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Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
I've been looking at possibly doing an electric conversion on my gas riding mower. Very few electric options in the riding lawn mower space. The new Cub Cadet looks to be the first real attempt at one that doesn't suffer from golf cart syndrome, but I'm pretty sure it still uses lead acid batteries, which makes it lose it's appeal for me. A conversion is a real option, but expensive. I haven't been willing to drop several thousand on it yet, especially when I could put that money towards my future Tesla car purchase.
One real big draw for me in the mower space for going electric that doesn't exist in the automobile space nearly as much is noise. I can't stand how loud the motors are on gas mowers (both riding and push). It is stupid. I would gladly pay much more for a mower designed to be quiet, yet no options exist for that. It drives me insane (and probably my neighbors too).
One real big draw for me in the mower space for going electric that doesn't exist in the automobile space nearly as much is noise. I can't stand how loud the motors are on gas mowers (both riding and push). It is stupid. I would gladly pay much more for a mower designed to be quiet, yet no options exist for that. It drives me insane (and probably my neighbors too).
I am hoping that John Deere will come out with an electric riding lawn mower. Out of all the riding lawn mowers I have had, they are the most reliable and durable. I love my current John Deere, but the noise level is very unpleasant.
This year, it will be strange to go to a gas station in my Tesla to fill the gas can for my riding lawn mower.
:wink:
This year, it will be strange to go to a gas station in my Tesla to fill the gas can for my riding lawn mower.
:wink:
AmpedUP
EV Nut
I tried in vain to purchase a battery-electric mower last year. After going through 2 Black and Decker and 1 from another manufacturer that were all DOA, I gave up. Perhaps I'll try again this year.
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oh, I remember now that the other one that was DOA was a Worx mower.
- - - Updated - - -
oh, I remember now that the other one that was DOA was a Worx mower.
AmpedUP
EV Nut
Just found the following...the true Tesla of lawn mowers:
Just a guy mowing a huge lawn, emission free with his Tesla Model S | Electrek
Just a guy mowing a huge lawn, emission free with his Tesla Model S | Electrek
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
BTW, I once had a link to a place that sold electric motors, controllers, and batteries for electric conversions (not just for tractors). Unfortunately I lost it. Trying to hunt for it again. If anyone knows of any sites, please post here.
EDIT: A ha! Found one of my old posts about it over on gm-volt over a year ago. The best site at the time that I had found was Electric Motorsport. Gonna go check it out this year and see if they are still in business.
Forgive me, but I'm going to use this post to list the parts that could be used to convert a typical riding lawn mower. I'll use mine as an example. I have a Troybilt with auto transmission and a Kohler 15 HP 3600 RPM (typical) motor.
Not sure how many amp hours would be needed. I'll start by looking at 60Ah and adjust as I learn more.
Battery, Battery Mgmt, and Charger: GBS 48V 60Ah Li-Ion with Elektromotus EMUS BMS and charger
GBS 48V 60Ah Li-Ion Battery Pack with EMUS BMS and Charger - Battery Packages - BATTERIES - EV PARTS
($2300 - $3300)
If you look at the link, note the different charger options and optional accessories. The GBS batteries are LiFeMnPO4.
Electric Motor: Motenergy ME1004 PMDC Motor, 24-48V, 10.75 HP continuous, 21 HP peak, 3700 RPM @48V unloaded
Motenergy ME1004 PMDC Motor, 24-48V, 10.75 hp cont, 21 hp pk - Brushed Motors - MOTORS - EV PARTS
($525)
Contactor/Fuse? Not sure on this -- what's needed / what specs.
Additional supplies? To be determined
EDIT: A ha! Found one of my old posts about it over on gm-volt over a year ago. The best site at the time that I had found was Electric Motorsport. Gonna go check it out this year and see if they are still in business.
Forgive me, but I'm going to use this post to list the parts that could be used to convert a typical riding lawn mower. I'll use mine as an example. I have a Troybilt with auto transmission and a Kohler 15 HP 3600 RPM (typical) motor.
Not sure how many amp hours would be needed. I'll start by looking at 60Ah and adjust as I learn more.
Battery, Battery Mgmt, and Charger: GBS 48V 60Ah Li-Ion with Elektromotus EMUS BMS and charger
GBS 48V 60Ah Li-Ion Battery Pack with EMUS BMS and Charger - Battery Packages - BATTERIES - EV PARTS
($2300 - $3300)
If you look at the link, note the different charger options and optional accessories. The GBS batteries are LiFeMnPO4.
Electric Motor: Motenergy ME1004 PMDC Motor, 24-48V, 10.75 HP continuous, 21 HP peak, 3700 RPM @48V unloaded
Motenergy ME1004 PMDC Motor, 24-48V, 10.75 hp cont, 21 hp pk - Brushed Motors - MOTORS - EV PARTS
($525)
Contactor/Fuse? Not sure on this -- what's needed / what specs.
