EcoRider - riding lawn mower electric conversion - Page 29

bennelson · 01-26-12, 09:10 AM

My brother-in-law has a loooooong gravel driveway. This is their first winter over their and they ended up getting a used big old-school walk-behind snowblower.

Two times ago that I was over there it smelled like gas in their garage and workshop because of it. (It smelled so bad, you couldn't even walk in there.) The last time I was the, the blower was parked outside, and the driveway was glare ice.

Yeah, I'm thinking I like how EVs don't leak gas or have other maintenance issues.

dh1 · 01-26-12, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

I at least temporarily fixed the transmission last night. Per the previous owner's tip about 'sticking a screw driver in a hole and pushing a lever over', I am now able to shift again. If this keeps happening I'll have to take the transmission apart and figure out what is going on. Until then, the blower is ready to go.

It sounds like maybe the shifter fork is not holding in place, there are Detent's in the forks with a small spring and ball. Lot's of times the spring breaks and the fork won't hold it's position as good as before.
I'm not familiar with your transmission, some you have to disassemble to get at the Detent's.

Daox · 01-26-12, 09:56 PM

I'm sure something is either worn or perhaps a broken detent spring. I'll find out later if it becomes an issue again. Hopefully it can wait until spring though.

Daox · 05-15-12, 02:05 PM

I have a little mower adventure story to share with you today. Last night I was going to mow my field for the first time this year. I took one pass around the field and stopped the mower because my sister had come over. Later, I went back to continue mowing after she left and to my surprise the mower instantly shredded and snapped the mower deck's belt. So, I cleaned up the broken belt and put it in 3rd gear to take the mower back to the garage. Little did I know that when the other belt was being shredded it also moved the mower's drive belt onto the mower deck pulley which is probably about 3x larger in diameter and had taken all the slack out of the belt so as to render the clutch useless. So, I flicked the switch on and instantly found myself looking up into the air as the mower pulls its front wheels off the ground. It quickly fell back to the ground and bounced back up once again before I could get my hand back to the switch to turn things off. It took a bit of work but I was able to remove the clutch pulley and move the drive belt back to the correct pulley and drive it back to the garage.

To fix this problem in the future (shredded belt), I'm going to have to make some new belt guides. The original guides have been removed and won't work. The motor shaft doesn't stick down as far as the gas engine's shaft did and the pulleys sit up farther. This throws off the belt alignment enough to make the guides useless. This typically results in the belt just falling off the pulley here and there which is a very quick fix. However, after this somewhat funny incident I think its time to make some new guides.

bennelson · 05-15-12, 02:23 PM

Yipes!

The first time I took out my Electrak, I only had batteries in the back, and not the front.

I turned on the drive motor without pushing the clutch in first and realized that these machines can do POP-A-WHEELIES!

Mine didn't get high enough in the air to buck me off, but the front wheels sure left the ground!

Maybe it's time to install a dead-mans switch?
(Come to think of it, mine did originally have a switch under the seat that would kill the main contactor. I always hated that design though, because the mower would kill any time you go over a big bump!)

nibs · 05-15-12, 02:58 PM

Oh man, I am jealous my tractor wont pop a wheelie.
I put on a foot control for the speed, so that is my dead man. But my tractor will not mow until I build an electric deck, need one more 24 V mower motor with blade and some time, that should do it.
Anyway do keep the shiny side up.

MN Renovator · 05-15-12, 09:52 PM

"So, I flicked the switch on and instantly found myself looking up into the air as the mower pulls its front wheels off the ground. It quickly fell back to the ground and bounced back up once again before I could get my hand back to the switch to turn things off."

If only there were video footage, this would have gone viral on Youtube!

Very scary moment when it took off though, I'm sure.

Daox · 05-16-12, 07:15 AM

Haha, yeah I did think that a video would have been hilarious. Not only that, but there also just happened to be a tree in front of me too while this was happening. I stopped a couple feet short of it. It was a very quick but very unexpected event. Not the first time I've done a wheelie on the mower though...

I just don't know how many more the transmission can take.

Daox · 12-10-12, 10:00 AM

Well, its that time of year again. This weekend the blower went back on the mower, and the chains were installed. We're ready to go when the snow flies.

I am still looking forward to using the blower since I only got to use it I think 3 times last year. I kept my two stage walk behind as I'm not 100% sure that this is going to be enough. So far though, I've been incredibly happy with it.

MetroMPG · 12-10-12, 01:04 PM

So, after the unintended wheelie in May, you had a trouble-free season of electric lawnmowing?

It's funny how EV conversion projects often go that way: lots of updates during the project, then quiet as things go more or less to plan afterward.

