old crappy riding mower to electric vehicle for people transport

my dad & i use the old mower to drive to different buildings on our land. the mower deck bit the dust so he removed it. now the engine has gotten on his last nerve after sinking a considerable chunk of change into it. does anyone know how to convert it to electric? i can take the motor off. i just don't know what to do after that. i'd like to surprise him with a new electric ride. please help with links, books, whatever. i can't find anything specific, bc as i said, we don't need it to mow. thanks!

just a idea here i think i would just look for a electric golf cart I'm thinking it would be cheaper and then you can both ride at once just a idea

to scott47429:
yeah, i'm not really trying to get a golf cart. but thanks for your input. we don't need to ride together. we have motors and drives and junk in general laying about. does anybody know what i need besides a mower body/ frame , 4 wheels w/ axles, and a decent battery? somebody on here has to know this stuff. i just need a little guidance. thanks!

birdlegs said:

to scott47429:
yeah, i'm not really trying to get a golf cart. but thanks for your input. we don't need to ride together. we have motors and drives and junk in general laying about. does anybody know what i need besides a mower body/ frame , 4 wheels w/ axles, and a decent battery? somebody on here has to know this stuff. i just need a little guidance. thanks!

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Yes, someone probably does, but you will probably have to wait until either tonight later or this week to get a good answer because it is slow today.
I hope you get your answer soon!

lawn mower fanatic said:

Yes, someone probably does, but you will probably have to wait until either tonight later or this week to get a good answer because it is slow today.
I hope you get your answer soon!

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thanks for the encouraging words, scott.

I realize you dont want a golf cart... but you are trying to reinvent the wheel. golfcarts are the best solution... I bought a yamaha gas golf cart 6 years ago. I used it at the haunted house my son's boy scout troop runs. It has run flawlessly for 6 years... my $1000 investment had paid for itself in spades. If you still insist on converting a lm chassis to electric, then look for a older gold cart on craigslist that you can steal the drivetrain from. You need a motor, motor controller and wiring harness. or look on some of the golf cart sites and but the things you need. But be prepared, the weight of the batteries if much more that the old engine that the chassis was meant to carry. I have seen many old ratty golf carts given away on cl if you will just come and haul them off. by the way my gc is a 1994 yamaha g8, I would look for a newer g14/16 either gas or electric. I had a co_worker who lives on a golf course neighborhood... he has a g16. When he told me how long they last and how little maintenance he does to them I was sold. It has been by far the best gas related purchase I have ever made! he told me to check with a gc sales place to see if they had any recent tradein's... I did , they did ... and I bought my 1994 for $1000 6 years ago.. the only maint it has needed besides oil changes and air filters was this year I replaced the starter battery. It runs rain or shine and even came with a roof and windshield! Good luck with whatever you do and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

txzrider:
thanks so much for all the info. that was nice of you. i guess i'll just put this on the back burner for now. pretty much any expense at this point is out of my budget. i'm going to be on the lookout for the parts you listed. maybe i'll come across a trade/barter situation. again, thanks for the responses, guys. hope y'all have a merry christmas.

You are welcome and I will tell you one more story... one of our scout parents after seeing my gc work out so well decided to advertise in craisgslist that he would haul off old golfcarts for free. He ended up getting several requests. The 1st did not have an engine, the 2nd a broken frame and siezed engine... he then took the engine out of that one, poured penetrating oil down the sparkplug hole... in the end for less that $50 he had a working golfcart! I have no doubt that the same approach would work in looking for electric gc parts. So good luck with you project... and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Well, hooking up an electric motor to the transaxle would be simple enough. I'd just use the factory belt setup, put an appropriately sized pulley on the motor and mount the motor in a vertical position as far back toward the steering column as possible. Unless you'll need it to run for miles upon miles on one charge, I think one big, or two smaller, deep cycle battery(ies) would suffice for power. Then all that is left is a controller and accelerator, maybe a brake and the wiring. I think it could be done on a budget, but I can see a battery, motor and controller alone setting you back a few hundred.

If you decide to make a winter project out of this and it works, I'd definitely like to see some pics.:thumbsup:

birdlegs said:

my dad & i use the old mower to drive to different buildings on our land. the mower deck bit the dust so he removed it. now the engine has gotten on his last nerve after sinking a considerable chunk of change into it. does anyone know how to convert it to electric? i can take the motor off. i just don't know what to do after that. i'd like to surprise him with a new electric ride. please help with links, books, whatever. i can't find anything specific, bc as i said, we don't need it to mow. thanks!

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