2005 - Volume #29, Issue #3, Page #21
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Motorized Picnic Table
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They started with a Deere model 68 riding mower's chassis and then built a table on top of it. Meitner admits the drive unit is small, but they haven't broken anything even when hauling more than 500 lbs. uphill over rough terrain.
The 8 hp Tecumseh engine has a 1-gal. regular gas tank with a pull start at the rear of the table.
Although they left the mower's shift controls, clutch and brakes intact, they extended a linkage from the clutch to a lever hidden off to one side that steers it. "You almost can't tell who's driving it," Meitner says.
To make the machine run quietly, they routed the exhaust through an old snowmobile muffler and added foot rests and guards around the exhaust.
Because they wanted it to fit into a pickup bed, Meitner and Stenseth designed it to fit between the truck's wheel wells. Top speed is about 6 mph and turning dia. is 24 ft. It has three forward gears and reverse.
The picnic table has four cup-handler holes for drinks and can be fitted with an umbrella at the center.
The men plan on building a bigger one with more features, including lights for late nights at the campgrounds.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mark Meitner, 201 E Main St., West Union, Iowa 52175 (ph 563 422-5206; email: kristissalon @fbx.com).
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