North Carolina man builds world's fastest lawnmower that reaches 152 mph and still manages to cut grass

Most people use their lawnmower to cut their grass and keep their gardens neat, but one North Carolina man has taken the humble garden machine to a whole new speed: 152 mph.

Elliott Loe and his friends from the Ziptied YouTube channel have built a custom lawnmower that hit a staggering 152.8 mph during a land-speed run.

Even more ridiculously, the machine still has working cutting tech, meaning it can do more than just tear up the road.

The homemade creation combines a motorcycle engine, a lightweight chassis and parts from an ordinary lawnmower to create something that looks ready for the garden but belongs on a racetrack.

This lawnmower packs serious power under its ordinary-looking body

At first glance, the DIY machine might look like an old lawnmower that has been given a few upgrades, but underneath its bodywork is some seriously impressive engineering.

Loe and his friends built the custom lawnmower machine around a custom chromoly steel tube chassis, with body panels taken from a 1990s MTD Tradesman lawnmower.

The bare chassis weighs just 45 pounds, while the completed machine weighs around 450 pounds.

Power comes from a 988cc four-cylinder engine taken from a 2004 Suzuki GSX-R motorcycle.

The engine produces more than 160 horsepower in standard form, and Loe has added a nitrous oxide system capable of providing an extra 50 horsepower.

That is a lot of power for something designed to cut grass.

The project also has an electric mower deck sourced from a mower he found at Walmart, so the cutting equipment is still fitted underneath the custom-built machine.

The lawnmower hit 152.8 mph during a land-speed run

The machine was taken to the ECTA Arkansas Mile, a land-speed event where competitors push their vehicles to extraordinary speeds.

There, Loe recorded a run of 152.8 mph, an astonishing figure for a machine that would normally spend its life trundling across a backyard.

The mower also achieved a two-way average of 147.3 mph, which is the figure used to determine its potential land-speed record.

The result is still going through certification, so an official record has not yet been confirmed, but the existing benchmark was believed to be 143 mph, set by a Hayabusa-powered lawnmower from the UK.

There was one rather alarming complication, though, Loe explained that the course surface was extremely rough for a vehicle without suspension, causing the mower to jump into the air two or three times during each run.

That sounds like a nerve-racking experience at any speed, let alone more than 150 mph.

It can still cut grass after reaching supercar speeds

The most surprising part of this build might be that its creators have not sacrificed its original purpose entirely.

The electric cutting deck remains fitted underneath the vehicle, allowing it to mow grass as well as reach speeds that would leave most road cars behind.

The project is a reminder of what can happen when a group of enthusiasts just keep adding crazy ideas on top of eachother.

Loe and his friends have already demonstrated that their Franken-mower can reach 152.8 mph, although the final record status depends on certification of the two-way average.

For now, this is one lawnmower that could make mowing the lawn a much more exciting job – provided you leave the high-speed driving to a proper racetrack, rather than your garden.