Electric Lawnmowers

[ElectricTundra]

For me the primary benefit in going electric is if all of my summer yard tools can be electric and eliminate the need for gas and maintaining gas engines alltogether. This particularly for infrequently used gas engines. This is a benefit to the Echo PAS system - the same engine gets used frequently even though individual implements do not. I only use an edger once or at most twice per year so it doesn't get used enough to keep running well. If I can't replace everything or nearly everything with electric then I'll still have a problem of infrequently used gas engines. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Chris TX]

Super happy GreenWorks customer, here:
40V G-Max Mower
40V G-Max chainsaw (Got to use it yesterday for storm damage. Many 8" thick cuts and still had all 4 lights on the battery)
40V G-Max Pro-Trimmer

I think my next purchase will be the blower and another 4Ah battery.

 

[Pando]

I call my Greenworks Twin Force G-Max mower "The D"

 

[Pando]

I think my next purchase will be the blower and another 4Ah battery.

I'd recommend the GreenWorks 24312 DigiPro G-Max blower, which also has a vacuum. The smaller one (24282) is a bit weak.

 

[Sparrow]

I am happy with my Cub Cadet http://cubcadetrztszero.com/ It easily cuts more than an acre. My only issue is that it has an intermittent drive fault error. It usually hits me once during a 1 1/2 hour cutting session. When it happens I just restart the mower and all is fine. Have not tried to get it fixed because the only dealer is 90 miles away and the problem is not a big enough deal to spend anytime fixing.

 

[Xenius]

I've been considering the greenworks line of products. I'm just waiting for my gas stuff to stop working so I have an excuse, or for my birthday or christmas to come around.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Got the Echo 21" yesterday. Some quick thoughts after one mowing:

- Quality of cut less than Toro SR4. Echo mower leaves more blades of grass uncut than Toro. This is most noticeable in higher grass.

- Got 38 minutes / battery. Grass wasn't as high or thick as normal though. It has two battery compartments so when one dies you can pull out the key and reverse it to switch to the other battery. One concern is that the battery cover only goes halfway down so an empty battery compartment could get a lot of debris in it. I was very surprised by this coming from Echo.

- Not as much suction as Toro SR4. Twigs and other debris that SR4 will pick up and shred were left on the ground.

- Poor mulching compared to Toro SR4. I normally would have waited another day or two before mowing so grass was not as high/thick as normal. Height on this mower is also either a bit less than SR4 or a bit more. When mowing shorter it left a lot of stuff on top and when higher did fairly well except in higher grass. Better test will be next mowing when it's mowing to the same height.

- Noise: 82dbC in thin grass, 84-86dbC in thicker grass when it increases power. My Toro is 89dbC. 3db is a doubling of sound pressure level. 20db is a ten times increase. Perception though is that 20db is about 4x as loud. The Echo is noticeably quieter and going back to my SR4 for some test cuts was comparatively unpleasant.

That said, there are some definite pluses:

- No exhaust fumes
- No vibration
- Much lighter and easier to push
- No need to deal with gas
- Noticeably quieter. Though keep in mind that even with a quiet motor there is considerable noise from blade, air/suction, and grass cutting. EG, the 82-86dbC I recorded.

 

[strider]

I ordered a Husqvarna 430x Automower with a starter kit of wire. Plenty of reviews on youtube like here:

Promotion this spring for a free battery powered 100 series Husqvarna trimmer, battery, and charger. This way I only need to use my John Deere X310 for a 1/4 acre in the front of my home and let the Automower do the back 1/2 acre. Can't wait to install and set it up.

Hi dmd2005,

Any update on your self install? The local Husky dealers have no clue how to set them up though they'll be happy to order everything for me Just curious how easy it is to DIY.

 

[unnoho]

The voltage is only one piece of the power puzzle. Wattage of the battery is what is truly important when comparing batteries. A 36 volt battery can contain significantly more energy than a 80 volt battery.

There are professional grade battery products on the market- we at STIHL have a comprehensive range. If you have any questions let me know, I would be happy to help you.

Disclaimer: I am the Battery Product Manager for STIHL

I have a small lawn service. I am interested in the battery equipment but one major downside for me and a few other pro's have mentioned the same thing. There is no vehicle battery charger. I have found no brand that makes one either. Not everyday is the same and I dont want to buy 5 batteries when I can get by with 2 and 1 extra cause I have a vehicle charger. Say I have the day planned out. I have my 2 batteries but during the day someone flags me down and wants their overgrown yard cut. I would hate to turn them down because "If I cut your tall grass it will use to much energy and I will have to skip some customers".

