US3080942A - Starter for small gasoline engines - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1963 w. A. HUNT 3,030,942

STARTER FOR SMALL GASOLINE ENGINES Filed Dec. 19, 1960 INVENTOR WILLIAM A. HUNT {Ma/w ATTORNEYS United States Patent l 3,080,942 STARTER FOR SMALL GASOLINE ENGINES William A. Hunt, RD. 2, Horn Lake, Miss. Filed Dec. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 76,760 3 Claims. (Cl. 185-39) This invention relates to a separate, portable and easily operated starter for small gasoline engines of the outboard type, similar to those used on small boats, power lawnmowers and saws and similar equipment.

The starting device is designed to be used with conventional small motors of the two or four cycle exposed flywheel type in which the flywheel is horizontally disposed at the top of the motor at the upper end of the drive shaft and is provided with a starting rope which is wound about the grooved periphery of the flywheel :and is pulled to rotate the flywheel and start the motor.

It is usually difficult for children and persons of advanced years to exert sufficient of a pull on the starter rope of motors of this type to turn the motor over. The present starter is designed to enable persons of inferior strength readily to spin the flywheel of such a motor to initiate starting thereof.

The device comprises broadly an elongate, troughshaped housing across the rear extremity of which is fitted a bolt or other supporting means for a heavy elastic band which in repose extends to about two-thirds of the length of the housing. At its forward, opposite extremity the housing is provided with a rotatable shaft or axle provided at one of its lateral extremities with a toothed ratchet wheel engaged at its periphery by the end of a pivoted pawl lever which acts to lock the ratchet wheel against counter-clockwise rotation. Wound upon this rotating axle is a cable which at its inner extremity is afiixed to a shackle clamped over the extremity of the elastic band means. Depending from the shackle at the extremity of the elastic band is a freely swinging hook means designed to receive the looped and knotted extremity of a starter rope. A readily disengaged elongate crank is provided fitting over the outer extremity of the rotating laxle, outwardly of the ratchet, to impart clockwise rotation to the axle to take up the cable thereon and to extend the elastic starter band to the desired degree when the axle is rotated thereby in a clockwise direction.

A removable cover provided with a handle is fitted over a considerable portion of the top of the housing, the cover being bolted or otherwise removably afiixed thereto.

In operation, the axle at the forward extremity of the housing is rotated in a clockwise direction by the crank means until the elastic band is extended to the desired degree, the ratchet and pawl maintaining the elastic band thus in extended condition under considerable tension. The crank is then removed from the extremity of the axle and the loop at the end of the starter rope is aflixed over,

the hook depending from the shackle at the end of the elastic band. The forward end of the starter housing is then braced against the body of the motor adjacent its upper extremity, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, and the operator then pushes the actuating knob at the inner extremity of the pivoted pawl lever downwardly, releasing the ratchet wheel and axle and allowing the tensioned elastic band to contract suddenly, thus exerting a powerful pulling force against the starter rope, to spin the flywheel and start the motor.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to It is a further object of this invention to evolve such a starter structure which may be readily used by persons of inferior strength.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent as this specification proceeds.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a side view of the starter in operating position to start an outboard motor mounted on the stern of a small craft;

FIG. 2. is a top plan view, partially broken away and 0 in phantom, of the starter structure with the elastic band member in extended and locked condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the starter, partially in phantom, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the axle extremity of the starter, partially in phantom, with the elastic member in fully extended and locked condition and the starter rope for the motor :aflixed to the hook thereof.

In the drawings, like numerals designating like parts throughout, 5 indicates the housing for the starter structure, which as shown is preferably in the shape of an elongate, rectangular trough member provided with a heavy bottom panel 6 and side walls 7 and 8 rectangularly disposed thereto and extending upwardly therefrom in parallel relation to each other. A removable cover memher 9 is provided fitting over the upper edges of side walls 7 and 8, extending a major portion of the length of housing 5 and terminating an appreciable distance inwardly of the operating axle extremity thereof. Cover *9 is preferably raiiixed over the upper portion of housing 5 by means of a series of spaced screws 10 which maintain it in position on side walls 7 and 8. Cover 9 is preferably provided adjacent its rear extremity with a vertically disposed handle means 11 for the grasp of the operator when the starter is in use. Handle 11 is preferably arcuately shaped and is aflixed to the upper surface of cover 9 as by screws or any other appropriate means.

