From Mower to Racer: Bits

Donor chassis

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

Steering Rack

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

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.