Model T Joke
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 11:25 pm
If your dominant hand changes from right to left, get your Model T engine tuned...
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Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 9:22 pm
To those who don't get it, which hand do you use to crank a T?
Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:27 pm
I'm right handed and crank with my left. 
Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 11:14 pm
I;m right handed, and crank (and spin, but only on mag) my T with my right...
Of course, the cast on my right arm makes typing difficult....
Of course, the cast on my right arm makes typing difficult....
Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:29 am
I'm left handed, but crank right handed. I've tried cranking left handed, but it feels very awkward and I don't get over Top Dead Center very well.
I asked my physical therapist daughter-in-law to observe my cranking to see what was going on from an anatomical standpoint. Here is what she noted:
Right hand cranking: First, my feet placement and body position had me facing pretty much toward the right headlamp. At the beginning of the pull, (the crank passing through from about 8:30 to 10:30), the primary muscle use started with a lifting motion of the legs and then transitioned smoothly with the upper body twisting a bit more toward the tip of the RH fender. The second half of the stroke was more of a rearward (body rearward) leg thrust along a bit of a to a bicep pull from 11:00 to 1:00. In all, the effort applied to the crank was pretty uniform thoughout the stroke.
Left hand cranking: First, my upper body was positioned more directly facing the radiator. For the first half of the stroke, my legs were doing a uniform body lift. But as the crank came up to about the 10:30 position, the upward thrust of the legs was not contributing to the cranking effort because the crank handle wanted to be pulled more left-to-right rather than upward. With my body position still facing directly toward the radiator, the only muscle motion was an awkward and ineffective attempt to pull the crank sideways toward the driver's side of the car. So the second half of the stroke applied very little force on the crank.
In examining the car more carefully, it looks like the range of motion of the crank handle is effectively from 9:30 to 1:30, with top dead center at around 11:30. Maybe other T's have the crank in a slightly different location relative to piston travel. If the stroke through TDC went from about 7:30 to 10:30, I think I could do a better job of LH cranking.
I asked my physical therapist daughter-in-law to observe my cranking to see what was going on from an anatomical standpoint. Here is what she noted:
Right hand cranking: First, my feet placement and body position had me facing pretty much toward the right headlamp. At the beginning of the pull, (the crank passing through from about 8:30 to 10:30), the primary muscle use started with a lifting motion of the legs and then transitioned smoothly with the upper body twisting a bit more toward the tip of the RH fender. The second half of the stroke was more of a rearward (body rearward) leg thrust along a bit of a to a bicep pull from 11:00 to 1:00. In all, the effort applied to the crank was pretty uniform thoughout the stroke.
Left hand cranking: First, my upper body was positioned more directly facing the radiator. For the first half of the stroke, my legs were doing a uniform body lift. But as the crank came up to about the 10:30 position, the upward thrust of the legs was not contributing to the cranking effort because the crank handle wanted to be pulled more left-to-right rather than upward. With my body position still facing directly toward the radiator, the only muscle motion was an awkward and ineffective attempt to pull the crank sideways toward the driver's side of the car. So the second half of the stroke applied very little force on the crank.
In examining the car more carefully, it looks like the range of motion of the crank handle is effectively from 9:30 to 1:30, with top dead center at around 11:30. Maybe other T's have the crank in a slightly different location relative to piston travel. If the stroke through TDC went from about 7:30 to 10:30, I think I could do a better job of LH cranking.
Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:14 am
I left hand crank but not in polite company.
Re: Model T Joke
Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:20 pm
I'm left-handed as well and am not surprised that the T was set up for most efficient cranking with the right hand. Like scissors, it's just part of living in a right-handed world. Very interesting to see a physical therapist’s analysis of crank starting. Could never figure out how to comfortably crank with my left hand. Still a novice, I attributed it mostly to minor shoulder damage from years of wear and tear (it lets me know for a few days when I’ve overdone it). Just couldn't seem to get any power at end of stroke. Now it makes perfect sense!