[godspeed]

Hey,

Does anyone know of a rotary (wangle) lawn mower?

Or does anyone know where you can get a single rotor, air cooled wangle engine?

Thanks

[DJPLAST]

Never heard of a "wangle" engine. Are you talking about the motor that was introduced by Mazda? That was a "WANKLE".

[la_coterie]

Does anyone know of a rotary (wangle) lawn mower?

flymo?

didn't NSU do one first?

[godspeed]

HAHA yea i meant Wankle.

Is it a really old school flymo?

Thanks

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

I don't know about lawnmowers, but Outboard Marine (Evenrude & Johnson ) made snowmobiles with Wankel rotaries back in the '70's.

[Stepper Monkey]

There was even a twin-rotor Wankel motorcyle once. Cool stuff. You won't find air-cooled rotaries anymore, though. Bad idea (as NSU found out). They run way too hot and tend to lose tip seals real quickly.

If you want a single rotor Wankel, Mazda RX-7 motors work real well. They are two- or three-rotor originally, but they are modular. You have an end cap on front, a rotor housing, a spacer, rotor housing, etc. until you get to the rear end cap. You can build a single rotor by just using the front and rear caps with one housing. NASA even used them at one point.

Don't try to build one yourself. Just don't. At best it won't work, or maybe it will - and then you'll die. They WILL come apart, which is nasty with a redline well into five figures. There is a reason factory units can't even effectively be factory rebuilt and still keep the tolerances to run safely. Have Mazdatrix if they are still around, or someone similar, do the block and internals if you want one for a project.

[dpuch]

I don not remember any details, but about 15 years ago my father acquired a wankel motor that was a drop in replacement for a standard lawn mower. IE same configuration, size and mounting. I don't know what it was though, or where it came from.

I do remember it being pretty loud, and there being a cherry red spot on the muffler opposite the exhaust port. Sucker ran HOT. Looking at the links below, I'm guessing it was a Sachs KM3... yea that looks like it. http://www.der-wankelmotor.de/Motoren/Sachs/sachs.html

Ahh here are a few links for you to glean some info from.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...374624654.html
http://www.rotaryrecycle.net/library.asp
http://www.millville.org/workshops_f.../vehicles.html
:banana: http://www.millville.org/workshops_F...s/engines.html

[Arthur Clampitt]

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...374624654.html

Apparently there was even one advertised on Ebay :-)

[Arthur Clampitt]

Not a mower engine , but gives you and idea of power of small Wankel


http://cgi.ebay.com/rotary-engine-os...QQcmdZViewItem

[D-man]

Modern Wankel engines based on the work done by OMC are in the works. Promises, promises by the importer/manufacturer...

Current engines (maybe) in production are 65 and 180 hp. Good info at www.Rotamax.net and www.Freedommotors.com I believe Freedom is associated with Rotamax

I am an Aircraft OEM www.patriotii.com that will be handeling engines also based on OMC design. So far about a year behind in production. This engine in 40 and 80 hp is currently being manufactured by Wankelag in Germany. Plans were to import short block and dress in US/Canada.

Latest info (at time of EAA last June) is that these engines will be made in western US with other sizes planned to be made in Canada. The Canada manufacture will be 100 to 130 hp to start with the 130 being multifuel.