I have owned a Homelite 5000 watt generator for about 20 years and bought it used then. Model # 178A50-B1 with a 10 hp Briggs all cast iron model 243431 engine .. I rebuilt it around 8 years ago because of an oil burning situation. [specd. out perfectly after rebuild] I find in my beat-up elderly years of working on Deere heavy equipment for 40 + years that I can't make enough steam to pull the wind up rope to start this antique generator anymore.. I have a log splitter with a 6+ hp Wisconsin that has the belt drive starter/generator and it barely rolls the engine over fast enough to start it, so I was wondering if this set-up will roll over the larger Briggs engine with the armature weight adding to the rolling resistance.. Is there a better version of this starter or am I dreaming in Technicolor ? I also thought of a serp belt on a 8-N starter [without a drive] supported with a shaft end bearing running off of 12 volts ?? Of course, I'd make it lever apply tension so the starter wouldn't blow apart when running....
