I've flown the R985 on the Beaver and the L10 and L12 and, and the R1340 on the Otter, and never heard of pulling the props through on either type. That being said, I always pulled the prop through manually in the cold, just to limber the engine up a bit to make it easier on the starter. I've never experienced hydraulic lock, but I do remember you were supposed to remove a bottom spark plug to release the accumulated oil if we did experience it. That made it a maintenance problem.
As far as cranking them over with the ignition on, that was a distinct no-no.