On Sat, 26 Nov 2005, Erik Meltzer wrote:

> Bill Putney wrote:
>> Heh heh! I don't know if the big diesel manufacturers still do this,
>> but when I was a kid, I remember being told (probably by my dad) that
>> the Caterpillar scraper engines used small gasoline engines (with their
>> own electric starter of course) to start the main engine.
>
> A combustion engine would be a poor choice for a starter,

....nevertheless, a great deal of heavy equipment was equipped exactly so.

> The starter for a passenger car engine usually delivers around
> 1 bhp

Even the lightest-duty version of the starter Chrysler Corp. used on most
of their products from 1962 through 1988 was rated 1.5 bhp. The
heaviest-duty version was rated 1.8. The Nippondenso and Bosch PMPGR
starters used on a great many different makes and models since 1989 are
rated at between 1.1kW and 1.4kW (roughly 1.5 to 1.9 hp).