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mhixson · 07-12-11, 10:17 PM

I have a Toro riding lawn mower. It is a model 74330 and is an older version of Toro's Zero Turn mowers.

The Briggs and Stratton 16HP OHV engine died on this and so I am considering replacing that engine with an electric one. I have done quite a bit of reading around the forums here on EcoRenovator and what I'm wanting to do is a little different. Instead of having a bunch of batteries on the mower I am wondering if it would be possible to have an electric motor powered by an on-board diesel generator.
Here are my reasons for this wacky idea.
1) I have several acres that need to be mowed at a time, part of which is on a steep hill. I don't know that I could put enough battery capacity on the mower to do even half of that.
2) I have a diesel truck and have been considering building my own biodiesel reactor. This would give me even more incentive to make my own fuel.
3) I have wanted to get a generator anyway for use here at the house. What I'd like is for the generator to just be a modular component of the mower that I could detach if necessary. Having it already on the mower would also make it easy to move the generator to wherever it's needed.

What type of motor should I use to replace that 16HP B&S? Should I use something already designed for 120VAC since that is what the generator would provide?

Would love to hear any feedback on this plan.
Thanks.

07-12-11, 10:17 PM	#1
mhixson Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Washington State Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Toro riding mower electric conversion I have a Toro riding lawn mower. It is a model 74330 and is an older version of Toro's Zero Turn mowers. The Briggs and Stratton 16HP OHV engine died on this and so I am considering replacing that engine with an electric one. I have done quite a bit of reading around the forums here on EcoRenovator and what I'm wanting to do is a little different. Instead of having a bunch of batteries on the mower I am wondering if it would be possible to have an electric motor powered by an on-board diesel generator. Here are my reasons for this wacky idea. 1) I have several acres that need to be mowed at a time, part of which is on a steep hill. I don't know that I could put enough battery capacity on the mower to do even half of that. 2) I have a diesel truck and have been considering building my own biodiesel reactor. This would give me even more incentive to make my own fuel. 3) I have wanted to get a generator anyway for use here at the house. What I'd like is for the generator to just be a modular component of the mower that I could detach if necessary. Having it already on the mower would also make it easy to move the generator to wherever it's needed. What type of motor should I use to replace that 16HP B&S? Should I use something already designed for 120VAC since that is what the generator would provide? Would love to hear any feedback on this plan. Thanks.