We picked up a couple of old 'barn finds' New Idea tractors a little under a month ago. Per the son of the original owners, they had not been used in at least 20 years. Install date on batteries in one was 1988.
Along with the tractors, we got a couple of attachments, including a tiller. In the hopes of making it easier to move the tiller around (over a patch of rough lawn to the interim storage location), we chose to attach it to the EGT200 (E20 equivalent), which had no batteries in it. We strapped up the tiller to raise it off the ground (otherwise it makes a highly effective parking brake), and started to roll it off the trailer. The result is best communicated via the photo in this link:
http://www.econogics.com/ev/EGT200NoseUp.jpgThe four rear batteries likely make no difference to the balance point, as they are mounted over the rear axle. Using just 130 pounds of battery in the nose strikes me as a marginal solution, especially if the spray rig extends appreciably behind the tractor or weighs more than the tiller.
From the 'would-you-believe' department. The EGT120 had the dead batteries in it. Being lazy, and figuring we had nothing to lose, we powered up the charger for 15 minutes, and the voltage on the pack actually came up from about 0 volts to about 30. So, with the charger still plugged in, we tried engaging the drive train, and the tractor moved forward under its own power - after 20 years of no use! We have replaced the batteries, and the machine is now mowing. A few minor quirks to sort out regarding lighting wiring and some other minor stuff, but it is running.
Personal observation. This is actually the first time I have had a working mower deck for one of these electric tractors. It is quieter than my corded electric push mower. I think it is a great device, even if it is complete overkill for my tiny in-town lawn.
Darryl McMahon On 01/06/2011 3:17 AM, David Roden wrote:
On 31 May 2011 at 9:46, john rieffel wrote:I recently bought a 26 gallon spot sprayer (http://bit.ly/iRktKS) for my small orchard, and would love to mount it behind my E-15. The dimensions are (LxWxH) 34 x 14 1/2 x 20 1/2.I've often thought it would be useful to have a pickup-style utility box on the back of the ET.- Does any such "utility mount" for the ET exist?I've never seen one, but I'm not a major collector by any means. Gang?the trick would be getting the two "prongs" which insert into the rear of the ET attached.Maybe you could model them on the struts (if that's the word) that mount the weight box.- is it a good idea to put roughly 250lbs of weight hanging off the back of my E-15? Can it support that kind of weight?The tiller feels like it's in the 200lb range, or maybe I'm just getting wussy in my old age.- Suggestions for powering this?Depends on how much current it requires. For a modest load (perhaps as much as 30-40 amps) you could use a 36:12v DC:DC converter. If it's a more substantial load than that, a separate battery might be more practical. I might be inclined to remove the GE charger and see if I could fit a suitable battery there. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
-- Darryl McMahon Author: The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy 2011 Green Book Festival Runner-up - non-fiction http://www.econogics.com/TENHE/