How do you make a vehicle able to drive through water?

[Mosinguy]

***Side note: My drive belt is broken. I have no clue what belt size I need. This is the 8hp Tecumseh with an 30" deck. Any clues? I'm getting numbers online from a 30" belt to a 60" belt.

I have a lawnmower I have a project I'm going to try on it: make it able to ford relatively deep water. Deep water as in up to the driver's waist. How would I go about that? Obviously a snorkel type intake would be needed but what about the electrical connections? I'm most worried about those. Would the exhaust need some sort of snorkel as well?

The engine is the exact same as this:

What would I need to do to the cooling fan on top? Give it it's own snorkel as well?


Finally, could the concepts from this project be used on any other type of vehicle?

 

[THard6]

uhh what an odd project. i don't know alot about them but i'd say you need to have some type of exhause exit. unless you just plan to drive through the water and not idle at all. but idk if the temp of the water will allow you to bypass the fan to cool the engine?
and i'd say on the electrical connections with proper connections and maybe a sealant around them would help. but i doubt it could be 100% clear of issues no matter how much you protect it.

 

[Kmcinnes]

I think I would just build......or buy a small boat. Just my

 

[Mosinguy]

I think I would just build......or buy a small boat. Just my

But what fun is that?

 

[Jarhead1775]

Yes, exhaust has to be high as well. Look at the military vehicles that are set up to do so.

You need traction, air, exhaust and sealed up electronics.

Silicon is your friend! Use it on the connectors and where your air intake joins the intake.

Good luck on your project.

 

[Mosinguy]

Yes, exhaust has to be high as well. Look at the military vehicles that are set up to do so.

You need traction, air, exhaust and sealed up electronics.

Silicon is your friend! Use it on the connectors and where your air intake joins the intake.

Good luck on your project.

Awesome. Does it matter so much if I use silicon on the exhaust? I think there I'd have to do some bolting/welding/brazing though because of the temps. Also when you say traction would snow chains work?

Obviously there won't be a mower deck on this. I'm just fixing the old mower and since dad can't use it me and my friend will pretty much go off road with our tractors in patches of woods. There are a few creeks and I think it would be pretty sweet if I could just drive right through one.

 

[Jarhead1775]

Throw some ATV tires on it I have some laying around that you can have if they will fit.

Silicon is high temp regardless if it is the cheap crap from the dollar store or the labeled High Temp from the parts store. Yep... that will fuel the fire lol, but it's true. Even though it is high temp, it will still blow off of something if not clamped by something else. I use Silicon for header gaskets on my Race engines and for several other things.

 

[atvdave]

Yes, exhaust has to be high as well. Look at the military vehicles that are set up to do so.

You need traction, air, exhaust and sealed up electronics.

Silicon is your friend! Use it on the connectors and where your air intake joins the intake.

Good luck on your project.

Also many mowers now days have a safety switch somewhere. It shorts out your spark if you fall out of the seat, or let go of the handle. Locate it and disable it if you can.

 

[downzero]

I don't think it'd run for long with the flywheel under water even if you kept the water out of the inside of the engine successfully, which would itself be a feat.

 

[Jarhead1775]

It has a magnetic pick up, so it should be fine. The magnet would not be affected by the water.

 

[downzero]

It has a magnetic pick up, so it should be fine. The magnet would not be affected by the water.

Yes, but the fins of the flywheel would be pushing water, which itself is going to bog down the engine. Water is something like 6 times more dense than air.

 

[Mosinguy]

Also many mowers now days have a safety switch somewhere. It shorts out your spark if you fall out of the seat, or let go of the handle. Locate it and disable it if you can.

This one doesn't have that. If it did, how do you disable it? Just snip the wire or permanently depress the switch?

 

[Mosinguy]

Throw some ATV tires on it I have some laying around that you can have if they will fit.

I appreciate the offer but Rushville is kinda far from me. But thanks!

 

[Jarhead1775]

Just unplug the switch in most instances.

Try it out and let us know... that way we would have an answer if it works or not.

 

[Mosinguy]

I don't think it'd run for long with the flywheel under water even if you kept the water out of the inside of the engine successfully, which would itself be a feat.

Yes, but the fins of the flywheel would be pushing water, which itself is going to bog down the engine. Water is something like 6 times more dense than air.

If the intake, exhaust, and cooling fan have snorkels how else can water get in short of having the thing flip over? I don't see a flywheel on my little motor.

 

[Jarhead1775]

I'll be your direction next week and can bring them with me. Tell me your tire size and I'll look.

 

[Mosinguy]

Just unplug the switch in most instances.

Try it out and let us know... that way we would have an answer if it works or not.

The thing is it is sitting at the old house. I'll probably have my friend and his dad help me load it up into their truck and I'll work on it at their house. So until then I can't do too much to it. It's also kinda disassembled because a drive belt frayed and dad took it apart but got mad halfway through and left it partially disassembled.

 

[atvdave]

This one doesn't have that. If it did, how do you disable it? Just snip the wire or permanently depress the switch?

No... You must snip & silicone the wire. It grounds the spark plug wire to the chassis. It will conduct through the water, so it must be silicone.

You will have the blades off???? Right???? I hope?

 

[Jarhead1775]

It has a flywheel right underneath the outer cover. Look at the screen that spins on the engine... it is under that. That is why the screen spins.

 

[Mosinguy]

It has a flywheel right underneath the outer cover. Look at the screen that spins on the engine... it is under that. That is why the screen spins.

I thought that was a cooling fan or something. Huh. Why not just have a larger tube on that to keep water out? Heck, if it doesn't do anything to cool the engine why not go ahead and cover it up?