Gas Cans --> Electric Mowers

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Don

Well-known member
Joined
May 10, 2012
Messages
3,108
Location
Biloxi MS
A personal Pet Peeve - Look what the government has done to the simple, old fashioned gas can!

http://sobiloff.typepad.com/blakeblog/2012/10/more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-gas-cans.html

I guess somebody complained that the old ones which would refuel your mower with without spilling a drop weren't 'safe' and somehow this made it to a congressional committee, which we all know is perfectly capable of screwing up something as simple as your showerhead, let alone an ordinary gas can - Enter the Feds and now after much frustration you can literally spill gas all over the place, but it's almost impossible to get any where you want it . . . . namely into whatever tank you're trying to fill

I have an old (maybe 10 year old) poly Blitz diesel can that I use for filling my mower. It's not too bad as it actually flows enough to empty the can in 2 or 3 minutes. The vent it integral with the spout and a yellow cap placed on the end actually seals it pretty tight - I can transport diesel in the iMiEV without it stinking up the car. I LOVE going to gas stations in the iMiEV to get fuel for the mower :lol:

Anyway, I needed 2 or 3 more diesel cans to ferry fuel to the boat in my dingy, so I ordered 2 new Midwest EPA and CARB compliant cans from Amazon - Let me tell you . . . . things have sure changed. Now, the can's can't legally emit one hydrocarbon of fuel during the refueling process, the cans must be airtight and not spill when dropped from a C-130 at 5,000 feet and they have to be so childproof my wife cannot even get the cap off the spout . . . . and in the process, it now takes more than eight minutes to get the 5 gallons out of the can. You cannot hold the can steady enough to keep the spring in the 'spill-proof' spout compressed for 8 minutes, even if you don't fall asleep in the process!

A 'gas can cottage industry' has sprung up on eBay thanks to these new cans. First, any 10 or 15 year old can you have laying around (the ones which actually functioned as refueling cans) are now worth a fortune on the used market. You can buy press in vents which actually allow enough air into the can to allow the fuel to run out. You can buy 'non-anything compliant' nozzles to put on your new can, which combined with the new vent you installed in the hole you drilled in the can will actually allow you to use a new can pretty much like you did with your old cans 25 years ago. You can also buy a dedicated cap which allows you to securely close the can without having to fumble with putting the spout into the can inverted, which is the only way you can seal a new can

There are literally dozens of vendors now selling parts to make a new cans function as they should - Something you can pour fuel out of into another tank without spilling a drop and without it taking all day . . . . and thank heavens for those people, or old fashioned gas cans would be selling for hundreds of dollars these days!

After buying aftermarket vents, caps and spouts, I now have a pair of functioning diesel cans . . . . but not without lots of searching and time spent modifying my EPA/CARB compliant useless cans

Don
 
When they make one of those that will mow my 1 1/2 acres in a reasonable amount of time (preferably with me riding on it :lol: ) I'll certainly consider it . . . . though I would still have needed the two diesel cans I mentioned for my boat

My brother bought the Kobalt twin 40 volt battery powered mower from Lowes and took it back 3 weeks later - Unless your 'lawn' is about 20 x 20 and the grass is kept very short, it's not something that will work for you

After the modifications, my diesel cans will now dispense their 5 gallons in less than 1 1/2 minutes, without spilling a drop - Take THAT, CARB! :p

Don
 
Their zero-turn mower (with either a 52" or 60" deck) will supposedly mow 12 acres on a charge (about a 7 hour runtime).

http://www.meangreenproducts.com/commercialmower.html

Though, at a starting price of $11,400, it'll take a decent chunk o' change out of your pocket. :shock:
 
I have about 1/3 acre of grass to mow and I use the 56V Lithium EGO mower I purchased at Home Depot. I have had other electric lawn mowers before this one, but the EGO is the best yet. The removable battery charges in 30 minutes.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/EGO-20-in-56-Volt-Lithium-ion-3-in-1-Cordless-Lawn-Mower-LM2001/204746234
I also have various other electric yard tools, including a chain saw, edger and string trimmer.
Since I do not own any gas powered yard equipment I don't need to bother with gasoline or gas cans.
The EPA estimates that 5% of all air pollution is caused by gas powered yard equipment.
Gas powered yard tools have no pollution controls and their exhaust is in close proximity during use. The exhaust fumes gas powered yard tools emit contain many pollutants including known carcinogens.
 
I had a rude awakening when trying to use these new cans after hurricane Sandy. Un_freaking_believable. That's all I have to say.
 
I use an Earthwise 20" corded electric mower, and it uses less than 0.5kWh in one hour of heavy duty mowing. That is less than 10¢ of electricity for an hour of mowing. No oil changes, no fumes, no heat, very quiet operation, and only blade sharpening for regular maintenance.

