# I took the EV jump!



## EatenByLimestone (Jul 23, 2021)

I bought an electric lawnmower!    I know, not as exciting as a car, but its the 1st lawnmower I ever bought!   Baby steps, lol.    I've always gotten them free off the side of the road.   Most of them only needed a carb cleaning.  Its been a working strategy for over 20 years.

Its 56v, and handled my monsoon fed grass better than my old 6hp gas powered Toro did.   I still stalled it out, but it did rain almost every day this month and I cut it a little shorter than normal.   A stress test of sorts.  I only got 15-20 minutes out of the battery that "will last up to an hour", but the grass was much thicker and longer than normal.   I think it'll cut the whole lawn without issue.    

Anyway, I'm a bit tickled with the new toy, I mean tool.


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## clancey (Jul 23, 2021)

I bought mine years ago and I love it and they do not do well in damp grass because the blades get goey and they clog up before the entrance to the bag..But as far as cutting is concerned they do great and there is no gasoline smell as well--I love mine..clancey


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## EatenByLimestone (Jul 23, 2021)

I didn't try to bag anything.   I'm sure that would been a lesson in frustration.


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## peakbagger (Jul 24, 2021)

It is a nice electric application for a small homeowner with a small lawn. There are some designs that are part of a family of tools so the expensive battery plugs into many tools. Ideally at some point the grid will be smart enough so that the battery charger will pause during periods of high power demand and ideally charge when the grid demand is low but that in the future for now. 

A lot of the reasons why gas motors end up on the side of the road is bad gas and not draining and running them dry at the end of the season.  The alternative is expansive ethanol free gas if someone can find it. With an electric lawnmower, no maintenance except for blade sharpening. When my gas mower dies this time around I plan to get one.


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## SpaceBus (Jul 24, 2021)

Our next walk behind will probably be electric. I'm hoping Dewalt comes out with one since I already have plenty of batteries.


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## EatenByLimestone (Jul 24, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> It is a nice electric application for a small homeowner with a small lawn. There are some designs that are part of a family of tools so the expensive battery plugs into many tools. Ideally at some point the grid will be smart enough so that the battery charger will pause during periods of high power demand and ideally charge when the grid demand is low but that in the future for now.
> 
> A lot of the reasons why gas motors end up on the side of the road is bad gas and not draining and running them dry at the end of the season.  The alternative is expansive ethanol free gas if someone can find it. With an electric lawnmower, no maintenance except for blade sharpening. When my gas mower dies this time around I plan to get one.



Yeah, I bought the EGO brand.   I think they even have a snowblower.   I can't imagine how miserable a foot of wet snow would be with a small battery in the cold, but i'll tell you in 20 years, lol.   I've never had to buy one of them either!  I was given a small Ariens, then inherited a larger MTD.

I'm not sure there will ever be a grid capacity issue with charging drill batteries.   And this is a really big drill battery, lol.   At least I hope not.   If there ever is one, it'd probably be easier to quietly make all the chargers trickle chargers rather than fast chargers.

A 56 volt hammer drill with a 7.5 amp hour battery... that would be sweet!


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## ABMax24 (Jul 24, 2021)

SpaceBus said:


> Our next walk behind will probably be electric. I'm hoping Dewalt comes out with one since I already have plenty of batteries.



Dewalt already has a few different models. They all run on 2 20 volt batteries.


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## peakbagger (Jul 24, 2021)

My guess is 5 to 10 years down the road gasoline powered outdoor power equipment may not be sold. I have seen studies and equipment like lawn mowers and other OPE really add up to quite a lot of pollution and fossil use.


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## EatenByLimestone (Jul 24, 2021)

I don't know if it'll be gone, but more people will certainly look at the technology as their current equipment wears out.    Batteries have a finite range for an acceptable weight and acceptable cost.  Once you push past those limits, it'll get expensive fast.   I can see it for a 1/3 to 1/2 acre suburban lawn serviced by a homeowner who can run inside and chill while the battery recharges.  It'd be hard for a commercial operation to run electric.   The amount of energy they need would require a lot of batteries and there wouldn't be time to recharge.   

But I could see a niche market for a premium service.   Some people would pay more to have their lawn serviced all electric.   I saw an electric zero turn mower, but I don't know how many square feet it'll mow before it needs a charge or battery swap.


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## begreen (Jul 24, 2021)

I wish that Cub Cadet had done a better job with their LT1 electric riding mower. Unfortunately, it seems plagued with problems and the dealers appear to be untrained at making electrical systems repairs. Owner satisfaction is not high, so I wait with the hope of seeing good improvements. Even better would be an electric LT2.
I did get rid of the Echo leaf blower. It worked great, but was 2 stroke. I already have a couple 18v Makita batteries and charger so I got their leaf blower that takes 2 batteries for 36v operation. I love it for quick blowing off of the mower, clearing the deck and patio of debris, etc. It is powerful, instant, and much quieter.


