Recoil starters on small 2-stroke engines

Many of the small 2-stroke engines appear to have the recoil
starter positioned so that as one faced the engine the starter
is on the right and the prop on the left. With this configuration
when right-handed person uses their right hand to start the
engine the rest of their body is between the starter and the
prop. This seems to be sub-optimal for safety. Would it
not be better to have the recoil handle on the other side of
the engine so that when pulling the cord the right arm is the
part of the body closest to the prop with the rest of the body
farther away?

Is it possible in general to reposition (rotate) recoil starters
during installation so as to have a choice in the matter?

Also, many volksplanes are routine hand-propped. Is there
any reason why the small 2-cycle engines could not be hand
propped?

Just install the engine inverted and you have your proper position.
Challengers are like that.

Just an opinion

J.P.
wrote in message
ups.com...
Many of the small 2-stroke engines appear to have the recoil
starter positioned so that as one faced the engine the starter
is on the right and the prop on the left. With this configuration
when right-handed person uses their right hand to start the
engine the rest of their body is between the starter and the
prop. This seems to be sub-optimal for safety. Would it
not be better to have the recoil handle on the other side of
the engine so that when pulling the cord the right arm is the
part of the body closest to the prop with the rest of the body
farther away?

Is it possible in general to reposition (rotate) recoil starters
during installation so as to have a choice in the matter?

Also, many volksplanes are routine hand-propped. Is there
any reason why the small 2-cycle engines could not be hand
propped?

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 19:34:48 -0500, "Jean-Paul Roy"
wrote:

Just install the engine inverted and you have your proper position.
Challengers are like that.

Just an opinion

J.P.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Many of the small 2-stroke engines appear to have the recoil
starter positioned so that as one faced the engine the starter
is on the right and the prop on the left. With this configuration
when right-handed person uses their right hand to start the
engine the rest of their body is between the starter and the
prop. This seems to be sub-optimal for safety. Would it
not be better to have the recoil handle on the other side of
the engine so that when pulling the cord the right arm is the
part of the body closest to the prop with the rest of the body
farther away?

Is it possible in general to reposition (rotate) recoil starters
during installation so as to have a choice in the matter?


Many small 2 stroke engine starters can be rotated. The other solution
is a cable guide or pulley, and a longer rip-cord.
Also, many volksplanes are routine hand-propped. Is there
any reason why the small 2-cycle engines could not be hand
propped?

Body armor?

denny

wrote:

Many of the small 2-stroke engines appear to have the recoil
starter positioned so that as one faced the engine the starter
is on the right and the prop on the left. With this configuration
when right-handed person uses their right hand to start the
engine the rest of their body is between the starter and the
prop. This seems to be sub-optimal for safety. Would it
not be better to have the recoil handle on the other side of
the engine so that when pulling the cord the right arm is the
part of the body closest to the prop with the rest of the body
farther away?

Is it possible in general to reposition (rotate) recoil starters
during installation so as to have a choice in the matter?

Also, many volksplanes are routine hand-propped. Is there
any reason why the small 2-cycle engines could not be hand
propped?

Most engines such as the popular Rotax, have the starter bolted on with
many optional positions for the handle.

There are even optional starters for the 532.582/618 that require less
effort than the standard starter.

No reason to get in the prop.

Also, rerouting the starter rope via some smooth ball beraing pullies of
sufficient diamter helps with starting from the seat.

Hand proping is also done but as a last resort when the battery is dead.
They do start easily when hand propped, but it takes a healthy pull on a
blade, then staying out of the way.

Some pushers with tails make getting away from the prop a physical
excercise too.

Benn there, so that, safely !
--


Mark Smith
Tri-State Kite Sales http://www.trikite.com
1121 N Locust St
Mt Vernon, IN 47620

Mark Smith wrote:
snip
Hand proping is also done but as a last resort when the battery is dead.
They do start easily when hand propped, but it takes a healthy pull on a
blade, then staying out of the way.

Through a Rotax gear reduction?

Darrel Toepfer wrote:

Mark Smith wrote:
snip
Hand proping is also done but as a last resort when the battery is dead.
They do start easily when hand propped, but it takes a healthy pull on a
blade, then staying out of the way.

Through a Rotax gear reduction?


Yes, a B box with 2.58 gears on several MXL II styled planes and also my
GT 500 with the C box and 3.47 gears

You might be thinking of the E box with the roller clutch and electric
starter built in
--
Mark Smith
Tri-State Kite Sales
1121 N Locust St
Mt Vernon, IN 47620
1-812-838-6351
http://www.trikite.com

Mark Smith wrote:

You might be thinking of the E box with the roller clutch and electric
starter built in

Must be, thanks... When I was flying this, the owner mentioned against
ever handpropping it:

http://bbs.whodat.net/n6663k/engine.jpg

Darrel Toepfer wrote:

Mark Smith wrote:

You might be thinking of the E box with the roller clutch and electric
starter built in

Must be, thanks... When I was flying this, the owner mentioned against
ever handpropping it:

http://bbs.whodat.net/n6663k/engine.jpg


That pic s of the C box, not the E

so the starter is on the front end of the engine, not visible in the
picture,

I hand proped this exact combo many times,,,,,,,,,,,,,some for showing
how to do it, a couple because the battery was dead.
--
Mark Smith
Tri-State Kite Sales
1121 N Locust St
Mt Vernon, IN 47620
1-812-838-6351
http://www.trikite.com

Mark Smith wrote:

...

Hand proping is also done but as a last resort when the battery is
dead.
They do start easily when hand propped, but it takes a healthy pull
on a
blade, then staying out of the way.

Some pushers with tails make getting away from the prop a physical
excercise too.



Thanks, and thnaks to the rest who responded as well.

Supposedly with the adoption of the Light Sport Aircraft regs the FAA
will soon begin stricter enforcement of the FAR 103 weight limits.
'Fat' ultralights will have to get an airworthiness certificate
as Experimental Light Sport Aircraft, or be converted to lawn
ornaments. So I was thinking about how to get as large an engine
as possible, like maybe a Zenoah G-50 on something like a Sadler
Vampire while keeping it under 254 lbs.

A 'sneaky' way to get a few more lbs might be to install the
lightest BRS possible and then take the maximum weight allowance
for a BRS.

Of course since I don't HAVE a Sadler Vampire, the question is
purely academic.

In the case of tractor mounted engines there is also the issue
of keeping the CG from being too far forward.

--

FF