I started work on a new man mowing the lawn in January 2007 and figured it was time to finish it. So off the shelf it came and I dug in.
Check out January 2007 for other pictures in progress. The first pic is the drive mechanism. I used ¼” pitch roller chain as my drive. The sprockets are free running on 1/4" bolts that are epoxied into the wood.
The photo on the left shows the chain tensioner I made using a steel bar. I drilled 1/4" holes at the correct place for the sprockets to allow the roller chain to drive the tractor. I then silver soldered 1/4" bolts to hold the sprockets on the bar. The bar pivots on the left and I fabricated an arm that puts spring tension on the right side. (See photo below) Tension on the chain is spread out over the four sprockets so that there is very little “play” on each when the chain decides to stretch.
This animation is dedicated to my father. He used to drive his John Deere tractor from his house through the borough of Strasburg to the Choo Choo Barn, a trip of about 1 1/2 miles, to mow the picnic area which was where the large part of our parking lot is now. One morning on his trip through town, a Pennsylvania State Policeman stopped my dad because he was driving an unlicensed vehicle on the road. My dad was absolutely fuming when he got to the Choo Choo Barn, ON HIS TRACTOR! It seems the policeman, a guy that probably could have been young enough to be my dad's grandson, just gave my dad a verbal warning and said he didn't want to see him driving his tractor through town again. You have to understand, my dad was born and raised in Strasburg, just like his father before him. This was HIS town! He served on Strasburg's borough council for 25 years, his last position being chairman of the safety committee, which made my dad the town policeman's boss. How ironic! Now if you think my dad stopped driving up town on his John Deere to mow the Choo Choo Barn picnic area, you obviously didn't know him. He said a few choice words and continued his weekly chore, waving to all on his trek up town and back home again.
This is quite an interesting posting on man mowing a lawn. It gives an insightful overview of the technique that is used for the work.
Posted by: Building Equipment | May 05, 2009 at 06:32 AM
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Posted by: Boom Truck | October 13, 2009 at 10:12 AM