Hand cranking a tadpole
 

I find it a real pain when adjusting my rear derailleur to hand crank through the gears. To reach the pedals I have to step away from the derailleur so it is difficult to clearly see the chain action. Has anyone found a way to crank so to be able to stand closer to the rear?

I don't rely on your method. I put the trike in one of the middle gears on the rear cluster. I kneel behind the trike and adjust the RD barrel adjuster until the lower jockey wheel lines up with the cluster teeth. Hop on the trike and take off to see how it shifts gears. I can get it right on the first try most times. I have a bike stand (like a trainer) discarded by a neighbor but it is more trouble to put it on the stand than it is worth.

I get my wife to turn the cranks. :)

Took me almost a year to figure out but here's my current system:

1. I lift my trike's front wheels onto a stack of milk crates. The rear triangle gets held up on another milk crate stack and a Nashbar "Stand by Me".
2. I work the crank with one hand and the shifter with the other as I run through the gears.
3. If the derailleur doesn't index both ways through the whole cassette I make tiny cable tension adjustments and try again. It really goes pretty fast.

It's quick, precise, solid and cheap and I don't have to squat down or bend over. When I'm done working, the milk crates store away efficiently. The Stand by Me is compact enough to carry with me on road trips.

Prior to figuring this out I either hung my rear wheel up using a cargo strap or worked with the trike on the floor and used repeated test rides to check my shifting adjustments. PITA!

Thanks, everyone. All seem to be feasible methods (except I'm divorced:)).