From lawn mower to parade vehicle, part 4: Semifinal!

The badge is badged. It is good; it makes the vehicle go faster and better. So well, in fact, that as soon as I got it attached, I went for an enthusiastic test drive and, sput sput, ran out of gas. Back to base was mostly downhill, but the part that wasn't was more memorable.

The original nameplate read, "Oil O Matic" and was from a furnace, evidently. Purchased on ebay. The color was just right, but it was, alas, too big to fit on the nifty oval grille (from a roaster pan) so, after lengthy internal debate, I nipped off the oil. "O Matic" was cutesy enough but still too undefined and awkward to read and say. Especially when I'm doing upwards of 14 mph.

Enter the brass "Ned!" badge which had been waterjetted by a business neighbor long ago and was clanking about in my desk drawer. Bingo!

The machine is parade ready but for a cupholder. I have it, I just can't find the right site for it. So that will eventually occur. All I need now is a couple grandchildren, due this weekend, so I can hitch up the trailer and tour the neighborhood of a summer evening. Loudly.

From lawn mower to parade vehicle, part 1

Innocent enough: A ten year old riding lawn mower. Fairly well attended to, but destined for a much higher calling. Mechanical condition: quite good. Body: oxidized, but neither rusted nor banged up. Tires: Not for highway use. Or much use, really. But we'll try Slime first.

All in all, great potential. First order of business was to remove all the cutting parts, which might amount to about a third of the weight of the thing.








Originally, the next step was to be simple, or not so simple, embellishment. But there was something about the look with the hood removed that headed us both in a different direction.

Continued...

The Fourth of July Parade in Redmond Oregon

It started last fall when the neighbor hit a root with his aging riding mower. "I can fix it," he said, and he's a resourceful guy. "You'll never find a new shaft for a 20 year old mower," I replied, and I won that one. I was doing figure eights in the driveway when Linda came home from work that day.

Months of effort later, with significant help from my friend JD who furnished the pressure tank and the wand and inspiration, we have the Parade Entry #64

Shooting water was always at the core of the endeavor. Shooting it surreptitiously came later.

The water exits the wand at about 7' from the ground, a few degrees from vertical, meaning it is heading forward. It goes up to about 16 feet then returns to ground about 21 feet downrange.

I can drive the tractor at walking speed, extend my hands sideways, palms up, in an, "I'm totally innocent" sort of gesture and nudge the trigger with my left shoulder and someone may get wet. If I go much faster than walking speed, I get wet, running into my own bullets as it were. Either outcome is good for a laugh.

It will be 90 degrees for the parade. I expect a hero ribbon, but it's more likely a certificate that says "participant."

Total cash outlay for the project--less than $100, including the $50 to get the busted mower in the first place.

My friend Chris has taken his tractor-type mower and made it into a 9 foot long dragster. Photos of that one later.

Time to line up. And try to find a place that's not behind the mounted posse. Or a float with a lot of water-soluble crepe paper.