From Mower to Racer

Steering Rack

2011-08-16T09:20:00.001+01:00

Having raced my previous mower with a steering rack I decided that I wanted to go down the same route again but didn't want the same sort of expense (£250). After much searching I came up with a supplier and having parted with about £140 I have now got a nice piece of kit ready to install. The advantages I found using a rack and pinion are to do mainly with the smoothness and the way in which bump steering is substantially reduced.

Engine Purchased

2011-08-16T09:13:00.002+01:00

Type Honda GXV340 11HP

Second hand, about 5 years old, maybe more.

Price paid £140

I decided to go for a Honda as I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new engine and whilst I like the Tecumseh I've heard reports that the later models have suffered from poor build quality. I had been looking around for about 3 weeks and this one popped up and as it was only about a 45 minute drive away I could save the cost of delivery as well. Obviously I didn't know what sort of condition it was in but the guy I bought it off started it up on the bench and there was no smoke and no rattles so I was a happy bunny. Next I'll strip it down just to make sure that everything is OK and whilst it's dismantled I'll remove the governor and maybe treat it to a new set of gaskets.

Homologation

2011-08-09T09:08:00.001+01:00

One of the things that tend to confuse newcomers to the sport of mower racing is ‘Homologation’; what is it?, what does it mean?

Homologation is a technical term, to signify the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work from a set of strict rules or standards to determine whether such approval should be given. In our case it is the committee of the BLMRA and the idea behind it is to make sure that any lawnmower that is used as the basis of a racer is built to a set of rules that are intended to make racing fair for all concerned.

When you think about it it does make sense especially where Group 4 machines are involved. With such a large variety of donor mowers out there, ensuring that there is parity between them all would be extremely difficult if certain rules weren’t laid down. It also means that rather than having a ‘one rule suits all’ situation, each mower is viewed in its own right so that the widths (track) and length (wheelbase) of Group 4 racers can be different as these dimensions are based upon the original donor mower. Therefore, choosing your donor machine is made more interesting as you search out that elusive mower that is light, low and wide!

When you have a mower homologated you will be given an homologation sheet that not only lists the wheelbase and track, but other things such as the position of the engine, the height of the deck (chassis), tyre sizes but crucially you will also be advised about areas where you can cut out parts of the bodywork (usually to accommodate the seat base) and those parts that you cannot cut. Other build advice is also given and it is as well to listen to this as it is being given to help you!

Buying a Donor Chassis

2011-07-23T14:44:00.001+01:00

So the first thing is to do is get a donor chassis. If this was a Group 3 build then I would be looking for a Westwood Lawnbug but as I’m building a Group 4 the choice is somewhat larger. My choice of donor mower is governed by certain things that I’ve learnt over the years of building and racing.

The mower must be small but not too small otherwise the track (overall width of the tyres) will be too small.

The weight of the mower is also important so I look at the bodywork to see how much steel there is and is it necessary for the finished racer. You have to bear in mind that the BLMRA (British Lawn Mower Racing Association) rules will only allow a minimal amount of metal to be removed as the finished racer must closely resemble the original mower. When I’m looking at this I try to find mowers without a double tunnel transmission tunnel.

You have to remember that these are only my views and a successful racing mower can be made out of most mowers, the humble Westwood Gazelle is a case in point as one has won the 12 HR endurance race on more than one occasion.

Over the years, the domestic tractor type mower has grown in size so whist modern ones are ideal in that they have many plastic parts and thin metal their overall dimensions rules them out. Older mowers tend to be all steel construction so very little plastic or fibreglass is seen, however, during the late 60’s and 70’s some mowers were built with fibreglass bodywork. Both John Deere and Wheelhorse produced a limited number of mowers like this.

Most towns have a mower repair service / shop so they can be a useful source for a donor mower as can eBay and this is where I look. I have always liked the Wheelhorse range of mowers and my last racer was a Wheelhorse of circa 1988 vintage but what I had always been on the lookout for was a Wheelhorse Lawn Ranger. This fits my criteria, made between 1969 and 1973, it is small and has a metal chassis but all other body parts are fibreglass.

Why am I doing this?

2011-07-23T12:52:00.000+01:00

There are several reasons. Firstly, over the years that I’ve been running Ron’s Bits I’ve been asked lots of questions, mainly from newcomers to the sport, about how to build certain parts such as the steering, clutch, pulley systems and whilst I am always happy to give answers to these questions nothing beats seeing photographs showing the item in question. I know that other racers have produced their own websites with photos of their builds but I wanted to have a Blog that hopefully will show the build in minute detail and have other information such as the cost and the time involved.

The second reason is, that having stopped racing in 2007, I really do miss the enjoyment of building and racing!

And finally, of course, it’s a good way to ‘showcase’ parts that Ron’s Bits supplies and if not, where to get them from.

The Lawn Ranger Parts Manual....

2011-07-21T16:34:00.003+01:00

........is bedtime reading for Ron!

How the Wheelhorse may have looked in its heyday

2011-07-20T08:33:00.000+01:00

Chassis bought on Ebay

2011-07-19T16:23:00.000+01:00

Wheelhorse Lawn Ranger, circa 1972. Picking up on Friday! Winning bid £88.00 - bargain!

Welcome

2011-07-19T09:24:00.003+01:00

Welcome to Ron's Bits Blog.

This Blog will follow Ron over the coming months as he builds a racing lawnmower. He hopes to create a mower to the standard of his winning machine of 2007, shown in the picture below.

Although he hopes to compete in at least one race, the main reason for doing this is to show in pictures, videos and words the processes he goes through and the 'bits' and tools he uses.

We hope you enjoy following him and adding comments and questions.