Crankin Engines FAQ

Small engine repair class

Did you take your toys apart when you were 5? How about making a Go Kart run? Do you think that you might like to build a Hover Craft? Ever want to build racing engines? Start by learning how to take apart a lawn mower engine and put it back together! Learn more about the class

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my kid do this as a self study?

Yes of course, If your kid has a mechanical bent it will help.

How do I find an engine?

Many people in your community will have a junk lawn mower. Metal recycling businesses often have junk mowers too. Craigslist, OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace are also good places to find engines. As a last resort, I sell engines which are prepped for the Crankin course.

Will a generator engine work with Crankin Engines?

Yes! Older Briggs & Stratton engines which were used on snow blowers, garden tillers, generators, pressure washers, and lawn edgers are very much like the vertical shaft push mower engines.

Will a newer, 6 Horsepower engine work for the Crankin class?

These engines are somewhat different. There is a Power Point slide show, for 5-6.5 HP engines, which has been added to the media on the flash drive. The flash drive contains almost 8Gb of videos, and slide shows.

What ages is Crankin Engines written for?

Crankin works well for 10-16 year old students. The class was written for a total novice parent to use as a teachers guide.

We are not having an easy time finding a 4.5 hp Briggs and Straton engine. Can I buy one from your website if needed? If this is so, can you tell me the cost and how to go about it?

I can provide a prepped engine, ready to use with the Crankin Engines class, for $55 plus shipping.

Crankin Engines equips you to explore engines and learn simple mechanical principles.

What's included in the class?

Instructor’s Curriculum

Suitable for the self-taught student or a parent and a group

Includes Instructor’s Manual and flash drive.
Class material for 11 weeks.
PowerPoints included for every week.
PowerPoints include videos of specific procedures.
Videos of specific procedures are included in a separate folder as well.

Buy the Instructor's Class Manual (with flash drive) for $150.

More Equipping...

But wait, there's more! (we just had to say that)

Source your own engines (we show you how) or purchase them from Crankin Engines. Tip: don't use your parent's lawn mower for the class!
Some special tools are needed. Special Toolkits are available with the special tools and materials you need. (sold separately) What comes in the kit?
Stubby Screwdriver
6” # 2 Phillips Screwdriver
Plastic fishing lure box
Automotive valve stem (core removed)
Spark plug wrench
1/4” Socket Set ¼, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, ½” sockets
Feeler gauge set
6” Copper wire 14 gauge
Rubber stopper
Piston Ring Compressor
1” X12” strip of 150 grit emery cloth
Gasket scrapers
(and the course shows how to use all of these!)

Crankin Special Tool Kit - $65.00

What’s In the Works...

We aren't stopping now, we're just gettin, well, you know...

Advanced class
Basic maintenance class

Crankin to the next power!

Are you a homeschooling parent who loves to tinker? Multiply yourself by joining up with a like-minded parent in your community. Share the expense of an Instructor’s Manual with another family. It’s like getting the Instructor’s class for the price of TWO students!

It's Affordable

The Instructor's Class costs $150.
What you get:

The Instructor's Manual
The Instructor's flash drive with

All the PowerPoints
A boatload of videos

Money-back guarantee - if you are not satisfied, return the course within 30 days and we will refund your money.

The value of learning shop safety is priceless. Crankin Engines provides an introduction to safe practice in the home shop while working on small engines.
EYE PROTECTION, HOUSEKEEPING, TOOL USE, AND FIRE SAFETY ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBJECTS IN THIS COURSE.

About Us

"This Four Stroke Internal Combustion Engine Curriculum is an Applied Science. I designed it for students with varied learning styles so they could explore engines and simple mechanical principles economically."

Rankin Barnes of High Point, NC, has 32 years experience teaching Automotive Technology at state and community colleges. He was the recipient of the Presidents Award for Teaching Innovation and the Excellence in Teaching Award.

He has owned and managed automotive repair businesses and has established apprentice programs.
"I CREATED APPRENTICETOWN FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO DISCOVER A NEW OLD WAY TO WORK. IN ADDITION TO LEARNING A CRAFT OR BUSINESS, THE APPRENTICE STUDIES A WORLDVIEW CURRICULUM ENDORSED BY HIS FAMILY AND COMMUNITY. THIS IS WHAT MAKES AN APPRENTICETOWN UNIQUE."

Bryan Dubois pursues new concepts for work and education. He envisions apprenticetowns – places of local experimentation – where technical, business and liberal arts curricula are developed and delivered while students work in creative, productive enterprises. Family associations and local churches are challenged to formulate their distinctive Biblical life curricula. What are we compelled to teach - really teach - to our sons and daughters . . . and to our adopted sons and daughters?

Bryan is a self-taught engineer with expertise in product development and manufacturing. He leads the special projects engineering team for a US-based manufacturer and worldwide seller of communications equipment. Bryan builds teams, listens, and helps each member find their way forward. We need to find new ways to work and learn in a changing world, and new ways to assemble people, young and old.

Apprenticetown commissions research and experimentation asking, “What must be written and who can write it? What must be tried and who can try it?" Long an advocate of apprenticeship, Rankin Barnes has partnered with Apprenticetown to bring this course to counties across America. Apprenticetown believes Crankin Engines is an important step towards the re-introduction of apprenticeships in the automotive and engine repair trades.

Apprenticetown is a co-sponsor of Crankin Engines. For more on Apprenticetown and its approach to alternative education, visit www.apprenticetown.com.