The Jet Mower
Steve, or "Fireworks Steve" bought this toy from eBay. It's a ride-on mower, with a home-made Gas Turbine (Jet Engine) under the seat!
The Engine
The engine is constructed of an old lorry turbocharger, connected to a home-made combustion chamber, and reheat jet pipe at the rear.
The Mower
The mower itself can't cut grass, as the mechanism for the blades has been fully removed, along with the original piston engine. It has however been fitted with all the ancillary kit required to run a Jet Engine:
- Lube oil tank, pump and heater
- Fuel tank (diesel) and pump
- Reheat fuel tank (petrol / diesel mix) and pump
- Battery to power the pumps
- Instrumentation
Now let's see it RUN!
I helped Steve get it running back in 2007.
I'm the guy with the leaf blower, passing air through the engine to get it rotating and supply combustion air to the burner. Steve is in control of the propane gas used to start it. The RPM jumps up when he switches it from Gas to Diesel. Keep an eye out for the re-heat later on!
