Thread: Petrol mower conversion

Ken,
Is the motor worn out or just hard to start? If it is just hard starting and has a pull rope you can start it with a big electric drill driving a nut on the rope pulley shaft.
Bob

Krisfarm,

That's not a bad idea. My mower is a Rover, rope pull start. At present I have to tie the mower up to a tree stump so it won't move, and get two hands onto the pope, in conjunction with squirting some "Start you bastard" into the spark plug hole.

It's a pain in the neck and just takes all the pleasure out of mowing the grass.

I've had the mower serviced hoping that would fix it, but to no avail.

Ken

I have a small 2m x 1m patch of grass (for the dog) which I cut with an electric mower, but really electric mowers are a bit of a pain: running out leads and making sure you don't run over the cord.
Two strokes are pigs of things to start, I'd replace the two stroke with a B&S four stroke 3.5 hp. Super easy two finger start and they usually start on the first go, most mowers, aside from Honda, use B&S motors and most bases will accept a B&S, if that's not the case they are relatively cheap new and even cheaper second hand. The older models were simple: diaphragm fuel pump integral with the carb which is mounted on the fuel tank, aluminium bore with splash lubrication, and side valves, I don't think they have changed a lot from the old models. Not much maintenance is required except for checking the oil every now and then, washing the air filter and perhaps adjusting the mixture screw - longevity is excellent although when they have done considerable and I mean 'considerable' hours, the sump breather which feeds into the carb tends to enrichen the mixture making frequent mixture adjustment necessary.

Ken
I modified a mate's mower a few years ago,when he was having trouble starting it. Just use a normal depth nut and get a 12 point socket ( I picked one up from our local Mitre11 ie the local tip) and weld it onto a piece of 1/2" diameter bar, this makes it easy to take it off the nut when the motor starts. A 1/2 drill in low range is all you need and you will not use that rope again.
Bob

Originally Posted by neksmerj

It's a pain in the neck and just takes all the pleasure out of mowing the grass.

Sorry Ken, You'll have to explain that in more detail, I'm not seeing it.

Ray

RayG,

Obviously your backyard is all green painted concrete, my family of possums wouldn't stand for that.

The pleasure of cutting the grass has many benefits,

1. firstly it stops you from re varnishing the back patio, a rotten job at any time.
2. mowing the grass means you don't have time to fix the leaking washing machine
3. mowing the grass, it's now lawn, gets the missus off your back, and she can take the clothes off the line, and
4. how nice it is turn the noisy mower off, empty the grass catcher, admire the bowling green and pull the top off an ice cold VB and put your feet up.

Have I missed anything?

Ken

My BIL has done a couple of mower conversions.
He uses gopher motors and a 12V battery.
The first one he did was geared a bit too slowly but the second one runs as fast as a brisk walking pace.

WE have had battery powered mowers for many years.
The first one we bought many years ago has a Panasonic MC size 12V battery.
The plastics on this movers were getting beat up so we bought another and gave the old one to our son.
The older one was never very powerful and if the grass is more than a couple of inches long it is a 2 pass operation to cut a lawn.
One charge was just enough to do our small front and back lawns

I wanted to get a petrol powered mover but SWMBO said if we got a battery powered mower shed would mow the lawn
Ha! - 2.5 years on and she has mowed it once when I was crook.
The latest is a 36V Stihl and it's a ripper.
One charge does the lawns twice but we always leave the battery in the charger.
The catcher is very efficient and it also collects wet leaves off the brick paving very well.

Originally Posted by neksmerj

RayG,

Obviously your backyard is all green painted concrete, my family of possums wouldn't stand for that.

The pleasure of cutting the grass has many benefits,

1. firstly it stops you from from re varnishing the back patio, a rotten job at any time.
2. mowing the grass means you don't have time to fix the leaking washing machine
3. mowing the grass, it's now lawn, gets the missus off your back, and she can take the clothes off the line, and
4. how nice it is turn the noisy mower off, empty the grass catcher, admire the bowling green and pull the top off an ice cold VB and put your feet up.

Have I missed anything?

Ken

What are you doing next Saturday arvo? I've got a VB here with your name on it. ( After I generously allow you the pleasure of turning jungle into lawn )

Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Sorry Ken, You'll have to explain that in more detail, I'm not seeing it.

Ray

Ray,
aroma therapy!
For me there is one works best .... essence of wet dog.
Next best .... the careful mixing of two more......
Essence of freshly cut lawn combined with essence of freshly opened beer.


Peter

One word RaymondG; Roundup.

I have a 100ltr battery powered sprayer here. Just about time to feed the "cultivated grasses", er weeds here.

Ken

If you can still see the clothes line, then the grass (or weeds) are not that long.

Originally Posted by neksmerj

... and pull the top off an ice cold VB and put your feet up.

Personally I would rather have a beer.

Cheers

Doug

Originally Posted by neksmerj

Q2. What HP and speed?

The police use a conversion of 33cc = 250W when assessing whether your petrol assisted bicycle is a little too powerful - that might be a good place to start with power.

Michael

Visit your local karting shop and have a look at the Rotax Max engine, water cooled, electric start and 30 bhp - just the thing for a lawn-mower (or a gopher in old-age).
It shouldn't be too hard to adapt it and nothing would stop it.