This lawn maintenance device would be powered by grass clippings gasified in its fuel hopper. The airflow thru the bag would dry the "fuel" sufficiently for it to burn. Then it would be smoldered like a giant cigar in the end of the hopper to fuel a gasifier to power the engine. Large ones would be self propelled ditch mowers for cutting the side of the highway. They would gasify grass, sticks, trash, and anything in their path. Metal left in the hopper post compustion could be recycled normally. Maybe if fuel was left after cutting it could be used for power generation...
-- bobenhotep, Jul 15 2007

Grass-powered mower. http://lists.pglaf....0061211/004723.html
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 15 2007]

Truck Sized Gasifier http://www.xconomy....lant-to-your-waste/
Bigger than the proposal, but same idea [cowtamer, Apr 26 2011]

I think there's an energy balance error here: unless the grass being clipped is already dry, the latent heat of evaporation of the moisture in the grass will be greater than the energy available from burning the grass.
-- Cosh i Pi, Jul 15 2007


You are not alone in this. [link]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 15 2007


brilliant (+)
-- cowtamer, Apr 26 2011


It could never be done. Lawnmowers have existed long enough, every advancement that is to be made in them can already be expected to have been made. Sorry [-]
-- daseva, Apr 26 2011


grassifactaion!
-- WcW, Apr 27 2011


"It could never be done. Lawnmowers have existed long enough, every advancement that is to be made in them can already be expected to have been made."

This is the kind of statement which should weigh heavily on the mind of any halfbaker, and might even be considered herecy within the context of the halfbakery.

The humble lawnmower has been the incubator for many wonderful shed inventions. To most shed enthusiasts, it is the closest and simplest IC engine and therefore a ready test bed for one's halfbaked ideas.

The hypocycloidal crank engine was developed by a guy in a shed. The first prototype was a modified lawnmower engine, subsequently used to mow the lawn.

My mower has a 240V generator attached, to run a strimmer where ther is no power available. This idea was described on HB.

I suspect the size and throughput of the gasifier would require that it be static. An automaton mower could still return to it with clippings and to re-fuel.
-- Twizz, Apr 27 2011


It would be neat if the whole thing was self- sustaining. Cut, load, cut load, and tied into GPS, leaving no ash because it was offloaded in front of the blades.

That would be an advancement that had not yet been made.
-- nomocrow, Apr 27 2011



random, halfbakery