Is AB-1346 The Beginning To The End Of The GARDEN TRACTOR?

[stso9d]

Just maybe, we all need to care about our grandchildrens world. I love my tractor and mowers. I will hate to give them up but if it means they will not live in a lessor world because we became dependent on a toxic chemical - so be it…

 

[Lab Guy]

I was born and raised in California, lived there until 1980, then when I was 24 moved to Washington State.
My grandparents lived in Santa Monica, CA, which is close to Beverly Hills. My family would visit them on a regular basis. I can remember sitting at a stop light and not being able to see the next light that was only 1 block away. The air pollution was terrible.
I grew up in the Bay Area, in Cupertino, and in the summer it was so unusual to to be able to see the foothills that people would remark about being able to see the hills when they were visible.
Then CA started demanding that cars pollute less. American car makers were so resistant to the new pollution reducing laws that the cars they made to comply were only made for California. And the methods they used were half-assed. The Japanese car makers didn't go this route. Their methods to reduce emissions were not as nearly complex and didn't have the same negative effect on gas mileage.
All kinds of folks moaned and groaned about the new laws but after the air got clean nobody complained. Eventually the car makers wised up and stopped making cars just for California. If left up to private industry the changes would have taken at least a decade longer.
The same kind of thing happened with the gas mileage laws passed in CA. Same moaning and complaining. Now we have cars that get much better gas mileage all over the nation.
California's new law about banning small engines has such a large loophole it almost looks like it is simply ssymbolic It is of course not, but implementation will not occur for many years. What I think it will do is give extra impetus to existing companies and entrepreneurs to develop electric motors and batteries that will be the equivalent in weight, power, and "refueling" to what we are using today.
A good example of improvements in electronics and energy deliverability comes from computers.
In every computer that plugs into the wall is a power supply called an "Inverter". What an inverter does, basically, is convert DC electricity into AC electricity. AC voltages can be transformed from one voltage by using a transformer, DC cannot be changed this way. The AC frequency from the wall, the mains, is 60 hertz in North America. Transformer size is partly based on the frequency of the electricity going through it, the higher the frequency, the smaller the transformer. So the computer that is plugged into the wall uses a power supply that turns low frequency AC first into DC. Then the DC is turned into high frequency AC. This high AC voltage AC is then transformed into low voltage AC using tiny transformers, then turned into the DC that your computer runs on. The tiny transformers use much less copper so the power supply is lighter and cheaper to build. Another advantage is that the inverter is more efficient so it costs less to run and doesn't need the same cooling that older technology power supplies would need.
I know, this is getting long, but here's the point. Inverters are complex and it took a long time for the technology to mature. But now there are inverter power supplies everywhere. The best generators on the market today are the inverter ones, they have the best voltage and frequency control, the engine RPM affecting neither. Every electric car, battery operated tools. Plasma cutters, welders, etc. My old transformer type Miller welder has a 300 amp output and it weighs about 600 pounds. My new Lincoln 200 amp welder weighs about 60 pounds. And does way more. Because of the inverter power supply inside. My 300 amp Miller wire feed welder only weighs about 200 pounds, and that weight includes the wire feed motor and associated mechanisms.
Another technology developed for computers and improved upon by companies and entrepreneurs is the DC brushless motor. Though these motors and the drive electronics existed before hard and floppy drives in computers they really started to be radically improved upon once they started to become so ubiquitous since the drives were in every computer. Now these brushless motors and drives are in every drone. All sorts of power tools use them. All sorts of modern CNC machine tools use them. They are used in some electric cars. I have a tool that has a 2 horsepower brushless DC motor in it that measures only 3 1/4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. 2 horsepower! These motors are used not just because they are so efficient and so powerful for their size. They are also very controllable. Not just the RPM, but also the rotation direction and they can be stopped where ever you want rotation wise. It is easy to have the motor shaft spin so many times, exactly, and then stop. And stop at the exact amount of rotation you want, so the shaft can be positioned rotation wise where ever desired. This can also be accomplished with other motors but with modern brushless DC motors and their drives it is much easier and cheaper. And this exact positioning is used in all sorts of stuff.
I know, this post got really long. My whole point though is I see all sorts of people having knee jerk reactions and not taking the time to really think about stuff. It looks to me like this law is really designed to give some folks a push to design better products. And a ready made market to sell them in.
Eric

But the problems is that all these cost for this newer stuff is passed on to the consumer. Nothing wrong with a cleaner environment. Also, most of the solutions simply move the pollution to another area. For example, the communist in government have mandated diesel emissions that require the use of liquid ammonia to alleviate. That liquid ammonia solution cost money and energy to create and the plastic containers probably end up in a landfill somewhere. And don't forget the transport cost in fuel. Ditto for all that electronics in the cars that require more wiring (that requires mining) and plastic to be 'safe' and 'reduce pollution', but no consideration is given as to what will happen to these vehicles in the future.

