Electric lawn Mowers - who uses them ?

[tigger19687]

I am going to guess that there are a few of you that use the Electric lawn mowers !??

I got a (free off Craigslist) Neuton 4.1 last year and LOVE the less noise and nothing to do but plug it in !

My old Toro needed to be tuned and de-gunked. I didn't want to do it. Sold it on CL for $50 to let someone else de-gunk it. It was 10 years old and I had never cleaned the carb or changed the Plug- not sharpened it.
I know, that is really bad of me. But hey, it was working so why not. $450 new, sold 10 years later for $50... I feel lucky

The Neuton needs a new battery, and that is no issue but it ONLY has a 14" cutting blade

I am looking at the EGO 20" with 56v ! Folds up to stand on it's front wheels. Great ! more room in the shed.

I don't have a big yard, but the 14" is killing me.
New battery is going to be somewhere around $50-$100. Might just want to put that to a new mower !


What do you all use ?

 

[Aerowhatt]

What do you all use ?

I use an EarthWise 20". It's a 24V 20ah lead battery steel deck have had it for 4-5 years now. It's a bit heavy but I like it a lot. It cuts very well (If you keep it sharp ). I use a neuton at my mothers house. I don't like it as well, it's narrower 16" but mostly the plastic deck has a quite thick double walled perimeter. This makes it hard to cut up close to trees etc. since there is significant space between the blade area and the outside edge of the deck. It is lighter but hey you have to stay in shape somehow. It doesn't seem to roll as easy as my heavier EarthWise. Ironically my mothers mowed area is 20 times mine at least.

Aerowhatt

 

[Mart]

I've had a small Neuton for several years. I had to replace one of the cells in the battery last year. Batteries +, Interstate ,etc. should carry them, and a single cell is half the price of a battery.

 

[iwatson]

I have the E-go 56volt and I love it. No pulling on the starter rope, no flooded engine, no oil changes and yearly tune-ups, no gas to buy! Very quiet, I frequently mow at night when it's cooler using the built-in headlights. Also just got the e-go chainsaw. Comes with a smaller battery but they are both compatible so I can use either battery on either tool. I rarely run out of charge while mowing but if I do I can just swap it for the pre-charged chainsaw battery and keep going. Meanwhile I just pop the mower battery onto the charger and it's re-charged in about 30 minutes.

I just gave my old gas Murray to my neighbor.

 

[tigger19687]

iwatson, I was going to buy the EGO, but then decided on the Kobalt (5 yr warr) for about $300 cheaper.
Couldn't justify the price at this point.

Course didn't make it as the truck broke down. Going to buy it today tho.


I love EV stuff.... too bad I rent and can't do Solar !

 

[FiddlerJohn]

... decided on the Kobalt (5 yr warr) for about $300 cheaper. Couldn't justify the price at this point ... I love EV stuff....

The Kobalt is the deal because of the 5 year hassle free warranty and only $299.00 Was: $349.00 Item #: 632478 | Model #: KM1940-07
http://www.lowes.com/pd_632478-9540..._product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1#BVRRWidgetID

My brother returned his to Lowes after hitting a steel pipe in the ground. The clerk said sorry but you bought this last year. The manager stepped in and said the "5 year hassle free warranty" means give him a new one with a new 5Ah battery. Sweet! Just make sure you get the new one with the new 5Ah battery. Kobalt fixed the cut-out/turn-off issue and other things on the new model.

Like tigger19687, I too "love EV stuff."

 

[siai47]

Funny you should ask. Just picked up a Kobalt 80 volt 21" mower. I have a cottage on a small island and the gas mower is a pain (gas, noise, vibration--you know the drill). I bought the 80 volt over the closeout priced 40 volt as it has two 2 AH 80 volt batteries and looks a little better built. With a 30 minute runtime and a 30 minute recharge, the two batteries let you mow forever--one mowing, one charging. Plus unlike the current twin blade 40 volt, it can also mulch and bag. It has a soft start speed control on the brushless motor which comes up quickly to operating speed. The start interlock and the bail you grasp to keep it running are really nice. The whole mower is a quality piece with a steel mower deck. One really nice feature is the mower operates in a normal reduced RPM mode until you hit tall or dense grass. Then the mower actually automatically speeds up the RPM to give you a good cut. Like a earlier poster said, the 5 year (three years on the batteries) warranty on the mower is a real plus. When I bought it, I wanted a spare blade as electric mower blades are lightweight and can be damaged easily. The store didn't have a blade in stock yet as the mower is so new. But the store manager said under the no hassle warranty if I damaged the blade, just return the mower for a complete new replacement unit! Anyway, it works well and does the job just as quickly as my old 6.5 horsepower POS gas lawnmower

 

[tigger19687]

I couldn't justify the 80volt model as I have such a small yard.

Actually, I didn't get rid of the Neuton yet, nor buy a new one.
With my truck in the shop I thought I would save the money. THe Neuton has enough power to do my yard..
I took a big metal file and "kinda" sharpened the blade a little.
I will just have to do it every week and not let it get too high.

I raised the deck up and did the yard yesterday. Might lower it one and do the front yard again, but I should be good.

If it dies later this year I will get a new one so I will be coming back to this for updates !!

Glad to know I am not the only one.

