Vertical Engine (PLZ HELP IF U CAN)

[tgokart]

hey i found a 4.5hp Briggs And Stratton push lawn mower ... i think its a vertical shaft engine...

Question IS IT POSSIBLE TO SET UP THIS TYPE ENGINE ON A GO KART... BECAUSE I'VE BEEN HEARING ALOT ABOUT HORIZONTAL SHAFT ENGINE ONLY SO I'M WONDERING...

 

[Rotore]

take off the caps.... and you can use a vertical shaft dude and you have 3 options. Transaxle, ragb or rip into the engine and convert it into a horizontal.

but a 4.5 engine is a bit small dude look for something bigger

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Its possible, but not worth it with a 4.5hp engine. It involves either taking the sidecover off, removing the oiling system and making a dipper for the crank, then you need to make up a mounting plate, and you need to have access to a welder to get the mounting plate onto the kart...or you could shell out some cash for a good riding mower transaxle or transmission, or you could buy a right angle gear box (RAGB). If it were a bigger vert engine, it might be worth it, but for a little engine like that its just not.

 

[weirdarmadillo]

I agree, it's not worth it. Look in the metal scrap yard for a horizontal, I always seem to find them there with easy fixes.

 

[motor_head]

if you want to you can do it probably the transaxel or a twist belt would be cheapest easiest

 

[freakboy]

OR do what im doing converting a 6 speed lawn mower tranny to work with this makin a small 6 speed for my gokart. but then again im doing this because i have a 20hp+ engine.

 

[toofarnorth]

Another thing to consider is that a lot of push lawnmowers need the weight of the blade to keep running so in order to use them without the blade you need to turn up the idle (possibly too high to use a centrifugal clutch) or get a heavier flywheel.

 

[frederic]

A lot of the newer pushmowers don't need the blade because of a design change whereas the flywheel on the top under the pull cord is much heavier and better balanced than years prior. I have a little 3 HP B&S that's like that... it runs with or without blades just fine.

Now if it would start reliably, that would be a nice thing lol.

 

[tgokart]

if you want to you can do it probably the transaxel or a twist belt would be cheapest easiest

hey cud explain more about the twisted belt.. thanks for the post

 

[t0x1k]

hey cud explain more about the twisted belt.. thanks for the post

You basically put a pulley on the shaft of both engine and axle, run the engine in it's mower position and have it a good foot or so from the axle. Little hard to explain but some edgers use this setup.

Chevy corvairs use it.

See how the crank goes around 2 pulleys and to a top pulley on the engine.
I've tried this method. It does not work. The pulley on the axle need to be very large, nothing under 10" works. I even used a toro Suzuki engine that is built to run without a blade as it had a clutch that operated the blade. It was a 6.5hp OHV and it could not push the kart using a pulley. The engine even had a pulley on the shaft for the self propel.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Twist belt, and "L" style belt systems for vert to horizontal conversions never work very well. Belts always wear faster and it ends up being more trouble than its worth. Yes its true some garden tractors run belts from horizontal to vertical for the mower decks, and the belts do wear faster, and thats just a mower deck, forget a go kart + a person.