John McManus' Ariens Riding Mower

Mechanical s: notice the high tech Melit

Owner	John McManus
Location	Oxford, Nova Scotia Canada ^map
Email
Vehicle	Ariens Riding Mower An old Ariens RM27.
Motor	Etek Permanent Magnet DC
Drivetrain	9 hp B&S that wouldn't start. V belts to the gearbox and mower deck.
Controller	None needed. Ground speed is controlled by the gearbox.
Batteries	3, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Gel The batteries were cycled out of a Freightliner sleeper cab and sold for @$6 by my local Recycling Depot. They have been cycled about 40 times in the past year.
System Voltage	36 Volts
Charger	Lester Golf cart Lestermatic. I had to take the old golf cart to get the charger , but it works fine. I made a solar array this spring and have just moved with a solar charge; a savings of about 30 cents. Two days of sun charges the battery pack.
Heater	Sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's cold.
DC/DC Converter	Coming. Using a 12 volt tap upsets battery balance and range.
Instrumentation	Digital combination amp volt meter. This is a Chinese panel meter from Ebay at a good price.
Top Speed	It goes too fast for my rough lawn.
Range	I can mow for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours and do 1/2 my lawn on a charge. This is about 1/2 acre per charge.
Seating Capacity	1 adult
Tires	Original
Conversion Time	More time spent web surfing than actually working. It only took a couple of days after my MTD broke.
Conversion Cost	Etek $400 Contactor $50 Meter $40 Wiring and fuse $75 Old mower $100.
This mower is narrow enough to pull a load of wood into my basement. Moving 7 1/2 cord with a hand cart was not good for my back. The deck can be lifted higher than one on an MTD. I no longer hit rocks, stumps etc. The motor is stronger than the transmission which slips when pulling a lawn roller uphill. I developed a wiring system with safety switches using 2 seat switches ( 1 NO , 1 NC ) and a single relay. After breaking both switches twice, I gave up on a seat switch: my lawn is too rough and too steep. Now I just try not to fall off. The Etek goes 70 rpm per volt. 2550 rpm seems good with a 30 inch blade. I don't really want a higher tip speed. Everyone here I contacted for advice was great. Thanks for the help.

code by jerry