Diesel in a LawnBoy mower

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My across the street neighbor has a really nice LawnBoy that he has been fueling with diesel for going on 2 years now.

I didn't believe him when he told me he was doing this, but, low and behold, last week he gave me a demo.

He starts off with about a cup of the correct gas/oil mix to get the engine up to temperature. After a few rounds in the yard, in goes the diesel. The silly thing appears to have no problems at all!!!

He always runs it until empty and then starts all over again.

I thought I was mad when I started doing extended oil changes with GC in my Honda mower but this just takes the cake! I'm aghast!

How long can this go on before something gives? Has anybody else actually done this?

In nervous anticipation of what could possibly be next....

Cheers all! DV
 
I'd like to know WHY!!!
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There have been gasoline farm tractors that could be started on gasloine and run with kerosene.Does your neighbor add oil to the diesel?
 
Originally Posted By: Steve S
There have been gasoline farm tractors that could be started on gasloine and run with kerosene.Does your neighbor add oil to the diesel?


Yea, and they are designed to with a system that changes the compression ratio and shuts the spark plugs off.
 
Originally Posted By: double vanos
My across the street neighbor has a really nice LawnBoy that he has been fueling with diesel for going on 2 years now.

I didn't believe him when he told me he was doing this, but, low and behold, last week he gave me a demo.

He starts off with about a cup of the correct gas/oil mix to get the engine up to temperature. After a few rounds in the yard, in goes the diesel. The silly thing appears to have no problems at all!!!

He always runs it until empty and then starts all over again.

I thought I was mad when I started doing extended oil changes with GC in my Honda mower but this just takes the cake! I'm aghast!

How long can this go on before something gives? Has anybody else actually done this?

In nervous anticipation of what could possibly be next....

Cheers all! DV



Why is it I don't believe you! What's the difference from spark plugs and glow plugS. It wouldn't run period!
 
I don't why this idiot is using diesel in what is clearly a gas (+ oil) engine.

But this guy is a lazy one and I am suspicious he likes to extend his supply of pre mixed gas as far as possible by using mostly diesel in the mower.

Well, I admit it is a drag having to measure and mix the gas and oil, praying you hit the correct ratio (is it 40 to 1, 50 to 1, 100 to 1???) etc. but by gum, risking a perfectly good mower in the process is crazy!!!

I will say the exhaust smells pretty bad and there is always that attendant whisp of smoke...
 
Quote- Why is it I don't believe you! What's the difference from spark plugs and glow plugS. It wouldn't run period!

Oh, it runs alright, I'm watching him add the diesel after the warm up. I didn't believe him either until his demo - the thought still blows me away.

The only thing I can figure is that Lawnboy engines must get hot enough to support continued combustion - maybe the starter gas he adds at first dilutes the diesel enough to make it fire; I don't know. He didn't put much gas in to start off with.

As far as I know he is not doctoring the diesel in any way - he's too lazy for that! You could see the oily residue on the deck from spillage - sure looks like straight diesel to me.

Lawn mowing season ends late in the year here in Houston but I'm going to try and see what the spark plug looks like post season. Ought to be interesting.
 
The kerosene end of that fuel group will run with a spark ignition.
Mercury Marine makes a couple of 'export only' outboards that are designed to run on kero.
They also make a couple of outboards (military use only) that run on JP-5/6, or what evey the Navy is using at the moment.
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: Steve S
There have been gasoline farm tractors that could be started on gasloine and run with kerosene.Does your neighbor add oil to the diesel?


Yea, and they are designed to with a system that changes the compression ratio and shuts the spark plugs off.


Not most of them. I own a 1941 John Deere Model "A" tractor which is an "All-Fuel" version. It has a one-gallon tank for the gasoline for starting and a large main tank for the "fuel". It will burn kerosene, stove oil, #1 diesel, #2 diesel, Distillate, etc. The key is getting it warmed up before switching fuels, and the compression ratio needs to be pretty low for this low-octane type fuel. My Johnny Popper has a whopping 4.45:1 compression ratio. This is a true spark ignition, carbureted engine. Most of the major tractor makers built all-fuel versions as well.

International built a TD series of tractors that started on gasoline with a carburetor and magneto but ran as a true diesel after warmup and the carb/magneto was turned off.
 
Compression ratios in small engines are typically lower than in automobile engines. I think if you look at a Briggs & Stratton manual, you'll see much lower octane specs than for a car engine.

So one might get away with running diesel in a 2 cycle gasoline engine.

I'm with the others, I don't know why you would want to. But I suppose you could.

Maybe he gets offroad diesel, avoiding those taxes, and thinks he's saving money.

Or maybe he just gets his jollies from doing something others don't typically do.
 
It just seems like such a stupid idea. He's not saving money, and potentially risking a major engine failure. Some people are just plain stupid, and you can't fix that.
 
I don't think it has anything to do with economics, or anything else for that matter! The guy is just an idiot, pure and simple!

Sorta like climbing Mount Everest - just because it's there..

Maybe he WANTS to burn it up; it'd be a shame though as it seems to be a pretty nice mower. Gotta tend to hurricane Ike ...see yall later!
 
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