Things to make

[motorrefurb]

Benski, your right, but it only deals locally, and it doesn't look as professional. And how much do you think I would make a year if I do it full-time? :smile:

 

[benski]

Benski, your right, but it only deals locally, and it doesn't look as professional. And how much do you think I would make a year if I do it full-time? :smile:

How far are you or your customers willing to pay for shipping?
How much time or money are you willing to pay or take to hire a webmaster or be one yourself after a day of wrenching?
I have no idea of how much money a single individual can make doing this; it could vary immensely, from a slow, painful death like mine (self-induced), to getting some financial backing and opening a dealership, having the manufacturer floor their equipment, and have a staff that is under your direction. How much you'd get to keep after all that, I still don't know!:wink:

 

[motorrefurb]

Well, I love computers too, I am trying to get a huge computer desk set up with servers for my customer info and web and email servers and getting old hard drives and RAIDing them together for a super computer :biggrin: I can make a site and if I end up not wanting to, my friend designs sites so I got that covered :smile:

Any other ways for money!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile::smile:

 

[Dangeroustoys56]

Any modifed tractor you build and sell id say would be a definite liability issue - with my mod projects, theyll be taken apart and sent to the scrap yard first before id sell them to anyone .

Alot of people 'flip' lawntractors - buy them cheeper, spend some money rebuilding them and reselling them for a modest profit - sometimes thats a crap shoot tho- if the economy is bad, then youd be stuck with alot of tractors - could do the repair business tho, but youd have to estimate jobs right to get decent money and work comming in.

Alot of people do the EBAY thing - part out tractors and stuff piece by piece, could make back what was paid for a tractor with only a couple pieces, better if its a rarer tractor with hard to find parts- youd need to set up an account with a paypal , that could be something to keep some cash comming in while working on other income sources.

 

[motorrefurb]

Yeah I guess selling them with mods would be a bad idea......... I would do the repair, but I'm pretty sure all the lawnguys do that themselves there has to be something you guys can think of! Also how about if I just bore out the cylinder and get rid of the governor but put on some type of rev limiter and a flywheel guard in case if it explodes, do you think anyone would buy that?

 

[Dangeroustoys56]

Removing the governer w/o modding the rest of the motor is a bad idea - lawntractor motors were designed for 3600 RPM's - any higher and the motor can explode as well as the cast flywheel shattering - i have pictures somewhere of a cast iron flywheel that exploded on a pulling tractor - it tore the frame of the tractor up, went thru the guy's leg standing next to it and lodged into a steel beam of a nearby barn.

Youd need to invest in very expensive billet flywheels, upgraded internals ( rod, piston, crank)- might as well upgrade the valves.... a few thousand dollars to do it right.

I have a lawntractor that i got free, the PO's son over revved the motor, flywheel didnt explode, but the counterweights broke a nice large hole in the back of the motor.

I dont think itd be a cost effective venture modding motors- most people wont trust someone that tinkered with a motor that isnt with a machine shop or tractor builder.

 

[benski]

Removing the governer w/o modding the rest of the motor is a bad idea - lawntractor motors were designed for 3600 RPM's - any higher and the motor can explode as well as the cast flywheel shattering - i have pictures somewhere of a cast iron flywheel that exploded on a pulling tractor - it tore the frame of the tractor up, went thru the guy's leg standing next to it and lodged into a steel beam of a nearby barn.

Youd need to invest in very expensive billet flywheels, upgraded internals ( rod, piston, crank)- might as well upgrade the valves.... a few thousand dollars to do it right.

I have a lawntractor that i got free, the PO's son over revved the motor, flywheel didnt explode, but the counterweights broke a nice large hole in the back of the motor.

I dont think itd be a cost effective venture modding motors- most people wont trust someone that tinkered with a motor that isnt with a machine shop or tractor builder.

It doesn't take any time at all to invest $4000.00 in a racing lawnmower engine.

 

[motorrefurb]

Yeah upgrading an engine is not an option!

I meant more like upping the rev a little bit and keeping all stock parts, or maybe getting a snowmobile or dirtbike engine and sticking it on. Is that legal and will anyone buy it? Also whats a good shop setup, any specialty tools? :confused2:

 

[benski]

For sanctioned events, your engine needs to be based on a lawnmower engine. Of course, if you just want to have fun, you could stick just about anything into anything if you've got the money and talent.:wink: You will still absolutely need chassis,transmission, tire, brake, and steering system improvements , no matter what powerplant you decide on, if you don't want to end up a grisly statistic. Remember that these things were originally designed for about 5 or 6 mph, and are designed to meet that speed target as cheaply as possible. This doesn't bode well for ham-fisted, poorly thought out attempts at making them do 25 to 60 mph or more.:frown: Just my $.02.

 

[motorrefurb]

Transmission upgrades?!?!?! I know I would have to switch belts to chains... but why transmission? :ashamed: Hmm how should my shop setup be? :confused2: