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Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Stevewoods, Jan 24, 2018.

  1. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    In the past week I took delivery of the Greenworks 40V air compressor and power inverter. I think this completes my collection; at least all the stuff I actually wanted.

    Of note, the air compressor is hard to find, but @ChapmanF spotted them at Menard's. The inverter is on sale cheap from Bezos- might as well be an unadvertised close-out as they seem to be disappearing.
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I guess it could be handy sometimes if you already have the battery.

    I kind of stopped considering "modified sine" inverters as soon as sine ones stopped being made of unobtainium.
     
  3. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    Never heard of this element. Did you discover a new one? What is its atomic number?
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. This miracle element has long been very well known to engineers: Unobtainium - Wikipedia
     
  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Can't say I expected much for $35, but it's almost worth it just to get the special battery connector so I can clip off their inverter and put a nice one in its place.

    What I really wanted it for was to extend the runtime of the UPS that feeds my phone, wifi & security stuff. I don't really want to run my generator more than is needed for refrigerated food safety, well pumping and winter heat.

    This gadget lets me reduce the genny duty cycle considerably, stretch the fuel even further. Obviously not the only way to solve this problem but nothing else was even close for cost, since I already had the batteries for tools.

    I tested it and the UPS complained, predictably, about the power quality. But it stayed online.
     
  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Also widely used in millennial detection......
     
  7. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    You do know the oldest millennials are 40 already? :whistle:
     
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  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You mean by whether someone has heard of the stuff?

    Which result is the positive?
     
  9. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    If anyone is interested in more information, there is a webinar coming up on July 1st, by my local EV Owners group.
    Webinar Registration - Zoom
     
  10. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    I jumped into the cordless hedge trimmer pond yesterday, but got thrown back out by my wife....I purchased the EGO HT2400 24-Inch for $205 at Home Depot and she thought it was much too big and clumsy.

    So, went on a search and destroy mission for a 15/16" model cordless and there are basically none to be found -- except for a couple of exceptions :rolleyes:

    One a very well known brand which had the worst set of reviews across the board.....and ..... a second well-known brand that had great reviews, but was actually 18 inches and was basically discontinued and only available a couple of places -- paid $93 dollars for the Black & Decker 18" at Menards with shipping.

    https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-power-equipment/hedge-trimmers/black-43decker-trade-18-20-volt-cordless-hedge-trimmer/lht218c1/p-1505370513952.htm

    Menards had a bunch of rebates that brought the price down to somewhere in the $70 range, but they are "take to the store" rebates and I live in Washington and there are no Menards within many, many hundreds of miles.

    Oh, Stihl had a 17.74" model, but it was $250.

    Anyway, don't know why there are few of the smaller trimmer for the smaller people and or smaller jobs -- I'm 6'2" 190 pounds, but wifey is 5'7" and 120 and she does not do good with the larger tools.

    Should have it by the end of the week. I will post any thoughts about it....once wifey tells me them....:whistle:

    I do hate our current B&D corded trimmer. It does a great job, but the cord is a hassle -- I have sliced it in half twice -- and it is 16."

     
  11. Prius Maximus

    Prius Maximus Senior Member

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    I'm thinking about grabbing this saw. Is the Oregon chain that much of an upgrade over the stock chain?
     
  12. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Really big difference.

    I’m getting ready to rent another nifty lift and finish the horrible butch job I did to my trees after Irma so just bought the kobalt 40 volt 14 chain saw, I already had the kobalt 15 in trimmer that uses the same 40 volt battery.

    The only drawback on the 80 volt is it’s heavy at 22 lbs. the battery is heavy. Which is no big deal on the ground but wrangling it 45 feet up in a bucket takes it toll on the shoulders. The 14 inch with battery is 12 lbs I think so will be my main tool up there.

    But I highly recommend the 80 bolt chainsaw it cuts better than any stihl I Have had. Unless you buy the top super expensive stihl the base models I have owned I can big it in limp. it will bog a little on a big limb like 16 inch limb. I have not really been able to bog the 80.

    I love my 80 volt lawnmower too these are great products.

    And yes that after market chain us an improvement it cuts through oak like butter throws really big chips.
     