Did you ever make the anti-wheelie belt guide?

01-26-12, 09:10 AM	#281
bennelson Home-Wrecker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 546 Thanks: 3 Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts	My brother-in-law has a loooooong gravel driveway. This is their first winter over their and they ended up getting a used big old-school walk-behind snowblower. Two times ago that I was over there it smelled like gas in their garage and workshop because of it. (It smelled so bad, you couldn't even walk in there.) The last time I was the, the blower was parked outside, and the driveway was glare ice. Yeah, I'm thinking I like how EVs don't leak gas or have other maintenance issues. __________________ 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.

01-26-12, 09:56 PM	#283
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I'm sure something is either worn or perhaps a broken detent spring. I'll find out later if it becomes an issue again. Hopefully it can wait until spring though. __________________ 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.

05-15-12, 02:05 PM	#284
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I have a little mower adventure story to share with you today. Last night I was going to mow my field for the first time this year. I took one pass around the field and stopped the mower because my sister had come over. Later, I went back to continue mowing after she left and to my surprise the mower instantly shredded and snapped the mower deck's belt. So, I cleaned up the broken belt and put it in 3rd gear to take the mower back to the garage. Little did I know that when the other belt was being shredded it also moved the mower's drive belt onto the mower deck pulley which is probably about 3x larger in diameter and had taken all the slack out of the belt so as to render the clutch useless. So, I flicked the switch on and instantly found myself looking up into the air as the mower pulls its front wheels off the ground. It quickly fell back to the ground and bounced back up once again before I could get my hand back to the switch to turn things off. It took a bit of work but I was able to remove the clutch pulley and move the drive belt back to the correct pulley and drive it back to the garage. To fix this problem in the future (shredded belt), I'm going to have to make some new belt guides. The original guides have been removed and won't work. The motor shaft doesn't stick down as far as the gas engine's shaft did and the pulleys sit up farther. This throws off the belt alignment enough to make the guides useless. This typically results in the belt just falling off the pulley here and there which is a very quick fix. However, after this somewhat funny incident I think its time to make some new guides. __________________ 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.

05-15-12, 02:23 PM	#285
bennelson Home-Wrecker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 546 Thanks: 3 Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts	Yipes! The first time I took out my Electrak, I only had batteries in the back, and not the front. I turned on the drive motor without pushing the clutch in first and realized that these machines can do POP-A-WHEELIES! Mine didn't get high enough in the air to buck me off, but the front wheels sure left the ground! Maybe it's time to install a dead-mans switch? (Come to think of it, mine did originally have a switch under the seat that would kill the main contactor. I always hated that design though, because the mower would kill any time you go over a big bump!) __________________ 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.

05-16-12, 07:15 AM	#288
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Haha, yeah I did think that a video would have been hilarious. Not only that, but there also just happened to be a tree in front of me too while this was happening. I stopped a couple feet short of it. It was a very quick but very unexpected event. Not the first time I've done a wheelie on the mower though... I just don't know how many more the transmission can take. __________________ 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.

05-15-12, 02:58 PM	#286
nibs Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 206 Thanks: 1 Thanked 18 Times in 17 Posts	Oh man, I am jealous my tractor wont pop a wheelie. I put on a foot control for the speed, so that is my dead man. But my tractor will not mow until I build an electric deck, need one more 24 V mower motor with blade and some time, that should do it. Anyway do keep the shiny side up.

05-15-12, 09:52 PM	#287
MN Renovator Less usage=Cheaper bills Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 939 Thanks: 41 Thanked 116 Times in 90 Posts	"So, I flicked the switch on and instantly found myself looking up into the air as the mower pulls its front wheels off the ground. It quickly fell back to the ground and bounced back up once again before I could get my hand back to the switch to turn things off." If only there were video footage, this would have gone viral on Youtube! Very scary moment when it took off though, I'm sure.

12-10-12, 10:00 AM	#289
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Well, its that time of year again. This weekend the blower went back on the mower, and the chains were installed. We're ready to go when the snow flies. I am still looking forward to using the blower since I only got to use it I think 3 times last year. I kept my two stage walk behind as I'm not 100% sure that this is going to be enough. So far though, I've been incredibly happy with 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.

12-10-12, 01:04 PM	#290
MetroMPG Infrequent noob Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: 1000 Islands region, Ontario, Canada Posts: 402 Thanks: 37 Thanked 20 Times in 19 Posts	So, after the unintended wheelie in May, you had a trouble-free season of electric lawnmowing? It's funny how EV conversion projects often go that way: lots of updates during the project, then quiet as things go more or less to plan afterward. Did you ever make the anti-wheelie belt guide? __________________ . 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. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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