Electric mowers

[gizmo]

EGO Z6

I'm very interested to hear how you find this mower, especially on steep terrain.

We live on steep land, conventional petrol powered zero-turns are notorious here for being dangerous on the hilly slippery sections, I don't completely understand why but it is something to do with the hydrostatic transmissions letting the machine run away downhill. A neighbour has one of the Cub Cadet zero turns with steering wheel and says it is much safer than his old Dixon.

If the electric Zero Turns have done away with the hydrostatic trans, then the run away shouldn't be an issue any more, right?

 

We currently have an Australian made Greenfield tractor-type ride on mower, 25 Hp Briggs engine, 34 inch single spindle deck. They are quite different to the American mowers that are sold here, most of which have a poor reputation under our harsh conditions. A lot of Australian grasses are tough, like cutting wire, and we Aussies tend to have less manicured lawns, more like rough pasture than fine lawn. It means our mowers take a beating and Aussie mowers like Greenfield are built tough. Ours is one of the last "proper" Greenfields before they were taken over by a rival company, but I'd love an electric ride-on mower, if it were up to the job.

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

Considering all the talk about electric mowers

Has anybody actually built an electric mower?Using parts from a petrol/gas powered mower, as I do remember seeing in here earlier someone new someone else who converts electric mowers to gas so I’m thinking has anybody done the other way around, I’m sure it’s not as simple as sticking a Motor onto a mower, but it does make me wonder if something like this has been done with one of those reel mowers,And when I am able to go to my dad’s place again I’ll ask him if we can pick up one off curbside and throw an electric motor onto it and see how well it works

 

[gizmo]

conversion

trouble is a good conversion probably will cost as much as a cheap new ride on. You can get a 48 volt Ryobi ride on for under $5000 at Bunnings.

 

Or do you mean a walk-behind mower? Lots of people have done that.

But it is easier to get a cheap battery mower with a failed battery, they are almost worthless but a new battery only costs about $100 for an EnviroMower, for example. (2 x 12 volt sealed lead acid battery.) I have done it in the past, mower cost about $10 or $15 at a recycle shop (tip shop.) They are a reasonable little mower but gutless compared to an Ego.

 

The Aldi ones I mentioned above - our local store STILL has two that haven't sold in weeks, they are now down to $299.

 

 

[tolivac]

Electric ZTR mowers use a motor to drive each wheel.No transmission as in a gas motored mower.Each cutting blade has its own motor.

 

[sudsmaster]

I'm still getting by just fine with my Honda powered MTD gas mower.

 

Of course, the only lawn it sees is about 625 sq ft. It will probably keep on going for many years.

 

I do use an electric powered edger and weed whacker.

 

 

 

[mattl]

So far I've been pretty happy with my Ego. Due to unforeseen trips my grass has been long each time I mow so I think that is why my run time has been less than optimal. I'm getting the rated 50 minutes but not getting the lawn done in that time as I had been in the past. Luckily the charge time is quick and tossing the battery on the charger and doing a bit of trimming gets  me to a full charge and gives me a bit of time for a cooling drink.

 

[tolivac]

Tried my EGO Z6 ride mower-works well!Just have to get used to the handlebar steering.The last rider mower I had used a steering wheel.Tried my EGO Select cut walk mower on the backyard-again-excellent-only one pass needed to cut and mulch.Took two passes with the Kobalt or Greenworks mowers.Recharging the ride mower took less than 2 hrs.The hand mower less than one hour.Happy with the EGO mowers.Would recommend them.

 

[bradfordwhite]

Robotic mowers

Way back in 2005, when I lived in Franklin, Mass. I had a Robo-mower that I bought new for $1300 on Ebay.  It was fun.  I also seem to freak out the "town folk" who just couldn't imagine such a thing.

 

Just need to make sure the perimeter wire follows the rules. 

 

These days the technology is more advanced.

In general you can just let the mower do it's thing and you literally don't even need to be home.  

The thing is I was always concerned that someone would steal it or something would go wrong so I always kept an eye on it every 10 minutes and brought it into the garage to charge.

 

These days the mowers have GPS theft tracking, on board cameras,  they connect to WIFI and can send texts to your phone.

They also return to their base when they need to recharge so you really don't have to do much.



 

 

[classictvman81x]

Matt, it sounds like you made the right choice.



I just picked up a Craftsman corded electric mower for $20 yesterday from a seller on Nextdoor. It has a 19" cutting path, which is plenty for my needs. I don't know how old it is, but after removing the blade and sharpening it up I mowed the small area of lawn in my back yard, and other than having to mind the cord, I'm impressed. It's so much more civilized than yanking on a starter cord for a gas mower (just saying, as this mower replaced an old-school manual reel mower), it's quieter, and more climate-friendly. For me it was a no-brainer to go electric.

