[TXwaterdog]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

EXACTLY!!! ... live in luxury by scavenging what slobs throw away. It never ceases to amaze me at how much discarded stuff I find that only needs minor repair- or even NO repair, just clean up!!!- to be perfectly functional...

I bet you cruise the free sections of craigslist and the green sheet alot. I've saved thousands by doing small upkeep. I remember one of my cost saving projects back in college. My microwave suddenly stopped working. The roommate was insistent on going to buy a new one. I had him hold off until the next day when I opened up the magic box and I found a built in fuse. I suspected it had blown, swapped it out for a radio shack replacement.. and bamm, the microwave was fixed for less than $5 and under 10 mins. That one project saved me about $50. And it's a great example of our throw away mentality.

I'm sure you can find a motor out there for your project. A discarded diesel generator would be the first place I'd look for a diesel.. but small displacment gas vtwin motors with transmissions can be pulled off of inoperable riding lawn mowers and large garden tillers. A wreaked 4wheeler would be another place to look for a small displacement engine and transmission. Discarded golf carts, etc... the sources are basically endless if you know what you're looking for.

If it's an electric motor you're looking for just about anything can be utilized for small eco projects like motorizing a bicycle from a small car windshield washer motor to a 2hp 110v/220v pool pump motor. There's uses for it all. I've seen videos of people using only an electric drill directly attached to the chain.