Making the mower mow

I posted an ad on craigslist several weeks ago, looking for any cordless 24V mower. The other day I got an email from a guy with a cordless mower that has dead batteries. I bought it for $25. It was a Toro E24, 18" mower.





Inside I found a permanent magnet motor, about 6.25" long, 3.5" diameter. 4 6V gel batteries, a 24V gel charger, and a double throw contactor





The motor might be a bit small for a 30" blade, but I'm going to try it anyway. I think it will work better than the 250W scooter motor I was going to try! It looks like I can even use the original blade mounting bracket with the 30" blade, if I drill a couple of alignment holes in it.
Next is to get it mounted to the deck. Maybe I'll install heavier wires on the motor too. If only I can find a few more of these motors, I can do a multiblade deck :).