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scratch build
Topic Started: 3 Apr 2007, 10:04 AM (798 Views)
5gaugemadness
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Hi has anyone here ever made an engine using a lawnmower motor. Am possibly thinking of giving it ago after inspiration from http://www.freewebs.com/hoginwood/
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glastonrail
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Lawnmower engines are a good cheap source of power, though you might want to get yourself a decent gearbox such as an Eaton 7 hydrostatic which is 100% reliable and gives full variable forward and reverse.

Where your standard push-along (or small self-propelled) lawnmower has an engine around 3.5hp, if you want to do serious work with it you need at least 5hp. Our petrol locos at DMR (http://www.freewebs.com/dragonrailway) have (oldest to youngest) 5hp, 5hp, 10hp, 8hp motors in them. Needless to say the 8hp machine (47338) sees the most use, followed by D1015 (10hp), both of which can handle the standard three coaches. The two 5hp machines can only handle two comfortably given our gradients and curves.

I would recommend not using a motor straight off a lawnmower as they will have very little torque. A Honda GX160 5.5hp engine (seemingly the miniature railway industry 'standard') is available new very cheaply and competitively as it is also used for small electricity generators and water pumps. Spares for this engine will also be very easy to come by. Try looking HERE for a starting point.

Hope this helps,

Dom Greenop
DMR
"There's no such thing as sanity, and that's the sanest fact" M. Knopfler, 1985
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5gaugemadness
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Thank you for the information i will certinally look into those Motors

James
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ilvaporista
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I was with Stuart the other weekend. We took his new battery loco over to near Venice for a run on an impressive 5" line over there. Home to a 5" part built Big Boy.

The Hoginwood railway is no more but having seen the outline plans of the new line it will be re-born bigger and better...

Lawnmower engines are a good cheap source of power, but as said before not really up to commercial duties. What takes the time and effort is arranging for mechanical reduction to the wheels and reversing. A good tip from another site was to look for old outboard motors that have a reverse gear and use that.

I have two mowers sitting in the garden that are looking suitable as donors, the flymo is getting dangerously close to being converted in to a hovercraft...

Adrian Parker
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