Air starter.

[tjc transport]

Working in a dry dock facility today. Sitting on the frontage road next to a massive ocean going tug and they fired it up. Was very supprised to hear it has air starters!

[Brocky]

Probably having an air tank, kept free of external corrosion, may be safer than the possibility of batteries getting soaked in sea water????

[mowerman]

Out here is probably 10 to 12 years last time. I heard one out on the road I was chaining up on donner pass and I heard one fire up. I don’t know who it was and it was a few trucks down…  around here. US mail was the last company I know of using them, but they did not do roadwork and they wouldn’t have been on Donner pass so I don’t know who it was.

[mowerman]

It sounds like a case of things that make you go hmm lol 

[other dog]

4 minutes ago, mowerman said:

 US mail was the last company I know of using them, but they did not do roadwork and they wouldn’t have been on Donner pass so I don’t know who it was.

Oh, that was just freightrain. He was on the way to Beaver Springs.

[mowerman]

OK now that’s just funny 

[Geoff Weeks]

Marine sometimes use hyd starters with a big accumulator. If you have an air system or hyd system (most ships have at least hyd, if not both) cranking other than electric makes sense. Ships don't use the hull as "ground" so two wires required to everything.

Conway used to have air starters on their trucks, were one of the last large fleets to do so. My contention is with all the power required for a modern electronic engine needs just to run, having cranking powered by some other means didn't bring the advantage it used to. You still need good battery power to get it to run. 

My Marmon will start and run with no batteries or alternator present. Cummins trucks needed the fuel solenoid powered or the overide screw turn in. 

[mowerman]

I don’t even know if anybody heard if that air starter is going to fit Larry‘s new bell housing And yes, Conway roadway, CF, Viking and US mail all had them around here a few years ago when I went to work for Fedex, they still had a lot of them, but they were mostly downgraded to city work

[mowerman]

Oh, for you guys that didn’t know this Viking turned into Fedex and joined American freight ways to form a national carrier by the time I started, it was already Fedex Freight

[Geoff Weeks]

3 minutes ago, mowerman said:

I don’t even know if anybody heard if that air starter is going to fit Larry‘s new bell housing And yes, Conway roadway, CF, Viking and US mail all had them around here a few years ago when I went to work for Fedex, they still had a lot of them, but they were mostly downgraded to city work

Mack uses (as does most if not all heavy diesel) an SAE #3 starter mount. No problem fitting the bell housing. The problem can come if the chassie has the steering box where the new bell has the starter placed.  That bell was not used in that chassie, and that is were "real estate" problems come from.

I can fit a modern gear reduction 12 volt starter to my 1942 K IHC because it takes an SAE #1 starter. Standardization can be a good thing. 

There is an SAE #2 starter pad but it hasn't been used in 50 years or so, since the demise of the big gassers. Looks just like an SAE #3 but the bolt holes are smaller and I think closer in.

[Freightrain]

20 minutes ago, Geoff Weeks said:

Marine sometimes use hyd starters with a big accumulator. If you have an air system or hyd system (most ships have at least hyd, if not both) cranking other than electric makes sense. Ships don't use the hull as "ground" so two wires required to everything.

Conway used to have air starters on their trucks, were one of the last large fleets to do so. My contention is with all the power required for a modern electronic engine needs just to run, having cranking powered by some other means didn't bring the advantage it used to. You still need good battery power to get it to run. 

My Marmon will start and run with no batteries or alternator present. Cummins trucks needed the fuel solenoid powered or the overide screw turn in. 

I actually have an air tank from a CCX truck(orange) that friend gave me originally.  I got an alum tank from a BMT member.

Bob, I had the truck running this weekend after getting the fuel system bled.  The only difference was a driver's side mount instead of passenger.

I did find my oiler was loose from before and likely why it was taking more air then normal to start from the leakage.

[mowerman]

Excellent and yes, my air starter tank  came from an old Viking Freight T 100

[mowerman]

I am still having priming issues, but I start it  every Thursday just to keep everything moving

[Freightrain]

My filter was dry and the lines are all new.  Took some time to get it all up.  My right thumb is still numb from pumping forever.

I installed a new primer but it doesn't seem to work as well asy old bailing ring style pump so I swapped it and it worked quickly.

[mowerman]

lol yeah I remember that I have not used mine in a long time. I just blow air into the fuel tank until it starts coming out at the pump. I’m pretty sure it’s the check valves in the pumper unit.

[mowerman]

Of course, trying to find those check valves is probably like asking for a hubcaps on a 47 LaSalle lol

[Geoff Weeks]

4 hours ago, Freightrain said:

I actually have an air tank from a CCX truck(orange) that friend gave me originally.  I got an alum tank from a BMT member.

Bob, I had the truck running this weekend after getting the fuel system bled.  The only difference was a driver's side mount instead of passenger.

I did find my oiler was loose from before and likely why it was taking more air then normal to start from the leakage.

The tank on my Marmon came from a CCX, it was a replacement for the original Roadway tank that developed a rust hole. I also have a Mack one from Mander's that is aluminum, that one I'm keeping!

[mowerman]

lol let’s face it  holes and air starter tanks. Do not help you at all.