From the streetStockA little closer on the trailermotorControlscontactorsBattery guage5th wheelmock-up
OwnerBryan Leverett
LocationLakeland, Florida US map
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Vehicle1986 Snapper Commerical Hi-vac
29'' riding motor that had a leaking shaftseal and classic non-working carb Briggs 12hp gas engine.
Motor Crown pallet truck 24Volt DC with brushes Separately Excited DC
Used to continuously pull 6000LBS-8000LBS. load in an industrial environment. We use them for at least 16 hours a day and keep them for 7 years. 2.4KWhr
DrivetrainStock snapper with stock pulley/flywheel adapted to electric motors shaft.
ControllerSevcon mos90
24 Volt only controller with high speed capable external contact and variable speed control ( 20%-100% + high speed+ field weakening ).
Batteries4 Everstart 4 deep cycle RV from wally world,, 24.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
2 old jeeps batteries were not enough. So I bought two 12V true deep cycle RV batteries, but they couldn't finish the yard either. So... I used all four and its great now. Update: all wally world RV battiers now, sold a jeep.
System Voltage24 Volts
Charger Not sure
AtA 24V 0-30amp with auto start and shut off
HeaterWhile mowing in Florida ? More like umbrella...
InstrumentationSentnal with lock-out capable mode.
Top Speed9 MPH (14 KPH)
Faster than the snapper went stock
AccelerationPretty much as fast as you can push the gear lever.
RangeAt least 35-40 minutes with 1 1/4 passengers with the blades on. Street without the blades ? I'm sure it actully would go a good ways.
Seating Capacity(1) adult (1) 2 year old
Curb Weight350 Pounds (159 Kilograms)
About tree-fidy
TiresStock dry roited in the front. New walmart 16/6.5/8 "turf savers" in the rear.
Conversion TimeAbout 60 hours at this point.
Conversion CostAbout $300 after the batteries.
Additional FeaturesStock 1-5 forward gears. Then reverse via stock 1-5 forward gears with motor running backwards. Motor speed controllable via pot. High speed kicks in when motor is at 100%. After the high speed kicks in, if the load isn't too great, the field weakening kicks in to get even greater engine speeds, but its load dependent. If its under a good amount of load, the field weakening does nothing. Basiclly, just makes it faster on pavement without the blades enguaged.
This was done almost as joke since I hate all lawn equipment. I have an edger, push mower, riding mower, weed eater, leaf blower, and the only yard equipment that work is my shovel, rack, and axe. I'm so tired of carbs and mixing 2-cycle oil. Oil leaks, oil changes. Spark plugs. Pull starting. Having an hour to mow before work, then spending 40minutes trying to get the mower to work right.

Since we basically throw this stuff in the trash after 7 years, I had spare parts to use, and a spare snapper. Starting looking at the great snapper drive line and decided that adapting the snapper flywheel/clutch to the electric motor would be fairly easy. Still a working process. Everything is custom built by me, with design help from a friend. The motor/controller is used to having a 1500LBS. 960Amp battery, so running time is prob. going to be limited with only 4 batteries. It did completely mow my 5/16 acre yard without issue last week. Still had a few LEDs to go on the guage.

(sept.08')Update: I've mowed 3 more time since its first full mow, and its been great. I couldn't be more happy with it. I mow ever 5-7 days now, were as I used to only push mow like once every month or 2 (3-4months in the winter). I can't wait for the grass to grow now. The four batteries and this set-up are plenty, and I've never feared running out of juice. I've even started mowing a bit of "lady that lives next to me"'s lawn just cause it doesn't matter, I'm not really wasting anything... I can now mow in under 30 minutes, since I've gott'n better with driving the mower with one hand, since my daughter will not let me mow without her ( I did get one mow in while she was sleeping once ).

Dec. 08 update: I mowed without any issues until mid-Nov when I had a tire blow up. Little did I know that the tires were meant for 14psi, not 45psi, hahaha. It drove on its own power back to the garage, and I just changed the rear tires. While I had it up, I checked the snapper clutch, and it looks pretty rough. I forsaw this a while ago since the old clutch has been coated many times with oil and washed off with brake cleaner ( remember, this mower had a bad leaking shaft seal with the gas engine ). So, I've got a clutch and clutch spring ready to go on. Also painted my back wheels while the tires were being changed. Not much to mow lately though...

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