RalphVa
Super Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2003
- Messages
- 7,885
- Location
- Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Tractor
- JD 2025R, previously Gravely 5650 & JD 4010 & JD 1025R
Home Depot's agent delivered the Ryobi ZT480e (battery powered ZT) yesterday after ordering on 30 Apr 2021. It originally wasn't promised until June 1, then May 24 and now yesterday. Stores cannot get or keep them. They wouldn't let me order from the store and get my veteran discount because they didn't have any. The delivery guys said they handle a lot of these and get almost none returned.
I charged it overnight as directed, even though the battery indicator said 100%. I managed a once-around the front yard and then down the hill a little bit to the basement of the carriage house where it will live when not in use.
Mowed 2/3 of the approximately 1/2 acre of lawn around the house and then went down the "blueberry patch" down the hill to the creek located on a very slight slope.
Did fine on the front yard and the right rear of the rear yard, this one even having a slight compound slope. Did not tackle the left rear yard with a more severe compound slope. Will use the Ryobi 40v "crosscut" mower for that and for trimming on the front lawn around landscaping.
At one point on the blueberry hill, I went skidding into the neighbor's grass, luckily missing any of his little scotch pines he has. This thing climbs slopes like a goat but is very iffy going down compound slopes where the swinging front wheels can angle it out of the way you want it to go because of poor grip from the rear tires when going downhill forward. In future, I may try going down backwards but may just reserve that couple swipes down the hill for the JD bush hog. Anyone have any suggestions for other rear tires that would grip better?
Due to the slight slope and all around the blueberries (all grouped together now to protect against the hooved rats), this trimming is better done with the Ryobi 40v mower or grass whip, both very excellent machines.
I had to move the seat almost all the way forward to get my feet up against the floor where it angles up behind the parking brake. I'm only 5' 10" with relatively short legs. My wife at 5' 3" has about the same length legs.
The 42 inch width of this machine makes short work of all this with only a little bit of trimming needed with the Ryobi mower or grass whip. The left rear yard with its compound slope and garden stuff will have to be done with the Ryobi self-propelled mower . This area would be a loss for an underbelly mower, too, but the underbelly on the JD 4wd would provide lots better traction and better precision in cutting than my present bush hog, particularly on the blueberry patch. The underbelly would also have been cheaper, but I plain did not want to mess with it and its underneath PTO, etc.
The Ryobi stuff is good stuff if you want to go gasless. The ZT should be fine for doing most of my trails, but the trail that is cut into the slope with a big drop off at the side is not one I want to take the ZT onto.
BTW, that is not me on the mower in the picture. I mow without clothes.
Time to sell the Honda HRR216VLA now and give away my 2 gallon and 1 gallon gas containers. The Ryobi 40v cuts with gaslike power and is lighter weight for trimming and backing. The Ryobi 40v brushless grass whip is lots more powerful than the 40v Kobalt (brushed) one I sold. The Ryobi also has a self winding head that the old Kobalt did not have.
Ralph
I charged it overnight as directed, even though the battery indicator said 100%. I managed a once-around the front yard and then down the hill a little bit to the basement of the carriage house where it will live when not in use.
Mowed 2/3 of the approximately 1/2 acre of lawn around the house and then went down the "blueberry patch" down the hill to the creek located on a very slight slope.
Did fine on the front yard and the right rear of the rear yard, this one even having a slight compound slope. Did not tackle the left rear yard with a more severe compound slope. Will use the Ryobi 40v "crosscut" mower for that and for trimming on the front lawn around landscaping.
At one point on the blueberry hill, I went skidding into the neighbor's grass, luckily missing any of his little scotch pines he has. This thing climbs slopes like a goat but is very iffy going down compound slopes where the swinging front wheels can angle it out of the way you want it to go because of poor grip from the rear tires when going downhill forward. In future, I may try going down backwards but may just reserve that couple swipes down the hill for the JD bush hog. Anyone have any suggestions for other rear tires that would grip better?
Due to the slight slope and all around the blueberries (all grouped together now to protect against the hooved rats), this trimming is better done with the Ryobi 40v mower or grass whip, both very excellent machines.
I had to move the seat almost all the way forward to get my feet up against the floor where it angles up behind the parking brake. I'm only 5' 10" with relatively short legs. My wife at 5' 3" has about the same length legs.
The 42 inch width of this machine makes short work of all this with only a little bit of trimming needed with the Ryobi mower or grass whip. The left rear yard with its compound slope and garden stuff will have to be done with the Ryobi self-propelled mower . This area would be a loss for an underbelly mower, too, but the underbelly on the JD 4wd would provide lots better traction and better precision in cutting than my present bush hog, particularly on the blueberry patch. The underbelly would also have been cheaper, but I plain did not want to mess with it and its underneath PTO, etc.
The Ryobi stuff is good stuff if you want to go gasless. The ZT should be fine for doing most of my trails, but the trail that is cut into the slope with a big drop off at the side is not one I want to take the ZT onto.
BTW, that is not me on the mower in the picture. I mow without clothes.
Time to sell the Honda HRR216VLA now and give away my 2 gallon and 1 gallon gas containers. The Ryobi 40v cuts with gaslike power and is lighter weight for trimming and backing. The Ryobi 40v brushless grass whip is lots more powerful than the 40v Kobalt (brushed) one I sold. The Ryobi also has a self winding head that the old Kobalt did not have.
Ralph
