Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time?

How disappointing that they won't have fixed it by then.

 

Yep, it was the bump feed that caused me to retire my DeWalt and switch to a Greenworks trimmer- that one feeds like a dream. I notice Greenworks has several line trimmers and they have very different feed mechanisms.

I'd looked at the (electric) Stihls, but they seemed to have fewer features and their statements are a bit squishy on whether those models are made in the USA like their gasburners.

I like buying domestically produced stuff, but it's often the first thing out the window upon discovering that what I want to buy just isn't produced by anyone on these shores.

 

I have an EGO blower and trimmer and they're awesome. reloading the trimmer is easy - just stick the end of the string in and press a button. Haven't had any problems with it at all. I like them so much I was considering the rider. But now I'm worried...

 

My Ego trimmer is older, and doesn't self-wind string. I have to take the spool out and wind it myself.

So I could have a newer one with nicer features.

On the other hand, by the time this one actually needs replacement, the new ones will be using spinning lightsabers or something instead of string.

 

In my experience, the bump feeds on all the trimmers I have used have sucked to some degree. Plenty of replacement options out there for when the Greenworks becomes too much of a hassle, though it's been the best so far.

 

6+ years on my EGO without a single issue.
Still using the original batteries as well. I use the same batteries between the mower and the 2 stage snow blower.

 

Which style is yours? I accidentally bought some preloaded spool thingy (3 pack) that doesn't fit my trimmer. #2900719, .065, Want 'em? (free)

The one I have loads fast... you cut off a 15' length of line, feed it straight through the chuck (no disassembly) until you have half of the line hanging out either side. Then you grasp the actual "bumper" and ratchet the thing until it retracts the line inwards leaving two 5" lashers to do the work. Fastest reloads I've ever done.

 

This one actually is easy. I might be making it harder than it should be.

With the old gasser I had previously, I got a universal head that used the extra thick line for trimmer/mowers. When they wore down, it was just pull out the nub, and put in a fresh one.

 

That is impressive. What is your typical run time? With a half acre mine is about an hour.

 

My runtime is much less, about 30 minutes.
My snow blowing runtime is about 45-60 minutes and probably puts a lot more stress on the batteries.

 

Well, one of my Oregon Tool 40v batteries (6.0Ah) just died. Looking back at this thread, I must have purchased it sometime in 2019. Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time? | Page 11 | PriusChat So, it is ~4 years old.

I have two tools, a trimmer and a chainsaw that shares two of the batteries. Now with a single battery, I don't know if I should buy another 6.0 Ah battery for $190 or... just move on to a new 40v system. A brand new Ryobi 40v kit with a trimmer (interchangeable with other tools) and a 4.0Ah battery and charger cost only $169.

Although I am totally committed to the 18v One+ Ryobi ecosystem for all of the battery-operated power tools, I don't have any 40v Ryobi tools. The batteries and other parts are not interchangeable between 18v and 40v system tools. There is no incentive for me to go with Ryobi 40v system, but it is currently the most affordable and widely available system, especially if I consider using "knock-off" after-market batteries. I really like Oregon chainsaw and trimmer. But I can't find any aftermarket cheap knock-off batteries for the system, And AFAIK, Oregon Tools have discontinued manufacturing the battery-operated tools for some time. It is becoming hard to find a new battery,

 

Sal, Check if your local Batteries Plus would refresh your battery with new cells at a reasonable price.

JeffD

 

Thanks. Had to look up "Batteries Plus". This is the first time I heard it. Apparently, the nearest one is the only one in our state, and it is 5 hours drive from my home. May be called "local" in my state, but hardly an easily accessible place. LOL

https://www.batteriesplus.com/store-locator/me/portland

I checked the voltage on the battery pack, and it is reading 40.1V. All 4 LED dot light up. When placed in the charger, it indicated the battery is fully charged. No error flashes. But, in the tool, it makes not even a peep. It may not be a defective cell. Another 4.0Ah battery pack works fine on the tool, so it is not the tool side that is defective.

 

My local one has a tab welder to do easy ni-cd pack rebuilds, but they wouldn't do NiMH or lithium when I asked. I'm curious to learn if that's different from other franchisees.

 

Well, first thing first. I ordered Security Torx screwdriver bits from Amazon. I have smaller bits for the cell phones and computers, but apparently, this battery takes TS10 or larger to remove the 4 screws holding the casing. The battery is out of warranty at this point anyway. I want to open it up to see what is going on inside. Maybe bad connection somewhere that is easily fixable DIY.

 

You could have other such businesses local to you. Places that do cell phone repair might do it. Or do it yourself if you are comfortable with soldering.

 

The fact that the battery pack is fully charged and holding 40.1v seems to indicate the faulty part is not the cell but something else. I have to open the casing to check the obvious first.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Hmm, interesting, so did one of my 2.0Ah Kobalt batts.

I don't know exactly how old it is but I began purchasing my system (five 2.0Ah batts) back in spring 2018 thru 2019. Error light on the charger and the check-level display on the batt is non-functioning like yours. These have had a fairly hard life in the hot south with absolutely no care other than what the charging process provides (fans), heavy use for 7-9 months of the year, stored/charged in often hot garage, etc.

I'm currently not doing landscaping so the mower, string trimmer, and chainsaw are (easily/safely) stored with only the leaf blower getting a lot of use.

 

Home Depot recently had a good deal where you buy a Ryobi charger that comes with two battery packs for $99 and you get to pick a Ryobi tool free.
So the only tool I didn't have was the leaf blower that claims "90 mph" I don't know if mine is defective but no way in Hades is that thing blowing anything close to 90 mph....maybe 30! I'll have to stop in at the store and test one on display to compare...if it is better I'll swap mine out for another.

 

Yeah, that was my first battery-operated yard tool some years back. I think mine came as a kit with a leaf blower and trimmer and a 6Ah 18v One+ battery, and a charger, all for $99. But that was the most disappointing "power" tool I have ever purchased. 18v system is not powerful enough for the job. And the battery died very quickly too. 18v system works fine on hand tools, but not for the yard tools IMHO.