The CAFE standards are also asinine. If you know anything about cars, a lot of these CAFE standards are simply asinine. The government has zero authority to mandate much of anything, and two, ideologues have seized these agencies to pass regulations that are about as effective as repealing the law of gravity.

Those electric vehicles still require lubricants, plastics to save weight, and the mining of lithium and other materials make an environmental problem. But hey, keep believing these stupid regulations protect you. Sure, getting rid of lead in gasoline was a good thing, but always remember things come at other costs that are not measured.

 

[priberc]

From the looks of most posts here I am gonna get lampooned mercilessly for this but here goes with my.25c worth. IMO for string trimmers brush saws pruners etc electric is just better. And to prove it I have been switching to battery as fast as possible. The positives for me are these. 1,Less noise of course. 2, not having to buy heart stopping expensive pre mix for my two strokes or premium for my 4 strokes in an effort to try and cut down on my repair maintenance time/costs. 3, no repair maintenance costs around ignition ,carburetors/fuel systems. 4, not having to go get fuel when time is short/the job is half done and I am out of gas. It is never just a quick run to the store....Should be max 15-20 min there and back. Though it seems to be tough to get that done in under an hour. 5, less fire hazard in the shop. 6, the tools I have are lighter and just as strong if not stronger than my previous gas powered ones. 5, if/when I decide to go for the 40v up grade I should be able to sell my 18v kit for a premium over gas powered to someone else looking to cut some cost as they green up their yard maintenance tools. 6, I do not spend the +/-50$ on gas annually. If my calculations are correct I spent +/-20$ on electricity this year. The down sides to switching. 1, when you get behind on your trimming it takes a little longer to catch up as the batteries will need to be charged or have a spare set. I get about 45min of continuous out of 2 5ah 18 volt string trimmer batteries. If I don't let the weeds in my 2ac you-pick berry patch get away from me I can clean up around the bushes with one set after the mower. I have gotten very behind on the trimming a time or two and found out the hard way how long the batteries last. 2, And this is more of a recommendation than a down side. Research what you need in the way of out door power tools and buy from one manufacturer ,Milwaukee Makita Dewalt etc to cut down on battery/charger costs that can be very significant when added up. IE buy one brand and stick with it. Most likely you ,like me, had some cordless drills/impacts already. That is what had me go to Makita the batteries are interchangeable. With two batteries coming with the first garden tool [string trimmer] and I had two 5ah batteries already from the drill driver/nut drive set. Adding up to a confirmed minimum of 1.5 hours of continuous use using both sets. 3, initial cost 2-3 times that of gas powered. Cry once and that is about it. For me the benefits out weigh the cost to switch. And I am in Canada [although I am living in BC that never seems to be very far behind California on these pollution/carbon reduction initiatives] where there has been no such ultimatum come down from the ivory towers of government. To each their own but times are changing and like it or not battery/electric is coming folks. I have found the benefits to exceed the negatives so far And small two stroke/4 stroke engines are some of the dirtiest made and there are many 10s of millions in use in North America. Lawn mowers are another thing altogether. But there have been some electric push and riding mowers coming onto the market over the last couple of years too. For me that is likely the next thing to be replaced as the one I have now is protesting a long and hard service life with me after being bought used .....it is tired and in need of retirement. A Ryobi Cub Cadet Ego or another may be in the cards in the next year or two. Sooner if the Huskvarna I have now grenades

 

[Username Taken]

Stupid people invariably have stupid government

~ Charles Darwin

 

[88S2PLAY]

Thank goodness that my son and I did a complete frame off restoration of our E-15 General Electric Electrak 36 volt garden tractor. We’re Good to Go!

 

[Bob Rooks]

We have enjoyed our "freedoms" for a long, long time, but we all know that freedom isn't really free. And now it's time to pay the piper by adjusting and conforming.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Stupid people invariably have stupid government

~ Charles Darwin

That is so true! I'm hopeful for the new administration.

 

[Bobrown14]

And the idiots in power in NY have introduced the same legislation for this state.
Tar and feather time.

And why new tractor 52hp old tractor 23hp (and still running). Farmer prolly get exemption. Who's gonna feed the hungry?

I know... miracle grow. smh.

 

[Bobrown14]

I am for battery powered stuff when it works. But it is not zero emission in most cases. Power still needs to be generated.

This ^^^ - how much fossil fuel does it take to make a battery? Food for thought. Then there's the shipping from .... you got it, China. Oh and the mining of the natural resources to make those batteries.

I'm thinking hoo-man got it all wrong.

I'm going out and plant my garlic before the snows come and make me cut down trees for heat. I guess its better than cutting down trees to make alcohol for gas powered engines.

I am sooo cornfused again. lol

 

[bitseeker]

Lawnmower & leaf blower driving equivalents (2017 data):

Operating the best-selling commercial lawn mower for one hour emits as much smog-forming pollution as driving a 2016 Toyota Camry, about 300 miles.

For the best-selling commercial leaf blower, one hour of operation emits smog-forming pollution comparable to driving a 2016 Toyota Camry about 1100 miles.

"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"
Robert Heinlein