 

[Pando]

There is no vehicle battery charger. I have found no brand that makes one either.

A typical inverter should work fine with a regular charger, although you'll need to keep the ignition on in your car.

 

[DFibRL8R]

I have a small lawn service. I am interested in the battery equipment but one major downside for me and a few other pro's have mentioned the same thing. There is no vehicle battery charger.

What about an agreement with customers to allow you to charge from their outdoor outlet while you are on location. The EGO mower I bought this spring can quick charge in around an hour and the run time is around an hour too. Seems like the cost in electricity to the customer would be minimal and it would prevent you from having to keep the IC engine running on your vehicle to charge which defeats the purpose of using electric mowers.

 

[ElectricTundra]

Current thoughts on the Echo 21" mower. Everything I like about it has to do with it being electric, everything I dislike has to do with basic bad mower design. There is no reason that I know if that an electric mower can't perform as well as a gas mower.

From a mower standpoint the Echo is somewhat poor at mulching and it leaves noticeably more blades of grass uncut. I believe both of these have to do with it having very poor suction or lift (which also causes it to not pick up and mulch small twigs and stuff that gas mowers do). I assume poor lift is a function of deck design, blade design, and torque/RPM's none of which should be limited by it being electric.

As much as I like all of the electric benefits, I don't think they are enough to overcome the poor mower design. Otherwise I like the Echo system and particularly that the 58v power head will work with all of the PAS attachments (though only marginally with the bed-redefiner). Only other downside is that the blower (11 lbs) is much heavier than others (about 7-8 lbs).

On to Greenworks next I think.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I just picked up the Greenworks 80 volt Cordless Brushless Blower - GBL80300 - this thing is bad ass! I have a pool and it is awesome at keeping the pool apron clear of debris. No more backpack blower for me...

 

[SpiceWare]

On to Greenworks next I think.

I've been happy with the Kobalt 80 equipment from Lowes, they're rebadged Greenworks Pro (with blue trim instead of green) and cost quite a bit less (blower with battery is $249 at Lowes vs $349 from Greenworks). I plan to get the mower next year.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Check amazon - got mine delivered for $269. Best part is that it blows the dog poop off the yard before I mow! You are correct they are identical in specs and just have different color trim.

 

[unnoho]

What about an agreement with customers to allow you to charge from their outdoor outlet while you are on location. The EGO mower I bought this spring can quick charge in around an hour and the run time is around an hour too. Seems like the cost in electricity to the customer would be minimal and it would prevent you from having to keep the IC engine running on your vehicle to charge which defeats the purpose of using electric mowers.

From a professional standpoint it isn't acceptable to use a customer's electric. Would be the same as using corded equipment or "borrowing" some gas. On the lawnsite people have asked about starting out using corded equipment and the response is a loud no but also because it it so much slower and cumbersome using cords. Also you wouldn't leave the ICE running. Either the 12v outlet is always on or it charges going between jobs only which could be 2 - 20 mins away. i would expect to have enough batteries to go about my normal day without charging. Those extra yards or first time customers are usually "my lawn guy just stopped showing up" or "my mower broke last month". So grass is usually a foot tall which would use up the energy of 2-4 yards worth.

 

[unnoho]

Who wants to start a go fund me. Donations accepted.
Home

New solar option
CXR-52/60

 

[DFibRL8R]

From a professional standpoint it isn't acceptable to use a customer's electric. Would be the same as using corded equipment or "borrowing" some gas.

I see your point but respectfully disagree. When contractors come to my home to do work, they plug in their table saw or use my electricity to charge a battery pack for their cordless drill. I even let them turn on the lights when doing work in the basement
Seriously, I think if you calculate the electricity you would consume to charge up one battery while your are mowing your lawn with the other it would be pretty insignificant.

That $23,498 (before tax credits) for the solar version of the Mean Green mower is cool but really expensive!

 

[mknox]

When contractors come to my home to do work, they plug in their table saw or use my electricity to charge a battery pack for their cordless drill.

I can top that. I had a contractor in to re-finish some hardwood floors and he used our 240v dryer plug to power his walk-behind sander. A couple of years later, I replaced the dryer with gas and re-purposed the panel to use for EV charging. We had the contractor back to do some more floors, and when I came home, he had the electrical panel opened up and had removed the wires for my built-in range and tapped in to that breaker for his sander (because the dryer plug was now gone). Wasn't thrilled with that!

 

[ElectricTundra]

I would have no problem with a lawn service that asked me if they could charge batteries on my outlets. Even without any promo. It's not that great of a cost. But if they said that their new mowers were quieter, better for the environment, didn't smell up the neighborhood, didn't rely on foreign oil...