The Lawnmower Lifter
by Jared
I thought of my invention after watching my Dad and Grandpa lifting the heavy lawnmower into their truck. After mowing the lawn you are usually very tired. This makes it harder to lift things. I wanted to invent something that could help get the lawnmower into the truck even when you are very tired from working. My machine is called the Lawnmower Lifter. It makes it very easy to lift a lawnmower into a truck.
First you have to push the lawnmower to the truck. Then attach the hooks at the end of the ropes to the lawnmower. Slowly pull on the ropes and this will pull the lawnmower half way up the inclined plane. This action uses kinetic energy. Next place the wedges behind the back wheels of the mower. These wedges keep the lawnmower from rolling back down the inclined plane. This action uses friction. Then crank the levers to turn the axle that makes the inclined plane turn upward fighting gravity as it goes up. This action uses kinetic energy. Once the inclined plane is straight the ropes that run through the pulleys drag the lawnmower into the truck.
My machine uses mostly kinetic energy and some potential energy. Also my machine has two of Newton’s laws which are: #1) an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force and #2) an object at rest will stay at rest. The pulleys on my machine use kinetic energy. The wedges use friction to stop the lawnmower. The levers use kinetic energy while the axle builds up potential energy then uses the potential energy it built up as kinetic energy.
Page made by Jared
January 19, 2004