 

[Don]

I have more than an acre to mow and I do it with a Kubota diesel with a 54 inch deck. It has a 5 gallon tank and it uses less than a gallon per hour at full tilt

My brother bought the 40 volt Kobalt from Lowes. He has the full collection of Kobalt 40 volt tools (hedge trimmer, weed eater, blower, chainsaw and pole saw) and he has about 8 or 10 of the batteries to go with them. He loves them all . . . . except for the mower. He used the mower for less than a month and took it back - Not enough power or run time to do much of anything. If your grass is even moderately tall or the slightest bit wet, it's just a waste of time. He got rid of the Kobalt and bought another gas powered mower

I know there are some excellent battery powered mowers - Even riding mowers, but I predict you won't be too happy with the Kobalt 40 volt - At least at Lowes, you won't have a problem returning it and getting your money back

Don

 

[jray3]

Indeed, I've found most of the brand-name battery-powered mowers to be underpowered, probably because they're trying to hit a price point with lead-acid batteries. The second half of battery life (both in terms of years and the second 15 minutes of run time) will be even less satisfying. Converting a gasser or upgrading an electric is an easy first EV project, and with the availability of salvage lithium cells, now much more practical. I've gotta get off my butt and finish the 48 Volt Vegan, now that we're into weekly mowing season. It's been repainted and awaiting final assembly for a couple of years now, but the old Crapsman gas tractor keeps refusing to die! (now that I don't like having a backup, just need an imperative to complete some projects.....)
http://karmanneclectric.blogspot.com/2011/06/introducing-48-volt-vegan.html

 

[danpatgal]

Three years ago I converted my gas mower to run on 48v of lithium batteries (20ah cells from Elite Power Solutions) with a motor from Johnson Electric (for a Toro, maybe?). It worked ok, but was heavy and a little underpowered. I also have a Neuton 14" that I stuck 24v of Headway's into - wow, light and fun for the kids, but annoyingly narrow, but purpose built, so it cuts pretty well.

Last year I found a Ryobi 48v that had dead lead in it, so I got that, scrapped my conversion, and put my 48v of lithium on it. Way better. It's a little narrow, at 20", but way better than the conversion or the Neuton, has a self-propel if I get lazy, and though still a bit heavy, it's manageable.

Since I am just going "bare" on the lithium cells without a BMS, I have been babying them and that's a little bit of a pain too. Also, these things are not the cheap man's mowing option either. I've had more than one person tell me I should do the reel push mower, but I tried that for some time before I realized it just wasn't possible to make it look good or mow in a reasonable amount of time.

Oh, and one final note: these electrics aren't nearly as quiet as you might expect. Yes, they are more quiet than a gas mower, but the bulk of the noise is from the whirring whacking blade. However, on a positive note, there is a lot less vibration (my hands don't quiver for hours like they used to after mowing) and there's no messy stinking gas or exhaust to deal with.

 

[PV1]

I use an electric Craftsman string trimmer for the edges and around where the mower won't go. The main mower is a 3-cylinder diesel Kubota with a 60" deck (big yard). I'd like to replace it with a Lawnbott or similar.

 

[misterbleepy]

Bosch Rotak lawnmower here with 36v Li battery - works well for our 2 small lawns. The charger is very quick, as sometimes it needs a recharge to finish off cutting all the grass.
Used to have one that used 2 6V SLA's, but the batteries died, and the charger took ages.
I then had a small petrol mower, but it was such a pain to start, so I grabbed the Bosch as soon as I could afford it.

 

[Daox]

I have a DIY converted riding mower with lead acid cells. I love it. I'd love to go to lithium, but that would cost more than the entire project has. So, I keep the lead. My first cells have just about had it since I got it running in 2009.

http://www.evalbum.com/2984

It also handles my snowblowing needs when I don't feel like shoveling.

 

[Phximiev]

We would consider such an electric contraption, but
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in Phoenix, we have
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rocks!

 

[tigger19687]

:lol:

 

[danpatgal]

in Phoenix, we have
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rocks!

My dream. Not to mow, that is. As the summer progresses, the trees I've planted (25 or so on 1/2 acre!) tend to shade the grass quite a bit, so I can go a couple weeks without mowing. I'd love to go au naturel, but I suspect I may get complaints from my neighbors/the town.

 

[Phximiev]

How about a herd of something?

;-)

 

[JoeS]

Back in the drought of '88 I pulled the plug on watering my acre of lawn which was on about 4" of dirt on top of a rockpile. Never regretted it. Now, I try to only mow my rockpile once a year, after the 'rainy season', which I did a week ago. Unfortunately, I also took the windshield wiper off my i-MiEV and, sure enough, that caused it to rain yesterday and the weeds are reviving. I would like to replace the ancient Toro with electric, but the darn thing incredibly starts first pull every time for years. Around here, people hire a goatherder and the goats do a fantastic job of 'mowing' the hillsides - have to do that because of the summer fire danger.

 

[tigger19687]

JoeS I know what you mean about the Toro. That is why I bought mine back in 2004 (or somewhere around there) and never did a damn thing to it. Started every year except for last Summer.
Love Free so that is why I took the Neuton.
I think I will hold onto it for a while as it is very light and works well. If the battery completely stops I will probly just do the battery . Maybe new EV mower next year.