How to / DIY > Engines
Safety Modifications
SCOTT:
Sensible Safety
I would like to solicit ideas/ procedures for everyday safety when using a Lister. There is currently an ongoing discussion that deals with the real yet very remote possibility of a catastrophic failure of a flywheel. I suggest spending the bulk of the energy focused on the more immediate risk.
Any reasonable person would agree that the Lister and Lister type engines are far more likely to cause injury to the operator because of “operator error.” And this would most likely involve entanglement of an operators limb(s) or clothing in a flywheel or serp belt. With this in mind, why don’t we focus the discussion on the most likely cause of injury and ways to mitigate the risk?
There are many many pictures of proud Lister and Lister type engine owners showing their work. I cannot recall even one that had a guard over the flywheel(s) and or gen head belt. I am no exception; I am in the process of building a guard for the hand crank and belt side of my engine, but I have run it plenty of times with no guard. I like everyone else (hopefully) have a healthy respect for the bodily damage one mistake can cause. I have first hand experience albeit a very minor scrape with the potential of these engines.
While setting up my gen head I got a finger caught between the belt and the gen head pulley. I was advancing the flywheel by hand, yet the momentum was enough to carry my finger onto the pulley and cause a lot of pain, some blood and a mangled fingernail. If the engine were running I would have one less finger at best.
So let's work on something we can actually effect change upon, to protect against the most likely cause of injury, moving parts that can entangle the operator.
Best regards
Scott
SHIPCHIEF:
I'm mosy interested in a remote shutdown. Reaching over the flywheel kinda gives me the creeps.
Lister SOM uses a decompression device to shut down the engine.
Bruce uses a pneumatic cylinder to do the same.
I have an electric starter, so I plan to use the battery for a solonoid triggered decompressor.
I'll mount a STOP button on the control panel, and possibly in a few other places, not close to the engine.
I'll also wire in parallel some safety switches that 'make' to energize the solonoid. High water temp, low oil level / pressure, Murphy vibration switch; whatever I can get that a DIYer can find and apply. The control panel would have an 'ARM' switch so you could start the engine, establish oil pressure, then turn on the safety devices.
Also an alarm and rotating light might be added if you wanted to install some warning device before the shut down occurs.
I was wondering if an 55 gallon oil drum could be cut up and made to fit as a starter / flywheel gaurd?
Scott E
All in Hunter Green, of course.
mobile_bob:
i would suggest an air shutdown for the intake
the damn thing will not run without air
perhaps a 1.5 inch ball valve (1/4 turn) with either a continuous duty solenoid or an air cylinder to hold it open
no power, no open, no run
if electric controlled it could be done with a relay and a momentary push button to enable run, and if the power was lost it would shut down
also vibration switches, low oil, high temp etc could be daisy chained into the control circuit
don't worry about the engine vacuum sucking up a bunch of oil, it aint gonna be much, and what there is will go out the exhaust.
just think of it as upper cylinder prelube :)
bob g
dkwflight:
Hi
I have had several minor burns shutting down my lister and I was careless and backed into the flywheel. I have a nice 2 "scar on my calf. I don't have any reason to get close to the belt side when its running.
I am the only fool around my lister ::)
If there were any possibility of anyone else being close to the running engine I would build gaurds. The best way is to keep kids and fools away from the running engine.
I really don't think any kind of gaurd that would contain a runaway engine flywheel explosion is practical short of a ring of at least 1/2" steel suported by heavy channel or angle struts.
Maybe Guy can "Do the Math" ;D for a suitable gaurd.
Any comments are welcome
Dennis
Guy_Incognito:
For help after you guys brainstorm a few everyday hazards, there's a link to a risk calculator and a few examples of how to use it here:
http://listerengine.com/smf/index.php?topic=1132.0
You can use that to figure out what to fix RIGHT NOW, and what to fix ".... one day, if I've the spare time".
In figuring out these things it's often a good idea have another person who doesn't use or operate the machine with you. Their eyes see many things as dangerous that you have come to see over time as safe and routine.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version