Battery Powered Lawn Equipment

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Kent88 said:
Greenworks came out with another snowblower that uses the 80v batteries that my string trimmer, pole saw, and tiller/cultivator use. The last snowblower they offered in that line had a 20" width and could handle 10" of snow, but this one is 22" wide and claims it can handle 13" of snow.
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I never followed up on this. I did eventually have an excuse to use the snowblower. There haven't been many instances of snow accumulating enough to merit me using the snowblower around these parts.

It works fine. I wish I had bought an extra battery around black friday when they were on sale, but I'll make it work until the next sale comes around.

I have a driveway big enough for about 4 cars. In it's first use (around 4"-5" of snow) it was able to clear about two-thirds of it on one full charge of the 2a 80v battery. Afterwords it requires a little more than the 30 minutes it usually takes to recharge, because it had to warm back up.
 
Another spring where I'm going to have to put a new carburator on my mower. I'm tired of it to the point where I'll immediately put it up for sale and have ordered a Greenworks self propelled mower that works with my battery.
 
Kent88 said:
Another spring where I'm going to have to put a new carburator on my mower. I'm tired of it to the point where I'll immediately put it up for sale and have ordered a Greenworks self propelled mower that works with my battery.
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That's the exact same reason I bought my Ego mower. I couldn't be happier with it. No choke, no priming, no pull starting. Just press a button and it quietly starts up. I can mow my yard early-ish without making too much of racket.

I got the Ego because I already own a blower, trimmer and chainsaw from them. It's good quality stuff. I'm sure the other brands perform well too.

I have a relatively small yard so I never worry about battery life. Most of the time I don't plan and charge beforehand. If I run out of power before finishing, I either charge the battery while I trim. Or I swap batteries from other tools while I charge the battery.
 
I forgot to mention....the other huge "pro" is that my wife will actually mow the lawn with the cordless mower. She wouldn't touch the gas mower with a ten foot pole before.
 
Back when I used to spend a couple hours a week mowing and many hours a year trimming and brush hogging I used to wear a pair of ear buds under shooters ear muffs. Corded back then but wireless would work even better.
 
Kharnynb said:
yea, the fact that I can put in my earphones and listen to an audiobook while mowing is a huge improvement!
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MaxStout said:
A pair of passive shooter's earmuffs works for me when mowing. I have some hearing loss and tinnitus, no sense in destroying my remaining hearing.
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I don’t listen to audiobooks, but I have a bit of tinnitus from riding motorcycles without hearing protection, so I’m now sensitive to wearing hearing protection. I wore it with a gas mower, but with my Ryobi electric push mower I don’t. There’s simply no need, it’s so darn quiet!

I continue to wear hearing protection with my electric string trimmer and chainsaw, as the string and chain, respectively, are surprisingly noisy even if their is no engine noise.

I’m now up to a mower, string trimmer along with the pole saw attatchment for the trimmer power head, 14” chainsaw, and a leaf blower. All Ryobi 40 V battery powered. I love it. I have no plans to ever buy gas powered small equipment ever again.
 
Another reason to love cordless mowers...

I had just started my boil yesterday during an impromptu brew day. Our compost had just been picked up and I didn't want to toss 12lb of spent grain in the green bin. So, I grabbed the Ego mower and quickly mowed the front yard. I had just enough grass clippings to line the green bin so my spent grains wouldn't stink up the whole neighborhood for a week. From the time I grabbed the mower until I dumped the grains was a total of maybe 6 or 7 minutes.

I wouldn't have bothered with my old gas mower.
 
The old Toro gas mower has been good and still runs well after 10 or so years. But the metal bar that attaches the bag has broken and the bag doesn't stay in place very well. Replacement bags for this model are close to $100, but not sure I want to spend good money after bad. Wife wants a new mower but I can't sell her on battery-powered. (She does most of the mowing--for some odd reason she enjoys it.)

I've been researching the battery models and the technology is getting better. We have ~10,000 sq ft. lawn, so would like one that will do the job. Preferably on one battery, but if I can get a package that includes two, swapping batteries isn't a big deal. We alternate between bagging and mulching, so need performance in both of those areas.

I've been reading good things about Ego and Ryobi. One model of Ryobi tops the list on Consumer Reports, but the Ego is close behind and a little cheaper.

