Improved Gear Ratio - $22 - (no mowing test yet)

OK...so this is fix that I've been waiting for. The drive pulley at the back of the mower is 11"...and I swapped it out for a smaller one of 6". This means that the top speed should be about 1.83x as fast.

But it's not that easy. First of all, I couldn't get the old pulley off. (and a replacement would've been $20 or more). SO, I just welded the smaller one to the side of the big one.

Second, I needed a smaller drive belt. This wasn't too hard to find...but getting the correct size was. It also involved designing a new belt path. There are several things you need to clear between the mower deck and the bottom of the "car". Regardless, after a few days of tickering and welding it's in and sort of tight.

For the test...Well, I haven't installed the mower deck yet - but it's all together AND it's really fast. (not fast enough to be scary - sort of like a slow go-cart.) I can hardly wait to mow the lawn.