Toro riding mower electric conversion

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.

Daox · 07-13-11, 08:01 AM

Welcome to the site mhixson!

It is possible to do what you say. However, I would highly recommend that you just get a diesel engine for the tractor. A diesel engine running a generator to power an electric motor isn't going to be as efficient as just using the engine to directly power the tractor. Yes, you'll have a generator, but you could always just plug a generator onto a PTO shaft or something like that and you don't have the added weight of the generator and electric components you'd have to lug around all the time. You could also still use the biodiesel in it.

mhixson · 07-13-11, 01:32 PM

Yes, I had considered just replacing the dead gas engine with a diesel engine. While certainly more efficient it seems.... less fun.
If I do go that route, what source would you suggest for a diesel engine? I'm thinking something like an engine from a diesel Gator lawn tractor would probably be sufficient.
If the cost of an electric motor + generator is close to the cost of the diesel engine I still might go with the former because then I'd at least have a generator and an electric motor if this project falls apart in tears.
Will do some more thinking about this. Thanks for the feedback.

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.

07-13-11, 08:01 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Welcome to the site mhixson! It is possible to do what you say. However, I would highly recommend that you just get a diesel engine for the tractor. A diesel engine running a generator to power an electric motor isn't going to be as efficient as just using the engine to directly power the tractor. Yes, you'll have a generator, but you could always just plug a generator onto a PTO shaft or something like that and you don't have the added weight of the generator and electric components you'd have to lug around all the time. You could also still use the biodiesel in it. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

07-13-11, 01:32 PM	#3
mhixson Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Washington State Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Yes, I had considered just replacing the dead gas engine with a diesel engine. While certainly more efficient it seems.... less fun. If I do go that route, what source would you suggest for a diesel engine? I'm thinking something like an engine from a diesel Gator lawn tractor would probably be sufficient. If the cost of an electric motor + generator is close to the cost of the diesel engine I still might go with the former because then I'd at least have a generator and an electric motor if this project falls apart in tears. Will do some more thinking about this. Thanks for the feedback.