Yes I have Zach. That's why I'm converting my "790" Saw of Mystery over to LH start. It has RH start and a Tilly HL with a choke. For now, the drill is as follows:
1)Place right knee on tank cover just behind handlebar.
2)Place heel of right hand on top of the rear grip (but backwards from 'normal').
3)Squeeze throttle with middle, ring, or pinky finger of right hand.
4)Press choke button down with thumb of right hand.
5)Pull rope with left hand, and
pray she lights soon so you can get the hell out of that awkward possition.
That saw's actualy
not that bad as far as starting is concerned, thank God. If the RH starter assembly on it wasn't so beat up, I might actualy leave it as is. Since I have all the LH start stuff available however, I'm just gonna make me a "790L" instead...
McCullochs that have the "push and hold" sliding cup choke button directly above the centerline of the rear handle are
much harder to do "the drill" with than the D44/1-70/600/700/800/etc family saws (which have the cool pivoted oiler and choke/primer buttons). It's easiest just to be a wuss and have somebody hold the trigger in and push the choke button forward while you pull the rope. You're probably better off just using a spray bottle and spritzing some mix down the throat when cold-starting, unless the saw is wearing a big bar and you can rest the bar on a log.
The Choke setup used on the 250-type saws is MUCH better. I really like the push button with the "bolt action" locking setup. Best of both worlds IME. You can lock the choke on for cold starting, yet it's still useable as a 'momentary on' push button deal if you need to richen things up for a sec on the fly (or fog out some skeeters). Just gotta make sure the linkage is bent correctly so that the choke is fully locked when you engage the 'bolt action' button lock. I just wish McCulloch had put trigger high-idle locks on the saws. That would have freed up both hands, so you could hold the handlebar with one hand and pull with the other. For some damn reason, all of my C-series Homelites are missing the lock hardware, so I've had to start 'em Mac-Style until I eventualy install those bits. My XP1020 is the first saw of that family that actualy had all the lock hardware when I got the saw...
My McCulloch 77 is MUCH worse in the starting ergonomics department than any other Mac I've dealt with. It has a primer, so you don't have to hold the choke on (at least). However, you must hold the throttle open to get it lit. With the shape of the saw (tank is really tall), getting into "the possition" is terribly uncomfortable. The last time I cold started it, I drafted my 9 year old daughter into service. "Hold this trigger in until I tell you let go honey"....
