Electric mowers, tractors and other lawn and farm equipment

[GtiMart]

Add another happy owner of EGO lawnmower (non-riding) and trimmer here. The mower is not quite as powerful as my previous ICE one so I can't quite push it as quickly if I want a clean cut, but it works well. I'll say I tend to wait a long time between grass cuts as I don't like doing it. By the time I do it, the grass is pretty high

 

[Cal1]

Ego is not the best at owner manual instructions. If you're bagging the high lift blade works best. I found that mulching blade (which comes installed out of the bx) sucks on any high or wet grass. Probably works great if you mulch. None of this was documented in the owners manual. Anyway my mower cuts great with the right blade.

 

[GtiMart]

Thanks @Cal1 , I didn't know. I believe I only got one blade with the mower, it must be the mulching one. Local law doesn't allow bagging all summer anyway...environment... I need to leave the clippings on the lawn. With the installed blade, the trimmings are left pretty long and some grass "blades" are left uncut if I push too fast. If I walk instead of running, it's not so bad. Maybe I should get a fresh blade.

 

[Fidalgo]

I defer to the wisdom of EGO owners, since those products usually get good reviews. But I've got a Greenworks mower that's been dependable over the last three of four years, and a Black & Decker family of tools - weed whacker, blower, chain saw - that also work fine. If they go on sale, they're worth considering.

 

[Kandiru]

Another proud milestone in my household, this Spring I converted everything to 56v.

EGO Power:
650cfm blower,
Carbon fiber split shaft sring trimmer,
24" hedge trimmer,
8" edger, my first ever EGO tool.
Power Head with ext. pole with hedge trimmer and pole saw attachments.
2.5, 5, and 7.5Ah batteries on chargers and one rapid charger.

I worked on two acres pruning 30 pineand other trees, large hedges and long driveway and patios
since warm weather came, OMFG these tools are such a blessing
compared to the crummy Black & Decker 20v and 40v ones, with their easy to break
battery packs (had to JB Weld them) and motors burning out after intensive use.

No more fumes to inhale other than with old trusty 12mph 64" deck and snow blade 4WD
Kubota going strong 25yrs now.

 

[Cal1]

Which Kubota? I've got a BX23s and love playing around in the dirt. My ground has so much rock that hydraulic backhoe is necessary to dig any hole. I'd buy an electric tractor in a heartbeat if it was cheap enough. Over the years I've tried to get rid of all my gas powered tools. The riding lawn mower and Tundra truck are the major things left to change. I even have the Ego power station but it's not a real replacement for my Honda 2000i generator. I'm not a CT enthusist so I'll have to wait to see what the Ford looks like. I'm afraid the Canoo is going to be vapor dreams.

 

[bhzmark]

Tons of Ego Zero turn reviews on Youtube. I'm getting one! Heres my favorite review, definitely heavy duty enough for my fields.

This looks great. Did anyone get one?

 

[Cal1]

Got it on order with Lowe's but so far only YouTube reviewers getting anything.

 

[leonar40]

I love the idea of an electric zero turn in theory, but in practice it seems like it would be a pain for me. I have a shed about 100 ft from the house. I guess I'd have to run power to it or else charge in the garage and then drive it back out there to store it and hope it didn't self-discharge too much during the week. Not to mention it's hot in there in the summer, and cold in there in the winter. Not ideal for Lithium batteries at all.

 

[nwdiver]

I love the idea of an electric zero turn in theory, but in practice it seems like it would be a pain for me. I have a shed about 100 ft from the house. I guess I'd have to run power to it or else charge in the garage and then drive it back out there to store it and hope it didn't self-discharge too much during the week. Not to mention it's hot in there in the summer, and cold in there in the winter. Not ideal for Lithium batteries at all.

Looks like it runs on 6 56v batteries. So you could keep the batteries in your house or someplace cooler.

 

[Merrill]

Which Kubota? I've got a BX23s and love playing around in the dirt. My ground has so much rock that hydraulic backhoe is necessary to dig any hole. I'd buy an electric tractor in a heartbeat if it was cheap enough. Over the years I've tried to get rid of all my gas powered tools. The riding lawn mower and Tundra truck are the major things left to change. I even have the Ego power station but it's not a real replacement for my Honda 2000i generator. I'm not a CT enthusist so I'll have to wait to see what the Ford looks like. I'm afraid the Canoo is going to be vapor dreams.

You should look at the Rivian, they are doing pretty much what Tesla is doing.

 

[mspohr]

Tractors Finally Get the Tesla Treatment

A crop of electric startups are hitting the $292 billion heavy machinery market just in time for harvest.

www.bloomberg.com

Tractors Finally Get the Tesla Treatment

 

[Cosmacelf]

Tractors Finally Get the Tesla Treatment

A crop of electric startups are hitting the $292 billion heavy machinery market just in time for harvest.

www.bloomberg.com

Tractors Finally Get the Tesla Treatment

And there’s lots of room for more entrants.

