Electric Lawnmowers

[hcsharp]

...Picked up a 56v EGO mower at Home Cheapo.
... I also wish it had a side-discharge chute. It's either bag it or mulch it. No other options.

I need to clarify this. It does have a side-discharge chute. It's just that it clogs up easily so I quit using it. I have to say it's nice not having to restart the gas motor every time you clear the chute at least!

I bought the same mower from the same retailer. I'm mildly disappointed with it. I came from a Ryobi lead-acid self propelled model. I was very heavy and you really needed the self propelled system. The problem with it was that after a season I couldn't get through my suburban lawn on a charge and it took about 6 hours to charge up. I bought a second battery for about what I could have bought a whole cheap gas mower, and that battery failed outright after 1 season. So I picked up the EGO. I cut half my lawn, then do the 1/2 hour re-charge and cut the second half. Sometimes I can't get through the second half without the red light coming on and the mower shutting down. May need to pick up a second battery for it too. Also, it doesn't seem to have the torque of the old Ryobi and bogs down in heavy grass whereas the Ryobi just powered through.

The EGO comes with a 4Ah 56v battery. I'm thinking of getting another one because it would help in tall grass. If the battery turns the orange light on from either overheating or out of juice, you can just switch to the other battery.

 

[mknox]

I need to clarify this. It does have a side-discharge chute. It's just that it clogs up easily so I quit using it. I have to say it's nice not having to restart the gas motor every time you clear the chute at least!

The EGO comes with a 4Ah 56v battery. I'm thinking of getting another one because it would help in tall grass. If the battery turns the orange light on from either overheating or out of juice, you can just switch to the other battery.

The side discharge chute is kind of lame. It clips on the back where the bag catcher would go and as you say, clogs up quite badly. I find that the mulch function works well enough.

The web site shows a 5 Ah and 7.5 Ah battery "coming soon" but no pricing. The thing that annoys me is that a replacement battery costs as much or more than a whole basic gas mower, but I am likely in the same boat as you in needing a second. The last time I cut my grass, and t wasn't especially long, I had to stop and charge 3 times.

 

[essaunders]

The web site shows a 5 Ah and 7.5 Ah battery "coming soon" but no pricing. The thing that annoys me is that a replacement battery costs as much or more than a whole basic gas mower, but I am likely in the same boat as you in needing a second. The last time I cut my grass, and t wasn't especially long, I had to stop and charge 3 times.

I sprung for the EGO too. every time I've mowed, I've finished on one charge - but apparently it ran out once when my wife was mowing. The 'quick charge' (relative to other electric mowers at the time) was certainly a positive attribute. I am considering buying an EGO blower with a battery - that would get me a second smaller battery that could 'backup' the main mower battery.

biggest risk I see is how quickly the battery systems are changing. I've been watching the greenworks brand - their flagship battery has upgraded several times in just a few years.

 

[DEinspanjer]

I just bought the Greenworks Pro 80v 21" mower through Amazon. Will give a mini review this weekend. I was specifically interested in this brand because the battery pack is compatible with their snow thrower and chainsaw.
I got the 4 amp hour battery with the mower and the 2 amp hour with the saw so I will have two interchangeable batteries for whatever task.

 

[mknox]

I sprung for the EGO too. every time I've mowed, I've finished on one charge - but apparently it ran out once when my wife was mowing.

Took me 3 charges yesterday to get through my lawn... and it really isn't that big of a lawn. I'm on a corner lot, so the backyard is small and is already half deck. I'm going to spring for a second battery. At least with the 1/2 hour fast charge, I can be charging one while I use the second, and it will be ready by the time I need it. (I had two lead acid batteries for my last mower, but they took something like 6 hours to charge). It irks me that just the battery costs more than an entire basic gas lawnmower, but I guess I'm already invested in the electric lifestyle, so that's just the price to pay.

 

[essaunders]

Took me 3 charges yesterday to get through my lawn... and it really isn't that big of a lawn. I'm on a corner lot, so the backyard is small and is already half deck. I'm going to spring for a second battery. At least with the 1/2 hour fast charge, I can be charging one while I use the second, and it will be ready by the time I need it. (I had two lead acid batteries for my last mower, but they took something like 6 hours to charge). It irks me that just the battery costs more than an entire basic gas lawnmower, but I guess I'm already invested in the electric lifestyle, so that's just the price to pay.

