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Finding a use for anything

Spent most of today running around after other people. Picking up stuff for delivery, dropping stuff off and taking some old videos and books to the charity shop. So not had much time to do anything for myself.

I’ve just acquired an old petrol lawn mower. The outer cover has rotted through, it is metal, and one handle don’t have anywhere to attach to. The actual mowing part is fine it just can’t easy be pushed and within a very short space of time the second arm will break and it’ll be unusable.

So in the spirit of reuse and trying to do something with everything I’ve been looking at what I could do with a broken lawnmower in my preps. It won’t have fuel forever so I can’t see it used after an event but what can I do with it now while it can be used. Soon it’ll be the only thing I can afford to put fuel in. I’ve only come up with two things and I’m not convinced it will do either of them very well, if at all.

Suggestions in the comments please.

9 comments to Finding a use for anything

  • Silent Storm

    It’s always worth saving the blades SD, they’re half way to being a good scythe already.
    The motor is always worth keeping as well, you never know you may be able to run it on some kind of distilled alcohol in the future.

  • Danger Thompson

    Storm has a good one there, as well as Scythes, Machete, Parang and Huge knives.
    Stripping the engine down into useable parts is an option.
    Using parts of the casement to cut into arrow heads.
    Following on from Storms motor idea, remember the tractor from “The good life” or coupled with an electric motor a generator?

  • Northern Raider

    fan to power slight ait over pressure system for house in nbc situation

  • mike

    Attatch an alternator and an inverter and you’ve got yourself your very own generator.

  • fred

    Lawnmower engines make for great ultralite planes.

  • Skvez

    It probably wouldn’t be a very efficient generator but I can easily see a time when the solar or wind power just isn’t enough to keep your batteries topped up and you *need* power (maybe you need to use the radio for a prolonged time or you need good high power lighting for doing a medical procedure or something).
    At times like those a small generator would be invaluable.
    A single Jerry-can could keep it going for quite a while if reserved for ’emergency’ use only (not so the kids can have Video-game Fridays).

  • Skean Dhude

    The emergency generator was one of the ideas I came up with. The other was a go cart BOV.

    I would guess the emergency generator would be of more use especially if it can be run on alcohol. So, new project.

  • Danger Thompson

    A bug out Kart lol that’d be cool. Hold on from the amount of gear you have SD may I suggest adding a couple of trailers.
    lol still cant get that image out my heed, Preppers on Go Karts, it’d look like Mario Kart.

  • Tommy

    You have to look at WEED WHACKER BICYCLE on you tube. There are some very cool easy to build motorised bicycles using strimmer engines. Your lawnmower might be a bit big. But with a sturdy enough rear wheel it might be possible (If not advisable!)