O.T. Mundane Chore, T2K Relevant??

[mikeo80]

I was cutting my grass today, and as I trudged through my weeds, I had a thought. (Yeah, scarry :p)

What if I found myself in a nuclear T2K scenario. One with a little bit of warning.

The EMP has fried the cars...

But what about the lawn mower? A 5 HP Briggs and Stratton pull start, 4 stroke, one cylander gas user?

Would it still start? IMHO, yes. Interested to hear other opinions.

What can I use it for? This is where my thinking broke down. I would like to hear from you all. What devious, life saving, or other wise usefull tasks would a lawn mower have?

Why did I say warning? IF I had some warning, I would top off both cars and my reserve gas cans. That would give me over fourty gallons of gas to use in said lawn mower.

My $0.02

Mike

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Stripped of all mowing equipment, a riding mower loses nearly 70lbs (depending!) - you now have a reliable if slow one-person transport. Possibly two.

You can of course convert a lawn mower into a generator (http://theepicenter.com/tow082099.html) with a little pluck.

You can use it to power tools, pump water, charge batteries, just about anything.

[mikeo80]

Stripped of all mowing equipment, a riding mower loses nearly 70lbs (depending!) - you now have a reliable if slow one-person transport. Possibly two.

You can of course convert a lawn mower into a generator (http://theepicenter.com/tow082099.html) with a little pluck.

You can use it to power tools, pump water, charge batteries, just about anything.

HMMM...

Interesting. Mentally I was kinda wandering in the direction of using an alternator and the drive shaft of the lawn mower. Now I need to study this.....

THanks.

FYI, lawn mower is push type. My yard is not big enough to justify riding mower, so I provide the motive power!! (Oh Joy, oh Joy!!)

My 0.02

Mike

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I got a rider for my 8th of an acre...would never go back to push! :)

[Greylond]

Goats! Get yourself a couple of goats and not only will you have "Bio-Lawnmowers" but you'll also have a source of milk. ;)

[Olefin]

Lawn mower would make a great generator for sure. You could also use it to power a pump on a well or to power a pump for irrigation. If its a powered push motor you could use it as an assist in carrying a load that is tiresome for a human (i.e. the motor gives you a power assist in moving the load)

or you could use the engine possibly to power a lathe or other power tool and thus be able to do mechanical repairs