Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Slightly Useless Lawnmower Project


I raised this up as the ultimate example of my Yankee* Ingenuity even if some people think it was a waste of time.

It all started when the pull start cord started to fray. I removed the bracket tethering it to the handle bar, shortened the rope and tied the handle back on right at the engine, the way a pull starter is supposed to be.

Then I got to thinkin'. That safety device on the handle bar, the small bar that you have to hold down or the engine shuts off, has been broken for a year. I stuck a lag bolt into the mechanism on the engine that this safety device controls. That makes it kind of hard to shut the engine off when I am done mowing the lawn.

Let's make a short story shorter.

I completely removed the safety device with the lag bolt stuck in it. Then I cut a piece of steel out of an old wheelbarrow that I have. Drilled two holes in it for bolting it on the engine block. Stole a switch from a broken Power Wheels ATV (Yes, I do need to make a trip to the dump. Thanks for asking). Cut a hole in the piece of steel and stuck the switch in. Hooked the wire from the safety device to the switch and ran wire from the engine block to the other side of the switch. And voila! I can now easily turn my lawn mower off.

*the good kind of Yankee

4 comments:

Rob said...

Why didn't you just pick out a new lawnmower from your neighbor's collection?

gagknee said...

they need more work than mine. i want to build a go cart. i'll pick an engine out from yard then

Pete said...

nicely done, sir.

gagknee said...

thanks