As shown in FIGS. 3 :and 4, the forward extremity of the upper surface of lower panel '6 of housing 5 is preferably reduced downwardly at .12r for a purpose to be dis- I cussed in more detail.

Aflixed through side walls 7 and 8 at the rear extremity of housing 5 is a supporting bolt 13- which is passed through appropriate bores in side walls 7 and 8 and is provided at one end with a head 14 and at its opposite, screwthreaded end with a retaining nut 15. As shown, bolt 13 is preferably horizontally disposed through the center line of side walls 7 and -8.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a heavy, multi-ply elastic band member 16 is preferably doubled over retaining bolt 13 and extends inwardly in housing 5 some twothirds of the length of housing 5 on its median line. Elastic band 16 isv preferably composed of two paired strands (four thicknesses) of x 2 rubber and should be capable, when fully extended in housing 5, of exerting a pull of approximately 200' pounds.

At its forward end elastic member 16 is provided with a terminal clamp 17 which is preferably composed of paired upper plates 18 and paired lower plates 19 bored at their ends to receive retaining bolts 20 and 21 provided with screw threaded upper extremities over which nuts 22 and 23 are applied to compress paired plates 18 and 19 inwardly over the upper and lower extremities of the paired strands of band 16 to maintain clamp 17 positively in tightly clamped condition thereover.

A U-shaped shackle 24 is preferably clamped at its rear extremities between the inner of paired plates 18 and 19. Hasp 24 extends outwardly therefrom beyond the forward clamped ends of elastic band 16. Hasp 24 is preferably formed of steel and is provided at its rear extremities with screw threads and end nuts, as shown,

Patented Mar. 12, 1963.

to prevent its rear extremities from pulling forwardly between inner plates 18 and 19.

Rotatably mounted across the forward extremity of housing 5, through walls 7 and 8 thereof, by means of cylindrical bearings 26 and 27 afiixed to the inner surfaces of walls 7 and 8, is a rotatable axle 25. Axle 25, as shown, preferably extends outwardly through bores in walls 7 and 8 and is provided at one extremity with a head 28 disposed outwardly of wall 8, the inner surface of head 28 bearing rotatably against the outer surface of wall 8. At its opposite extremity, outwardly of wall 7, axle 25 is provided with a ratchet wheel 29, rotatably bearing against wall 7 and provided about its periphery with a series of rectangularly shouldered teeth 30. As shown, ratchet wheel 29 is preferably provided at its center with a cylindrical hub 31 closely fitting over axle 25 and rigidly aflixed thereto as by means of set screw 32 which maintains it rigidly in position on axle 25. The extremity of axle 25, outwardly of ratchet wheel 29, is preferably flattened at 33 for registration with slot 34 in rectangular head 35 of crank member 36. As shown in FIG. 4, crank 36 preferably comprises flattened, rectangularly disposed head member 35 provided at its center with a rectangular slot 34 to register with flattened extremity 33 of axle 25. The shank of crank 36 is of considerable length, for proper leverage, as shown in FIG. 2. It is soldered or otherwise affixed to rectangular head 35 and provided at its outer end with a rectangular grasp for the hand of the operator. As will be seen, crank 36 is so designed as to be easily applied over and removed from the flattened extremity 33 of axle 25.

Pawl lever 37 is shown pivotally mounted on the outer surface of side wall 7 adjacent ratchet wheel 29 by means of pivot bolt 38. It will be noted that pivot bolt 38 is positioned in close proximity to ratchet wheel 29 whereby substantially three-fourths of the length of pawl lever 37 extends rearwardly of pivot 38, for leverage. At its inner extremity pawl lever 37 is provided with outwardly turned actuating segment 39 for the grasp of the operator. At its forward end pawl lever 37 is rectangularly cut at 40 for close registration with the rectangular rear faces of pawl teeth 30.

Pawl lever 37 is of extended length between pivot bolt 38 and grasp 39 to provide the necessary mechanical advantage for the operator to enable him readily to disengage shoulder 40 thereof from the rectangular rear face of ratchet tooth 30. Pawl spring 41 is preferably mounted on side wall 7 of the housing beneath pawl lever 37 by means of screw 42. Spring 41 at its upper, curved surface bears upwardly against the lower surface of pawl lever 37, between pivot 38 and grasp 39, to place pawl lever 37 under spring tension to maintain its extremity 40 in engagement with the outer periphery of ratchet wheel 29 when axle 25 is rotated in a clockwise direction by crank 36. Spring 41 also maintains shoulder 40 of pawl lever 37 in close engagement with the rectangular face of ratchet tooth 30 when ratchet wheel 29 is at rest.