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## jebatty (Jul 24, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> Yeah, I bought the EGO brand.   I think they even have a snowblower.   I can't imagine how miserable a foot of wet snow would be with a small battery in the cold, but i'll tell you in 20 years, lol.   I've never had to buy one of them either!  I was given a small Ariens, then inherited a larger MTD.
> 
> I'm not sure there will ever be a grid capacity issue with charging drill batteries.   And this is a really big drill battery, lol.   At least I hope not.   If there ever is one, it'd probably be easier to quietly make all the chargers trickle chargers rather than fast chargers.
> 
> A 56 volt hammer drill with a 7.5 amp hour battery... that would be sweet!


Hammer drill would be sweet. We also have four of the Ego brand tools. My wife especially likes the self-propelled lawnmower. We do not use the bagger. That has the 7.5 amp battery. I also bought the Ego chain saw, 5 amp battery. Instant start, no exhaust fumes, quiet, really good on limbing and small trees. Then we got the weed whip and lastly the leaf blower, 2.5 amp batteries. All batteries are 56 volts and work on all of the Ego tools.  

Have to say my wife and I are on a mission to rid the household of fossil fuel use. Hence also the solar PV system and Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 vehicles.


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## clancey (Jul 24, 2021)

jebatty--that's one way of getting the equipment that you need,,lol


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## begreen (Jul 24, 2021)

jebatty said:


> Have to say my wife and I are on a mission to rid the household of fossil fuel use.


I hear you. We are too. The chain saw and leaf blower were the first to go The log splitter is next. That will leave us with the large riding mower and the Stihl weed eater. The Stihl is a commercial model with handlebars and harness. We have too large an area to do with just a handheld. Does EGO have a commercial weedeater?


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## EatenByLimestone (Jul 24, 2021)

They have one, not sure how heavy duty it is.










						Power+ 15" String Trimmer with POWERLOAD™
					

The world's first String Trimmer with POWERLOAD™ Technology. Replacing your string line is as easy as feeding the line into the head and pressing a button!




					egopowerplus.com


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## Solarguy3500 (Jul 24, 2021)

I got the EGO string trimmer (not the commercial model) this spring and I really like it. It's way more powerful than the gas one it replaced.

My father in law works at HD and got it for himself last year intending to use it on his lawn. He never opened the box and then decided to hire someone to mow his lawn instead, so he gave it to me. It has the 2.5 AH battery which I usually have to charge up once or twice in order to get all my trimming done, but it only takes about half an hour to charge so I can busy myself with other tasks while I'm waiting. Ideally, I'd like to get the 5 AH battery but it costs about as much as the whole tool, so for now I'll just do my trimming in stages.

When I get tired of splitting wood by hand with an axe, I'm going to get the Swisher 22 ton electric log splitter so I can avoid another gas engine there. Then I'll just have my gas zero turn mower and lawn tractor for the hilly parts I don't dare do with the zero turn.


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## begreen (Jul 25, 2021)

I've seen this shot on Home Depot's and EGO's site, but have not found a good source for an EGO commercial string trimmer with the handlebars. The handlebars are not even listed on the EGO commercial website.


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## EbS-P (Jul 26, 2021)

My father just replaced his lead acid batteries for a second time for his black and decker mower that he has had now for 15 + years.  70$ shipped.  He’s getting 6-8 years out of the batteries.  It can’t mow the whole yard in single Charge but that’s not a big deal.  Wonder how expensive replacement batteries will be down the road for all this equipment.
Evan


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## stoveliker (Jul 26, 2021)

EbS-P said:


> My father just replaced his lead acid batteries for a second time for his black and decker mower that he has had now for 15 + years.  70$ shipped.  He’s getting 6-8 years out of the batteries.  It can’t mow the whole yard in single Charge but that’s not a big deal.  Wonder how expensive replacement batteries will be down the road for all this equipment.
> Evan



Well, for lead acid, I guess not much different (apart from inflation) - this won't see a lot of development or scaling up anymore...?


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## peakbagger (Jul 26, 2021)

stoveliker said:


> Well, for lead acid, I guess not much different (apart from inflation) - this won't see a lot of development or scaling up anymore...?


My guess is there will be drop in lithium based replacements.  Apparently the big thing to do with Golf Carts in sunny climes these days is replace the lead acid batteries with Lithium batteries made up of reconfigured cells from old EV batteries. 

More juice/more range/less weight makes grandpa and grandma happy. My guess is there probably is someone retrofitting drive motors and electronics to go along with the batteries.  As long as they build in a good BMS they are relatively safe.


