I pull a small utility cart holding a 40 gallon water tank behind my John Deere mower in order to water plants on parts of our property that aren't convenient to hose bibs on the house. At the moment, water discharge is by gravity only; it works but is slow. A small DC or AC pump could be installed on the cart to allow water to be pumped at a faster rate. But where would a pump get its power? A battery on the cart could power a DC pump. Adding an inverter to the battery would permit an AC pump to be used. But I was wondering if it might be feasible to install an outlet on the mower and power a pump from it while the engine is running. Is that feasible? If so, can someone give me an idea of what to do and whether there is any downside to powering a pump this way? Thanks.
Power Outlet on John Deere Riding Mower
- Thread starter JEHunter
- Start date
A company call Fimco makes 12V pumps that would work for the application you are talking about. This pump is used on tanks which are used to apply fertilizer and weedkiller. I have installed an inline switch into the power line which means I don't have to get off the tractor to operate.
Thanks for the tip on a good 12 vDC pump. You mention an inline switch; that makes sense and is what I was considering. However, you don't address my primary concern: how and where to tap into the mower's electrical system. Could you let me know what you did? Thanks.
I made my own wiring harness, but if you look at the sites I attached you will find one pre made which includes the switch. I used the 2.1GPI PUMP. Hope these sites help.
Fimco Misc. Parts
12 Volt 1.0 G.P.M. Pump (5275086)
12 Volt 2.1 GPM Pump (5275087)
12 Volt 3.8 GPM Pump (5275088)
Fimco Misc. Parts
12 Volt 1.0 G.P.M. Pump (5275086)
12 Volt 2.1 GPM Pump (5275087)
12 Volt 3.8 GPM Pump (5275088)
Excellent. Thanks for the links. It appears that the wiring harness merely clips to the battery terminals. What I had in mind was installing some type of electrical outlet on the body of the mower with permanently installed wiring to the electrical system. The wire to the pump, with an inline switch, would plug into the outlet, making the whole setup easier to mount and dismount. I might even mount the switch on the body as well. Do you think this might be feasible? If so, do you think any particular type of outlet/plug would be best for the application? I probably could find something at Radio Shack or someplace that specializes in RV or trailer parts. Again, thanks.
midnite rider
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How you hook it up will depend on how much you want to spend and how handy you are. I used an auxiliary socket like midnite rider pictures on three tractors so the unit can beceasily switched over. One customer had me wire the switch on the dash board and another wanted a lighted switch mounted on the fender. One thing to remember, you must leave slack in the harness, so there will be no strain on it during turns.
turbofiat124
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I don't know how this relates to your question but when I read the subject header it made me think of this.
A few years ago I was watching the Today show and they were showing some new lawnmowers and one of them was a John Deere with an 110 volt A/C outlet built into it. I don't know how long this feature has been around but I thought that was a neat idea. Dad's new John Deere does not have this outlet. Maybe it's just available on higher end models or is an option. Like hour meters on Husquvarna riding mowers.
I got the bright idea of seeing if I could use an inverter on my Snapper so I could power my electric tree trimmer, and chainsaw. It didn't work.
I think the inverter was rated at 1000 watts. I'm not sure if the mower's engine wasn't powerful enough to power the inverter or the inverter didn't have enough power to power the tree trimmer. I do remember testing this same inverter on an old 13" tube type TV and you know those things have to pull a lot of power, surely if it could power a tube type TV it could operate a small tree trimmer motor.
Three years ago we had a wet snowstorm before Christmas which knocked out power and a lot of trees and to get my chainsaw just to get out of my driveway:
Blizzardof200912.jpg photo by turbofiat | Photobucket
I live about 800 feet off the road and did not want to string together a bunch of extention cords and possibly create a massive power drop by the time I got down to bottom of the hill. I loaded up my 3500 watt generator in the back of my small yard wagon and pulled it to the bottom of the hill with my lawnmower and powered my tree trimmer with it. It was quite the setup!
A few years ago I was watching the Today show and they were showing some new lawnmowers and one of them was a John Deere with an 110 volt A/C outlet built into it. I don't know how long this feature has been around but I thought that was a neat idea. Dad's new John Deere does not have this outlet. Maybe it's just available on higher end models or is an option. Like hour meters on Husquvarna riding mowers.
I got the bright idea of seeing if I could use an inverter on my Snapper so I could power my electric tree trimmer, and chainsaw. It didn't work.
I think the inverter was rated at 1000 watts. I'm not sure if the mower's engine wasn't powerful enough to power the inverter or the inverter didn't have enough power to power the tree trimmer. I do remember testing this same inverter on an old 13" tube type TV and you know those things have to pull a lot of power, surely if it could power a tube type TV it could operate a small tree trimmer motor.
Three years ago we had a wet snowstorm before Christmas which knocked out power and a lot of trees and to get my chainsaw just to get out of my driveway:
Blizzardof200912.jpg photo by turbofiat | Photobucket
I live about 800 feet off the road and did not want to string together a bunch of extention cords and possibly create a massive power drop by the time I got down to bottom of the hill. I loaded up my 3500 watt generator in the back of my small yard wagon and pulled it to the bottom of the hill with my lawnmower and powered my tree trimmer with it. It was quite the setup!
Kenneth
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Just a thought on this subject. I like to keep it simple. And I see an opportunity to share an idea. I use a charging pigtail on most all of my small equipment. It works both ways. If I need 12 volt power in it hooks to a trickle charger. But it can also power 12 volt accessories. Same two prong flat plug, available at any auto parts stores.works great for me. If you need an inline switch, it's all available at any Walmart or auto parts store.and it works to keep the battery charged in the off season! :2cents: