Time to convert from small engine to battery tools?

[ustmd]

None, Just wait for the new Tesla tractor:thumbsup:
(They will probably release one now)

Have you seen their Semi:

Semi | Tesla

 

[Wagtail]

One reason I'm moving this direction is I am tired of carburetor fuel related problems...

Oh yeah, I forgot that in many US States that you can't avoid ethanol blended petrol. It's not a problem (so far) here in Aus... also, our ethanol is sugarcane based as opposed to your corn based.

Anyway, time & science marches on... I'll wait a few more years for things to settle down and 'standardise' before I invest in multiple "skins" with a common, universal battery pile. I'm reminded of the price of a computer's 1 meg of RAM over the years.

 

[SirMaxwell]

I have a handheld leaf blower, string trimmer, small rototiller, and a hedger. All small gas engine Stihl products. My wife doesn't mind doing some tilling or hedging but she can't start any of the engines. I have already pretty much converted all of my handheld power tools to Dewalt 20v system and find I rarely use my corded small tools anymore, so...

Is it time to make the expensive plunge into a battery line up of a blower, hedger, string trimmer, chain saw, pole pruner, etc.? I suppose I could sell off my gassers to ease the pain. And then no more mixing gas except for my outboard motor! Looking at Stihl's AP series tools. Love to hear comments that have Stihl AP tools!

I felt the same, mostly to up the wife factor. Now she, or any of the kids, can just grab and go. So for all but the bigger projects, we use our Makita Battery Tools. Now mind you, the new Makita Brushless tools have been designed to use the original 18V Packs (btw all packs from 18-20 are the same voltage, just a matter of manufacturer naming 18/18.6/19.2/20). In the new Makita, the old batteries can be used, it just uses 2 packs to make a 36V tool. I, and the wife, love these tools. Chainsaw, blower, string/blade trimmer. Will get a hedger soon, likely a Compound Slde Miter as well. Add this to the drills, hammer drills, etc.

 

[bunyip]

I'm reminded of the price of a computer's 1 meg of RAM over the years.

I still have a 250mb thumbdrive that I paid almost $100 for when they first hit the market, my first Mac was 520kb with an external 800kb drive and a tractordrive dot matrix printer, cost me about $5k in the mid 80's, no HD just two 3.5 floppy discs, my upgrade was a 20mb Mac with colour.

 

[ultrarunner]

Oh yeah, I forgot that in many US States that you can't avoid ethanol blended petrol. It's not a problem (so far) here in Aus... also, our ethanol is sugarcane based as opposed to your corn based.

Anyway, time & science marches on... I'll wait a few more years for things to settle down and 'standardise' before I invest in multiple "skins" with a common, universal battery pile. I'm reminded of the price of a computer's 1 meg of RAM over the years.

I spent a couple of months wages in 1980 to buy an Apple //e computer with LQ Daisy Wheel Printer and two Disk Drives... Still have and has not crashed once... nearly 40 years old... I will never get rid of it because of what it cost... still have the original boxes and packing too in the attic...

 

[rangerfredbob]

You have to think about batteries differently than you used to, NiCd batteries are fairly bullet proof until they aren't... then they came out with NiMh batteries that had twice the capacity for the same size but the batteries were less stable and would reverse voltage willy nilly if you looked at them wrong and aren't as idiot proof or shelf stable (been bit before...). Then they went to Lithium of varying chemistry which has been a complete game changer. Back in about 2006 I got into RC airplanes and stuff, about 2008 I got my first electric airplane and still have parts of it but what I do have is the batteries I bought from Hong Kong back in 2008 for as cheap as you could get back then, I have had one battery pack go bad that I got back then, sure most of them are puffing but all have been crashed and all still hold around 90% of what they used to (I have a charger that counts how many mAh it puts in). Sure I'e gotten in and out of flying a lot but I have completely given up on proper storage etiquette on my lithium batteries, they seem to be very forgiving. I try not to store them dead but that's about it.

I do have a dead battery from a Millawake M18 that won't work anymore, but I got the drill from my boss that dropped it in his Koi pond and couldn't get it to work...

 

[dragoneggs]

My only lawn care tools are still gassers. Riding mower & Stihl FS 350. When I do use these two tools - it can be a multiple day project. The battery powered replacements just aren't large enough. I use my JD100, riding mower, like a lot of you guys use your brush hog. I do have battery powered drills for use right around the tool shed.

When I go out on the property - it's my Honda generator, extension cord, corded drill, worm drive saw, Hole Hog drill, jig saw, etc. I still use my two Stihl gas chain saws for maintaining my pines & pine stands.

I HAVE gone to a much smaller Stihl chain saw - MS190. I don't get so darn tired and risk a serious situation. My bigger Stihl - 280 - has been relegated to cutting up dead and fallen trees. It's just too heavy for long bouts of thinning stands of young trees.

I know that I may eventually move to cordless tools - but not yet.

oosik, you are right behind me! I just might be ahead of the curve.

P.S. What happened to your avatar? I liked the family crest thing. I got a lot of Viking in my blood.

Oh yeah, I forgot that in many US States that you can't avoid ethanol blended petrol. It's not a problem (so far) here in Aus... also, our ethanol is sugarcane based as opposed to your corn based.

Anyway, time & science marches on... I'll wait a few more years for things to settle down and 'standardise' before I invest in multiple "skins" with a common, universal battery pile. I'm reminded of the price of a computer's 1 meg of RAM over the years.

Yes, I have to drive a bit and pan a trip for ethanol free gas and off road diesel.

I still have a 250mb thumbdrive that I paid almost $100 for when they first hit the market, my first Mac was 520kb with an external 800kb drive and a tractordrive dot matrix printer, cost me about $5k in the mid 80's, no HD just two 3.5 floppy discs, my upgrade was a 20mb Mac with colour.

I can surely empathize! But I like to be ahead of the curve... enjoying the benefits of technology. Let's not talk about costs and business cases! :ashamed:

 

[Gary Fowler]

Most of my uses other than drill motors consist of more work than a battery powered tool can produce even with 2 or more batteries. A battery replacement usually cost more than the original tool.
I recently bought a new leaf blower from Troybuilt that came with an attachment that I put in a battery powered drill. It connects to the engine at the rear and a quick push of the trigger on the drill and the gas engine fires up, no cord pulling needed.
It would be great to put those on all the engine driven things.

 

[ultrarunner]

I had some batteries rebuilt for my Bosch... they did a good job.

But, the prices varied a lot... I was not going to do it but found a rebuilder as I was heading out of town and stopped... he promised he would not short change me with inferior or lower capacity... did the rebuilds himself so I left two... no complaints and that was years ago.

As for my Stihl conversion... I have struck out at every avenue...

One of the guys that worked a lot for my brother had said where he now works they get Stihl discounts... so I gave him my list last week...

He called today and said no can do... the Deals are only for large purchases by Government Entities... he works for the City now...

 

[JK22]

Oh yeah, I forgot that in many US States that you can't avoid ethanol blended petrol. It's not a problem (so far) here in Aus... also, our ethanol is sugarcane based as opposed to your corn based.

Anyway, time & science marches on... I'll wait a few more years for things to settle down and 'standardise' before I invest in multiple "skins" with a common, universal battery pile. I'm reminded of the price of a computer's 1 meg of RAM over the years.

I buy the premixed, ethanol free cans from the big box store for all my 2 strokes. ATVs on the other hand I’m always having carb problems, even with Stabil. You can find the occasional ethanol free gas stations occasionally here in the US, but they are definitely few and far between.