stop Those Runaways

[bitsnpieces1]

  I've been thinking about how to make these engines safer for all this tinkering I plan to be doing.  I plan to install an air shutoff valve.  Surely someone here has experience with ?Cummins? (I think) 2-stroke truck engines.  Ours had an emergency shutoff flapper valve between the supercharger and the cylinders.  You could pull a handle in the cab, release a catch on the valve  and the flapper would shut, cutting off all air to the engine.  I'm trying to work out how to get one to fit in the intake line.  Just move the intake away from the head a bit and insert a block with the valve in it.  Then string a cord from the release to a doorway, which would allow you to release the cutoff from anywhere the cord was at. 
  Anybody have a good idea about the design & manufacture?  Perhaps add a spring mechanism to load a brass gate valve used for water pipe. 

[GuyFawkes]

big ball bearing held back by a pin, drop onto a seat by gravity

[sid]

if you have a runaway/ you only have a few seconds to stop it/   you have to be close by and really brave to shut it down// you do not know where to try to out run the pieces as it blow up or try to shut it down//almost any way to shut the air supply off will work but you have to get close to it or have a long rope//sid

[Joe]

big ball bearing held back by a pin, drop onto a seat by gravity

That and or a billiard ball...2.25"/ 5.7cm dia.
I use billiard balls as check valves in a pump that I build for my business. They funtion exactly like the balls in a Lister oil pump...only bigger...

Joe

[bitsnpieces1]

  Things are sounding good. Could make up one or buy a ball check valve from water/wastewater supplier.  Drill a hole through body for the pin.  Thinking a standard flapper check valve wouldn't work because too much danger that flapper would crack from hammering, happend to me a good bit on pressure lines.  Could use black iron pipe and fit one piece inside a larger one, to create a seat for a ball (billiard soft enough to seat without breaking) that would be a close but loose fit in the larger one.  Then just put a 90 on the bottom and the top. 
  Plan to use cord like a safety cutoff on machinery.  Tie cord to release pin then run through eyes, from engine via a good route all the way to a doorway.  That way you could trip the ball from almost any point in the room. 

[Andre Blanchard]

Here is an off the shelf shut-off, probably cost more then your engine.
http://www.mckenziecorp.com/air_intake_valve.htm

Most pulling tractor guys use something a little simpler, just a spring loaded sheet metal gate valve.
Here is a picture of the guts of such a valve, an adaptor plate would be added to each side as needed to mount it up.  I think most small time pullers just make there own valve.
http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/photoads/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=138525&query=retrieval

Note the valve does not have to make a perfect air tight seal, just stop enough of the air.

[bitsnpieces1]

  Here's one using Guys and Joe suggestions. 

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/index.php?cat=10053

[sid]

years ago it was normal to have a cut out on your car exhaust/ pull a cable and a flap would divert the exaust straight out and down bypassing the muffler..the town and country setting as we called it. the same cut out would stop the intake air on a lister or petter// they use to be available  from j.c.whitney but I have not cheked in years/but it would be a simple,cheap and easy to shut one down from a distance//sid

[sid]

a google search turned up one on j.c.whitney (Exhaust Cutout Cast Iron ZX241628R )  $39.95///sid

[bitsnpieces1]

  Looks good too.  Cap off the direct discharge part and hookup the Listeroid intake pipe for a direct shot through.  Just pull the arm and close the flapper to stop the engine.  Les

[sid]

should be very little trouble to put it in the intake/it may not seal very tight but it will slow it down enough to either get away or get it shut down//sid