If the crank was for NASA, I'm sure it would "matter". That is unless you were thinking like using it 100 years in the future.

What, talking about wood case Model T batteries is out of bounds in this group?

Back in the day I used to be a crank-grinder and straightener...

If you store the cranks sideways, 'on a rack' then its a real bummer getting to the bottom ones...

But I remember my engineering master at school telling me the 'five-ninths' rule!

If you have a metal bar of say NINE feet long, then the two supporting places should be TWO feet in from each end leaving FIVE ninth's in the centre...

So if you are laying a crank on its side the supports should not be the large outer counter balancers, but the next ones in...

Did you look at the picture in the link of the hundreds of new crankshafts in the metal racks laying helter-skelter? And they were stacked 6 to 8 deep. Lots of weight on the lower ones with no particular pattern of position. That manufacturer is certainly not following your 'rule'.

Better not store those batteries on the ground

If you go to the link mentioned, (https://phantombullet.net/threads/never-lay-a-crank-shaft-on-its-side.5367/) (first picture on page two), one of the repliers showed a pic of factory storage of finished cranks
and said the factory doesn't adhere to the BS about not storing cranks us-supported.

If you look closely, he is mistaken, the cranks ARE supported properly,
i.e. supports under the second main from each end and nesting slots for the balance throws.

Joe

how about talking wood case model T coils instead ?

As the senior metallurgist for over 30 years, I must say this is the biggest pile of crap I heard in the past decade!

Oh yea" good ole Statics&Strength Of Materials.
But sectional dimensions come into play.
But a good practice for storing many types materials.

Thank you. I find this very annoying.

Crankshafts are not 9 feet long and I agree this has got to be one of the most ignorant adult topics and ranks with the flat earth crap.

Im sure someone will toss in a large marine type crank as an example but this is a car site and we deal with automotive crankshafts.

Whens the last time we got a storage instruction sheet with a new crankshaft?

Cranks take up less room at my shop when they are on end, and yes, occasionally they get hit and fall over like domino's! A wise sailor once said: "You rolls your dice, you takes your chances"...LOL

That is where I am at too.

I would lay them down so they don't get knocked over but I just don't have the room.

On Crankshafts that have crank sensor tone rings that can be easily damaged, I bolt them to a flywheel to prevent them from falling over.

Any automotive crank that would flex enough to be damaged when laying or standing would be worthless in an engine anyway.

I used to hang mine but found out they got longer and would not fit in the block.

Nitrousn, that's the best one so far in this discussion!!!

Joe

Some more free internet tips;

- Run a crank above 6k rpm and its stroke automagicly becomes larger, in fact turning itself into a stroker crank....

- If you have slightly oversized bearings, just store the crank in a strong vacuum chamber so the mains and journals swell up to the correct oversize overtime....


/s

or if the journals are too big, store the crank in dry ice until it gets "freezer burn".
that will insure it stays shrunken when it thaws out.............

Need to remember this "word".