I have hand cranked mine a few times over the years, saved me once when the starter decided it wanted a rebuild - NOW - but I wasn't home yet. My truck starts easy, and usually does in a pull or two, however, I find hand cranking it awkward. There are only two positions to put the crank into the front of the engine, and with 6 cylinders, you don't really get to pull up through the compression in a nice upward half turn like your supposed to, at least not on every pull, because the crank handle doesn't always end up there when a cylinder is compressing. My engine is in good shape, and thus has good compression, its a workout especially when your having to pull through either past the 6 o'clock or 12 o'clock handle position, and keep everything held so that if there were to be a kickback your arm and hands stand a chance of deflecting out of the way without bones giving up.
I've cranked some old 4 cylinder tractors and the crank always lines up on the compression starting at 6 o'clock and is through it by 12 o'clock - makes it easy to follow the recommended posture and upward pull.
I do carry the crank handle, but it is only used as an emergency backup.