It has ball bearing wheels (which is very unusual and excellent) and it is easy to push. I have used it to mow over 2 acres (with a 300' cord) and with a 200' cord it will likely reach enough for a large yard. It cost less than $250 at Ace Hardware, and a 100' 14ga cord is ~$60. I'd get a blue (cold weather) cord, and use it for any electric snow blower, and electric leaf vacuum, and electric chainsaw, too.

Small gasoline engines are incredibly dirty - a riding lawn mower has as much pollution as about 30 cars.
 
My father always used electric corded mower and it has not been quiet, btw. So, when I bought the house, I automatically bought corded electric mower in Lowes (Task Force brand). It is less noisy and still runs in its 7th season. I did not have problems with the power unit. My lawn is 0.34 acres and it is sometimes a hassle to shuffle the cord around. However, just like RobertC and Neil explained, I do not want to have any dirty gas tools in my home.
Last year, I have bought Reel mower on Woots to supplement my electric one and I totally love it:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Fiskars-17-in-StaySharp-Push-Reel-Mower-362080-1001/203459398
This thing was a little too pricey in my opinion but it has Swiss-precision alignment of blades so it does not touch the frame. Consequently, it is relatively easy to push, it is super quiet, no cords required, no maintenance, no fuel, just the human energy. They have even more efficient models and some of them can bag the grass. I would seriously recommend any reel mower from Fiskars.

Even if I had larger lawn, I would try to refrain from the gas mower. It uses more energy than the lawn harvests via photosynthesis. I would get a sheep, goat or other animal to mow the lawn.

Stan
 
NeilBlanchard said:
I use an Earthwise 20" corded electric mower, and it uses less than 0.5kWh in one hour of heavy duty mowing. That is less than 10¢ of electricity for an hour of mowing.
The rating on the mower is 12 amps, which is 1440 watts, Neil - That should make it easily use more than 1 Kw per hour

I have used it to mow over 2 acres (with a 300' cord) and with a 200' cord it will likely reach enough for a large yard. It cost less than $250 at Ace Hardware, and a 100' 14ga cord is ~$60.
I think you are very lucky you haven't burned out the motor in your mower, Neil

As you can see from the table in the link below for a 12 amp motor like your mower has, a 14 gauge cord may be marginally OK for 100 feet . . . . it really should be 12 gauge as pointed out by one reviewer at Amazon - I wasn't aware of the line gauge needed to power it. My other lawnmower will run a hundred twenty five feet with a 16 gauge line. This one won't make it with a 14 gauge line, which I bought specifically for it. Be prepared to use a heavy, expensive 12 gauge line. . . . . but for 200 feet it should definitely be a 10 gauge cord (very heavy to pull around and quite expensive) and for 300 feet it should be 8 gauge!

http://www.members.tripod.com/~nevada4/index-wired.html

Don
 
I have measured it with my Kill 'A' Watt meter, and it almost never hits 12A. it runs at ~3-4A most of the time. When I am mowing the thickest grass I have ever seen, and it used ~0.46kWh in 1 hour.

My outdoor plug is a 10A GFI, and the ONLY tool I have that has tripped it is my 14A Patriot wood chipper.
 
NeilBlanchard said:
I have measured it with my Kill 'A' Watt meter, and it almost never hits 12A. it runs at ~3-4A most of the time. When I am mowing the thickest grass I have ever seen, and it used ~0.46kWh in 1 hour.

My outdoor plug is a 10A GFI, and the ONLY tool I have that has tripped it is my 14A Patriot wood chipper.

Yep, I have the same mower as Neil. And it rarely goes above 500W. Maybe the blades have to lock to pull that draw, in which case a little extra cord resistance is appreciated.
I've been running electric since 1997. It's been great to pull it out after winter and it starts right up. I have been eyeing battery powered ones.


-Barry
 
I thought about getting a cheap 18" mower and running it off an inverter to mow the ditches along the roadway - I could power it off the 12 volt system on my diesel tractor :lol:

Don
 
Hi Guys, it looks like we are getting off-topic in this forum.
Anyway, I have never transitioned from gas powered mower to electric one. I transitioned from corded electric to to Fisker brand reel mower. Now, I don't even need to plug it and it is even quieter vs. electric. Well, there is a caveat. It cuts well leafy grass but not the stalky grass. So, I still need the electric mower once in a while to finish the job.
 
JoeS said:
So, has anyone tried mounting a battery pack and inverter on an inexpensive plug-in mower? :roll: :mrgreen: :geek:
I tried it with my Black and Decker plug in mower. It's an 18" mulching mower and these mowers have an universal type electric motor that has a rectifier.

So I did an experiment and took several lipo packs (lithium polymer) off my electric bicycle and made up a harness with Andersen connectors and a female 120 volt plug (for the mower) and plugged in almost 120 volts dc into the mower. It worked great! the mower ran just like it was on an AC cord and with 120 Volts at 5 amphours I could mow a long time! Larger battery mowers at the home improvement stores had up to a 320 watthour pack but mine had a crazy 600 watthours. :mrgreen:


That was a few years ago. I still have the mower but I'm back to using it with the cord. :cool:
 
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