Friday 5 May 2023

Briggs & Stratton Hybrid

Ref my post on the 28th April regarding what I thought looked like a Briggs & Stratton powered Lotus, it would transpire that Briggs & Stratton actually made a car.


The Briggs & Stratton Petrol/Electric Hybrid Car – In 1980, at the tail end of the energy crisis, Briggs & Stratton developed the first petrol-electric hybrid automobile concept car. "The Hybrid" was designed by Brooks Stevens, had six wheels and was powered by a twin-cylinder 16 hp (11.9 kW) Briggs & Stratton engine and a large bank of 6v lead-acid electric batteries. Only the second axle was driven, with an extra rear axle added to support the weight of the batteries.

Didn't look too bad either, for the 1980s.

Here, again, is the Lotus:


And here's my Snapper with the Briggs & Stratton.


See the similarity?

Ref the lawnmower; had a bugger of a job starting it and it seems the battery has bitten the dust. A new one is on order and should arrive today.

The deck gave me a headache, but that was only because the bloke who'd welded it had put a pulley on some 90 degrees from where it should be. Together we solved the problem and bolted it into the correct position.


Took me about 20 minutes to figure out the reassembly, as I'd forgotten the disassembly process. 

The next day it wouldn't make a sound, even with the external jump pack, which made me suspect the 20A fuse, but could I find it? No. 

The parts manual was next to useless, as it is more of a guide than a detailed diagram of where things are. I finally found it under a pop-off panel on the dashboard, and even then it was extremely inaccessible. As suspected, the blades of the fuse had corroded - a quick wipe with emery paper and it jump started again. 

Cuts beautifully.


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