Actuating cable 43 is shown aifixed as by knotting or other means to the center portion of axle 25 and windable thereupon by clockwise rotation of axle 25 through crank 36. At its inner extremity actuating cable 43 is tied or otherwise afiixed about the bend of shackle 24 at its center point 44 whereby shackle 24 may be drawn toward axle 25 by clockwise rotation of axle 25, thus extending elastic member 16 toward axle 25.

Depending downwardly from shackle 24 and aflixed thereto as by cable section 46 is connecting hook 45 dessigned to receive the looped end of a starting rope R for a small gasoline engine M. As shown, auxiliary cable 46 may be an integral end of actuating cable 43, depending downwardly from the forward extremity of shackle 24. Cable 43 should be of considerable strength, able to withstand a straight pull in excess of 200 pounds. It may be formed of heavy braided nylon, flexible wire cable or any other appropriate material.

Referring specifically to elongate housing 5 for the starter, it may be formed of hardwood or of aluminum or of any other material exhibiting the necessary properties of strength and lightness. While the housing shown is of rectangular configuration, it may be of any trough-shaped configuration, as for example of cylindrical or semi-cylindrical form.

The manner of operating the starter is as follows:

When it is desired to apply a starting pull to the flywheel F of a motor M the operator first applies the slotted extremity 34 of crank 36 over the flattened extremity 33 of axle 25 and then turns crank 36 in a clockwise direction, taking up cable 43 on axle 25 until elastic member 16 has been extended to a point adjacent the open for- Ward extremity of housing 5, with hook 45 readily accessible. When fully extended, elastic member 16 should be capable of exerting a pulling force of up to 200 pounds. With the elastic member 16 fully extended and locked in fully extended condition by means of ratchet wheel 29 and pawl lever 37 the operator then winds the starter rope R about the flywheel F of the motor M, leaving a terminal length thereof free. The extremity of the starter rope, which is provided with a terminal loop, is then applied over hook 45, or tied thereto, in such fashion as to firmly engage hook 45. There should be no slack in starter rope R between the flywheel P of the motor and hook 45 of the starter. The forward extremity of housing 5 is then braced against the inner surface of the motor frame, as shown in FIG. 1, the operator maintaining the starter structure in horizontal position by means of handle 11. The operator then reaches forwardly and forces the rear end of pivoted pawl lever 37 downwardly by means of grasp 39. As lever 37 turns on pivot 38 rectangular extremity 40 thereof is forced upwardly, out of engagement with ratchet tooth 30, freeing ratchet wheel 29 and axle 25 and allowing resilient member 16 to contract with great force. This sudden contraction of resilient member 16, permitted by the free rotation of axle 25, exerts a powerful initial pull against the starter rope R, which is pulled within housing 5, under cover 9 thereof and exerts an extremely powerful pulling force against the flywheel F of the motor, which force is prolonged through the entire length of the windings of the starter rope R about the flywheel F. Before the starter mechanism is utilized the ignition circuit of the motor should be closed and the motor appropriately choked, if necessary.

Should the initial spinning of the flywheel by the starter fail to result in the starting of the motor, the starter rope is retrieved from the interior of housing 5, its extremity is freed from hook 45 and the starter rope is rewound about the flywheel of the motor. The starter is again reset by clockwise rotation of axle 25 by crank 36, extending resilient member 16 to the desired degree. The extremity of the starter rope is again aflixed over hook 45 and the operation is repeated, as above.

It will be noted that the starter rope is preferably inserted into the forward extremity of housing 5 under axle 25, the downwardly reduced portion 12 of bottom section 6 thereof permitting easy access to hook 45 by the operator and preventing possible entanglement of the starter rope during the contraction of elastic band 16.

Referring specifically to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in the drawings, housing 5 is preferably on the order of 48 inches in length by 4 inches in height and 6 inches in width. The elastic member 16 is preferably on the order of 33 inches in length, untensioned, and is composed of at least four thicknesses of A5" x 2. heavy resilient rubber.