I'll fess up - I needed a 5 min 'top up' charge to finish my lawn the other day. My lawn is about 9000 sq ft (per a google maps area estimator).

Maybe DEispanger and I need to get together and have a mower comparison....

 

[Duckjybe]

I got rid of all my gas powered tools. I have the Ryobi 18v string trimmer, sweeper (blower), hedge trimmer, reciprocating saw and the 40v chain saw, snow blower, leaf blower, and just bought the 20" lawn mower. I love them. The snow blower and lawn mower are quite light as they are mostly made of plastic but I am a little worried about what may happen when I hit a stone. All the tools are way more convenient than gas as long as you have spare batteries.

I was debating whether to get the 20" or the 16" deck and am glad I went with the 20" because it does not seem all that wide as it is. Also the 20" is brushless so it should last longer and supposedly has more power. The Home depot had a newer shipment of 20" mowers that had higher capacity batteries than some others they had on the floor. Make sure to get the newer batteries.

I have a problem with the trimmer though. It seems to start and stop when you shake it and probably has a loose connection. I'll take it back under warranty. The Ryobi stuff is not exactly commercial grade so not sure of its long term durability.

The Lawn mower and snow blower both came with 2 batteries so I have lots which is a must. They both work really well and are nice and quiet. I can do my lawn in one battery but it is only 1500 sq ft..

With the snow blower, my driveway, which can hold 4 cars, took 3 batteries when we had a foot of snow.

 

[stevej119]

I've had the EGO for about a year and a half. Absolutely no complaints. 7500' lawn in one charge.

 

[Rockster]

I used a corded electric lawnmower for over 15 years. Yes, by the end of that 15 years, I had 3 extension cords with at least one "snake eating a rat" bulge in the middle.

But, overall, I much preferred having a cord - the lawnmower was far lighter that way, and I never had to worry about charging. I quickly learned that you have to start out with a neatly coiled cord, and mow parallel to the house, zagging away. A minor inconvenience compared to having to store gasoline in the house!

Same here. It's all about cord management. I hit the cord once and learned my lesson.

 

[yobigd20]

I'll fess up - I needed a 5 min 'top up' charge to finish my lawn the other day. My lawn is about 9000 sq ft (per a google maps area estimator).

Maybe DEispanger and I need to get together and have a mower comparison....

I guess they aren't made for an acre of ground then....

 

[Jeeps17]

Took me 3 charges yesterday to get through my lawn... and it really isn't that big of a lawn. I'm on a corner lot, so the backyard is small and is already half deck. I'm going to spring for a second battery. At least with the 1/2 hour fast charge, I can be charging one while I use the second, and it will be ready by the time I need it. (I had two lead acid batteries for my last mower, but they took something like 6 hours to charge). It irks me that just the battery costs more than an entire basic gas lawnmower, but I guess I'm already invested in the electric lifestyle, so that's just the price to pay.

I don't know if this applies to your needs, but one possible solution is to buy a weed trimmer or hedge trimmer or blower from EGO, all of which come with their own (smaller) battery.

This way you can always have a spare on hand, and you did not spend $$$ just for a battery.

I got the EGO weed trimmer and blower at the same time as my mower, and am quite happy with them.

 

[Duckjybe]

A friend of mine bought the EGO blower last year and the battery won't last. He said you can't buy the batteries at Home Depot? He went and bought a Ryobi "hybrid" blower. Boo hiss.

 

[mknox]

I don't know if this applies to your needs, but one possible solution is to buy a weed trimmer or hedge trimmer or blower from EGO, all of which come with their own (smaller) battery.

This way you can always have a spare on hand, and you did not spend $$$ just for a battery.

I got the EGO weed trimmer and blower at the same time as my mower, and am quite happy with them.

I considered that, but I already have a battery operated weed trimmer and an electric (corded) leaf blower and hedge trimmer. These EGO tools also only come with a 2 Amp/hr battery which is half the size of the one that comes with the mower. Since I need about 2 1/2 charges currently to get through the lawn, the smaller battery wouldn't get me too far. I am actually considering waiting for the upcoming 7.5 Amp/hr battery, but the cost may be too high. At least with 2- 4 Amp/hr batteries, I can cut for half an hour while the alternate battery charges in the quick charger.

- - - Updated - - -

A friend of mine bought the EGO blower last year and the battery won't last. He said you can't buy the batteries at Home Depot? He went and bought a Ryobi "hybrid" blower. Boo hiss.

