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Purdue's Water Hydraulic Mower08-07-07 | News

Purdue's Water Hydraulic Mower

Graduate students Louis Cassens (right) and Michael Thomas put a revolutionary lawn mower through a trial run recently near Purdue’s Food Science Building. The mower uses ordinary water in place of hydraulic fluid. Nathan Schoonover, of Evansville, Ind, who graduated in December, also worked on the project. Photo courtesy of Purdue Agricultural Communication Service. Photo by Tom Campbell.

A group of Purdue University undergraduates built an industrial riding lawn mower that’s a cut above the rest. Gary Krutz, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and the students' advisor, says water hydraulic systems only would be practical in vehicles that use high-pressure systems, such as heavy equipment used in construction, agriculture, forestry and mining.

Jacobsen donated the Greens King IV mower, which is a 31-horsepower, front-wheel drive mower with three sets of gang mowers that are raised and lowered hydraulicallyThe students created what is thought to be the first vehicle that uses water in all of its hydraulic systems, including power steering, power brakes and transmission.

Recent advances in water hydraulic systems have allowed them to perform as well as petroleum hydraulic systems. Because water offers several environmental and economic advantages over petroleum hydraulic fluid, the students teamed up to demonstrate that such a vehicle is now possible.

Although the mower was redesigned to prove a point, it does have a practical purpose. Mowers leak some hydraulic fluid, and on golf courses that fluid can kill grass on greens that often cost tens of thousands of dollars to construct and maintain.

For more information, go to: Krutz@ecn.purdue.edu.