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## semipro (Jul 26, 2021)

Who would have thought that a benefit of EVs would be their ability to traverse floodwaters that would kill ICEs?
The video at the link is really worth a quick view.  It's really impressive.
I think there's a bit of irony here but I'll let others decide. 








						Watch this video filmed from inside a Tesla as it wades through flood waters almost up to its windshield
					

Drivers are taking to social media to post videos of Teslas making their way through flooded streets in China.




					www.businessinsider.com


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## peakbagger (Jul 26, 2021)

My guess is the warranty is null and void after the attempt. Tesla's also weigh a lot which helps to keep them floating. 

My unimog is rated for 1.4 meter water depth and was designed for it (most of the systems underwater are purged with low pressure air  when in 4WD)


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## woodgeek (Jul 30, 2021)

EbS-P said:


> My father just replaced his lead acid batteries for a second time for his black and decker mower that he has had now for 15 + years.  70$ shipped.  He’s getting 6-8 years out of the batteries.  It can’t mow the whole yard in single Charge but that’s not a big deal.  Wonder how expensive replacement batteries will be down the road for all this equipment.
> Evan



My guess is that the OEM will offer replacement batteries at eye-watering prices, and equivalent (or higher capacity) drop in packs will be available from Chinese makers at 40% of OEM cost.   At least that has been my experience with every tool battery pack I have bought (replaced) in the last 10 years.  For trimmers and things, I get the tool cheap with no pack (whenever possible) and then buy two chinese packs for the price of the OEM one.

I figure the cells inside the OEM pack are made in East Asia, probably down the road from the packs I am getting.


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## SpaceBus (Jul 30, 2021)

woodgeek said:


> My guess is that the OEM will offer replacement batteries at eye-watering prices, and equivalent (or higher capacity) drop in packs will be available from Chinese makers at 40% of OEM cost.   At least that has been my experience with every tool battery pack I have bought (replaced) in the last 10 years.  For trimmers and things, I get the tool cheap with no pack (whenever possible) and then buy two chinese packs for the price of the OEM one.
> 
> I figure the cells inside the OEM pack are made in East Asia, probably down the road from the packs I am getting.



Do you use the Dewalt 20v style batteries? I'm trying to find one of those micro electric saws that can work with my pile of Dewalt batteries.


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## woodgeek (Jul 30, 2021)

I have old Dewalt NiMH tools, forget the voltage.  On my third round of NiMH packs after 16 years.


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 10, 2021)

I figured I'd do an update on the battery and mower now that I've used it a bit.   I've found that I get 2 mowings off a single battery charge.    If I get a rain delay, or change the mowing height, all bets are off, but regular mowings on my yard don't challenge my battery too much.  

I dont like the self propelled feature.   The drive wheels are on the back, so it just wants to keep rolling forward, which is irritating on a turn.   I just keep it turned off.  The kid likes ot though.


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## clancey (Aug 11, 2021)

I had the experience of having a vacuum cleaner do that self propelled and I hated it....My electric lawn mower I bought with a very long cord and its a pain but a blessing to for I can run it as long as I want to without taking time to charge it and for my small lot it works just fine. But on a larger lot I might choose to go the battery route..These electric mowers cut very nice and they do not smell of gas nor do you have to take a trip to get the can of gas..I love my corded electric lawn mower and just need to be careful that I do not run over the cord. lol clancey


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2021)

So far, my most liked feature is the handle folds all the way forward and allows the mower to be stored vertically.    I suppose the oil sump keeps this from being a feature of gas mowers.    It doesn't take up much storage space.   With a few pullies, it wouldnt be hard for a small person to raise it up on a wall and cleat it off to keep the floor entirely clear.


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## BCC_Burner (Aug 12, 2021)

begreen said:


> I hear you. We are too. The chain saw and leaf blower were the first to go The log splitter is next. That will leave us with the large riding mower and the Stihl weed eater. The Stihl is a commercial model with handlebars and harness. We have too large an area to do with just a handheld. Does EGO have a commercial weedeater?



If you aren't already heavily invested in another battery system, check out the Husqvarna 535 iFR.  I bought one a month or so ago to help clear out the overgrown 2 acres I have.  It's a bike handle brush cutter with a harness and is impressively powerful, smooth and well-built.  The lack of engine noise and exhaust are both nice, but I think the biggest game-changer for me is the dramatically reduced levels of high-frequency vibration that get transmitted to the user.  It's amazing to spend a couple hours running a brush cutter, and not have numb hands and forearms for the rest of the day.   

I was so impressed with it, the power it has, and the battery life that I picked up one of their battery chainsaws this week.

I get about 35-50 minutes out of use out of a BLI300 battery, which is pretty much identical to the charging time, so with 2 batteries, you can work more or less uninterrupted for as long as you feel like being strapped to a brush cutter for.


