My experience with hand starting a tractor was mostly limited to the flywheel method on the John Deere's. This was quite safe. In later years I acquired a JD model L (about 10 HP) & model M (about 20 HP). Both of these had vertical engines & used a handcrank up front. By this time I had already been taught the "ONLY" way to properly crank an engine was to pull upward only, never go around as if Winding It Up. If it kicks back that's when you end up with a broken arm or wrist.
Jon, when they started that 30-60 I mentioned there was nothing belted to it, I just didn't see how they did it, probably by the flywheel method. Yes the belting method is a very good one when dealing with old engines today, have seen it done numerous times though on much smaller tractors. When these old monsters were actually being used to farm with though, that's not how they started them.
Some of the older,pre- Diesel, Caterpillars were started by standing on the track & sticking a crow bar into a hole around the rim of the exposed flywheel. That always seemed particularly dangerous to me, but apparently it worked.
When I was in my teens I used to help a neighbor saw his winter wood with what we called a Cut-Off or Pole Saw. It was belted to a Fairbanks Morse engine, though this one was throttle governed rather than hit & miss. At one point I had a small Hercules (1 3/4 HP) hit & miss engine. Never actually used it for anything, would just fire it up occasionally to hear it run. Finally sold it.
