Raven: 46" Mower, Generator, Go-Kart/ATV

[dave1949]

Raven 46-in Hybrid Riding Lawn Mower.mp4 - YouTube

I just saw an ad for these yesterday from Lowe's. Interesting.

 

[jinman]

I'm thinking that is going to fit into the "it tries to do so much that it doesn't do anything well" category. It kinda reminds me of one of those rear engine, operator forward mowers or a ZTR style with a hood. I'm not saying Lowes won't sell a few, but I'd bet you won't see many of them doing mower duty. Just a 1st impression without knowing full details. My guess is they will sell to folks who need a 'practical' excuse to buy an ATV.

 

[dmccarty]

Very interesting idea. A good idea actually.

Later,
Dan

 

[dave1949]

I'm thinking that is going to fit into the "it tries to do so much that it doesn't do anything well" category. It kinda reminds me of one of those rear engine, operator forward mowers or a ZTR style with a hood. I'm not saying Lowes won't sell a few, but I'd bet you won't see many of them doing mower duty. Just a 1st impression without knowing full details. My guess is they will sell to folks who need a 'practical' excuse to buy an ATV.

Mediocre at everything is my thoughts too, Jim. I could see it in some situations, but I already own a generator and lawn mower, and it wouldn't be an ATV I would want. I think ATVs are cool, but not on the budget and I ought to be walking, not riding, anyways. Besides, my garage is already full. :laughing:

 

[radioman]

Well -- it would be nice to finally have a portable genny that you dont have to load up to use electrical stuff far away from home. Thats the only thing I see here.

 

[peavey]

Check out the other raven discussion board, I posted a few pics of my Raven.

 

[JDgreen227]

The front end reminds me of the Nissan Juke...butt ugly. While the concept is interesting, I already have a lawn tractor, and ATV, and a generator. Shame on those who produced the video, showing the machine being used for an ATV without the rider having a helmet on...:laughing:

By the way, it appears to be a 2wd...which would severely limit it's use as an ATV.

 

[jwstewar]

We were at Lowes over the weekend looking at these things. My son fell in love with it. I think it looked like a piece of crap. Concept is cool, but the execution not so much so. Mowing speed is something like 6 MPH and travel speed is 17 MPH. With the mower deck on the ground clearance is so low you are going to be able to cross any terrain. Everything on it seemed pretty light duty and yet incredibly difficult to work on because it is a "hybrid." Not exactly sure how it worked, but I got the impression that it could even travel by via electric some how. I don't remember the price, but my impression was man, what a shame to waste that much money.

 

[CliffordK]

I agree.
It sounds like an excellent concept.
But, it sounds like everything is done about halfway.

How easy is it to drop the deck? Without the deck, clearance should be ok, but it has fairly small tires.
Why only 2WD? Locking Diff?
6500W generator, but only 120V/12V, no 240V, no 30A 120V.
12.5 HP sounds pretty low.

Electric/Electric coupled transmission is a good idea. However, it isn't noted for high efficiency.
One nice thing, however, in tall grass one would be more likely to stall the electric motor than to stall the main engine. And, fewer belts to wear out.

If the tractor sells well, I hope they decide to make some future upgrades.

 

[dmccarty]

I saw one in Lowes over the weekend. The mower deck was small and looked very cheap. There were other people looking at the machine though but I guess having it right by the front door helped gathered attention. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

If JD or one of the big name companies created something like this with a bigger mower deck and 240 power I would be very interested.

Later,
Dan

 

[peavey]

Just wanted to address a few of the comments mentioned about the Raven mower so folks would have a better idea of what the mower is. The engine compartment is accessed by simply pulling the rear compartment toward the rear. This exposes the engine pretty well, so I don't think it will be any harder or easier to work on. The motor oil can be drained by the quick access plug located by the left rear tire. You don't even have to open the engine compartment to do this. The deck is constructed of 1/8" steel and is welded, unlike the stamped decks I'm use to seeing on other mowers. The deck also has a band of 1/8" steel welded around the base of it for taking the abuse of ramming into trees, rocks, etc.. My Raven has about 4 3/4 " ground clearence with the deck at the highest setting, of course if I decide to go thru the huge task of unplugging the electrical connector for the deck and removing the three pins that allow the deck to be removed the raven will have about 9 1/2 inches of ground clearence at the front end and about 14 1/2 inches of clearence at the mid point. Removing the deck takes less than 5 minutes to accomplish and about twice that to re install. I agree that 240 volt power would be better, however I can't remember the last time I used my big John Deere generators 240 plug. Is it ugly, No doubt, but ugly is a cute way I guess. The stock tires are small, so I installed two ATV tires that were 2" larger in diameter to take advantage of the positive traction rear end. Speaking of the axle, it is very heavey duty. It mows fine so far, now I'm not sure how well it will do in 8" of grass, but of course my big sears craftsman chokes down in that kind of grass also. Did I need a Raven, NO. Did I want a Raven, heck yeah. It's a blast to ride, and I can use it at my remote cabin for powering my small cabin, gathering firewood on my land, quielty riding along, hopeing one of gos little creatures crosses my path for dinner. If anyone wants pics of my Raven, just let me know.