On the hand cranked construction equipment I've used, welders, pumps, air compressors, etc., I've always eased the crankshaft around with the ignition off until the crank handle is about the 6:00 position or a little past, switch on, put my thumb and all four fingers under the handle, and give it a quick pull up to about 12:00. On a 6 cylinder, that should give three cylinders a chance to fire. That's not half as scary as hand-starting an airplane engine like the Aeronca Champ my friend used to fly, with that huge prop spinning a few inches away from my nose when it fired up!
Jerry
