Electric Lawnmower- Second Hand

Scored this electric lawnmower at the local second hand store last fall for $20. Runs like a champ!

It feels like you are vacuming your lawn as you drag the cord behind you. You also develop a different mowing pattern so you don't run over the cord.

It works much better than my homemade version and doesn't overheat. The bag is also nice so I don't have to rake afterward.

I would definately recommend getting an electric lawn mower if you have a small yard and can get your hands on one.

Lawnmower links and timeline

Lawnmower Conversion Links:
http://www.arttec.net/Solar_Mower/index.html
(the site that motivated me)

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Vehicles/LeeMower.htm

My Timeline:
2008- Gas lawnmower dies. Purchase adapter and blade, put new cord on electric motor, pull engine from the mowing deck, and mount electric motor to mower deck.

2008-2010- Graduate from college, change jobs twice, and move three times.

May 2011- Find bushing to fit blade adapter to drive shaft, put tin on underside of masonite, mount blade to drive shaft and blow several breakers on test run.

Electric Lawnmower Update

I have had some trouble with the electric lawnmower throwing breakers. I set it on the bare concrete the other day and plugged it in to see how long it would go before it threw the breaker. The answer is exactly 76 seconds. I assume there is something going on internally that is causing extra friction, and therefore too much Amp pull. I will need to take the motor apart and see what is going on. Because of this issue I have been using my old people powered Reel mower all summer, hopefully I can get the electric mower up and running reliably for next year. The one time I successfully used it, it worked like a champ. The grass looked like it had been mowed by a grass powered mower. Those who have used both rotary and reel mowers know the quality cut difference. For those who don't, it takes roughly 3-4 passes on a reel mower to get the same quality as one pass on a rotary mower.

Electric Lawnmower- Maiden Voyage

It works.... well sort of.

I blew the 20 Amp breaker in the house, so I had to raise the mowing deck to one of the highest settings. The label on the motor says it should be pulling between 5.5 and 11.5 amps, so it is likely the motor needs cleaned out. What it did cut, it cut well. I finished the lawn with the people powered Reel mower, it took 3 passes to cut as nicely as the electric mower did with one pass.

May 31, 2011

Electric Lawnmower- Blade to Drive Shaft

Cut some tin to cover the masonite so it doesn't rot, then I pounded the blade on to the drive shaft. It is a forced fit at the moment, but it will work.

May 29, 2011

Electric Lawnmower- Blade Assembly

Here is the Blade, Adapter and Bushing (7/8-5/8).

May 29, 2011

Lawn mower conversion- Bushing

I have purchased a bushing to match up the blade adapter to the drive shaft, I have also mounted the motor using masonite for my adapter plate, this will need to be lined with tin or aluminum before all is said and done so that it doesn't rot.

I have other pictures that I will post tomorrow, along with new photos as I hope to get the blade adapter mounted by the end of the day.

Also on the back burner, I have purchased a donor car for my electric conversion, a 1989 Plymouth Sundance for $400. I am driving it as is until I can purchase the parts to convert it.

Lawn mower conversion- gas motor pulled.

Gas motor off, and everything sitting roughly where it will end up.

04/18/08

Lawn mower conversion- blade distance

Measuring the blade distance so that it is in the correct place when all is said and done.

04/18/08

Lawn mower conversion- new power cord

New power cord for the electric mower.

04/18/08

Lawn mower conversion- motor and battery

The 3/4 HP motor and donor battery.

04/18/08

Lawn mower conversion- Starting Photo

Here is the original lawnmower.

04/18/08

Oh, how time flies!

Okay, so I have done a lot since my last post including a move and graduating college.

I acquired several push mowers and picked one to start on. I used masonite and a piece of 2x10 to mount the motor on the frame. I have also acquired my own battery charger and many of the parts I mentioned in an earlier entry.

The issue I got stuck on is getting the blade mounted on the drive shaft of the electric motor. I found a mount for a 7/8 inch shaft, but the motor shaft is 5/8 inch. So I need to figure something out there. I also found a better inverter and took the other one back. The new inverter has its own power switch, so that eliminated a step in the process.

AC Motors & first battery

As you recall, we are starting with converting a lawnmower to electric. This week while I was visiting my parents, I asked if they still had those old electric motors in the barn. Did, they? They gave me four AC motors and a nearly dead 12V battery.

Two of the motors are 3/4 HP (just what we need to convert a push mower) , one was 1/4 HP, and the third 1/3 HP (if we want to do a scooter or something).

The battery Dad slapped on his charger for 90 min. and wound up charging it up to 11.7 V. For those who don't know, roughly 13.8V is a fully charged battery and roughly 11.3 is dead. So not the greatest battery in the world, but it is free and something we can play around with.

I'll upload some pictures of this lot in a later posting.

While at Walmart, I bought a cheap $18 inverter that plugs into a car cigarette outlet. I still need to buy: a battery charger, battery terminal leads, a cigarette outlet splitter (to cannibalize), and an ammeter. Then I need to find an old push-mower to hook everything up on.