Mowers.JPG
 
Other than features, the differences with the Ego mowers is the battery size. The 7.5A-hr batter is rated for 60-70 minutes.

My grass is always damp (I live on an island in the PNW) and I use the power mower setting on uphills, so I only get ≈45 minutes on a charge. It’s not quite enough to do my 1/4 acre lot + roadside ditch (about 1/3rd acre combined).

So I’ll mow for 45 minutes. Break for an hour for lunch & recharge the batter. Then mow for another 20 minutes. On the rare occasion when the grass is dry and I don’t use the power mower setting, I can mow everything on one charge.
 
MaxStout said:
The old Toro gas mower has been good and still runs well after 10 or so years. But the metal bar that attaches the bag has broken and the bag doesn't stay in place very well. Replacement bags for this model are close to $100, but not sure I want to spend good money after bad. Wife wants a new mower but I can't sell her on battery-powered. (She does most of the mowing--for some odd reason she enjoys it.)

I've been researching the battery models and the technology is getting better. We have ~10,000 sq ft. lawn, so would like one that will do the job. Preferably on one battery, but if I can get a package that includes two, swapping batteries isn't a big deal. We alternate between bagging and mulching, so need performance in both of those areas.

I've been reading good things about Ego and Ryobi. One model of Ryobi tops the list on Consumer Reports, but the Ego is close behind and a little cheaper.

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+1 for Ego. I'm sure the other brands are good. However, I started with their blower and was very impressed. Since then I've added a string trimmer, chainsaw and now mower. With all those batteries floating around I can always mow our small yard without planning ahead.
 
I'm on my third year with an Ego mower and trimmer. I bag, so I needed to trade out the stock blade for a hi lift blade, but that's it. Handles my 5000 sq ft of lawn without changing batteries, even using it propelled, and I go months on one charge for the tr immer.

Also have a Greenworks pro 80V snowblower. That has adequate power for the job, but the build quality is lacking. The mechanism that turns the chute binds and has to be rebuilt about twice a season. And it doesn't really have enough weight to fully clear cement without pushing down on it hard. But I got that used for $20 and only use it for under 5 inches...
 
I’ve had an Ego mower for a bit over a year now. Very happy with it. Plenty of power. It does work best when the grass is dry.
 
We have a steep lot and much of it is too steep for mowing. I have 2 Dewalt 40v string trimmers that see serious action. I can get 2 hrs out of a battery on the slower setting - which is plenty fast to do the job. Takes a couple of extra batteries to get done. I always cut the gas off on my mowers and motorcycles and let them idle till they conk out to clear the gas out of the carbs if I know they won’t get used for a while. The Honda mowers come with a cutoff in the line and if you don’t let them run dry they give off serious fumes In the garage. Never have problems from ethanol gas.
 
I've been eyeballing some electric weed whackers, RYOBI specifically, but those 40V batteries are not cheap... for the price of buying a spare battery, I can spend the extra $30 or so and buy a 2nd weed whacker and sell it without the battery
 
Apple_Jacker said:
I've been eyeballing some electric weed whackers, RYOBI specifically, but those 40V batteries are not cheap... for the price of buying a spare battery, I can spend the extra $30 or so and buy a 2nd weed whacker and sell it without the battery
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Check the battery ratings. The batteries that come with the unit are typically smaller than the "extra" batteries you buy. I've got a 40v ryobi chainsaw (baby chainsaw) and it's going great after 4 seasons.
 
I'm a really big fan of the 80v greenworks line. I started with their weedwacker, but it impressed me so much that I have a few other tools now, including a saw, lawn mower, and snowblower.
 
Got the Ego weed trimmer with the carbon fiber shaft and the cordless hedge trimmer. Both are rock solid. I have two 56 volt batteries and the battery life is amazing. I still have a gas zero turn mower since I cut 2 acres every week. The weed trimmer is amazing and has plenty of power and with the two batteries plenty of juice to get through all the trimming.

John
 
I have Ego stuff as well and I’m very pleased with them.

We have an average Portland city yard, which is kinda small. So my mower and weed whacker don’t get used as much as some but I use the blower almost daily.

Since I have a mower, weed whacker, blower and chainsaw (all purchased w batteries), I don’t even think about battery run times. I pick up a tool and throw an extra battery on the charger. If it runs out, I grab the extra from the charger etc.

