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Anyone have a propane powered Lawn mower, tractor, etc on here? And how well do they perform compared to traditional mowers, tractors, etc? Sorry Admins wasnt paying attention..could you move this to the appropriate section...

Seems like it has been discussed here not too long ago...
There are places that propane is handy, like on fork lifts used inside... On a mower it seems like having the on hand fuel tanks to swap out would be Un-handy...

I have used farm tractors on propane, works Okay but there is a bit of reduction in torque & HP... plus about a 30 to 40 percent increase in fuel consumption with propane, but it burns clean... On a larger tractor when LP was cheap it was worth the added refueling problems, plus you seldom missed the HP loss... on a smaller mower engine that Might be noticeable ...
Why are you thinking about it? are you set up to fill your own tanks?
I still heat with LP but would not want to go back to tractors on it... I like Diesel..:smile:KennyV

This thread has been moved to the General Mower Discussion Forum. :smile:

KennyV said:

Seems like it has been discussed here not too long ago...
There are places that propane is handy, like on fork lifts used inside... On a mower it seems like having the on hand fuel tanks to swap out would be Un-handy...

I have used farm tractors on propane, works Okay but there is a bit of reduction in torque & HP... plus about a 30 to 40 percent increase in fuel consumption with propane, but it burns clean... On a larger tractor when LP was cheap it was worth the added refueling problems, plus you seldom missed the HP loss... on a smaller mower engine that Might be noticeable ...
Why are you thinking about it? are you set up to fill your own tanks?
I still heat with LP but would not want to go back to tractors on it... I like Diesel..:smile:KennyV

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I wasnt sure it seems like you see more of them these days...

Iff you are set up to do your own refueling... It might be a bit more economical ... you will use more LP but it is still under $2 a gallon in bulk, I have a 1000 gallon tank..
Still NOT that handy to have to deal with transferring into smaller tanks... :smile:KennyV

I just don't see an advantage using propane on small engines. I probably burn 30 gallons of gasoline annually, which is a lot of mowing for a "homeowner". Handling concerns, special carburetors, regulators, the lack of lubrication in propane all add up to it just not being worth the squeeze. Add to that, if you take it into a shop to have it repaired (heaven forbid:ashamed::biggrin who is going to be qualified to uh, repair this one of a kind monstrosity?

KennyV said:

Iff you are set up to do your own refueling... It might be a bit more economical ... you will use more LP but it is still under $2 a gallon in bulk, I have a 1000 gallon tank..
Still NOT that handy to have to deal with transferring into smaller tanks... :smile:KennyV

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Strange. Nationally propane mowers are fueled much quicker than their gasoline counterparts. I guess it depends whether you are an owner or employee.

Go here for info: MOWER INCENTIVE

Note: you'll notice there is a walk-behind with a vertical tank. We really should have mounted that thing horizontally. ;-)

One thing to remember is that propane is 100% produced domestically. The United States is actually a "net exporter" of propane.

benski said:

I just don't see an advantage using propane on small engines. I probably burn 30 gallons of gasoline annually, which is a lot of mowing for a "homeowner". Handling concerns, special carburetors, regulators, the lack of lubrication in propane all add up to it just not being worth the squeeze. Add to that, if you take it into a shop to have it repaired (heaven forbid:ashamed::biggrin who is going to be qualified to uh, repair this one of a kind monstrosity?

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Wow, the main complaint from commercial mowers is ethanol ruining their fuel systems.

I don't understand your statement of "lack of lubrication in propane". Propane actually increases lubrication since there is no "wash-down" of the cylinder walls.

Engines on propane typically outlast their counterparts by 2.5-1.

Honestly, I've heard these statements before when making my travels for the Kawasaki Schools throughout the US and I really don't know where they originate.

My guess is with Exxon, Shell, Saudi Arabia and BP...


Edited to add: "One of a kind monstrocity"? Exmark, Toro, John Deere, Honda, Dixie Chopper, Bad Boy, Walker, Scag and many more offer OEM propane units. There are more than 17000 Nationwide. The National Mall (Washington DC) is mowing with propane as is Augusta National. Perhaps they don't know of their error?

Yes, I know I am answering a post that is two years old but I hear the same statements almost daily. They have no basis in fact.

The worry over lack of lube comes from old engines that needed lead in the fuel to keep from wearing out the valve seats. Has not been a problem for many many years. Any engine that can run on unleaded fuel should be able to run on propane. I have seen many industrial irrigation engines that clocked well over a year in hours on propane. There are some natural gas engines that still have to have specs in the oil to hold down valve wear as well as ash. Those run on another type of natural gas than residential and are sometimes two stroke, sometimes four stroke.

possum said:

The worry over lack of lube comes from old engines that needed lead in the fuel to keep from wearing out the valve seats. Has not been a problem for many many years. Any engine that can run on unleaded fuel should be able to run on propane. I have seen many industrial irrigation engines that clocked well over a year in hours on propane. There are some natural gas engines that still have to have specs in the oil to hold down valve wear as well as ash. Those run on another type of natural gas than residential and are sometimes two stroke, sometimes four stroke.

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You are absolutely correct! But the exhaust valve recession wasn't from lack of lubrication but the lack of "cushioning" from lead when the exhaust valves closed.

Since propane is so clean a certain amount of "welding" would occur between the seat and valve.

There's no doubt that propane is clean running. When converting brand new engines I would have to mix 10w oil with Bonami and rotate the engine with a 1/2 inch drill to get the rings to seat.

That was too many years ago though...

We have users that wait way too long to change their oil because it remains so clean. Unfortunately "clean" is not a measure of viscosity.