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Thread: Electric lawnmowers

  1. #1
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    Electric lawnmowers

    Have been debating going from gas to electric. Pros and cons? DH wants 2 batteries, one for backup. Other than that not sure what to look for?

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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    I traded my riding lawn mower for an 80 v electric push mower which came with 2 batteries. Love it for my small lawn area. No maintenance except to sharpen the blade as needed.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I have a 5 or 6 year old Black and Decker cordless and have generally been happy with it. I mulch my clippings and if the grass is long or wet it leaves clumps of clipped grass along the path due to being under powered. Typical weekly mowing is seldom a problem. It also struggles mulching leaves in the fall. I have an average sized lawn and have enough battery juice to mow everything. It is not as powerful as my old gas mower, but gets the job done with a few caveats that are worth not having to deal with gas and fumes. I don't recall my mower specs, but I think the new mowers have advanced and might be more powerful. I have a friend who raves about his "Ego" brand. They are pricey, but what I would be interested in if I were shopping a replacement.

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    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    I checked the name of my mower, Greenworks. I did an extensive review and there is a lot of info available. The Ego do look good but pricey. If I was choosing again, I might look into self-propelled as a suggestion if your lawn has any slopes.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

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    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    I've been using electric (corded) lawnmowers for more than a decade now. Small gasoline engines and I just don't get along and I find most battery-powered tools are either not up to the job I have to do with them or are discharged when I want to use them. Problem solved.

    Pros:
    - No gasoline (and, especially, no mixing gas and oil). Almost no maintenance -- no need to check the fuel level before using the mower, no running the mower out of gas at the end of the season, no spark plugs, no tuneups. At the end of the season, I clean up the mower and put it away; done.
    - Lighter than comparable gas models.
    - Quieter and less vibration.
    - Generally less expensive than gas mowers of equivalent quality.

    Cons:
    - I need about 80 feet of extension cord to get to the corners of my property. If you don't already own such a cord, buying one is an expense you won't have with a gas mower.
    - You do have to mow a certain way so the cord always stays to your side and you don't have to move it out of your path. It's not hard to do that but it does take a moment or so whenever you turn around. If you do mow over the cord, you'll kill the cord and stop the mower but you won't electrocute yourself.
    - Smaller selection of corded mowers.

    But I won't go back to gasoline as long as I live on a city lot. It just makes my life so much simpler.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

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    The old Korean war vet down the street, who had an old extension corded black and decker electric mower. When he moved that mower went to the 100 year old neighbors, whose 70 year old daughter mowed with it.
    Pro's, very lightweight, as she could take it over the wall around the front yard. No gas or oil to spill.
    Con's, the cord could get caught on any of the bushes or wall.

    Now they have battery powered electric mowers. Depending on the battery type, some batteries will last longer then others, or be easily rebuilt. However the more easily rebuilt batteries, don't provide the power that the non rebuildable ones do.
    So no cords, and no gas or oil, however battery replacement in my estimate, should be about three years.

    Look at construction of them (I saw one that seemed plastic, and I am unsure it would hold up to projectiles such as acorns, pine cones, small sticks, etc. going through the system when mowing, or over time). Look at accessories (can you buy another battery, lawnmower blade as some of them use smaller sizes, etc). Realize they don't have the power of the gas ones when dealing with wet or tall grass (I've mowed vacant house lots before, that could stop gas mowers), and the more work you make them do (tall grass), the more power it will suck from its source.

    With the size of my old yard, I could mow with a reel mower (and did), or get better then a decade out of the low end gas mower, which was lighter and easier to push then a self propelled (where cables can and do, rust and break, etc, and a smaller motor is used because they don't use power for propelling). I do not know if they have a basic, battery powered mower, so less weight and all the battery has to do is spin the blade.
    With the new yard, I am looking for a rider, as it is around 4x the size of the old yard.

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    I’ve had a Snapper electric push mower for about five years now, and it’s worked out very well. I’ve got about a third of an acre, and generally need to swap the batteries two or three times.

    The only maintenance it’s required has been blade sharpening. Unlike my old two-stroke, which needed an annual tuning and got fouled plugs from time to time. It’s quite a bit lighter as well, which makes more of a difference as I approach the age where mortality clears its throat if I over-exert myself.

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    Thanks for your input. We are going Tuesday to see if Costco has one at the warehouse. It is Greenworks brand, 80 volt with 2 batteries. The reviews look encouraging.

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    Senior Member herbgeek's Avatar
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    We have a greenworks mower. In the spring, when the grass and weeds are thick, it may take more charges to fully mow the yard, but usually the lawn is down in two sessions. Its great not having to smell exhaust fumes.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    I was reminded this morning of the noise as my neighbor fired up his gas trimmer. My cordless electric mower is actually a little noisier than I might have guessed, but my weekend world would be a lot quieter if everyone had one.

    I've actually converted most all of my outdoor power tools to battery. Cordless weed trimmer, hedge trimmer, leaver blower, and corded electric chain saw. The chain saw is loud and a poor substitute for gas, but OK for light duty. All the rest are adequate for a typical lot with mature landscape.

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