Counterbalance info

[Stuart]

Thought this was quite a good explaination of the subject & something which is sometimes missing from small Diesel engines?
http://www.dansmc.com/counterbalancers.htm

[coachgeo]

if one was adding a chain system for reasons of reversing direction of the output for attaching an opposite to engine rotating final drive......... then this extra sprocket might as well spin a counter balancer like one described in the links....... hmmm

[oldbmw]

What was forgotten is that pistons are accelerating and decelerating faster at the top of the stroke than the bottom. as a consequence when the motor is at TDC or BDc there is always some vibration. especially with singles, some twins and fours as usually all the pistons stop at the same time twice each revolution. and those stopping at TDC do so with more force than those at BDC ( because they are travelling faster) so motors tend t jump up wards. Triples and inline sixes are better in this respect because only a third of the pistons stop at any one time instead of 100%.

The much fabled horizontally opposed twins are not horizontally opposed, but horizontally OFFSET opposed. this cause a rocking action each time both pistons stop. 90 degree V twins have quite a good balance but run rougher because the firing timings are uneven.