A starter assist apparatus is taught for use in combination with a recoil-type starter operably connected to an internal combustion engine. Recoil-type starters include a recoil pulley biased in recoil direction, and a cable wrapped about the recoil pulley with the outermost end of the cable extending outwardly for brisk withdrawal to impart a starting impulse for the internal combustion engine. The arrangement of the new starter assist apparatus is such that, first of all, the cable from the recoil pulley is fastened to a frame element or to a special pivotable lever carrying a bight pulley assembly. When the cable is affixed to the lever, an idler pulley for entraining the cable is fastened to a frame element. The bight pulley assembly engages a bight of the cable between the fastening point and the recoil pulley wrapping, so that shifting of the bight pulley assembly in response to shifting of the lever draws out cable to impart a starting impulse to the engine. A foot pedal is connected to the lever is spaced relationship from the fulcrum of it so that pivoting is accomplished by foot pressure. Limit stops restrict the range of pivot of the lever so as to reduce wear and tear of the recoil mechanism. Alignment of the elements, or a special guide member, serves to maintain the cable, during withdrawal and recoil of it with respect to the recoil mechanism, in substantially the same plane as the wrapping of that cable about the recoil pulley. This relationship is at least maintained for a sufficient distance beyond the rims of the recoil pulley to prevent abrading draw of the cable laterally over a rim of the recoil pulley.
A rope for actuating a recoil starter is trained about a movable pulley outside a main body of the recoil starter, and the movable pulley is rotatably supported by a swing arm or a handle. By moving the swing arm in swinging movement or pulling the handle, the movable pulley can be moved to thereby pull the rope out of the main body of the recoil starter to start the engine. By virtue of the action of the movable pulley, the distance covered by the movement of the swing arm or the handle is smaller than the length of the portion of the rope paid out of the main body of the recoil starter to actuate the recoil starter. At least one further pulley may be provided for guiding the rope in its movement, and a manually operated handle may be additionally attached to the rope. Pulling of the rope automatically makes it possible to actuate an auxiliary engine starting means.
The manual starter for an internal combustion engine includes a flexible pull element mounted in the vicinity of the engine flywheel for movement between a normally retracted position and an extended position and having teeth or cogs adapted to drivingly engage teeth provided on the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel. When the pull element is pulled to an extended position, a rocker arm cooperating with the pull element moves the pull element to a drive position wherein the cogs drivingly engage the flywheel teeth to effect starting rotation of the flywheel. When the pull element is released or the rotational speed of the flywheel exceeds the pulled speed of the pull element after the engine has started, the rocker arm permits the pull element to move from the drive position to a non-drive position wherein the cogs are drivingly disengaged from the flywheel teeth.
For snowmobiles and other vehicles equipped with rope-started internal combustion engines, a compact kick-starter mechanism provides convenient starting without dismounting from the vehicle. A slender housing is of sufficient diameter to house a single-turn winding drum whose perimeter is substantially the length to be pulled. Closely alongside the winding drum is a planetary gear system which effects this pull on a single kick of the external starter lever.
A foot lever actuator for the pull cord recoil starter of a gasoline or diesel engine includes an elongated foot lever attached pivotally at one end to the framework supporting the engine and fitted at the opposite end with a foot pedal for pivoting the lever. An intermediate portion of the pull cord of the recoil starter is received over a bight pulley which is movable with the foot lever. In one embodiment, the bight pulley is connected directly to the foot lever at adjustable positions along the length of the foot lever. In another embodiment, the bight pulley is connected to a second pull cord received over a second bight pulley connected to the foot lever.
