How they started engines before electronic ignition.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

How they started engines before electronic ignition.

unruhjonny · Guru

that's pretty neat!

poncho62 · Poncho Master!

Might have been easier to stick with horses....lol

Actually, some of them started easier than you would think.

-- Edited by poncho62 on Thursday 18th of February 2021 06:23:46 PM

66 Beau · Poncho Master!

A neighbour collects/restores old tractors. I've started his old John Deere with the side flywheel a few times. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Thankfully, I wasn't trying to start it in cold weather. Still, getting it running the first time after he'd rebuilt the carb was a bit of a workout.

It helps that these old tractors have very low compression - I think they're less than 7:1.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

You can see here why electric starters came to be.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

My dad had an old English caterpillar, think it was called a Fowler. It needed a spark to get it started so you put in a slow burning piece of almost cardboard texture or you could use a lit cigarette. It went in a holder and then was inserted toward the engine. Only ever saw 2 of them in my life. I was about 8 or so when he sold it but I remember the new owner driving it across our yard to load to take it away. Pretty sure it was a diesel.

hawkeye5766 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

This was the next step....

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Jim's video showed an exact part of how Dad's cat started minus the shotgun shell. Cigarette went right in the front like that.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

That is what we had, it was a Field Marshal but ours was tracked. The only other one I saw was a tractor like Jim's video. Just don't ever remember any shotgun shells involved.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

So I remembered I might have a picture of it and just found it. I was 5 then, no color camera at our house then.

hawkeye5766 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

jmont64 wrote:
So I remembered I might have a picture of it and just found it. I was 5 then, no color camera at our house then.

That is just such a cool old pic Jerel!!! If you look close...it has the same crank arm in the same spot for the shell. Guess he must have told you to look away when they light it.