bumped it. It fired up and didn't miss a lick. The guys at work liken my engine to a sewing machine..

LOL Speaking of... Back in my RX7 days I was ragged on quite a bit untill my "sewing machine" rotary shut down many worked over Mustangs.

[friar mike]

My 1980 SIII has the crank also but I haven't tryed it yet.

[Jim-ME]

The hand crank works!!! I have cranked a Rover at 20 degrees below zero and would not be without one. Just remember to tuck your thumb because if you ever try to use a hand crank and forget the thumb tuckr you will face potentially substancial injuries to your hand. My second Rover came without the handcrank and it was one of the first items I purchased. Learn to use it! Also very useful when adjusting the valves.
Jim

[yank]

I checked behind the seat. Nothing there. I did find what looks like the end of the crank. It has male threads on one end of it.
I'll have to pick one up.

[thixon]

My old SIII had the hole in the bumper, and the handcrank. It came in handy when it was time to run the valves!

[KSMTAW]

I have had to crank my 1970 IIA 88 several times over the past 14 years.

Does it only work on trucks with a generator? Or will it work with an alternator also?

Todd
Southern Maine

[thixon]

Generator, alternator, doesnt make a difference. It works on both. The charging system has nothing to do with it. Just make sure the ignition is in the "on" position.

[Terrys]

Works fine with either, except, you need to have at least a little charge left in your battery to fire the coil. That is usually the case when the battery just doesn't have sufficient cranking power to turn the engine over. In my case, the starter bendix simply wouldn't engage. I only had to do it first thing on cold mornings. Once the engine got heated up, the residual heat was sufficient to warm the starter shaft enough to allow the bendix to travel out and engage the ring gear.