anyone put a small 8hp or so riding mower engine on a push mower?? will it work?? have an old snapper that the 6 hp motor died and was wondering if a 8 hp or so electric start rider engine would fit???
anyone put a small 8hp or so riding mower engine on a push mower?? will it work?? have an old snapper that the 6 hp motor died and was wondering if a 8 hp or so electric start rider engine would fit???
2 things it is going to be heavy, 2 I think you will find the bigger engie has a bigger foot print and as the snapper decks are made you won't be able to mount it easily. but I bet the chute won't clog with that much power they used to put 5hp on thier 25" riders
#5
wjjones
You will have to mark, and drill out the engine mount bolt pattern, and find a blade that will work with the mower width, and engine blade adapter. Then rig a throttle, choke, and ignition with a battery tray/ box somewhere.. its going to be heavy to push but should cut just about anything.. Also measure the height the blade sets on the current engine (from the ground to the blade) to make sure the bigger engines blade is cutting at the same height. You may have to shim it up because the bigger engines shaft may be longer..
#6
Dangeroustoys56
Anythings possible - ive even seen pictures of someone that stuck a Vtwin horizontal shaft on a snowblower .
I used to have a couple push mowers with 6.75 HP motors on em - so 8HP isnt that much bigger...
I am currently finishing up converting a Lawn Boy 10323 push mower to operate with my rebuilt and modded Stihl MS-660 Magnum chainsaw engine. Had to make speed reducer assembly because the Stihl 660 engine normally runs much faster than the original 6.5 hp DuraForce engine. I woods ported the Stihl engine and opened up the muffler. I am calling it a "SilverPro Stihl 660 Magnum Self Propelled Push Mower".
Another project I am working on is repainting my Lawn Boy 10324 self propelled push mower to Hot Pink color. I will be relabeling it as a "Lawn Girl" push mower. It is a project for my 11yr old daughter. My JD 63 push mower is too heavy and too big for her. I will try to post fotos of these mowers along with my other 45 push mowers and 12 riders later on.
Being a Honda Engine dealer I will usually try to adapt a Honda on first, but I have to remember what the title of this forum is. Not surprised to find these types of modifications here lol. In my modification work I usually will try to modify a piece of equipment so It will serve a dual purpose. More bang for the buck.
"11 Horsepower Self Propelled Push Mower":licking:. I have a mid 80s MTD RWD self propelled 22" mower. It has high bicycle tires in rear for good traction. The original 5hp B&S engine didn't have enough power for me. I cut an adapter plate out of 3/8" steel to mount an 11hp B&S electric start riding mower engine to it which I had bought at a salvage yard for $5. Custom mounted gas tank to middle cross brace of the handle and mounted a motorcycle battery to rear of mower deck just about the self-propel mechanism. The mower handle and mount were flexing to much with the added engine weight so I installed 2 metal 1/2" thin-wall pipe braces from near top of handle to front of mower deck. First time mowing I hit a clump of heavy grass and dirt and heard a noise but mower kept on going. Then I noticed it was not cutting the grass. Discovered the regular mower type blade mount adapter had broken and blade had fell off. It could not handle so much torque. I replaced the blade adapter with stronger one. Second time out in yard I hit end of an old rail road cross tie buried in the ground, bent one end of blade back over itself but it didn't stop the engine, so there I was barely able to hold onto the handle and mower literately tilling the ground up like a garden tiller and shaking back n fourth but I held on long enough to shut it off. Shoulda seen the look on my buddy's faces when that happened. Discovered blade adapter was cracked and blade was fubar. Installed blade adapter I modified from an old 60s garden tiller clutch, and I bolted on 2 new 22" blades. The first 2 tries all I could get engine to do was a high idle. Tuned up engine and mowed every high grass and brushy areas I could find. Mowing 3 to 4 foot tall grass and weeds as fast as I could walk and throwing out the cutting 25 feet to the side. Now it is sitting behind shop waiting it's time again. I will have to get it out and do some fotos soon.
#11
reynoldston
You can make anything fit with the right skills, time, and equipment. It just seems to me the motor shaft would be a problem and you will end up with a heavy hard pushing mower. You can buy from Harbor Freight a new complete engine for less then a 100 dollars that would fit better. Or also a good used engine from a salvage yard. Yes a Honda engine would be better but there must be a money thing here. A new Honda engine is a little $$. The time you did some like that why not buy another mower?
#12
Carscw
I took a 8hp Briggs off of a MTD yard bug and put it on a MTD push mower that came with a 5hp Briggs took about a hour.
I can understand what you are saying and as for myself never tryed or looked into it. I am just wondering about the engine shaft? Wouldn't the be completely different from a rider to a push mower? Just how would you make it safe to install the blade proper? Maybe just a bolt through the bottom of the shaft? Would you need something like any flanges? I sure wouldn't want my feet around anything not safe. I sure wouldn't do it for a customer because if something happen you could get sued.
#14
Carscw
Maybe I got lucky but the shaft was the same. Bolt holes the same. Made a shelf on the handles to hold the battery. Used it once to cut the back yard now it just sits in the shop. It is a little heavy to push up hill
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#15
reynoldston
I have gotten mowers in my shop that someone has replaced the engine and thrown a blade on the bottom of the shaft without any safety in mine. When I was reading this trend this is what I am thinking about. A mower blade turns at a high speed and if it ever came loose I sure wouldn't want my feet around it. If the two shafts are the same I can't see a problem but think about what is safe. Also when I replace a blade bolt I always use a grade 8 bolt. Also when I R&R a mower blade if the bolt has any wear or tear it gets replaced.
