Cars Vs. Lawnmower – The Emissions Showdown

[Daox]

Looks like a good article. I found it via autoblog green. However, I can't seem to load their images and I'm at work so the video is blocked. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to you guys.

Cars Vs. Lawnmower – The Emissions Showdown | Autoshepherd Blog

[Piwoslaw]

Nice find.
I wonder how my electric mower compares, taking into account the emissions from the coal fired power plant? I might look that up when I find moment. I could have used my Kill-a-Watt to measure how much I use each time I mow.

[NeilBlanchard]

My corded electric mower uses a very small fraction of the energy of a gasoline unit; in one hour of heavy use it uses less than 0.5kWh so I am confident that this means it has a far smaller carbon footprint than a gasoline mower. This is equivalent to less than 1/4 cup of gasoline. Most gasoline mowers I have used would consume at least 1 to 1.5 pints of gasoline in the same period of time; which is 8-12 times more.

[Quest]

I knew that part of the problem RE: small engines such as lawnmowers, etc. pollutes more than automobiles in terms of CO/NOx/unburned HC part.

Just that I have not been able to come out with a small enuf CAT to install onto my B&S flathead mower, and also need to find means to calculate the residual (post-combustion) O2 in the exhaust stream to warrant a hot/complete combustion of the residual combustion byproducts...

more on this subject later...

Q.

[Vlad]

One day I started thinking: "OK I will try electric lawnmower..." The choice is:

1 Corded
2 Battery
3 Gas
4 One pony powered (manual)
5 Just let it grow...

Battery seems to be a good option but capacity and weight and maintenance (keep it charged the rest of the season) and battery replacement made me stay away from it.

So I tried corded. Good power, almost no maintenance, cheap to operate. Looks like a perfect lawnmower, but CORD is a real pain. I got tired not from pushing the lawnmower but moving this darn cord.

So I went back to gas. Even with all cons like smell, headache, carburetor clean, gas smell, gas price it gave the most important options: mobility and power.

Last weekend I started thinking what if I convert it to propane? Google and YouTube were my first friends to help.

But after watching a dozen of videos and reading couple of hundreds of pages I decided to go easy and cheap way.

Fuel tank is 1lb disposable propane tank(you can buy simple tool to refill them on eBay 17$). I used small adjustable BBQ regulator. Last thing I needed was small tube that I bent and directed into carburetor intake. All this I had around my house and it took only 1/2 hour to do.

Now before I start lawnmower i open regulator a bit and pull the cord. After it starts I adjust propane flow until engine runs clear and this is it.

Yes I could be more sophisticated and buy special regulator (70-100$). But this is just lawnmower and I don't want another "project" sitting in my garage.

Now I have:
1 Mobility
2 Power
3 Almost no smell
4 Almost no maintenance(yes I still need to change oil)
5 No investment
6 Cheap to operate
7 Much lower pollution compare to gas

Looks like my main goals are achieved.

[MN Renovator]

You forgot, no carb to get gummed up over winter. ..or if the carb gets gummed up, propane is an easy out.

[Vlad]

Originally Posted by MN Renovator

You forgot, no carb to get gummed up over winter. ..or if the carb gets gummed up, propane is an easy out.

Absolutely, I just called it "4. Almost no maintenance...."

This is why many many still good lawnmowers end up in garbage. I used to work in Honda shop and every spring we had a line up of gummed up lawnmowers. Customers were shocked by 150$ bill.....

Another good tip to save your dead lawnmower:

You know that BOOOOM. Yes you just smashed that darn rock. You start it up again and.... Holy ... it shakes like crazy. You take it to shop and they give you verdict: "Oh man you know... you bent crankshaft - GARBAGE".
So, because there is nothing to lose you can try to use "lawnmower CPR".

1 drain oil
2 put it on its side (do not tip it to carburetor side because remaining oil will go there)
3 take spark plug out
4 take blade off (make sure you check manual how to do it safe....)
5 spin the shaft slowly while holding permanent marker close to the end of shaft (where blade was)
6 now you can see were your shaft is bent
7 put this mark up (mark from permanent marker)
8 sometimes I put a wood block near the crank case under the shaft sometimes I don't.
9 Take a big hammer (5-6 lb) and give crankshaft a whack
10 You may need to do it few times.
11 use a file to clean marks from hammer.

It sounds a bit complicated but is really easy to do. Remember, your lawnmower was a garbage anyways, so if it didn't work for you don't feel bad. Just finish your beer and go buy new one (I meant lawnmower and not a beer )