Other resilient means may be substituted for elastic member 16, with the sole requirement that such means be capable, under extension, of exerting a pull of up to 200 pounds. Thus, a steel coil spring could be substituted for elastic member 16 or resilient compressible means could be utilized.

Where the starter is to be used for the starting of very small two cycle engines of less than three horsepower, the over-all dimensions and the amount of pull exerted may be reduced to fit the immediate requirements.

It will also be noted that as the extremity of cable 43 is permanently affixed to axle 25 the starting device may be readily reset merely by applying crank 36 to the extremity of axle 25 and rotating crank 36 in a clockwise direction until the appropriate tension on resilient member 16 is attained.

Numerous modifications may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Throughout, equivalents may be substituted for all elements of the combination within the spirit of the invention.

This specification is by way of illustration of one embodiment of the invention only.

Attention is directed to the appended claims for a limitation of its scope.

What is claimed is:

1. In a starter for gasoline motors having an exposed flywheel actuated by a pull rope, an elongate housing, a powerful elastic member affixed at one extremity of i said housing and extending longitudinally therein, a hook affixed to the extremity of said elastic member, an axle rotatably mounted across the opposite extremity of said housing, a crank removably engaging said axle, a cable atfixed to and windable upon said axle aflixed at its inner end to the end of said elastic member, a ratchet wheel mounted on said axle outwardly of said housing, a pawl lever pivotally mounted adjacent said ratchet wheel on said housing engaging said ratchet wheel at its extremity whereby clockwise rotation of said axle will wind said cable on said axle, extending said elastic member to provide a starting pull to a motor rope attached to said hook when said ratchet wheel is released by said pawl lever.

2. In a starter for small gasoline motors of the type having an exposed flywheel actuated by a pull rope, an elongate, trough-shaped housing, a strong resilient member afiixed at one of its extremities in one extremity of said housing and extending about two thirds of the length of said housing, a cover for said housing, an axle rotatably mounted across the opposite end of said housing, crank means mountable on one extremity of said axle, a ratchet wheel mounted on said axle outwardly of said housing, a pawl lever pivotally mounted on said housing adjacent said ratchet wheel and engaging said ratchet wheel at its extremity, spring means on said housing engaging said pawl lever and maintaining its end in engagement with said ratchet wheel, a cable aflixed at one end to said axle and windable thereon affixed at its opposite end to the inner end of said resilient member, a hook depending from the inner extremity of said resilient member whereby when said resilient member has been extended in said housing by winding said cable on said axle and a starter rope has been attached to said hook, starting rotation may be given to a motor flywheel by forcing said pawl lever out of engagement with said ratchet wheel to release said axle and said extended resilient member.

3. In a starter for motors of the outboard type having an exposed flywheel actuated by a pull rope, an elongate trough-like housing, a powerful resilient member permanently affixed at one extremity in one end of said housing and extending in unstressed condition substantially two thirds of the length of said housing, an axle rotatably mounted across the opposite extremity of said housing, a ratchet wheel mounted on said axle outwardly of said housing, a pawl lever pivotally mounted on said housing adjacent said ratchet wheel and registering therewith at its extremity, a cable affixed to said axle and windable thereon afi'ixed at its inner extremity to the inner extremity of said resilient member, hook means affixed to the inner extremity of said resilient member whereby said resilient member may be extended under tension within said housing by winding said cable on said axle and starting rotation may be imparted to the flywheel of a motor by attaching its starter rope to said hook and releasing said ratchet wheel by disengaging said pawl lever therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. IN A STARTER FOR GASOLINE MOTORS HAVING AN EXPOSED FLYWHEEL ACTUATED BY A PULL ROPE, AN ELONGATE HOUSING, A POWERFUL ELASTIC MEMBER AFFIXED AT ONE EXTREMITY OF SAID HOUSING AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREIN, A HOOK AFFIXED TO THE EXTREMITY OF SAID ELASTIC MEMBER, AN AXLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ACROSS THE OPPOSITE EXTREMITY OF SAID HOUSING, A CRANK REMOVABLY ENGAGING SAID AXLE, A CABLE AFFIXED TO AND WINDABLE UPON SAID AXLE AFFIXED AT ITS INNER END TO THE END OF SAID ELASTIC MEMBER, A RATCHET WHEEL MOUNTED ON SAID AXLE OUTWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING, A PAWL

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