Larger electric lawn tractors

[macindude]

Hi all,

I'll cut right to the chase: I have 2 acres and a decent sized driveway (170 feet long, averages about 16 feet wide) that I currently take care of with a 23-year-old Simplicity Legacy (non XL) with a 60" mower deck, turbo blower, and 46" snowblower.

Between the age of the machine and where I am in my life with small children, I have reached the point where I no longer enjoy wrenching on it - It takes too much work and I don't have the time. I ended up paying a dealer around $1200 to keep it going last summer (carb, ignition coils, yadda yadda yadda...).

Over the past 7 years, I've been collecting electric tools and vehicles because I discovered mostly by accident that I greatly prefer their quiet operation and low maintenance. I have electric weed whacker, trimmer, edger, chainsaw, pole saw, blower, etc etc and I drive a Tesla Model 3. The Legacy and my wife-s care are the last gas-powered things I own.

I would really like an electric replacement for the Legacy. Unfortunately, it seems like the ends of the market are being electrified first, and I'm right in the middle. I can buy a crappy little 38" Cub Cadet, or I can buy a Mean Green, Gravely, Monarch, or Solectrac that is way more than I need... But there is nothing that has a 60" deck, a snowblower, a leaf collector, and a reasonable price tag it seems.

Is anyone aware of such a beast, now or coming soon?

If I had any spare time, I'd electrify the Legacy, starting by doing what an acquaintance did and pulling the gas tank and engine and replacing them with a bunch of batteries and a forklift motor. However, I'd also then want to rebuild my implements to get rid of all the unnecessary pulleys and belts, just putting smaller electric motors right where the power is needed. One for each blade on the mower, and one for the auger on the snowblower. Alas, again, I do not have the time nor the desire to do big projects on it.

For now, I've bought a Toro 26" electric snowblower that seems to have lots of power. Turns out I really don't like walk-behind snowblowers though. If nothing else is available by May, I'll probably get the Ryobi 54" zero turn for the time being, and maybe sell that and the snowblower if anyone ever comes out with an electric tractor similar in size to the Legacy.

 

[4570Man]

An electric mower still isn’t going to be quite. The deck makes a lot of noise. For the ridiculous cost of anything that’s suitable to cut 2 acres you could buy a top end commercial gas mower for less.

 

[KennyG]

The big electric zero turns look very attractive at first glance but I stopped to think about it. How long are those batteries going to last? We expect mowers in that price range to last well over 20 years. I know the batteries in electric and hybrid cars have lasted very well, but do these mowers have the same level of technology?

 

[nyone]

OP your simplicity with 2ac to mow I suggest a zero turn. How ever there no good in the snow.

I saw one ryobi brand electric zero turn that was for sale localy and it was cheap..very cheap. This was due to a blown computer and the cost of the computer was not cheap. I didnt even realize that these electric machines would have a computer but if corse they would. More than likely china isnt going to be mass producing knock off computers like they do with carbs. I suggest you stay with gas where it makes sence.

My neighbor has a blue (kobalt I think?) Electric blower for his 3/4 car driveway. This past storm (3in of heavy wet snow) he spent 3hrs cleaning it and was shoveling between charging it.

 

[John0829]

Ego is making their ZT in a 52" cut now, I know it is not quite a 60" but what is a few inches or couple of extra passes if it is quiet and gets the job done. Look on youtube for a video by Dirt Monkey to see the absolute butal stuff he does to one and it just keeps on going.

 

[Grumpycat]

I would be tempted to nurse the Legacy another year to see what develops after the COVID insanity.

My EGo 21” SP mower is still on its original battery after 5 years. Used to wear ear plugs with the gasoline mower, never with the EGo.

Buying today the EGo zero turn is tempting for using the same batteries as all other EGo tools including a very powerful 2-stage snow blower. 2 acres is beyond the rated range without an extra set of very expensive batteries but you might consider mowing half one day, half next. I have multiple batteries for my 21” but mow front one day, back another.

 

[bmaverick]

Hi all,

I'll cut right to the chase: I have 2 acres and a decent sized driveway (170 feet long, averages about 16 feet wide) that I currently take care of with a 23-year-old Simplicity Legacy (non XL) with a 60" mower deck, turbo blower, and 46" snowblower.

Between the age of the machine and where I am in my life with small children, I have reached the point where I no longer enjoy wrenching on it - It takes too much work and I don't have the time. I ended up paying a dealer around $1200 to keep it going last summer (carb, ignition coils, yadda yadda yadda...).

Over the past 7 years, I've been collecting electric tools and vehicles because I discovered mostly by accident that I greatly prefer their quiet operation and low maintenance. I have electric weed whacker, trimmer, edger, chainsaw, pole saw, blower, etc etc and I drive a Tesla Model 3. The Legacy and my wife-s care are the last gas-powered things I own.

I would really like an electric replacement for the Legacy. Unfortunately, it seems like the ends of the market are being electrified first, and I'm right in the middle. I can buy a crappy little 38" Cub Cadet, or I can buy a Mean Green, Gravely, Monarch, or Solectrac that is way more than I need... But there is nothing that has a 60" deck, a snowblower, a leaf collector, and a reasonable price tag it seems.

Is anyone aware of such a beast, now or coming soon?

If I had any spare time, I'd electrify the Legacy, starting by doing what an acquaintance did and pulling the gas tank and engine and replacing them with a bunch of batteries and a forklift motor. However, I'd also then want to rebuild my implements to get rid of all the unnecessary pulleys and belts, just putting smaller electric motors right where the power is needed. One for each blade on the mower, and one for the auger on the snowblower. Alas, again, I do not have the time nor the desire to do big projects on it.

For now, I've bought a Toro 26" electric snowblower that seems to have lots of power. Turns out I really don't like walk-behind snowblowers though. If nothing else is available by May, I'll probably get the Ryobi 54" zero turn for the time being, and maybe sell that and the snowblower if anyone ever comes out with an electric tractor similar in size to the Legacy.

And this is why the electric now costs more and brownouts with flickering lights are more frequent. Everyone has to keep charging.

 

[Grumpycat]

And this is why the electric now costs more and brownouts with flickering lights are more frequent. Everyone has to keep charging.

Not even in insane California does electric cost more per mile than gasoline. Everything costs more there because of a lack of understanding how when one person is taxed the tax does not stop there. That person passes their tax costs on to the next. Others doing the same pass their extra costs to the first person.

California and Texas have rolling blackouts due to their misguided effort to create a “managed free market.” When the producer is divorced from the consumer with a distributor in the middle there is every motivation for the producer to charge market prices during high demand. There is little motivation to build greater capacity. When the demand price rises to some limit the distributor must eventually say “no”. Blackout. Some in Texas did not have such limits and while they didn’t have a blackout, they paid 5-10x their expected rate.

For $10,000 you can buy a PV system to power an EV for the next 20-30 years.

 

[GT48DXLS]

This is an article about electric lawn mowers that was very clever, written by an engineer. Easy read, and good sense of humor.

https://www.stevepake.com/life/2018/5/25/the-truth-about-electric-lawn-mower-horsepower

 

[airbiscuit]