Mowed With An Electric Mower Today

F

Fawteen

Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Messages
544
Location
SE Alabama
A group of us vets have banded together to help some of the disabled vets in the area. We do things they can't, which includes mowing lawns. One of the disabled vets that we help has a push mower and about 1/3 acre to mow. I don't mind, even when it's 95+ I enjoy the exercise and take one or two breaks with a glass of tea on the porch. David apparently felt sorry for us and ordered up a Ryobi electric riding mower from Home Depot. It arrived Monday and I went over to uncrate it and do the assembly for him. Today I went over and tried it out. The crate that it's shipped in is seriously solid. It's an all metal framework crate; takes a few bolts removed to get the mower off. Assembly was easy-15 minutes and it was together and off the crate. The instructions say to charge it overnight, so we backed it up to an outlet, plugged the charger in and let it sit. Pulled the metal crate out to the curb and the scrappers were on it like flies on feces. Fast forward to today and time to mow the front yard. The thing is like an electric go-kart. With the mower off it's fast and quiet. There are no belts, just an electric motor for the drive and two electric motors for the mower deck. Pulling the mower switch sounds like an industrial fan, but there's no engine noise. It mows clean, but there's a real learning curve. I've been used to John Deere equipment with the two pedal hydro system or the older Bolens heel-toe pedal. The Ryobi could use a lesson from John Deere or Bolens; the drive pedal is jerky, and you have to come to a complete stop, press the brake, and flip a lever to change direction. It has a beeper that beeps when it is in reverse-seriously annoying and I'll figure out where it's located and clip the wires. There are no grab handles so if you're on a bit of a slope there's nothing to hold on to. Most of the real mowers I've used have grab handles on the fenders. On the good side it turns on a dime. The cut is as good as his Honda push mower or my Toro and it is surprisingly maneuverable. It claims a 2 hour/2 acre runtime, and it handled his 1/3 acre with ease and I didn't see the battery gauge move off full. The deck looks easy to remove, and it has attachments like a bagger and a snow blade (for the poor fools who suffer with snow). It also has a hitch so it can be use to pull a small trailer. I'm 6'2" and I didn't feel like a circus elephant on a tricycle. It was odd-when mowing the sound felt like a regular riding mower, but once the deck was turned off it was nearly silent. A few folks drove by when I was mowing and every one slowed and looked-the bright green stands out. Personally I would have opted for a small Deere or other Made in the USA rider. But for what it is it isn't bad.

ryobi-rear-engine-riding-mowers-ry48110-64_1000.jpg
 
A battery powered riding mower was almost unthinkable 10 years ago. At least, I never thought it possible. Very cool. Thanks for all you do to give back to our brave soldiers that gave so much for us.
 
Fawteen..............Thank You For Your Service. And a BIG Thank You for helping the other vets!!!!! You and your friends are ACES in my book!!!
 
So the mower somehow cuts the grass with electricity instead of a blade? That's what I'm talking about. Finally, the 21st century is starting to live up to the promises made by the Jetsons.
 
I'm willing to bet electric yard tools, shop tools, and yes , electric cars will be completely viable in the next 10 years. The technology is still very young but gaining ground quickly. I bought an M18 Milwaukee yard blower for light duty only, basically blowing out the shop. I kept my gas blower for those "difficult" tasks, just in case. Well, quite a time went by and I hadn't used the gas blower, the electric blower handled everything. A while back, I gave the gas blower away. It needs gas and oil etc - you know all that ICE stuff. Meanwhile the M18 blower, just pull the trigger. Runs for 20 minutes. Plug in for an hour. Ready to go. No need for gas anymore.... Soon, cars are next.
 
Very interesting, thanks for posting. I'm not sure if my yard is too slopey for that thing but i like where its going.
 
Originally Posted by billt460
Assuming all you want to do is drive around in circles in your back yard.
You can have a pretty big back yard. "What is the range of a Tesla Model 3? 240 miles. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus version delivers an EPA-rated all-electric range of 240 miles (386 km) and the Long Range versions deliver 310 miles (499 km)." Wikipedia
 
Originally Posted by perfect_oil
"What is the range of a Tesla Model 3? 240 miles. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus version delivers an EPA-rated all-electric range of 240 miles (386 km) and the Long Range versions deliver 310 miles (499 km)." Wikipedia
We've been down this road 100 times before with these things. And nothing ever changes. What turns most people off isn't the range, it's the recharge time, along with even having the ability to recharge them. Plug in electrics are totally useless for long trips beyond their range. Recharge stations are few and far between. Especially in open country. So what you basically have is an expensive vehicle you can bop around town with, just as long as you get it back in the garage before it craps out. That is nowhere near within the scope of usefulness for most people. Who spend that kind of hard earned money on a new vehicle. They want it to do more. Many people, both young and old, like to travel. They won't be doing much of it, if any at all in a Tesla, Nissan Leaf, or any of these other battery powered wonders. They simply don't go far enough. And are out of commission for too long when they get there. Until that changes, they're nothing more than a novelty. And not a very profitable one for the companies who manufacture them.
 
Originally Posted by TheLawnRanger
So the mower somehow cuts the grass with electricity instead of a blade? That's what I'm talking about. Finally, the 21st century is starting to live up to the promises made by the Jetsons.
Nope. A little common sense (which more and more seems like a superpower) would tell you that the blades are driven by electric motors. It's powered by battery/electricity rather than gasoline. Clear enough?
 
Nice mower and write-up. I am slowly being sold on battery operated electric stuff. It all started with battery drills. I have a batter powered ice auger that works awesome and I would never go back to gas. You can put it in reverse to get it back out of the ice hole and with a gas you have to use the L-4 and L-5 vertebrae in your back for pulling it out. LOL I think electric is the wave of the future. I bought a plug in chain saw at harbor freight for light duty in order not to have to start my 2 stroke. When my 4 stroke weed blower and 4 stroke string trimmer are worn out I am going with battery operated as well. banana
 
Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by perfect_oil
"What is the range of a Tesla Model 3? 240 miles. The Model 3 Standard Range Plus version delivers an EPA-rated all-electric range of 240 miles (386 km) and the Long Range versions deliver 310 miles (499 km)." Wikipedia
We've been down this road 100 times before with these things. And nothing ever changes. What turns most people off isn't the range, it's the recharge time, along with even having the ability to recharge them. Plug in electrics are totally useless for long trips beyond their range.
And many people have 2 nice late model vehicles in the garage and one of them is used for around town stuff exclusively and doesn't need range or quick fill-up. EVs aren't for everyone and likely never will be. Neither are Smart cars or diesel duallys.
 
Originally Posted by double vanos
I'm willing to bet electric yard tools, shop tools, and yes , electric cars will be completely viable in the next 10 years. The technology is still very young but gaining ground quickly. I bought an M18 Milwaukee yard blower for light duty only, basically blowing out the shop. I kept my gas blower for those "difficult" tasks, just in case. Well, quite a time went by and I hadn't used the gas blower, the electric blower handled everything. A while back, I gave the gas blower away. It needs gas and oil etc - you know all that ICE stuff. Meanwhile the M18 blower, just pull the trigger. Runs for 20 minutes. Plug in for an hour. Ready to go. No need for gas anymore.... Soon, cars are next.
I agree with you on the Battery powered blower. Got a Dewalt blower and it makes life much easier. Less noisy too.
 
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