If I had a big yard I would have to plan a little little more and make sure I’m charging the batteries regularly.

I’ve said this before but having a quiet battery mower is a game changer because I can do my yard work early on the weekends and not be an ***hole neighbor.
 
Went for it. My Husqvarna trimmer died so I looked into the battery. Decided to go with the 40 volt Ryobi. Went ahead and bought almost everything! Got the weed wacker the blower the pole saw and the lawn mower. I'm looking to buy the chainsaw and the hedge trimmer next. I personally think they put out just as much power as my gas. they don't last as long as far as run time. But by the time I burn through two batteries I'm done anyway... Lol 😂😂😂
 
I couldn't pull the trigger on going electric yet. Still too expensive for me. The Echo gas string trimmer I bought however has been working out just fine so far. Definitely thinking that will be the last gas-powered piece of lawn equipment I buy though.
 
Jaybird said:
Went for it. My Husqvarna trimmer died so I looked into the battery. Decided to go with the 40 volt Ryobi. Went ahead and bought almost everything! Got the weed wacker the blower the pole saw and the lawn mower. I'm looking to buy the chainsaw and the hedge trimmer next. I personally think they put out just as much power as my gas. they don't last as long as far as run time. But by the time I burn through two batteries I'm done anyway... Lol 😂😂😂
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This is what I have. 40 volt mower, straight shaft attachment capable trimmer, pole saw attachment, leaf blower, and the 14” chainsaw. All work very well. I have no intentions of buying gas powered lawn care equipment, unless we end up moving somewhere that needs a riding mower before someone makes an affordable lithium powered riding mower.

If we didn’t have a big camper trailer I’d have an electric vehicle now too.
 
Apple_Jacker said:
I couldn't pull the trigger on going electric yet. Still too expensive for me. The Echo gas string trimmer I bought however has been working out just fine so far. Definitely thinking that will be the last gas-powered piece of lawn equipment I buy though.
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I've got a bunch of echo gas equipment here. It's fairly awesome. Keep Stabil in your ethanol gas and you'll get years out of the carbs. The only battery thing I still have for the lawn is a chainsaw for one-handed stuff, and cutting through the roots down in the dirt (yes I do that). Works great. But man oh man, when it comes time to cut something thick, a gas chainsaw is the only way. Brrrrriipppp!
 
passedpawn said:
But man oh man, when it comes time to cut something thick, a gas chainsaw is the only way. Brrrrriipppp!
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I've got a buddy with an 80v Greenworks saw who would disagree. I have an 80v Greenworks pole saw, and I think I also have to disagree.

Politely, of course :)
 
Dunkle-Beer-Joy said:
...must be a VERY quiet mower?
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Battery powered push mowers are insanely quiet. My Ryobi, well it’s quieter than a lot of stand/box fans running on high.

My electric trimmer/chainsaw are not so quiet. While there isn’t an engine the string and chain, respectively, still make a lot of noise.

Kent88 said:
I've got a buddy with an 80v Greenworks saw who would disagree. I have an 80v Greenworks pole saw, and I think I also have to disagree.

Politely, of course :)
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Me too. I don’t have a lot of experience with gas chainsaws but my buddy was shocked how fast my Ryobi cut through logs.

Just cut down a ~6” branch with the pole saw attachment on my trimmer head, couldn’t have taken more than a minute to do. I’d say 30-45 seconds.
 
I've never tested it, but i can listen to my audiobooks with just basic inear, non noise-cancelling earphones on same level I use when cycling.
 
Stihl lawnmower. RMA 510. I bought a second battery which makes cutting any size lawn possible. That is the battery has enough time to charge while running the other. That said if you let your lawn get ahead of you the battery might not hold long enough to charge the other. Time to relax and have a home brew I guess.

Bigger initial investment but very little maintenance, quieter, no exhaust smell. The original battery is running strong and charging well after 4 years of use.
 
passedpawn said:
I've got a bunch of echo gas equipment here. It's fairly awesome. Keep Stabil in your ethanol gas and you'll get years out of the carbs. The only battery thing I still have for the lawn is a chainsaw for one-handed stuff, and cutting through the roots down in the dirt (yes I do that). Works great. But man oh man, when it comes time to cut something thick, a gas chainsaw is the only way. Brrrrriipppp!
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Do you mean like this?

 
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