Electric mower suggestions

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jcb3030
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Electric mower suggestions

Post by jcb3030 » April 5th, 2020, 2:31 pm

My gas mower died last year and I'm thinking about replacing it with an electric mower.

I have a half acre of fescue, all flat. Are battery mowers these days up to the task?

Any recommendations?

I saw this on sale nearby:
RYOBI 20 in. 40-Volt Brushless Lithium-Ion Cordless Battery Self Propelled Lawn Mower with 5.0 Ah Battery

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micvog
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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by micvog » April 5th, 2020, 6:26 pm

I switched over to a battery mower last summer when Lowe's was aggressively discounting the Craftsman V60 mowers. I love it.

I am not an expert in electric motors, and I am probably about to demonstrate that, but when I was researching battery mowers I was told it was most useful to compare Watt Hours (Wh, or Ah x V) to determine relative run time. My Craftsman (5Ah battery, 60V motor) is 300Wh and can do my 10K square foot elite KBG lawn consistently, but with little battery life left over. The Ryobi you mentioned would be 200Wh. My guess is you are looking at ~6.7K before needing to recharge the battery, well short of a half-acre.

I also picked up a Craftsman V60 string trimmer and blower on a similar deal last summer, and each of those came with their own battery. Having extra batteries gives me some peace of mind.

Before buying anything, I would check the Workshop Addict channel on YouTube. I found their reviews to be helpful and reliable.

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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by northeastlawn » April 5th, 2020, 7:37 pm

I am happy with my Kobalt stuff; including my Kobalt Mower.

But if I did it all over again, I'd look at EGO brand. Mostly because Ego allows you to interchange the various batteries. A Kobalt 40v cannot ben used with a Kobalt 80v. A few years ago EGO brand devices allowed you to most EGO brand batteries to be used in their tools. Its a nice feature.

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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by napper » April 9th, 2020, 8:38 pm

I wouldn't use an electric mower if it was free. I need power to cut my thick lawn.

Hammbone81
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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by Hammbone81 » October 5th, 2020, 9:36 pm

My neighbor bought an Ego electric mower last year. Then he bought a gas mower this year. Just sayin'.

I don't think you can get the required blade tip velocity out of a battery powered mower. Also, when batteries fail, they're expensive.


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oze
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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by oze » May 14th, 2021, 6:38 pm

Hammbone81 wrote:
October 5th, 2020, 9:36 pm
My neighbor bought an Ego electric mower last year. Then he bought a gas mower this year. Just sayin'.

I don't think you can get the required blade tip velocity out of a battery powered mower. Also, when batteries fail, they're expensive.
I had a Redback 120v mower. Although it was comparable to the 160cc Toro it replaced in cutting through thick, damp grass, this necessitated the motor kicking into overdrive and pretty much staying there. 45 minute charge life turned into a very frustrating 20 minutes.

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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by edslawn » May 18th, 2021, 8:23 pm

It is interesting to watch the tech develop. Some people love them and it sure makes sense to have an electric mower that runs quiet and needs little maintenance, if they can get the power source sorted out. I love my Ryobi hedge trimmer but right now I'm unlikely to trust a battery on my hilly two acres of yard and plowing snow...but I'm not ruling it out someday. The low maintenance and simplicity of these devices from cars to trimmers is really impressive. The quiet neighborhood is a nice plus too. It's coming for most of us like it or not...

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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by JeffreyLebowski » May 26th, 2021, 5:27 pm

I bought an Ego for my mother in law because it was easier for her. No pull start, no gas/oil etc. She loves it. I like using it as well. I do not notice a difference in cutting. The 7.5 AMP battery can easily do a 10000 SF lawn on one charge.

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Re: Electric mower suggestions

Post by bolson32 » June 4th, 2021, 3:08 pm

I have an ego push mower I use to trim around trees, the house, fence, etc.

I like it a lot for that. It does bog down in the real tall thick wet stuff. But that's not really an issue since I do the bulk of the mowing from the tractor. I also have all EGO everything else. Weed whip, blower, snowblower. Great stuff, really.

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