EcoRider: Removing The Gas Engine

by Tim Fulton on February 19, 2009

This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series Ecorider

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Not too long ago we had a bit of a warm spurt.  This was a perfect time to get some work done on the EcoRider.  Specifically, it was a good time to make good on my promise to the previous owner of the mower to get him his engine back.

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There honestly wasn’t a whole lot of work to do to pull the engine out of the mower.  The first step was to remove all the body panels that surround the engine.  Thankfully, mowers are very simple.  A few bolts were removed and that was taken care of.

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Ah yes, the joyous moment of draining the gas tank knowing the mower will never needing another drop of gas.  I also removed the throttle and choke linkages and unbolted the engine from the frame.

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So, we’re ready to pull the engine out?  Not quite yet.  I also had to remove the belts from the pulleys and remove the pulleys from the engine’s output shaft.  After that was done, the engine simply can be lifted off the frame.  Above shows how the mower is currently sitting.

The next step will be to start aquiring the electric parts for the mower.  This includes, the motor, batteries, and maybe a controller.  I haven’t decided if I want to use one or not yet.

EcoRider Build History

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This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series Ecorider

Well, the time has come for my first electric conversion project! I really wanted to convert a Toyota Paseo I picked up a while ago, but it would have cost too much for me at the moment. So, my next thought was that I really could use a riding mower. I have push mowed my lawn.  Its not small and it takes a long time. So, I talked things over with Ben Nelson and MetroMPG, the two EV guys I know and decided to go with an electric riding mower.  No more gas burning lawn mowing for me!

This weekend I picked up a Simplicity 728 (I have no idea what year) from a very kind gentleman. I found and got the mower for free using FreeCycle.org. It currently has a mildly used 8hp Briggs engine in it. The deal with the donator was that I take the engine out and return it to him since it hasn’t seen much use. I was all too happy to oblige! So, now I have a new project for this winter.

Hopefully updates will come fast, so check out the EcoRider’s forum threads for the latest on the project.

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