Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time?

or a vampire

 

Wow - That is one big motor - compared to our 3yr old 243cc engine on the Craftsman.



Even this has no issue plowing through 16" drifts that we get. Our local Ace Hardware has a nice rebuild shop, so that's part of the reason we went with what we got. That, and parts of availability.
.

 

It turns out that you need 7HP or stronger to have a useful snow blower. My inexpensive 5HP tends to clog up in wet snow.

JeffD

 

I've only seen one negative review about my 389cc snow blower and that was that the guys liked to chew threw the two shear pins. So I'm wondering if the extra HP might be cause of that orif the guy was really giving her a hard push through some wet, dense snow?
But I got extra pins so we'll soon find out...looks like snow here next weekend....not sure how much, yet....mountain weather is horribly unpredictable.

 

Battery Chainsaw Humiliates The Best Gas Chainsaw!
from Project Farm. His videos move right along - don't be afraid to stop or rewind multiple times

youtu.be/u6FM_08066I

batteries are 40 and 60 volts with amp hour ratings all over the place, but still a lot of good info, especially at the very end when he explains the difference in work load between the battery power and the gas power saws.

I just got a second hand ryobi 13in 18v mower for the front lawn. it came is a 4 amp 18v battery and the little charger. I've already got 2x 9 amp 18v packs and the front lawn isn't big enough anymore (trees and garden) to use even use all of the 4 amp battery up. Maybe next year I'll update to the 20" mower or the " High Performance 12 amp 18v pack ", it's uge.

 

An unbalanced blade led my +5 year old, Greenworks mower to give up the ghost 10 days ago. So I replaced it at COSTCO with both a manufacturer's $100 rebate and $129 "Executive Membership" coupon, $395, about what I paid for the first one.

It included two new batteries and an additional charger. Much improved with a second bin to hold a second battery. Also, optional drive wheels to handle going up a slope.

Bob Wilson

 

If you don't mind, I'm curious what happened? I still have a greenworks mower I got secondhand in 2017, still runs great. Spare blade was only $20.

 

I had put a heavier blade on the mower and tried to balance it myself. But the vibration suggested it was not as smooth running as it should be. Lesson's learned.

The original blade was abused by someone who didn't clean up objects in the yard but ran over them. My workaround, a heavier gage blade reduced the impact damage but it really needs to be balanced.

I am keeping the old one and will strip it down to replace the bearings. Also, an object lesson for the other operator.

Bob Wilson

 

I guess I feel better about the $5 I spent on a blade balancer. Good luck with the new mower!

 

Tuition in the school of "hard knocks." But at least there has been significant improvement in the mower and two new, high energy, batteries versus single replacements:

• $83 - Walmart listed
• $107 - Greenworks refurbished
• $290 - Greenworks new

The new mower has:

• two blades in an offset, cross mount
• carries a spare battery in the housing
• powered wheels for going up a grade
• much easier, whole deck height adjustment
• sturdier handles without cheesy locking knobs in the middle
• +5 years of operational and warranty changes to mower design

Bob Wilson

 

Dang! If it weren't for the letters on those suckers I'd swear that was a ryobi. Both made in china. Maybe the same factory?

I see the Green Works are now 80 volts. Wondering if that's all of them today - or or some still 40 volt.
Looks like a nice buy, & a couple years from now if it croaks it's backed by Costco's great return policy

 

Costco sold the 80 V one +5 years ago and other than one infantile battery problem, a very nice tool set. However, I noticed they also sell as much more affordable (and less capable) 48 V one.

I do use Ryobi hand tools: angle grinder; drill; nail driver, and; light duty vacuum. I've added a diamond wheel and chain blade disk. Good, products.

Bob Wilson

 

Old geezer engineers like us should have learned that lesson a long time ago.

"People say we should learn from our mistakes. I would rather learn from the mistakes of others. More lessons, less pain."

Thanks for the lesson.

JeffD

 

After 5 years, I just converted my Ryobi RM480ex 48 volt lead acid battery powered lawnmower to LiFePO4 for less than $500 including a new charger.

Unlike the new 80 volt lithium ion models that use expensive $600-800 proprietary batteries only available from the original manufacturer, generic batteries are available from many manufacturers in the 48 volt category at highly competitive prices.

Five years ago, theya were very expensive. Now, they are absolutely cheap.

The conversion was absolutely easy.

I will eventually post as a hew thread, because the conversion will work with many Ryobi riding lawnmower models.

 

glad to hear it! I'll be looking for your thread. ours is still going strong, but I know the day is coming...

 

Trusty/rusty, corded Craftsmen here, at least 15 years old, was around $200 CDN