The answer is yes. However, many experts prefer the operation to be the other way around, i.e., putting a pressure washer engine on a lawn mower. Pressure washer engines tend to generate a great deal more HP than the average lawn mower engine. For this reason, it’s much more common for it to happen in this fashion.
Differences Between Lawn Mower Motors and Pressure Washer Engines
A pressure washer engine comes with a manual choke, while there is no need for one on a lawn mower. Pressure washer engines come with a very short crankshaft, making them ineligible to be placed on a lawn mower. However, you can easily put a lawn mower engine, crankshaft and all, into the average pressure washer.
The mounting bolts that you will find on a pressure washer engine will be usually be different from those on a lawn mower engine. As a result, you may need to drill new holes in the engine to make new areas for mounting bolts to be fitted.
A normal riding mower can produce about 2 to 7 horsepower. A riding mower engine may be able to produce between 13 and 30 horsepower. To determine how much horsepower a pressure washer engine can put out, you will need to have reference to a pressure washer HP calculator. Plenty of these can be found on the web.
Which Has Higher Hp, a Lawn Mower or Pressure Washer?
In general, a lawn mower will have much less HP than a pressure washer. This is due to the fact that a lawn mower is generally made for much less intense work than the average pressure washer. A push lawn mower engine will generally put out about 2 to 7 HP. A riding lawn mower may put out between 13 and 30 HP.
The engine on a pressure washer is capable of putting out a great deal more HP than any lawn mower engine, push or rider. However, it is much more difficult to determine just how much HP a pressure washer engine can put out. You will need to have reference to an online pressure washer HP chart to determine the amount.
Why Would You Want to Put a Lawn Mower Motor on a Pressure Washer?
The main reason to do so will be to have a use for an engine that is re-purposed from a lawn mower. If it’s working perfectly well and you don’t want to throw it away, you can put it in your pressure washer. Keep in mind that a lawn mower engine is capable of much less HP than the average pressure washer engine.
With that being said, lawn mower engines are generally very reliable. They can take a considerable amount of punishment that comes from the tasks they are built to perform. A lawn mower engine in a pressure washer will result in a very reliable machine. It will put out less HP but may last for many years to come.
How Hard is it to Swap a Lawn Mower Engine With a Pressure Washer Engine?
It may not be that difficult to swap a lawn mower engine with a pressure washer engine. However, the success of the operation will depend on your being able to deal with a number of crucial factors.
You need to be sure that the engines are close to the same level of HP. Make sure that the pump on the pressure washer will fit on the lawn mower engine shaft. You also need to make sure that the pump will bolt correctly to the lawn mower engine. If these factors are compatible, you can use a lawn mower engine.
What Tools Do You Need?
The tools that may be needed for this task may include, but will not be limited to, the following:
- Lawn mower blade balancer
- Lawn mower blade sharpener
- Spark plug wrench
- Spark plug gap gauge
- Feeler gauge
- Tachometer
- Carburetor pressure tester
- Power drill
How Long Does it Take?
The operation should generally take no more than a couple of hours. This is assuming that you have all of the tools and knowledge that you need for the job. It should be the kind of task that anyone with a knowledge of both types of engines can complete in a reasonable amount of time with no unforeseen delays.
How to Make a Pressure Washer Using Random Parts
There are a great many sources on the web that will give you the info you need to construct your own pressure washer out of random parts. One of the best ways to get the data you require to commence this operation is to watch handy videos such as the following:
How to Put a Pressure Washer Motor On a Lawn Mower
Learning how to put a pressure washer motor on a lawn mower is easier than it’s ever been. This is due to the presence of a number of very high quality videos that can be found in many places on the web. One of the best videos we’ve seen is the following:
Can I Jet Wash My Lawn Mower?
The answer is yes. A pressure washer can be ideal for getting tightly packed grime off of your grass box and other areas on the mower. You can employ the spray gun in order to spare your legs and back from having to bend all the way down to reach the grimiest areas.
After the initial wash is done, you can load up your pressure washer with an anti-water lubricant in order to clean up all of the parts that may have been exposed to moisture. This will be an essential task once your lawn mower is dry.
Hi, I’m John Stephens, chief editor and writer for Totalgardener.com. I’ve been gardening and raising animals for over 15 years starting with a small backyard plot in Northern Virginia where I grew corn, potatoes, squash, and using a high mulch technique called the Ruth Stout Method. I also raised ducks and small mammals for meat and eggs in a movable pen similar to the ones used by Joel Salatin. I later moved to Colorado where I experimented with growing greens using aquaponics inside. I eventually added a microgreens setup and home sprouting operation. I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned plus more from the other local gardening and animal raising experts I know.