You can order the EGO batteries on-line from Home Depot, but they aren't in the store. I believe the Ryobi batteries are stocked.

 

[clea]

A friend of mine bought the EGO blower last year and the battery won't last. He said you can't buy the batteries at Home Depot? He went and bought a Ryobi "hybrid" blower. Boo hiss.

There is usually a way to find extra batteries ... I have been running with a B&D mower for a few years and the battery was not cutting it anymore for even half of my yard so even though the specific model was EOL, last year i was able to buy a brand new extra battery for it on Ebay (or maybe it was Amazon) for a decent price. With the combo of a new battery and the extra older one I am able to do my whole yard in one sitting again.

 

[wcfinvader]

We have own a farm house with six acres. Just bought 12 more gallons of gas for the mower. How I wish we could cut out gas completely. We'd still have gas chainsaw, weedeater, and snow blower tho :/

 

[mknox]

There is usually a way to find extra batteries ... I have been running with a B&D mower for a few years and the battery was not cutting it anymore for even half of my yard so even though the specific model was EOL, last year i was able to buy a brand new extra battery for it on Ebay (or maybe it was Amazon) for a decent price. With the combo of a new battery and the extra older one I am able to do my whole yard in one sitting again.

Yes, there are ways. My first cordless mower had its battery built in and I had the same problem. I found a guy who said if I took it apart and found/removed the battery, he "might" be able to find a replacement and maybe even of larger capacity. I ended up taking the mower to a rental property I own and gave it to the tenants where it lived out it's days cutting the smaller yard with it's diminished capacity.

 

[clea]

just saw this post through FB and thougt I'd share ...

The A.C. Lectric Tractor: A New Line of Electric Garden Tractors - Renewable Energy - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

Edit: found the source site : A.C.Lectric Tractors - Home

disclaimer i have yet to do any research on it and don't even know if it is/will be available here in canada.

 

[Takumi]

Anyone got any info on US release? and $$$?

[video=youtube_share;IilIfDh3u4Y]https://youtu.be/IilIfDh3u4Y[/vidoe]

- - - Updated - - -

Anyone got any info on US release? and $$$?

 

[DEinspanjer]

I'm sorry I forgot to post my mini-review of the Greenworks Pro equipment I purchased.

I've been using the lawn mower for a couple of months now, and I am very happy with it. Unless the grass is wet and over 6", it can cut my entire lawn (about 7000') in a single charge of the 4 Amp Hour battery. The mower is much lighter than my previous one, and the wheels are nice and big, so even though this one does not have powered drive wheels, it is still quite managable to push around. Another nice feature I didn't know about is that the motor has two speeds. When cutting thicker or higher grass, it will automatically spin up to the higher speed on demand.

I did not end up getting the extra 2 amp hour battery as I originally stated. I'll likely pick one up this winter when I start using the snow blower.

I purchased the snow blower from someone on craigslist. I dry-tested it and it seems to work great. I don't expect it will be able to do quite the same job as my gas powered two stage thrower, but for the lighter snow falls, it should be *significantly* less hassle to haul out and clear the drive and walkway.

I tested the leaf blower, and it is hella-powerful. It can kick up even the big clumps of wet packed leaves. The chainsaw was able to cut through several 4 to 6 inch saplings that needed to be cleared without any problem at all. I did not get the weed trimmer, because my Black & Decker has not failed yet, but I fully expect to pick one up when I do need a new one.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this purchase. I expect that the single 4 amp hour battery would usually be enough to mulch mow up to 10,000' of well maintained grass. If you let the grass get too high or try to do a large lawn when it is still wet, then it might conk out on you before you get fully done, although switching to the bagger or thrower would probably help a lot.
I think getting the full system with an additional 2 amp hour battery would probably be ideal. That way, if you do run out of juice with the main battery, you can finish up with the smaller one, and it can also be used for the other tools such as the weed trimmer or hedge clipper.

 

[Skotty]

I'm once again considering the Cub Cadet RZT S 42 Electric, though it just seems too pricey (I'd like to see a basic non zero turn electric mower; I don't need the fancy zero turn stuff). And I don't think the batteries are Li-ion. I'm not sure it's even made anymore though. There is more information available than there was before, however. Here's an online review of it from Consumer Reports: Tesla of lawnmowers? Meet Cub Cadets RZT S 42 | Consumer Reports - YouTube