Re: How many \"engines\" do you have?
Yea, it's been talked about. We've also talked about going the other way. I'm one of those in the opposite camp: trying to minimize the number of I.C. engines.
Everyone has to decide what he or she likes best, but personally, I dislike maintaining numerous I.C. engines, especially gasoline. I find that the more of them I have, the less frequently each is used. I.C.s don't like to sit for long periods without running. They're hard to crank. Gas goes stale. Prepping them for storage is a pain.
My goal is to have (other than the cars) only one I.C. engine, the diesel engine on my tractor.
My rototiller, rough cutter, mower, and PHD are PTO driven. Some people without a tractor have to buy devices with their own gas engines. My sprayer is powered by the tractor battery. One day I'd like to replace my gas pressure washer with a PTO model.
Chipper/shredders can be gas driven. Mine will be another PTO powered attachment. I have 2 string trimmers: a 2-stroke gas model and a commercial DR unit on wheels; I'd like to replace the DR with a PTO driven unit and the 2-stroke with a heavy duty electric. I plan to get a PTO driven generator rather than one with its own gas engine. I already use an electric chainsaw and pole saw within 150' of the house. With the generator on the tractor, I could take both elec. chainsaws further afield. The same applies for elec. vs. gas driven hedge trimmers.
So anyway, my goal for the future is to have two gas car engines and one diesel tractor engine. Everything else will be driven by the tractor, either by the PTO, the battery, or the A.C. generator attached to the PTO. The fewer I.C. engines I have to maintain, the simpler my life will be.
Just my own opinion. Those who disagree are just as entitled to their opinions.
