Start/Stop handle, what do you do?

[Jinx]

I'm still deuceless, but I have been looking at trucks. I notice people using the start/stop handle differently. One guy pulls it out to shut off the truck and leaves it out until he's ready to restart it. Another guy stops the truck and then pushes the handle back back to start position, but doesn't start the truck. Which is the correct procedure?

When you shut off a truck, do you leave the handle out, or do you push it back in so it is ready to start the next time?

 

[Hammer]

Correct procedure is to leave it out.
No accidental starting it that way.

 

[Jinx]

Correct procedure is to leave it out.
No accidental starting it that way.

That's what I thought. It makes total sense. I just didn't know if this was bad for some reason and that's why some people set them back to start.

 

[scottc]

For safety reasons, I agree with Hammer. Mechanicaly it makes no difference either way.

 

[Hammer]

Pushing it in just removes one more step when you go to start it.
One less thing to forget.
Leaving it OUT is also correct because you are supposed to leave it out when you start it. This is to check for hydro lock.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'm anal about it being out. If the ratchet pawl on a cable stops working, I'll change the cable. These things bump start so easily that I get paranoid about an accident happening.

 

[jimm1009]

I even added a block to my shutoff due to the serations being somewhat worn.
I was in the guard unit one day and someone was moving a truck around in the yard and they happened to tap the rear of another deuce that was nearby to them.
Three conditions were met in order for this to happen and of course Murphey did prevail.
The truck was parked in gear, the wheels were not chocked, and the fuel shutoff was pushed in or retracted due to the vibration from being tapped.
The truck that was tapped started and was driving itself away through the yard until it collided with another vehicle sitting a few rows away.
Minor sheetmetal damage but someone could have been killed if other conditions were right.
They are really neat to have and drive but just a few small things to watch out for will keep all of us safe too.
Jim

 

[Jinx]

Wow Jim, that's scary. I never even thought about it becoming a runaway truck.

 

[Hammer]

One more reason they say to park it with the hand brake on, and the transmission in neutral, and the wheels chocked.
Think they learned the hard way a few times?

 

[Jinx]

Speaking of wheel chocks, where do you store them while driving the deuce? Throw it in the back of the bed or hang them from a chain by the rear wheels like with a semi trailer?

 

[FreightTrain]

in the tool box......

 

[Jinx]

in the tool box......

Yeah, it's a noob question.

 

[Jake0147]

I leave mine out because it's the right thing to do, UNLESS the trucks gonna sit for a bit. Then I leave it in because it's one less place for rust to gum up what should move freely... But that also goes with the rest of the drill, both shifters in neutral, wheels chocked, parking brake released, air tanks drained, instead of just letting the water out... If it gets bumped the grade is in my favor, so it's going over the bank, and will require professional extrication, (I know a fella who can do that sort of thing...) but it will probably be unscratched, definately no major damage. (Barring whatever happened when it was struck of course). If I just turn the truck off and walk away, or if for ANY REASON it is beneficial to me to leave the truck in gear (which I avoid), then the knob stays out without question. I can just imagine the Fed Ex guy who's clipped my old pickup twice and the new one once... If he tapped that I think it'd probably make it two miles, over a dozen fence rows and across two back roads before there's something that'd stop an idling deuce in first gear high range. Heaven forbid I left it in low range, it'd probably make it clear to Waltham...

 

[FreightTrain]

oh yea....Avatar

Knight Rider
GOLIATH
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Original Air Date: October 2, 1983[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Two Hour 2nd Season Premiere[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Episode #22[/FONT]
AND
GOLIATH RETURNS
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Original Air Date: Febuary 19, 1984[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Two Hour 2nd Season Movie[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Episode #38[/FONT]

352 Cabover Peterbilt Pacemaker

 

[gimpyrobb]

oh yea....Avatar

Knight Rider
GOLIATH
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Original Air Date: October 2, 1983[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Two Hour 2nd Season Premiere[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Episode #22[/FONT]
AND
GOLIATH RETURNS
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Original Air Date: Febuary 19, 1984[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Two Hour 2nd Season Movie[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Episode #38[/FONT]

352 Cabover Peterbilt Pacemaker

Dork, I knew where it was from, but not all that air date info!

 

[Jinx]

Goliath was K.I.T.T.'s only true nemesis.

 

[OD_Coyote]

I also put the xfer case in neutral when I park mine.

 

[larrystg2]

stop lever

From experience with old tractors that set alot, it is better to push it in. If it gums up just setting around the tractor will run when you need it to. If you leave it pulled out and it gums up and sticks, the motor will obviously not work when you need it to.

 

[LanceRobson]

If it's in neutral, it won't matter. I'd have to look but I don't think the -10 manual specifies either way.

I keep the chock on the floor if the cargo cover is on. The toolbox has tools, tie down ratchet straps and, sometimes, chains in it. There's almost never room for the chock in the box. If the cargo cover's off, it goes in the bed.

I put the chock between the rear axles. If it's there, it works no matter whether the slope is up or down hill and keeps it from going any where if the truck gets an inadvertent thump on level ground.

Having forgotten about the chock and driven over it on a few occasions, I use a length of red nylon rope that has a carabiner on it and is long enough to reach the grab handle by the driver side door. That reminds me to pull the chock.

Lance

 

[rmgill]

I have two Chocks that are handy on my truck. I have a stowage bracket that I still need to install on my truck for the right rear one. Usually that chock stays in the bed. The daily use chock hangs by a piece of white nylon rope from one of the front cargobed tie down points between the bed and the cab. The Rope has three loops tied in it that fit over the tiedow. One is on the end slipped over the tie down. The 2nd is mid way along the rope, and the third is just short of the chock. That way I can hang the chock from the tiedown and it holds down the slack rope. When I park it's simple to just take the chock off and lay it up against the downhill tire and leave it. The white rope is to make it clear and obvious. I suppose I could hang a red "remove before flight" tag from it though.