&gt; That said, while hard to use, that tractor&#x27;s hand crank automatically disconnected well enough once the engine got started. Then again my father, born in the early &#x27;30s, grew up using them.<p>Hell, I was born 30 years later, and they still existed on tractors, fork lifts, and other, assorted engines.<p>There are a couple &#x27;safety rules&#x27; when using a hand crank on a gasoline engine:<p>1) Always grip the crank with the thumb wrapped below with the fingers.  So, all your fingers on ONE side of the crank, instead of four fingers on one side, and the thumb on the other<p>2) NEVER push the crank down the right side of the rotation.<p>3) If the hand crank binds when inserted through the starting crank bushing and into the crank ratchet, don&#x27;t crank start the car. Too much bind will prevent the crank from releasing from the ratchet.