Hi,
I'm having some trouble tuning this FTL 52cc gas engine. It will start with hand flips...eventually... But my arm about falls off with all of the flipping. I was at the Mack Hodges fly-in back in early spring and Sam let me borrow his "big starter". Looked like something he made. At the time, I was just interested in getting my engine to start. Now, i'd like to either make something similar or use a drill.

Current thoughts:

Use a drill - I've got an 18v Black and Decker drill that I think has plenty of torque and RPM to turn this puppy over. I bought a large cone and rubber insert at my LHS and was thinking about using a 1/4 20 bolt and lock nut to chuck into my drill. Thoughts? I've read mixed reviews about using a drill as a starter, but i've also seen many people do it with success.

Cost about $25

Use more voltage on my glow starter - I've got a hobbico 12v 90 Torque Master starter that i use with my glow engines. I've actually used it on the gasser too, but it just barely falls short of turning the prop over. I can pop it with my hand and get it turning pretty fast using the starter. Question, would adding more voltage (say 14v-24v) ruin the starter?

Cost of the extra battery

Buy a 24v starter - I really hate to do this. 1. It costs $100 for a 24v sullivan. 2. I've heard they don't have much more torque than my existing starter. Club member has one and it won't turn over his Zenoah 62.

Cost $100


Could anyone give me some advice for an electric starter for a gasser? Thanks in advance!