recycle old battery lawnmower

[treetime]

hey so i picked up one of these that was on the curb of my neighbors with a free sign:
Black & Decker Power Tools
Battery - 24 Volt, 17-amp hour, sealed lead/acid type deep discharge battery
Motor - 24 Volt, 1200 watt permanent magnet electric motor
Cutting Path - 19 "
Height Adjustment - 1 Touch
Weight - 76 lbs
Cutting Heights - 1 1/2-3 1/2 "
Ideal Property Size - up to 1/3 Acre
(that is optimistic in my experience)
Mulching Capability - YES
Charge Time at 60% - 4 hrs
Charge Time at 100% - 10 hrs

it does not have a charger and i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what i can do with the parts (motor and 30amp controller) I don't want to buy a charger because i already have a plugin plus 2 gas mowers. I was thinking of a electric bike setup?? Could i use the motor in a wind turbine??? please give me some ideas

[DonR]

Am I correct in thinking that the controller only has one speed, full throttle?

Ask your neighbor if he has the charger for it.

[jamesqf]

I think that's the same model I have. The "24 volt battery" is actually two 12 volt batteries wired together, and yes, the controller is just on-off, no speed control.

I like mine just fine: even though my property size is much more than 1/3 acre, not that much of it is lawn. It's nice not to have to mess with pull starting or gas cans - I've probably saved half the price just from the neighbors' kids not being able to "borrow" gas from me.

[treetime]

well i hooked up the charger to the battery and the charger showed 0 amps charging so im guessing the batteries are fried. Could i use the motor for a wind turbine or micro hydro project?

[DonR]

It would be plenty of power for an electric bicycle. You need to find the right gearing so the motor doesn't overheat.

You could keep the existing controller as long as you pedal up to a decent speed before you engage the warp drive.

Don

[jamesqf]

I'd pull the batteries out and try them individually on a regular car charger.

[RobertSmalls]

@Don: Warp drive, indeed. That's six times the horsepower that I cruise at on my bike, and with no throttle?

As for the small wind idea, well, you have a 1.2kW electric motor. That would be one component in a very small wind turbine, on the scale of the "rooftop alternator" style ones that you can read about on Instructables etc. Economics and physics favor very large turbines, which is fine if you have a few million dollars to spend on one, and you needed to power a neighborhood.

I'd strap a few junkyard batteries to it and make a lawn mower out of it, even if that means you sell one of your other mowers.

[G2TDI]

How about solar panel on it

[Oval_Overload]

That bike would technically be illegal, but I doubt anyone would ask about it. Use the Open Revolt controller. Throwing a couple solar panels on the bike would be way cool.

~Jimbo