Barbecue-grill gas creates a better mower
Posted 03.04.2010 at 2:54 pm
13 Comments
Propane fuels your camp stove and patio grill because it burns efficiently and is easy to store safely. Now the same canisters are making lawn mowers more eco- and user-friendly, too. The propane-powered Eco Mower spews 26 percent less greenhouse gases and 60 percent less carbon monoxide than a gasoline model, plus you can replace its fuel conveniently and inexpensively.
Twist a store-bought 16-ounce can into Lehr’s engine (similar to those in some eco-cars) and mow for up to 90 minutes, 20 to 40 percent longer than the same amount of fuel lasts in a standard mower. Propane is a gas, not a liquid like gasoline, so you’ll avoid greasy buildup, spills and flooded engines. And since it produces almost no carcinogens or particulates, you’ll escape the smoggy exhaust that makes mowing even more of a chore.
Inside Propane Power: Illustration: Steve Karp
The Eco Mower burns propane with an ordinary internal combustion engine. But it can eliminate the inefficient carburetor and choke needed to turn liquid gasoline into a usable, vaporized form, because propane is naturally gaseous at normal air pressure. The canister holds propane that’s compressed by high pressure into an easily stored liquid. The propane becomes a gas either as it travels down the fuel line (since an emptying tank or tilted mower reduces the pressure on it) or when it reaches a pressure regulator. This series of spring-loaded valves lowers the force uniformly so that the gas enters the 139cc engine in a steady flow.
In Related News: Sit on Your Can
Cub Cadet brings propane to a riding mower, giving you green in more places than your lawn. The Z Force S LP’s 33-pound tank is refillable at many gas stations, and pumped propane costs up to a third less than gasoline, so you’ll end up saving cash.
The tank fuels the two-cylinder engine for up to six hours. Although some commercial ride-ons already run on propane, this mower makes the package smaller and more homeowner-friendly. It’s a version of the zero-turn-radius mower controlled by a steering wheel (not levers) that won a PopSci Best of What’s New award in 2007.
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How is the Lehr more efficient than a gasoline powered lawn mower? It uses expensive disposible propane cylinders that can't be recycled or refilled. By the end of it's life, you'd have created a small mountain of propane cylinders. A standard lawnmower uses only liquid that comes from a reuseable container. Although more common in the UK, butane is 12% more efficient than propane, so it doesn't even use the greenest gas. Lastly, the cost of propane cylinders will leave a lot less green in your wallet.
from Seattle, Washington
Those 'disposable' containers are both refillable(though not legally) and recyclable.
OH wow, what a great idea! This seems like a big step forward.
jess
www.fbi-logging.at.tc
It only took a fuel crisis to spur something like this which should have been around a long time ago. Gas engines are such a pain in the rear end, though. I don't have any experience with a propane mower, but I'd wager it'd have less starting problems than a gas one.
@wowlfie.
Excellent pickup .... completely agree.
42.
I would probably mod it to use a refillable 1 gallon tank. Problem solved.
Propane is not all that safe. If there's a leak in the fuel delivery pipe, it will allow propane to pool in a low area in your garage (it's heavier than air) waiting for an ignition source.
The small mower will probably be pretty safe because you won't have much propane around. However, even if you recycle the containers, I'm guessing that the net cost is significantly more than regular petrol. Also, I'm not sure that troubleshooting engine problems will be much fun.
You may make out with the larger versions, but you'd better follow the rules for storing those big containers. They hold significant amounts of energy.
The cylinders are legally refillable. There is a DOT regulation against "commercially transporting" cylinders once refilled. The two companies that make these cylinders would like you to believe you cannot refill them. Remember, they are in the business of selling cylinders. They sell 50-60 million of them per year. Way too many of them end up unrecycled in landfills.
This restriction prevents another propane company from picking up the empties and refilling and reselling them.
You can, however refill them.
KL
ford2go is living in the dark ages! Propane is the fuel with the best safety record, bar none!
Consider the fact that with this mower, you can easily remove the fuel cannister and park it in the garage, with NO fuel in it! Compare that to the gasoline 'bomb' on conventional mowers that is NOT easily removable!
Also, if you want more economical fuel, get a simple hose adapter kit to a readily refillable 5, 10, or 20 # tank, add a small holding bracket on the deck and VOILA'...you have an economical system, fuel container readily removable and safe, secure and non-polluting.
I'm gonna see about finding a distributor for this terrific mower. Thanks for featuring it!!!
I just wanted to bring up to you guys that with a little work to make a carrier on the mower you can have a bigger refillable tank. They have adapter lines for the bigger refillable tanks to replace the small tanks. Then you would not have to worry about the small cylinders at all. This would also mean you would not have to deal with refuels hardly at all.
This too: you don't have a tank with gas going bad in it. I think this is a great idea.
Ok folks, you asked for it, and you got it. Manchester Tank has the new 1 pound refillable cylinder(can you say bye bye to those old outdated not recyclable cylinders? They will be released January of 2011. Here is me talking about these new cylinders as well as alternative fuel in general. Say goodbye to gascans as well. Hooray!!
www.lawnandlandscape.com/gie-show-eric-hansen.aspx
In this video it shows them:
www.gie-expo.com/gieexpo/
for all Americans and Canadians, www.walmart.com/ip/Century-8-Hose-With-Type-1-QCC1-Propane-Coupling/9721335 , adapts 5 pound tank(or bigger) to the 1 pound fitting