How to Build a Racing Lawnmower

Lawnmowers aren鈥檛 just for cutting grass anymore; now they鈥檙e tearing up the dirt roads. In order to participate in this perhaps bizarre, but definitely exciting new sport of lawnmower racing, one will have to learn how to build a racing lawnmower of their very own.

Of course, creating a racing lawnmower isn鈥檛 so much building one from scratch as it is modifying an existing mower (specifically, the 鈥渞ide-on鈥?kind) into a lean, mean racing machine. The tools one shall use for this task are a set of wrenches, while the components needed to transform the mower are some smaller pulleys and perhaps a new muffler and new, bigger tires (the last two are optional).

The first step in how to build a racing lawnmower is replacing the unmodified lawnmower鈥檚 original pulleys with the newer, smaller pulleys in order to give it more speed. The motor is first taken off the mower, and then the mower itself is carefully turned upside down. With the use of a wrench, the bolt and tap keeping the pulley in place are detached, and the old pulley is replaced with the new one. The dry belt is then examined for indications of wear and tear, in which case it must be replaced. The dry belt is then hooked back onto the pulley. One must be sure that the bolts are securely in place.

Next, the muffler must be inspected for holes and signs of corrosion. The muffler must have no holes whatsoever, for even a tiny pin hole can cause the lawnmower to lose speed. If such is the case, the muffler has to be replaced. Any corrosion must be washed off.

The governors on the carburetor are then to be unhooked. There are some lawnmowers that have more than one governor, one leading to the gas feed and another one leading to the throttle feed. Unhooking the governor that leads to the throttle feed will give the mower additional power.

The tires must be examined to ensure that they have sufficient air pressure. For easy riding in dirty and muddy raceways, one may want to replace the back tires with new, larger, rutted tires. The front tires may be left alone, or they may be replaced with smaller ones as well. The outward appearance of the racing mower, its color, ornamentation and its racing number is all up to the owner.

In knowing how to build a racing lawnmower, it is also important to be aware of the guidelines of the designated race track. There are certain tracks that allow the lawnmower鈥檚 mowing deck to be removed, but there are others who insist on leaving them on. This is because the mowing deck keeps the mower even and balanced, which is particularly advantageous when navigating crooked roads. One may also take a look at other racing mowers for tips on improving their own.

The idea of lawnmower racing may still sound strange to a lot of people, but it holds unique thrills for those who partake in it. And having learned how to build a racing lawnmower with all the tricks and accoutrements, one is now ready to blaze the trail and mow off into the sunset as any good racing hero should.