Next...

[landuse]

Shameless thread hack

Looks like I'm going to beat u to finishing a grass catcher for my mower
But I cheated

I think you are going to have to start a thread and show us...

 

[OzFab]

Shameless thread hack

Looks like I'm going to beat u to finishing a grass catcher for my mower
But I cheated

I think you are going to have to start a thread and show us...

I think he's right...

 

[fowler]

no point in a new thread

got fed up with raking 3/4 of a acre
so when u was getting blades for the mower i noticed there was a newer mower on desplay with a catcher
turns out itll fit my mower
so i brought one

 

[OzFab]

Yeah, you cheated

 

[landuse]

Yeah, you cheated

...but he has probably mowed his lawn 10 times in the time it has taken you to get to where you are now....

 

[itsid]

...but he has probably mowed his lawn 10 times in the time it has taken you to get to where you are now....

And where's the DIY in that??

'sid

 

[landuse]

And where's the DIY in that??

'sid

He bought it himself...

 

[fowler]

Ha
86hrs a week of DIY at work

Payed for it

It's so much Easier
Has taken my mowing time from 2 1/2 hours to 30 mins

 

[OzFab]

...but he has probably mowed his lawn 10 times in the time it has taken you to get to where you are now....

Probably true but, if you can't buy it, you make it, right? Mine will be the only mower of its kind with a catcher because they're not commercially available...

 

[landuse]

Probably true but, if you can't buy it, you make it, right? Mine will be the only mower of its kind with a catcher because they're not commercially available...

And that is why we call you Fabrication Man.

You have done an excellent job

 

[OzFab]

You have done an excellent job

You ain't seen nothin' yet...

 

[OzFab]

I've just been tinkering when I can the last few days but I seem to have progressed quite a bit. Apart from final sealing & anchoring everything together, I'm just about ready for a test run:
Pickup DONE
Rear support frame DONE
Chute DONE
Cover sheeting for turn around section almost DONE

I found a sealant/adhesive/gap filler combination which I'll use on all the sheetmetal before using blind rivets to hold it all together

 

[OzFab]

More pics...

 

[Oxymoron]

Nice!!

 

[OzFab]

First test run today was a complete & utter FAILURE!

As I haven't made the catcher yet, I tied a breathable bag to the end of the pipe to collect the cuttings. As soon as I started the engine the bag inflated, as expected but, as I went on I noticed the bag was no longer inflated.

I removed the collector & fount it clogged with cuttings; it seems there isn't enough room in the 4" pipe for the cuttings to flow up the pipe; maybe I should've gone with my first thought & used 6" pipe...

Oh well, back to the drawing board... I have another idea I want to try, I'll get onto that in a day or three...

Oh yeah, in the process of discovering that the catcher doesn't work, the canopy frame snagged on something huh & tore it off...

 

[fowler]

I think u will find the breakable bag was the issue

If it inflated then there's too much restriction

Most bags are made of a shade cloth material

Try running it with no bag to see if it'll push it with no restriction
Just let it shot out the back

Ok and a possible off take from my production one

The funnel bit is located by a pin the slots in in a forward directionin the front idler wheel
The rest is simply pressed against a matching shape surface and held on with ocky strap things
So if I ever hit somthing (like a palm tree doh)
Then it just comes away

Or the bands stretch and u stop

Worst case I'd imagine the band clips would just break

 

[OzFab]

Try running it with no bag to see if it'll push it with no restriction
Just let it shot out the back

I did try that, same result

Ok and a possible off take from my production one

The funnel bit is located by a pin the slots in in a forward directionin the front idler wheel
The rest is simply pressed against a matching shape surface and held on with ocky strap things

Can you throw me some specs on your mower? Hp, cutting width & funnel diameter will do

So if I ever hit somthing (like a palm tree doh)
Then it just comes away

What I'm thinking of doing next is use sheet metal to make a square(ish) funnel the size of the opening on the rear frame & rework the collector to suit

 

[fowler]

um im going to work in like 5 mins but quickly

17hp
42in deck
2 blades
170mm od pipe
the biggest differance i think

yours is like a funnel with a pipe exiting in the most logical direction
back

mine is more like the pipe goes straight into the desk
almost no funnel

then it exits straight out and gently curves around to the box

 

[OzFab]

I think that's actually the problem, it's too much like a funnel...

After some quick calculations, the area of the deck opening is 24,320sq/mm & the area of the pipe is only 7,854sq/mm, less than 1/3 of the size...

 

[fowler]

Well with mine being designed by a big American corporation
OH&S is big

U dont want any one having to stick their hand down a small tube to clean grass out
They might set fire to them selves or somthing

I noticed with mine
If u push it too hard (tried to mow my road verve like 3 foot of love grass )
It simply leaves it behind as spies to blocking up

But it still manages 1 1/2 ft of kyke