Pollution from a Lawn Mower is 20x That from a Car?

[adan]

I found a rather controversial article: http://www.life123.com/home-garden/landscaping/lawn-care/green-your-lawn-mowing.shtml

It says . . .

... the average gas-powered lawn mower emits as much pollution as 20 or more cars running for the same amount of time.

Is that right? I know lawn mowers emit pollution but I have never imagined it to be more polluting than a car. I wonder how big the "average gas-powered lawn mower" is in the eyes of this writer.

 

[KennyV]

That is definitely possible...
if you consider the amount of money and engineering that has gone into automobile efficiency and pollution reduction over the last 30 years... compare that to the change in small engine over the same period... there is nothing to compare.... :smile:KennyV

 

[JDgreen]

That is definitely possible...
if you consider the amount of money and engineering that has gone into automobile efficiency and pollution reduction over the last 30 years... compare that to the change in small engine over the same period... there is nothing to compare.... :smile:KennyV

Does anyone wonder why Lawn Boy quit making two stroke engines...? Just joking here...but I am sure the companies that make mowers have done a lot to reduce emissions, on a 40 grand car you can have a catalytic converter and all sorts of electronic controls to make it burn clean, but how do they install such equipment on a mower and still make it affordable to the consumers?

 

[KennyV]

...how do they install such equipment on a mower and still make it affordable to the consumers?

Just like they did with cars...
It started by requiring the manufacturers meet a cretin level of pollution control every few years it was increased..
Remember when they came out with the plastic stops on the adjustments on auto and truck carburetors and then eventually made them non adjustable... they are starting to make small engine carbs non adjustable now...
Everyone still breathing in larger cities benefited from the reduced pollutants in the air... so eventually it will include small engine clean up... Remember how dirty diesel exhaust use to be... Lots cleaner now, and getting cleaner every year. It's a good thing that it is required, other wise it would not be done... :smile:KennyV

 

[touree]

That is something I had thought but emission in comparison to 20 or so cars, that is incredible. If the manufacturers did something to reduce the pollution, then that would mean a greater cost, huh?

 

[adan]

Hi Touree, yeah, I'm with you on that point. The figure 20x is hard to digest. Lawn mower engines are smaller. Second, they carry much less load than a car. Third, the RPM of a lawn mower is obviously much slower. How can they conclude such engine produces 20x the pollution?

Here I assume that the "average" lawn mower is a walk-behind mower. But even if the "average" lawn mower is the size of a ride-on mower, the argument is still valid. Make it the size of a tractor, I think the argument is still valid.

 

[KennyV]

...The figure 20x is hard to digest. ...
the RPM of a lawn mower is obviously much slower. How can they conclude such engine produces 20x the pollution?

There is almost nothing done on small engines to reduce pollution... cars have a lot of engineering for this..

Actually car engines typically operate under 2000 RPM... Mower engines are normally ran in excess of 3000 RPM...
There just have not been any incentives thus far to improve the small engine, that may soon change as more people begin to get a bit more interested in statistics... :smile:KennyV

 

[touree]

So the issue here is not majorly based on the size of the machine and/or engine but on whatever has been done on the engines to reduce pollution?

What would warrant mower manufacturer's to overlook such an important factor?

 

[KennyV]

...reduce pollution?

What would warrant mower manufacturer's to overlook such an important factor?

Cars have not gotten to where they are because manufacturers WANTED to do it... They were forced to clean up... and they are fighting every move to increase the standards...

If it is not required, do not count on anyone adding anything that is too different to what is working now... especially if it raises the cost by a dollar...
All mass production survives on reduced production costs, that is the nature of business...
If everyone is forced to improve, THEN everyone will implement the changes... :smile:KennyV

 

[adan]

Hi KennyV, I stand corrected. I didn't know mower engines run at 3,000 RPM. No wonder they're high pitched. I thought it's just a matter of reducing the noise they emit.

Right, the pressure to clean up comes from environmentalists. I think the pressure is on, but not sufficient If they increase the pressure, I see the grim possibility of lawn mower prices shooting up.