Survival tip of the day....

You most likely have a back-up gas generator in your possession. You just haven't built it yet.
Lawn Mower- Check
Alternator- Check
Car Battery(s)- Check
D/C to A/C converter- Check

The last one is owned by almost ALL soccer mom's who have ever set-up a DVD player for their kids to watch while going for a long car ride...

If you don't have one, you can pick-up one at Wal-Mart for anywhere from $20-$150... Depending on the size.

The only missing thing is a base to hold it all together and perhaps a belt to connect it although a direct drive configuration is possible as well.

So let's talk about problems with this set-up...

Alternators are not all the same. Some won't "engage" before a certain RPM is reached. You want to know ahead of time which alternator will work.

Mower Engine, most modern mower engines have dead man switches which will cut the spark if you are not constantly holding, o squeezing a lever. This can be bypassed and on some systems, removed.

Pulley/ Belts, Most Alternators do not care which direction they are spinning, but their cooling fans are directional. If it is spinning the wrong direction, air may not me moving across the coils to properly cool it. So Make sure you get this right. ALSO, the pulley size is important as mower engines use the blade as a flywheel. Too big a pulley and it won't be able to run too small a pulley and the engine will vibrate itself into a very short lifespan.

Battery(s)... SHTF scenarios should leave you with more available car batteries than you could ever use. But if you are planning on building this ahead of time, might as well invest in a set of good deep cycle batteries.

This is just a general overview of an easy project any of you can build. For plans look here:


[link to theepicenter.com]