Push Mowers, Battery Vs. gas

[two_bit_score]

For me the jury is still out on the bigger things like mowers, especially riding mowers. I like the Kobalt mower I bought for half price at Lowes. I figured they were coming out with a new version and that’s why the 80volt was priced low. Now, they aren’t even selling the 80 volt stuff. The battery holds up good for now but a replacement will be over $200 and don’t know how long they will be available.

I’m sold on the drills, impact drivers, saws, grease guns, maybe hedge trimmers etc but probably won’t be buying any mowers, pole saws, chain saws or any heavy use stuff until everything shakes out and the major manufacturers settle in to what they are going to keep available.

Pretty sure Stihl and Echo will settle on a line of good quality yard tools if they haven’t already. They both seem to have the better quality battery mowers, etc.

 

[RandyT]

For me the jury is still out on the bigger things like mowers, especially riding mowers. I like the Kobalt mower I bought for half price at Lowes. I figured they were coming out with a new version and that’s why the 80volt was priced low. Now, they aren’t even selling the 80 volt stuff. The battery holds up good for now but a replacement will be over $200 and don’t know how long they will be available.

I’m sold on the drills, impact drivers, saws, grease guns, maybe hedge trimmers etc but probably won’t be buying any mowers, pole saws, chain saws or any heavy use stuff until everything shakes out and the major manufacturers settle in to what they are going to keep available.

Pretty sure Stihl and Echo will settle on a line of good quality yard tools if they haven’t already. They both seem to have the better quality battery mowers, etc.

Until they shake the bugs out of the battery technology and settle on what battery and or adapter to the older technology it will be a throw away culture with batteries contaminating the world. A few months ago somebody was talking about the new EGO commercial line of Z turn mowers. The big 60" version has a battery that is close to $10,000

 

[two_bit_score]

Until they shake the bugs out of the battery technology and settle on what battery and or adapter to the older technology it will be a throw away culture with batteries contaminating the world. A few months ago somebody was talking about the new EGO commercial line of Z turn mowers. The big 60" version has a battery that is close to $10,000

Yes sir, the Kobalt mower will be my last switch over from gas to battery.

 

[4570Man]

I don’t use one. If I could avoid string trimming I would but I can’t so I mow with the ZT and trim with the trimmer.

 

[Diggin It]

So far, Ryobi has kept their battery lines. The new 18V One + LiOns fit the old tools that came with NiCads and vice versa and the new chargers will charge the old batteries ... until they die that is. I've had several of the new LiOn green/silver batteries replaced so far just around the 3 year warranty date.

The offer an 18V One + mower that uses the same batteries also as well as the 40V version. The 40V batteries have the same 3 year warranty. That tells me they plan on having both the 18s and 40s available in the same packages for at least a few more years.

 

[Grumpycat]

Until they shake the bugs out of the battery technology and settle on what battery and or adapter to the older technology it will be a throw away culture with batteries contaminating the world. A few months ago somebody was talking about the new EGO commercial line of Z turn mowers. The big 60" version has a battery that is close to $10,000

I still use the original battery which came with my EGo 5 years ago.

 

[Rebeldad1]

As a repair center what I see is after the warranty or in some cases before the warranty is up they obsolete out the batteries, so in 2-3 years when that battery goes bad don't expect to get a replacement or the replacement will be as much as a complete new mower. In most cases they entire mower will go to the garbage in 2-3 years.

just rebuild the batteries you have. or take them to batteries plus

 

[Grumpycat]

Until they shake the bugs out of the battery technology and settle on what battery and or adapter to the older technology it will be a throw away culture with batteries contaminating the world. A few months ago somebody was talking about the new EGO commercial line of Z turn mowers. The big 60" version has a battery that is close to $10,000

I don't see that at all. EGo has a 42" which is $5000 full MSRP. It uses the same 56V batteries as the string trimmer, hedge trimmer, blowers, and push mower. The difference is that it can have (6) simultaneously.

Several years ago I saw a preproduction Greenworks commercial ZTR with a 25kW battery and full J1772 (that is 240VAC L2 same as EVs) charging. MSRP was said to be $30k which put it to be about double the cost of a comparable diesel. It was said to be able to mow 8 hours nonstop. There are many lawn maintenance customers who would preferentially hire a service using such equipment simply because it is quieter than anything else. Spinning blades are not all that quiet but the difference is significant without an engine. My 21" EGo is quieter without earplugs than my 21" Snapper is with -29dBA earplugs.

There are no "bugs in battery technology". You are simply used to planned obsolescence and marketing one-upmanship of ever-increasing voltage, as if 20V is that much better than 18V than 14.4V than 12V than 9V ...

 

[RandyT]

I don't see that at all. EGo has a 42" which is $5000 full MSRP. It uses the same 56V batteries as the string trimmer, hedge trimmer, blowers, and push mower. The difference is that it can have (6) simultaneously.

Several years ago I saw a preproduction Greenworks commercial ZTR with a 25kW battery and full J1772 (that is 240VAC L2 same as EVs) charging. MSRP was said to be $30k which put it to be about double the cost of a comparable diesel. It was said to be able to mow 8 hours nonstop. There are many lawn maintenance customers who would preferentially hire a service using such equipment simply because it is quieter than anything else. Spinning blades are not all that quiet but the difference is significant without an engine. My 21" EGo is quieter without earplugs than my 21" Snapper is with -29dBA earplugs.

There are no "bugs in battery technology". You are simply used to planned obsolescence and marketing one-upmanship of ever-increasing voltage, as if 20V is that much better than 18V than 14.4V than 12V than 9V ...

Your are right about bugs in battery technology, and if you mean planned obsolescence by manufacturers have to cut checks to customers for full retail value 6 months into a 3 year warranty because their battery has failed and there is no replacement parts available, then you are correct. Or mower manufacturers telling their dealers not to store battery powered ride on mowers with electric fault codes in their business because it may ignite the lithium ion batteries and burn the business down. And the dealer is not authorized to disconnect the batteries, because they are afraid that the dealer may short out the battery by accident leading to a fire or somebody being injured by electric shock.

 

[Grumpycat]

Your are right about bugs in battery technology, and if you mean planned obsolescence by manufacturers have to cut checks to customers for full retail value 6 months into a 3 year warranty because their battery has failed and there is no replacement parts available, then you are correct. Or mower manufacturers telling their dealers not to store battery powered ride on mowers with electric fault codes in their business because it may ignite the lithium ion batteries and burn the business down. And the dealer is not authorized to disconnect the batteries, because they are afraid that the dealer may short out the battery by accident leading to a fire or somebody being injured by electric shock.

Dealer authorized to do repairs is not authorized to disconnect a battery? That is too fantastic to believe.

The EGo I mentioned has batteries the user must remove to charge.

My Tesla has a “first responder’s loop” to disable the car. First responders are told to cut it. Most owners know where it is and how to remove nondestructively.