  13. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Love the B/D trimmer I mentioned a post or two back. Just did some cutting on blackberry vines (a real pain around here) and it lasted more than 30 minutes and cut all the vines pretty well, including a number of 3/8" thick or so and "hardened off." So I am impressed.

    More impressed that by the time I was finished, the trimmer seemed to still have plenty of power. No bogging down and was still cutting fine.

    Don't know how much longer it would have lasted, but it seemed as if it had at least another 20 minutes and maybe a lot more left.
     
  14. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    And get the stihl chain oil it works great. I don’t see a lot of chain oil when you do a hold it over the ground oil test like I would with a stihl but the bar is wetter than it was before using the husky oil. Think it’s thinner viscosity,
    It’s getting lube though I used it a while ago cutting a lot of 12-14 inch limbs for a neighbor and no problem I looked at the bar after I cleaned it and the bar looked fine.
     
  15. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Scored a Greenworks Pro 60-volt Max mower for $325 -- at Lowes. Comes up online for $499, but the local Lowes was having a clearance...

    It's a self-propelled model -- could have picked up "the push" model for $25 cheaper, but wifey wanted propelled....She claims she is going to mow the lawn now-and-again. I will believe it when I see it.

    Used it yesterday on the lawn which hadn't been mowed for a month and was half-a-foot tall and pretty thick. Did a nice job -- it really does a good job mulching. Plenty of power with a 60v 5.0 Ah battery (battery and charger Included). Ran for about 35 minutes?? Of course, I did not use the self-propel, that would have probably caused the battery to run down before I finished.

    Drawbacks: The manual is a bit light on details, although it may be fine for most people. I ended up with questions, but found answers on the Lowes Web site. Assembling the handle was about all that needed to be done, but one side did not want to "insert." A thin layer of liquid soap solved that issue.

    Also, starting it is a bit strange and I did not see that detailed in the manual, although I could have missed it. Found the answer on the Lowes page. Once you know how, no big deal.
    Opps, I originally posted the wrong mower....here's the correct model.

    https://www.lowes.com/pd/Greenworks-Pro-60-volt-Max-Brushless-Lithium-Ion-Self-propelled-21-in-Cordless-Electric-Lawn-Mower/1001768422
     
    #395 Stevewoods, Aug 29, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
  16. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Does it battery truck another words you can drive it to wherever you want self propelled but the mower is not running?
    My 80 Volt Kobalt does that its a nice feature.

    keep the battery's and charger in the house too hot in the garage the heat will really wear them down over time.
     
  17. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Yes, it does....and I originally posted a link to the wrong mower, just corrected that.....Somewhere I read....don't know if it is true that the Kobalt is made by Greenworks, so would not surprised that they share features.

    Also read that EGO is now going to leave Home Depot and move to Lowes, which may be why Lowes is clearing out Greenworks.

    Lowe's to Launch Exclusive Partnership with EGO, Expands Outdoor Power Offering | Lowe’s Corporate
     
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  18. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's interesting. My next door neighbor was just asking about my Ego mower and I told her to check Home Depot. LOL.

    I like the extra voltage on that Greenworks, but I love the plastic deck on my Ego. It's still very slippery on the bottom after a little over a year's use. I usually have to mow the grass wet because by the time it's dry it's way too hot to be mowing. The wet grass comes right off the deck with a wooden paint stirrer. And it will never rust. That shouldn't be much of an issue in places that can be dry and survivable at the same time.
     
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  19. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

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    Gosh, I totally and completely forgot that I bought a cordless electric mower some 15 years ago or so. It was not too bad. It did bog down if the grass was wet or a bit high, so it could be frustrating....and I had to return it for repair not too long after getting it, but all in all...not too bad. It was for my Mom's house and I did not want to deal with gas/oil etc. there. Black & Decker. This article from 2005 details the mower.

    Lawn Mowers: Cordless and Electric | MOTHER EARTH NEWS

    Wonder whatever happened to the Neuton mower that is featured along with the B&D in the above article.
     
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  20. George W

    George W Active Member

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    I bought a $249 Ryobi 40V push mower 4 years ago. Starting to see these for sale from upgraders, at paltry prices. My 2nd Ryobi 40V mower was all of $40, works perfectly. I haven't seen any issues with the Ryobi mowers. 40V batteries are another issue, but the mowers have been completely trouble free.
     
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