Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time?

I keep amassing corded power tools while they're around. Peope have short memories: spending a grand for a battery powered weed eater, or $1500 for a similar lawn mower, ugh.

KInd of like the Cuban phenomena, keeping old 1950's cars rolling.

 

ours was $79.haven't spent anything since. batteries last a looooooooong time.

 

Moved

 

Has the looney collapsed? My battery electric weed eater is USD$110 on Amazon today, wasn't much more when I bought it.

I just added a brushcutter attachment to it for another $80.

 

are we in the right thread?

 

Wow, how'd that happen

 

Gary, go check your pill organizer. Today is Sunday. See if you missed one?

 

Today I set up the pole saw attachment on my Greenworks split-shaft driver.

I took limbs from 17 different trees in my yard, using a 4Ah battery we got secondhand in 2017. It started at 3/4 charge and I quit before it did.

So it very much depends on the task, but for limbing and pruning I'm going to declare that the thread title question goes true here: Yes, battery power is good enough for limbing and pruning on the scale of a 1.3 acre suburban lot.

 

Yea -the better ½ is on me more than usual. That's another clue
.

 

If you want to battery to last, when done for multiple months, keep it at 50% charge and it's best to keep it in a unheated shed than inside. The cold doesn't affect lithium battery, unlike heat.

 

In addition to a small collection of EGO lawn equipment, I have an older collection of corded power tools for making stuff (drills, Dremel, oscillating tool, jigsaw, and such), because corded was what power tools were during the amassing-tools phase of my life.

I've been a little envious of the cordless versions I've been getting to play with on Habitat jobs, but nothing delights me about the idea of re-buying a bunch of tools I already have.

It took until today for me to tumble to the idea that I don't really mind my tools having cords. The thing that makes me procrastinate about minor jobs outside the house is having to go grab an extension cord, and string it from somewhere, and then do the little minor job, and then put the extension cord away again.

And then to realize all of my smaller hand tools could be run (one at a time!) using this:

POWER+ Nexus Escape 400W Inverter | EGO (PAD5000)

I'm sure none of them will run as efficiently as purpose-built cordless tools with modern brushless motors and such.

But as long as the main problem I face isn't getting maximum efficiency or run time, but just procrastinating simple go-do-this jobs where dealing with the extension cord takes as long as the job, I expect I'll be very happy now that I have a collection of newly extension-cord-free tools.

 

There are plenty of battery power supplies available these days, in a range of sizes. One small enough backpack with a 3ft cord would make most corded lawn tools cordless.

 

I already started buying into the EGO Power+ ecosystem for lawn tools maybe a dozen years ago. (I guess I'm pretty happy, given the usual pace of things in tech, that all their batteries still work in all their tools.) I think that, at that time, they were innovating as hard in the tools themselves as in batteries; I suspect the advanced brushless motor in the lawnmower is a significant part of the magic, and it wouldn't have been very practical at the time to try running a hand-me-down corded lawnmower off an EGO battery through an inverter.

But it's funny it didn't occur to me till yesterday that I could just add that little $169 inverter piece to the EGO collection I already have, and that is sufficient and practical for making most of my construction hand tools cordless. At least given that I am generally not using them hard all day, but more often for small projects and minor chores.

Now to redavinate some kind of shoulder sling or belt hanger for it.

 

Might be able to find a bag shoulder strap at a thrift store, and just clip the inverter to that with a cheap carabiner.

 

My 9-year old Husqvarna snow thrower is on the verge of breaking (cheap plastic part) and I found out they've discontinued making the part I need.

So I spent quite a bit of time research replacement snow machines. (We average 50-inches a winter here at my house at 7,000 feet on the Rockies)

I did look over the new electric snow machines but they just aren't there yet. Too many stories of the batteries dying while they have the machine at end of the driveway or at the neighbors house working on their snow. (Some even have 3 big batteries, now.)

So she's been replaced with a 389cc Ariens machine. Very little plastic on it and they are known to run for 50 years. I did run her for 30-minutes so I could do her first break-in oil change and she used up a gallon of gas so I'll have to keep that 2-gallon can full....and probably buy a second can. (I have retired folks and widows as neighbors so I will go clear their driveways for them.) One saw me working on my new machine and gave me some money for gas for this winter so I'm obligated now! (I'd do it for free, anyway!)

Let me see if I can post a picture....new toy! (I already put an extra LED light above the chute)
https://www.acmetools.com/dw/image/v2/BHBS_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-acme-catalog-m-en/default/dwa849d710/images/images/catalog/product/S0000000096598/ariens-platinum-24-sho-24-inch-389cc-two-stage-snow-blower-49-state-921074.jpg?sw=380

 

There's room for both, depending on the task at hand.
Dad gave me an old lawn mower when I bought my first house. 15 years later, I was afraid to use it - too much rust, the briggs&stratton engine was still going strong. Had to rebuild the carb once; didn't treat the gas with Sta-bil for a few years.
I'm 20 years into my current Murray mower, bought it from Home Depot return bargain bin. Figured out how to take care of stuff now and it won't die. About 5 years ago; I decided it was time to change the oil - some lessons still not learned. No rust on this one and on it's 2nd set of tires.
Bought a battery powered pruning saw n electric weed wacker. Mixed bag, Pruning saw is fine, No power with the weed wacker. Got one of the last 2-cycle weed wacker on clearance.

I suppose the electric lawn mowers will eventually get there; but my gas one is going to have to die first. Judging by it's current history, it's going to outlast me.....

 

The battery electric lawn mower I bought in 2020 is still going strong, mows down anything I roll it over. Normally does my lawn on one 280 watt-hour charge with zoobs to spare. I had to recharge once yesterday because I was going very slowly to mulch a thick layer of leaves as finely as I could.

 

Yep, it's that time of year again. The trees out here are confused because of the warm days and cool nights. 75% of the leaves are still green here. Most leaves are usually brown and getting ready to drop; in years past.

 

Actually, hours of daylight (or night, if you're a contrarian, such as Bisco), are the primary trigger for leaf drop, though temp does play a role.
kris