If you still have this mower today, could you please try to share a few pictures of it, so that I can help you date it?

Thank you,



Ben (classictvman81x)

 

[cfz2882]

Still running my Stihl RMA 370 and bought a 2nd one on Ebay recently-the little aluminum cog pulley on my first mower wore out and belt started skipping over-2nd mower is far lower usage and going strong. I tightened belt tight on original mower and mostly stopped the belt skipping problem. I am going to look for replacement parts to get the mower back to 100%

 

[classictvman81x]

Considering all the talk about electric mowers

Has anybody actually built an electric mower?Using parts from a petrol/gas powered mower, as I do remember seeing in here earlier someone new someone else who converts electric mowers to gas so I’m thinking has anybody done the other way around, I’m sure it’s not as simple as sticking a Motor onto a mower, but it does make me wonder if something like this has been done with one of those reel mowers,And when I am able to go to my dad’s place again I’ll ask him if we can pick up one off curbside and throw an electric motor onto it and see how well it works

Plus, does anyone even use a corded electric mower, these days, anymore?

The one I have, built in 1983, has not only a twin-blade design but also a flip-over handle.

~Ben

 

[phillymatt53]

My front yard lawn is only about 600 cubic feet, so it's not much to mow.
When I moved here 20 years ago, I bought a Black & Decker 18" corded electric mower for about $159.00 that has served me well. A 50 foot extention cord is all I need to get the job done.
However, my younger neighbor next door has taken to mowing my lawn along with his, with his Honda self-propelled gas mower, just being considerate and neighborly, since that that I'm an aging an old coot.

As for anything using those lithium-ion batteries, I just don't trust them after seeing so many articles and videos of them exploding and creating house and car fires.
Yet so many have bought into products using them with the idea of them being better environmental choices in products.

Cellphone fires
Automobile fires
E-Cycle fires
E-scooter fires
E-skateboard fires
Airplane cargo hold fires
etc etc..

And before anybody says "Well, that's a rare happening"....
I'd rather not be the unlucky "rare" case to add to statistics.

 

[vacerator]

There are still a few Corded electric mowers available new. As for battery mowers, I considered one. My old Troybuilt Briggs & Stratton needed a carb rebuild, new wheels, and a blade. I brought home a new Toro in late May from Lowes. a 22 inch personal pace super recycler. 30 days later on the 5th use, it failed to start. Fresh gas too. I returned it for a refund. After calling a few Honda dealers and learning there were none to be had as they have discontinued gas mower production, I began reading battery type reviews, They were less than promising. One neighbor told be a replacement battery for his Ego was $400, as much as the mower was new. The Ryobi's have better ratings and reviews. Even the more powerful ones with a 5 year warranty only have a 2 year battery warranty.
Some have two batteries, or two battery bays for longer run time. I have about a 3/4 acre lot total. The new Honda battery mowers start at $800+
A neighbor let me use his Honda and I loved it. It's easier to maneuver than the new Toro was too. I found a super clean almost new looking tuned up Honda on the marketplace. I went to look at and it started without hardly a pull. $350 and they gave me $25 for my old mower because the bag is like new as I mulch, and the power drive works.

 

[DADoES]

My front yard lawn is only about 600 cubic feet

Interesting. An unusual unit of measure for a lawn.

 

[phillymatt53]

Interesting. An unusual unit of measure for a lawn.

It's a 20 by 30 foot lawn area.
How's that, ok?

 

[vacerator]

Philly meant square feet. Condo's and or vintage row houses have small lots.

 

[wayupnorth]

My neighbor behind me just bought one of those EGO mowers and really likes it. As their yard is pretty much flat, its light weight moves around easily. My property is a big hill towards the water, so I have a Toro self-propelled gas mower that works for me but I have a Craftsman plug in string trimmer and several 100 ft. extension cords and can easily reach all the perimeters. I had a lithium powered trimmer and like every lithium powered item I have ever owned, batteries never last and replacement batteries are ridiculously expensive,

 

[phillymatt53]

Philly meant square feet. Condo's and or vintage row houses have small lots.

Right!...... Thanks.
My mistake, I'm human, and certainly not an "AI".

My neighbor behind me just bought one of those EGO mowers and really likes it. As their yard is pretty much flat, its light weight moves around easily. My property is a big hill towards the water, so I have a Toro self-propelled gas mower that works for me but I have a Craftsman plug in string trimmer and several 100 ft. extension cords and can easily reach all the perimeters. I had a lithium powered trimmer and like every lithium powered item I have ever owned, batteries never last and replacement batteries are ridiculously expensive,

And hell, even a common Energizer Alkaline these days costs a rediculous price.
Gotta love inflation...... and greed.