Additional supplies? To be determined
Last edited:
ZBB
Emperor
I bought a B&D corded electric mower back in '01 when I moved to Atlanta. Used it at our house there for 3 years -- worked great. Cord was never an issue -- just mow away from the outlet and let the cord unfurl as needed.
I gave it to my sister shortly after moving back to AZ -- nothing to mow here (our yards are covered in gravel -- just needs the occasional rake and weed pull).
swaltner
Active Member
Sounds like they use lead-acid batteries on the Cub Cadet, just like the Hustler Zeon that I had for a while. My only complaint with the Zeon was the runtime was a little too short to mow my 1.5 acre yard in one shot.
The "Tesla of lawn mowers" is likely one from Electric riding lawn mower Mean Green Mowers. Features include:
- ZTR Mowers with up to 60" cutting deck
- Li-Ion battery packs that last several hours (4 or more) instead of being lucky to get a single hour of mowing
- Batteries light/small enough that if you're running a commercial operation, you could swap the batteries and go again
- Relatively high acquisition cost compared to ICE competitor but the super-low operating costs end up and save you money in the long run if you mow enough
The "Tesla of lawn mowers" is likely one from Electric riding lawn mower Mean Green Mowers. Features include:
- ZTR Mowers with up to 60" cutting deck
- Li-Ion battery packs that last several hours (4 or more) instead of being lucky to get a single hour of mowing
- Batteries light/small enough that if you're running a commercial operation, you could swap the batteries and go again
- Relatively high acquisition cost compared to ICE competitor but the super-low operating costs end up and save you money in the long run if you mow enough
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
That company scares me. Any company where you have to fill out a form to get a quote for a price scares me. It means the cost is probably ludicrous. That said, the product looks good at first glance.
swaltner
Active Member
I found an article from June 2012 that quoted a price of $9,900 for the Mean Green RX-50 model (50" cutting deck). Yep, never like the companies that won't come out and say, "the retail price of ... is $...". If I needed to mow a multi-acre yard, I'd probably have one of these mowers.
As a comparison for ICE powered "equivalents", the Hustler FasTrak 52" residential model costs $5,999 and the Hustler X-ONEi 60" commercial model costs $7,699.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
On closer inspection, the Mean Green website does mention price on a couple of pages, but not in a very straight forward manner. Another negative is that their web site just doesn't look as professional as it should. That always makes me worry. The product does look good though. I wish they had a minimalist riding mower with maybe 42" deck, but they don't.
Things to like about their mowers -- They use separate motors for the drive and blade systems. No belts. This will do a great job to reduce noise further. It looks like they also use smaller than typical blades (with more of them), which probably also helps reduce noise. Problem is, I want a riding mower, and their smallest one is probably the CXR-52 and I believe that starts around $12K. That's a lot of money for a riding mower. I don't need a 52" deck, zero turn, or any of that. And I would be fine with a smaller battery. I wish they offered something cheaper with a seat on it.
Things to like about their mowers -- They use separate motors for the drive and blade systems. No belts. This will do a great job to reduce noise further. It looks like they also use smaller than typical blades (with more of them), which probably also helps reduce noise. Problem is, I want a riding mower, and their smallest one is probably the CXR-52 and I believe that starts around $12K. That's a lot of money for a riding mower. I don't need a 52" deck, zero turn, or any of that. And I would be fine with a smaller battery. I wish they offered something cheaper with a seat on it.
Well, not thrilled that the batteries are some sort of gel/lead?
However, our old Amp mower has cut its last blade, so we are taking the plunge.
The $4k was tough, but then I realized I spent more than that on my cyclone wheels:scared:
So in a couple of weeks I'll be driving it
However, our old Amp mower has cut its last blade, so we are taking the plunge.
The $4k was tough, but then I realized I spent more than that on my cyclone wheels:scared:
So in a couple of weeks I'll be driving it
Well, not thrilled that the batteries are some sort of gel/lead?
However, our old Amp mower has cut its last blade, so we are taking the plunge.
The $4k was tough, but then I realized I spent more than that on my cyclone wheels:scared:
So in a couple of weeks I'll be driving it
You're getting the Cadet version? Would love to hear an initial report once you use it. Thanks.
santana338
Member
I bought a corded electric mower for my wife to use on our small dog run. I also bought an electric snowblower to handle the front walk and clearing the snow off the skating pond. I got both from Cordless Snow Blowers | Lawn Mowers | Trimmers | Tillers | Snow Joe and have been happy with both.
Unfortunately I still need the big riding mower for the rest of the large yard and for clearing the 200' driveway. I'd love to swap out that ICE beast for an electric riding version. Maybe one of these days I'll find a donor machine that will accept all my attachments and try a DIY electric conversion. I'll stay tuned to see how this thread goes.
Unfortunately I still need the big riding mower for the rest of the large yard and for clearing the 200' driveway. I'd love to swap out that ICE beast for an electric riding version. Maybe one of these days I'll find a donor machine that will accept all my attachments and try a DIY electric conversion. I'll stay tuned to see how this thread goes.
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