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## begreen (Aug 12, 2021)

BCC_Burner said:


> If you aren't already heavily invested in another battery system, check out the Husqvarna 535 iFR.  I bought one a month or so ago to help clear out the overgrown 2 acres I have.  It's a bike handle brush cutter with a harness and is impressively powerful, smooth and well-built.  The lack of engine noise and exhaust are both nice, but I think the biggest game-changer for me is the dramatically reduced levels of high-frequency vibration that get transmitted to the user.  It's amazing to spend a couple hours running a brush cutter, and not have numb hands and forearms for the rest of the day.
> 
> I was so impressed with it, the power it has, and the battery life that I picked up one of their battery chainsaws this week.
> 
> I get about 35-50 minutes out of use out of a BLI300 battery, which is pretty much identical to the charging time, so with 2 batteries, you can work more or less uninterrupted for as long as you feel like being strapped to a brush cutter for.


Thanks for the tip. I read a cool forestry review on it. How is the line spooling and loading on this model? When you bought it, was the battery and charger included? What does it sell for? 








						HUSQVARNA 535 IFR - TEST OF NEW BATTERY POWERED CLEARING SAW | Forestry.com
					

In the autumn of 2019, Husqvarna released their new battery powered grass and clearing saw, the equivalent of a saw in the 35cc class. The name is 535 iFR,




					www.forestry.com
				




I found out that there is a handlebar option for the EGO professional trimmer, but that system appears to need a battery backpack and is super expensive. Yes, I have heard that electric weedeaters vibrate less. Our Stihl is not too bad. I usually weed-eat for about 1.5-2hrs and by then I've had enough.


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## mellow (Aug 12, 2021)

Wow, 1.5hrs of trimming, no thanks.  I would be breaking out the backpack sprayer and some roundup 

My 1994 grasshopper mower is still going strong, will see how much longer that kubota diesel goes before thinking about switching out, got over an acre to cut, need that 60" deck.

I have looked at those electric robot systems,  maybe they will be viable when the current mower dies.


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## BCC_Burner (Aug 13, 2021)

begreen said:


> Thanks for the tip. I read a cool forestry review on it. How is the line spooling and loading on this model? When you bought it, was the battery and charger included? What does it sell for?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




At this point, I haven't reloaded the trimmer head yet, as I've been working mostly with the grass and brush blades lately.  The locking nut that attaches the blades is a wear item according to Husqvarna, so I try to work with the blade until I've done everything I can with it, then I'll swap it back to the string head for detail/clean up work.  The string trimmer head did have very nice "action" as far as advancing the string goes.  I'll probably be reloading and re-installing the trimmer head this weekend, so I'll report back on that when I do.

It was an expensive setup; the brush cutter, two BLI300 batteries, and a QC500 charger ran me around $1250.  It is a professional-caliber piece of equipment, as evidenced by the fact that every single component was manufactured in either Sweden or Japan, which helped make the cost a little easier to stomach.  It also comes with three different cutting attachments and guards, which is nice. 

My property is steep enough that I think even a small, self propelled push mower would be a major PITA to use, so the 535 functions as my lawn mower, rough cut mower, and brush/woody veg clearing tool all in one.  Having three power settings is also really nice, as the string head seems to work best on low and medium, whereas I tend to run the blades on full-power, on the theory that a faster spinning blade will cut cleaner and drag/catch less.


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## jetsam (Aug 14, 2021)

woodgeek said:


> I have old Dewalt NiMH tools, forget the voltage.  On my third round of NiMH packs after 16 years.



The NiCad batteries were 18v- the same voltage as the new Li "20v" ones.  The change to 20v happened entirely within the marketing department- they are 18v batteries with a float voltage of 20v, the same as every other 18v tool battery on the market.   If ya don't believe it, put a meter on it and see (or just read the box it came in).

Dewalt sells an adapter that lets you use the new lithium batteries on the old tools- highly recommended, as lithium lasts longer, comes in larger capacities, and stays charged when you charge it. (You need the adapter because they changed the connection from a post-style to a flat slide-on connector.)

They are selling both "20v" and flexvolt chainsaws now.  (FlexVolt uses the same math, where 56 volts equals 60 volts.)


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## woodgeek (Aug 14, 2021)

I only have a drill/driver, and will probably just replace the tool.  The brushes are starting to smoke a bit under heavy load, I think 16 years might be its useful life.


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## jetsam (Aug 14, 2021)

woodgeek said:


> I only have a drill/driver, and will probably just replace the tool.  The brushes are starting to smoke a bit under heavy load, I think 16 years might be its useful life.



Brushless are more efficient anyway, and pretty common now.

Ridgid has a crazy lifetime warranty that covers batteries, if you are looking to jump ship. They're made by TTI (same company as Ryobi and Milwaukee).  The warranty is unbeatable but the assortment isn't as good as the other brands.


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