Latest build updates: racin' Mowchine.

I spent all weekend working on my racing mower. So far, our club has almost gotten permission from a track in Santa Rosa to have a monthly race schedule. This will begin in April, which means I now have a month and a half to finish the machine.

The last 2 weekends was spent welding reinforcements to the mower frame. The challenge was that I had never welded before. Thanks to all the gift cards we got when we got married to Home Depot, I was able to buy a welder known as a "wire welder", which does what it's name implies: welds with a spool of wire fed out of a trigger activated handheld device. It was sort of scary and a lot more difficult to get the hang of, but now that I can do it, sticking pieces of metal together is actually amazingly satisfying. Feels like you're building something monumental and preferment- even if it is something stupid like a racing mower.

The following pics shows the last 2 weeks of progress. On order and on the way are: Disc brakes, rotors, an axle, spindles, 2 hubs, wheels, tires, and a steering wheel. The top speed is projected to be around 55MPH with a opposed head 18 HP engine and stock mower transmission. Updates to come as progress is made.