Remember last year when we got notices of a class action suit against lawn mower companies because of supposedly incorrect HP ratings of the engines?
Has anyone heard anything or have any info on the status?
Bob-tx
No but thanks for reminder. If like any class action suit I've been in, I might get a check for a few dollars several years from now.
Now they rate the lawn mowers in cc's so we REALLY don't know what in hell the horse power is.
Those things can take years. Don't wait for the check either, the lawyers are the only ones that make out on the big class action suits.
Guess they didn't send out the "In order to preserve maximum benefits for the class, Dewey, Cheatum & Howe has agreed to a fee of $19,541,300.00, enclosed please find a coupon for $3.00 off your next purchase of garden equipment..." letters yet?
From our experience whatever pittance you get will not pay for the postage you used filling out all the papers needed to get in on the 'windfall'. How the 'class action' scam works is well laid out in the novel "King of Torts".
Harry K
Remember the old "be careful what you wish for"?
Actually, if I remember my facts correctly, the engine manufacturers are not at fault here - and really the lawn mower manufacturers are not either. Ir is a government regulation thing. And an education thing.
The lawnmower engines are manufactured to a standard - rated hporsepower at 3600 RPM. This is a well-established standard - and most of the engine manufacturers' engines met or exceded the stated horsepower output at see level and standaed atmosphere at that RPM.
Enter the "nanny state", limiting the tip speed of the lawnmower blade (actually the "exit velocity" of anything thrown off the blade) effectively to 23-3200 RPM.(depending on blade diameter).
If you have a 4 HP engine (rated at 3600 RPM)it is developing 5.836 ft lbs of torque.
At 3200 RPM, that is only 3.5 HP; and a paltry 2.25HP at 2200 RPM.
IIRC, the limit is something like 170MPH.
On a 18 inch blade, that is 3200 RPM. On a 22 inch blade that is 2600 RPM On a 24 inch blade it is 2375 RPM, and on a 25 incher, 2275 RPM.
That 4 HP engine "isn't" when installed on a 24 inch direct drive mower. To get 4HP on that mower you need a nominal 6HP motor.
My old 25 incher is belt driven (roughly 1.5:1 ratio) allowing the 4HP Briggs to run at 3600 rpm, developing full rated power output with a "safe" blade tip speed of roughly 175MPH.
WOW !!!! GOSH !!!!
Thanks very much Bob-tx
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