 

[mspohr]

Blowers, mowers and more: American yards quietly go electric

For Jared Anderman, of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, switching from gasoline-powered tools to electric ones for lawn care was a no-brainer. “I’m concerned about climate change and wanted tools that are more eco-friendly, and also quieter.

apnews.com

There’s a quiet transformation going on in yards across the country. Longstanding complaints about the roar and fumes from gas-powered leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment have grown even louder as more people work from home because of the pandemic.

According to the California Air Resources Board, a department within the California Environmental Protection Agency, operating a gas leaf blower for an hour can create as much smog-forming pollution as driving a Toyota Camry 1,100 miles. The battery-powered lawn equipment sector is growing at a rate three times faster than gas, according to the Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com.

 

[Calliope]

Also a fan of Ego - I have their (non-riding) lawn mower and string trimmer.

 

[TurbineCar]

For those not aware, there was real innovation in the late 1960's through the 1970's in the full-line and broad attachment offering of GE Elec-Trak tractors. My junior high school friend's family had one, while we had a little 7hp IH Cub Cadet. Yes, IH and it was built like a tank. Cast iron and steel. But it wasn't cool electric like my friend's. The Elec-Trak was developed after the Delta car project was shelved by GE. They used either 3 12V lead-acid or 6 6V lead-acid, depending on the model and power. Mostly electro-mechanical with some electronics, not like today's computer-driven devices. The big mower was in front and had a motor for each of 3 blades. If the grass got very thick and wet, sometimes a motor's thermal cutout would stop a blade, making for a funny mowing pattern!. In winter they plowed their short driveway with the front plow attachment. We had a long driveway and I plowed it with the little Cub Cadet and in that case gas was better. But the GE Elec-Trak line was innovative and still has a following to this day. They were beefy machines built to last. Today you can buy a Cub Cadet light-duty riding lawn mower that looks like a little tractor and uses a lithium-ion battery. Latest battery tech and electronics are bringing us compact-utility tractors and larger, including the Solectrac.

 

[srs5694]

For those not aware, there was real innovation in the late 1960's through the 1970's in the full-line and broad attachment offering of GE Elec-Trak tractors.

If we're revisiting electrified lawn equipment of yesteryear, when I bought my current house (in 2001), it came with a Sunbeam electric lawnmower, of the walk-behind variety. I don't know when it was made, but it had a 1970s look to it. Although it was electric, it was not powered by a battery; it used a long extension cord, which I had to be careful to not run over. It lasted a good long while, but a few years ago the magic smoke escaped, so I replaced it with an Ego battery-powered lawnmower, which has worked quite well since then. The Ego is much easier to use; I feel much less tired after mowing the lawn with the Ego than I did with the Sunbeam.

 

[Solarman004]

If we're revisiting electrified lawn equipment of yesteryear, when I bought my current house (in 2001), it came with a Sunbeam electric lawnmower, of the walk-behind variety. I don't know when it was made, but it had a 1970s look to it. Although it was electric, it was not powered by a battery; it used a long extension cord, which I had to be careful to not run over. It lasted a good long while, but a few years ago the magic smoke escaped, so I replaced it with an Ego battery-powered lawnmower, which has worked quite well since then. The Ego is much easier to use; I feel much less tired after mowing the lawn with the Ego than I did with the Sunbeam.

When stationed in England in the 1980's, these corded units were all we saw in our neighborhood. I took the hint after our very nice, elderly nextdoor neighbors remarked how "interesting" was our big beefy American gas model for use on such a small garden. I went right out and bought a proper British electric model...and loved it. No earplugs, no smelling like exhaust and gas, and not disturbing our lovely British hosts every weekend.
I've settled on the eGo family. I have the chainsaw and trimmer. Next purchase will be the riding mower to replace our Cub Cadet. Plus, our electric co-op now offers rebates for electric lawn and garden equipment. Our family transportation has been all-electric since 2018. Time to finish the transition.

 

[ThomasD]

Is the RYOBI 48 volt riding mower a good mower. I have around two acres Some inclines and low valley spots that can have some water and mud in them around the yard. How is it at side hilling? Want to keep it under 2500 dollars

 

[Yurand]

Is the RYOBI 48 volt riding mower a good mower. I have around two acres Some inclines and low valley spots that can have some water and mud in them around the yard. How is it at side hilling? Want to keep it under 2500 dollars

I just bought a slightly used RY48ZTR100 with a bagging kit last spring for $2,700. That's just over half of what a new one would cost with tax. When I bought it, most online reviews were very positive, but I'm seeing more and more complaints, mostly about bad batteries. The top 30% on my batteries seems to be gone. When I unplug it after charging for a while, it shows 70% charge. If I unplug it and plug it back in a couple hours before use, it will charge to 100%, but it goes down to 70% within the first 10 minutes of use. I still manage to finish my 1 acre (some wooded) with about 45-55% charge. Hopefully, it stays that way for a while. The other downside is that traction with stock tires is terrible. I have to be very careful on slopes, even when dry. When wet, slopes are almost impossible. It worked fine this year with the drought we had, but I'll have to switch tires at some point.

Other than that, it cuts very nicely, has plenty of power and is much more fun to use than my old gas tractor, partly because it's so maneuverable as a zero turn and partly because it's electric and quiet.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend it for hilly 2 acres.