Is it time to consider electric?

[CliffordK]

Let us know how it works out for you.

Ok, for disclosure:

I've mentioned a few times. I do have an older EV minivan which I like. I also had an electric Lead Acid Ranger pickup in the past. A bit of floating boat action.
I'll probably get an EV full size pickup when age/price/performance meets my needs.
And I have a couple of electric chainsaws, and I'm impressed by the new Greenworks 60V and 82V 20" saws. I'm looking forward to the release of the future 24" 82V saw.
Oh, and then there is the battery push mower that I'll use some.

I don't have an electric riding mower. I very much dislike people always mowing 5 acre yards. The hum of mowers from all directions breaking up the country tranquility is aggravating. And I refuse to ride a little tiny rider round and round in circles.

I have a Toro 455d that needs some work with a 126" cut. And it isn't as impressive as I'd like.

My current project is to set up a Landini Trekker 60F as a rough terrain mower. While I'm a bit worried about the narrow footprint of the Landini, I'm anticipating that it will be able to mow much steeper than most other mowers on the market, including all of the Greenworks mowers, none of which are rated to mow a 25° plus rough terrain slope.

There are a few companies that are coming out with consumer grade zero turn mowers, including Greenworks, EGO, and John Deere. I may consider one of those except for my aversion to little tiny mowers going in circles all day.

I may have to hunt down a mower with 4 feet that will mow anything with a leaf or a stem!!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I would love to see Hay Dude's new kubota and the electric mower go head to head with this discussion group present, on the same patch of grass after they have both seen 500 hours of service. Give them both 8 hours time and at the end of the day pay them both by the acres they did. Of course a guy would have to discount the kubota's acres by the percentage that the machine is bigger.
Mine prediction: Hay Dude buys everybody supper and the electric guy buys a new gas mower.

According to Greenworks one would have to mow first then use theirs to get that 8 hour, 21 acre result ().
I like Greenworks and have their saws and a weedeater. I like quiet, simplicity and no fumes. Runtime is the problem. And to compare apples you have to consider everything.
If "Acme made 100% in America" sold a quality electric mower for $5-6K that you could actually cut tall grass, using it for say 8 hours on a charge and replacement battery was $500-$600...I'd buy one today.
When Greenworks says they don't sell the mower battery (???) but take it to their dealer, guessing $5-$7K...forget it!

 

[Coffee drinker]

According to Greenworks one would have to mow first then use theirs to get that 8 hour, 21 acre result ().

But that would be a uneven mowing field, something the electric mower doesn't need.
Should I be posting this one in groan?

 

[DarkBlack]

Greenworks says they don't sell the mower battery (???) but take it to their dealer, guessing $5-$7K...forget it!

I can imagine some pretty heavy price depreciation with these suckers in the used market, when out of warranty.

I’m holding out for a Tesla zero turn mower.
Hopefully it qualifies for a tax credit

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I have a Greenworks 80v chainsaw that actually works well with about 20 minutes cutting time. I saved money by ordering from Walmart online a Greenworks 80v weedeater with battery and charger, free shipping that was on sale.

 

[tulenutn2o]

Not for me, but thanks anyway.

 

[Hay Dude]

Always makes you wonder what happens if you have an electric ZT and you’re trying to finish and dischrage the battery out in the middle of nowhere.

In an ICE ZT, you just add fuel. In an electric ZT you just………..

 

[Coffee drinker]

Bring along a small gas generator.

 

[Hay Dude]

Bring along a small gas generator.

Then you only have to hump the thing out to the mower and wait a while for it to charge.
Yeah thats way easier than running out of fuel.

Especially when it’s 90 degrees and humid.

 

[2manyrocks]

If you are on a hillside when a battery powered ZTR dies, does it freewheel down the hill?

 

[ArlyA]

On the ego, when power gets real low they go into limp mode. Still can be moved. Brakes still work and I'd guess all battery powered mowers would do this. Why would the brakes not work when the battery was low or dead?

 

[DarkBlack]

Wouldn’t a $27k electric mower use motor regenerative brakes?
Do they still work if the battery is dead is probably his thought

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

If you are on a hillside when a battery powered ZTR dies, does it freewheel down the hill?

Includes a rope & anchor

 

[2manyrocks]

About 40 years ago, my Dad owned a Cub Cadet International model 106 which was a gear drive with external disc brakes on the rear axle. The disc pads were shot. He parked the machine and got off to do something near the hill at the front of his house. It rolled all the down the hill without him into the field below that had just been plowed so it softened the landing.

After pulling it back up the hill with the tractor, I installed some new disc pads for him.

 

[CliffordK]

For those worrying about running out of juice.

Have you ever been told not to run their diesel tractor out of diesel?

How many times have they done it anyway?

Pay attention to your vehicle, whatever it is.

 

[Coffee drinker]

If you can compare fueling up a mower to charging one. Does it run out of juice when you are done for the day or are you done for the day because it ran out of juice.

 

[CliffordK]

If you can compare fueling up a mower to charging one. Does it run out of juice when you are done for the day or are you done for the day because it ran out of juice.

Does it matter? Plan on getting it back to the charger or up on the trailer before it runs out of juice.

Just like you refill your tractor before it runs out of diesel.

Or if you have cartridge batteries, have a couple to spare.

Pay attention to how the mower sucks juice out of the cartridges. On my old Greenworks push mower, it would drain one battery then move on to the next. So, it would run 100% on a single battery. I don't know if the riders do the same, but I'd expect that it would be able to at least drive on 1 or 2 battery packs.

 

[Coffee drinker]

I can't count the times I have had 5 minutes of work left with mine cordless impact and the battery goes dead. Not a problem if I am prepared I just swap for a charged one and put the dead one in the charger. The reason it works is I can charge when in use. Not so with a electric mower. I can see a lot of applications where a electric mower would be a real pain.

 

[CliffordK]

I believe the Greenworks and EGO residential (and PRO) zero turn mowers have removable battery packs. Just get a few spares and throw them on the charger.

They have dual chargers for the "Pro" tools. Two of those and you're charging 4 batteries at a time.

In the Commercial product line (82V) they have 6 battery chargers.

It is possible that those 82V commercial batteries would work in an 80V pro mower.

Size the battery pack of the larger Greenworks Commercial mowers based on your job expectations. Or get the largest battery pack.

The John Deere appears to simply plug in. Again, size it to your job.

 

[Coffee drinker]

Now that we have the mower all figured out, let's work on the 645hp tractor that runs 24 hours a day.