Electric Tractor Manufacturer Ramps Up Production

[Fixastuff]

I see lots of post on TBN with people hitting 100hrs after 4 or 5 years of use. Seems like an electric would do them just fine.

I love the ones "my (insert brand) tractors been great no problems at all @75 hrs", lol it's not even broken in yet.

 

[Gee Ray]

How well will an electric tractor set all winter often below freezing and then crank up to start the spring work? How well will batteries hold up when not used and charged daily?

I do not hate electric tractors but they will be very limited in usefulness until there are better battery developments.

The replacement cost and the limited amount of time the battery can be idle will be very limiting factors. Many tasks can be done with the short run times on small or hobby farms but how do you take your barn cleaner out to mow the pasture fields which require longer run times.

 

[ptsg]

People do make such a big deal on electric tractors for some reason. I'll just ask, how long have electric forklifts been around? They work just fine. Heck, I have one from the 70's and had it for 30+ years. It used to run daily up until 10 years or so ago and now gets used like 3 or 4 times a year and it's a simple as connecting the Anderson plug, turn the key switch on and it's good to go and I don't even charge it as frequently as I should.

I agree with Fixastuff, the ones who complain the most are the ones who put the least hours a year on a tractor and could indeed do just fine with an electric tractor.

A Farmtrac 26G electric tractor was delivered on a small greenhouse farm a couple months ago to work the ground inside the greenhouses and to maintain the place. That's another great application for these tractors. Working in closed environments like greenhouses.

 

[Root Cause]

The comparison to a forklift is valid. The current downside to electric forklifts is that 8 hours of work requires 8 hours of charging. For a hobby or small farm, that isn't an issue at all. Actually the added weight is a benefit for a tractor as well.

 

[California]

An electric forklift? That will never work!!! What if it catches fire?!!! That's why nobody has ever tried it!!!! /s

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

What’s the price of admission?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Nevermind... $55k for a 40hp model.
With a 750lb lift capacity
And 25hp at the PTO

 

[lman]

I store my tractors in a barn with no electricity and is some distance from any electricity. I've never heard of a forklift stored in a barn with no power.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm sure they will work for certain applications such as in a greenhouse or a small hobby farm, as others have stated. I would rather work in an enclosed area with something electric than propane... CO poisoning isn't fun and I still can't stand the smell of propane.

I know, I know it's the additive, propane is odorless. Yet when they are combined it's the same thing and CO from the propane is what poisoned me, not the damned perfume.

 

[Doughknob]

How well will an electric tractor set all winter often below freezing and then crank up to start the spring work? How well will batteries hold up when not used and charged daily?

I do not hate electric tractors but they will be very limited in usefulness until there are better battery developments.

The replacement cost and the limited amount of time the battery can be idle will be very limiting factors. Many tasks can be done with the short run times on small or hobby farms but how do you take your barn cleaner out to mow the pasture fields which require longer run times.

Lithium batteries actually last longer when Not Charged daily.

They do not “crank up” either. They are asked to supply power or not; just the fact of sitting for a while inactive makes no difference to them. They do deteriorate over time wether active or inactive.

Cold storage for a battery is also actually good for them; better than hot storage. “Useage” in a cold state does hurt them.