DIY electric lawnmower

cmittle · 10-17-08, 01:44 PM

I currently have two push lawn mowers. One I picked up on the curb during spring cleaning and got a few years use out of at my last place, and the other is quite a bit newer and was sitting in my moms barn for awhile not being used since she got a rider.

I came across some places on the internet awhile ago that have pretty good walk throughs on how to convert them to cordless electric.
These are the three that I've found usefull;
1. This site does a very good job of presenting the information in a step by step format.
2. This site does a good job of doing that as well but has all of the information on one page.
3. This site has very similar information but not quite as easy to follow from step to step. (I also envy them for being able to find that motor)
All three of these sites have a lot of valuable information.

I hope to do this by early spring of next year. I've already pulled the motor off of the older one and welded up a couple of spots that needed repair. I also ground most of the outside surface down and spray painted it as most of it had a light coat of rust. I will be getting the wheels and hardware put back on it this weekend, and will keep my eyes open on ebay for awhile for some 12VDC motors. I plan on purchasing a motor from grainger or mcmaster if I don't have one by ~Feb-March next year.

Initially I will probably charge the battery(ies) with a charger plugged into an outlet, but after I get it working I would also like to purchase some small solar panels that would be capable of charging it within 3 or 4 days. By the end of next summer my plan is to have my lawn mowing operation carbon free.

I just wanted to post this to share the links to the 3 build sites that I've found with others. Hopefully someone will find them useful.

Daox · 10-17-08, 01:54 PM

Great! I look forward to seeing progress on this. Be sure to keep us updated.

SVOboy · 10-17-08, 04:20 PM

Super excited about this project, been wanting to do one like it for a while now,

Keep us updated!

cmittle · 10-18-08, 05:04 PM

I'll post a couple pictures of my progress so far. Does anybody know where I might be able to purchase one of those adjustable wheel mechanisms? When I picked up the lawnmower it had a bolt through the fourth wheel.

Doofus McFancypants · 10-28-08, 09:54 AM

Excellent ! i just was thinking about a simuar thing.

I shall be watching

steve

10-17-08, 01:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
cmittle Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 53	DIY electric lawnmower I currently have two push lawn mowers. One I picked up on the curb during spring cleaning and got a few years use out of at my last place, and the other is quite a bit newer and was sitting in my moms barn for awhile not being used since she got a rider. I came across some places on the internet awhile ago that have pretty good walk throughs on how to convert them to cordless electric. These are the three that I've found usefull; 1. This site does a very good job of presenting the information in a step by step format. 2. This site does a good job of doing that as well but has all of the information on one page. 3. This site has very similar information but not quite as easy to follow from step to step. (I also envy them for being able to find that motor) All three of these sites have a lot of valuable information. I hope to do this by early spring of next year. I've already pulled the motor off of the older one and welded up a couple of spots that needed repair. I also ground most of the outside surface down and spray painted it as most of it had a light coat of rust. I will be getting the wheels and hardware put back on it this weekend, and will keep my eyes open on ebay for awhile for some 12VDC motors. I plan on purchasing a motor from grainger or mcmaster if I don't have one by ~Feb-March next year. Initially I will probably charge the battery(ies) with a charger plugged into an outlet, but after I get it working I would also like to purchase some small solar panels that would be capable of charging it within 3 or 4 days. By the end of next summer my plan is to have my lawn mowing operation carbon free. I just wanted to post this to share the links to the 3 build sites that I've found with others. Hopefully someone will find them useful. (Support EcoRenovator.org & get rid of these annoying ads!)

10-28-08, 09:54 AM	#5 (permalink)
Doofus McFancypants Lurking Renovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Atlanta Posts: 29	Excellent ! i just was thinking about a simuar thing. I shall be watching steve __________________ Steve AKA Doofus

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10-17-08, 01:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 669	Great! I look forward to seeing progress on this. Be sure to keep us updated.

10-17-08, 04:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
SVOboy Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 234	Super excited about this project, been wanting to do one like it for a while now, Keep us updated!

10-18-08, 05:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
cmittle Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 53	I'll post a couple pictures of my progress so far. Does anybody know where I might be able to purchase one of those adjustable wheel mechanisms? When I picked up the lawnmower it had a bolt through the fourth wheel.