are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

[tinkertinker]

There are two square metal rods that stick out to the port and starboard side of my 1957 Bigtwin 35hp, near the rear, just below the cowling.

What the heck are these for?

thx.

 

[bktheking]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

I'm gonna take a stab at it, leverage for tilting the motor???

 

[tinkertinker]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

thank you. I know it may sound like a dumb question... they just seem to be SO overbuilt for that purpose alone. The motor is only about 140 pounds.

One fella said they are for putting it on the transom and taking it off. Again, great for that. Maybe I'm just shocked by the thoughtful convenience of the whole thing.

 

[bktheking]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

It could be for that too!

 

[DJ]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

Lifting handles.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

Yep and they really work. I've got two Big Twins without them and my back feels it every time I take one or other off the transom and put it back on again. Those rear bars give you something to grip on.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

Be careful don't break them off while you lift it. You could end up with a broken motor and a nice gouge in your arm. They don't look very sturdy to me. They do look cool though.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: are these handles on a 1957 bigtwin 35hp?

They are sturdy and unless they have somehow been cracked, they aren't going to break, from lifting the motor.

These are motors from an era when 35hp was a lot and motors didn't have to be lifted with a hoist. I have distinct memories of the local outboard mechanic in my grandfather's town, who was a bear of a guy, "throwing" these motors on the back of boats, like they were nothing! He would grab the u-shaped bar on the front of the motor, plus this one and swing them up and onto a transom, without so much as a deep breathe!

I'm glad that he lived and worked in the era that he did - somehow, I think he would have hated the 500 pound "computer chips," that we currently call "ouboards."



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