Battery Power for Lawn equipment -- is it time?

I've been using an el cheapo' 14.4 volt Black & Decker blower for about 6 years now and it works great for light to moderate use like your needs. Excellent benefits included: quiet(er), smaller and lighter along with no fuss or maintenance. The batts also work with a matching small circular saw and string trimmer but the batts are getting too weak now for any real use with the saw and are at best performance with a fresh charge (no sitting).

I'm torn with between getting new batts or just upgrading to the newer higher voltage LiOn offered now. Pricing was better at Christmas.

 

If you can solder, you can replace the cells in the battery pack for less cash.

 

If you stay with gas, make sure you use real gas, NO Ethanol.

 

I have a Snapper 60V that works good for small jobs.

When I lived on a real farm, my "leaf blower" was a 60 inch riding mower with a 40 horse Kohler twin.

In my opinion it is foolish to rake up leaves. Chop them up and spread them around.

 

For lighter work around the house, have you looked at the EGO brand electrics?
The battery packs are interchangeable between all their products.
Collections | EGO POWER+

I have the lawnmower which works great. But I don’t know how it would handle your needs.
The rest of their line may be more applicable.

 

the problem as i see it is hype. when you look at a product, there are claims of run time, air velocity and etc.
home depot had a ryobi electric lawn tractor for sale in the spring, then it disappeared. i suspect too many returns.
for string trimmers, leaf blowers and etc. as long as you have enough batteries, you're good to go.

 

As long as you can find it. With it, I've found you just need to be more diligent with maintenance.

 

For about ten years I've wanted it to be time, and the first such tool I bought (a toy-sized string trimmer with a lead-acid battery you could sling off your shoulder) was an irredeemable piece of dreck.

A few years later, I bought a Toro system (both a string trimmer and a blower, using the same Li-ion battery), and those were sort of ok. The trimmer could actually trim things, and the blower would blow stuff. However, when it finally came time to replace the battery pack, I found they had reassigned the same part number, unannounced, to a smaller, lower watthour pack. I have no patience for that kind of game, so the pack was sent back for a refund, Toro was struck from my approved-vendor list with extreme prejudice, and I went shopping again.

I've been using the Ego Power+ tools from that last shopping trip for a few years now, and I think it really is time. I have one battery pack and three tools. The battery I got is their 140 watthour, and they offer several larger than that. On my small lot, the 140 Wh is usually all I need. The charger is actually fast, so if I take a break for recharging, it doesn't have to be a long one.

The blower in this collection will, if I'm not careful, blow the grass out of my lawn. Naturally, you think I'm kidding, and there are some spots in my lawn right now that would look better if I were.

-Chap

 

AND cheap design shows up more quickly.

If you pay $49 for a gas powered lawn tool, you should not expect it to have a long and happy life.......no matter what kind of fuel you put in it.

 

And at the same time, you can shorten your own

 

we have been using the ryobi one system for years with good success. an hour of trimming is not an issue with the larger of the two optional battery sizes.

 

Say what ??

 

Last year I read about California going electric concerning commercial landscapers, I find nothing now, getting rid of 2 cycle motors is a great idea, commercial electric mowers subsidized by the state would trickle down to the homeowner, another good thing.
Summers I spend many hours maintaining fences and my lawn, I'd love to do it almost silently, true sheep are silent but to much maintainence, and messy, and noisy, and they pull the roots out, llama are browsers, no telling what shape the needed areas would be in at the end of the summer, and messy, and they kill all trees they are allowed near. Pigs...na

 

Sorry, that wasn't well laid out was it?

For an in depth explaination...How bad for the environment are gas-powered leaf blowers? - The Washington Post

In short, 2 cycle lawn equipment engines tend to pour out as much, if not more pollutants than heavy cars.
Sitting/standing next to a tailpipe while walking around the yard is not my idea of healthy

Battery powered lawn equipment have been lacking not so many years ago. They have become very good as of late, and right now, for many, they are vastly superior.
Like EVs though, for some, gas powered is still the way to go.

 

Ego via Home Depot or Amazon. ~$200 Essentially 3 speeds. I use it and blow leaves off the small lawn I have. Out of the garage, off the decks. Got my son one and he loves it. Neighbor uses it to blow leaves off her roof. Probably a dozen in the neighborhood. I even bought two more batteries (not cheap) that I cycle through the charger so I can blow for several hours. I've had one battery failure. Handled under warranty and was a positive experience.

Son and neighbor have Ego mowers for their very small lawns. Fold up into a suitcase size.

 

i use a corded leaf vac, batteries aren't powerful enough for suction yet.

 

For those with hot summers, has anyone been taking precautions with battery storage?

Battery powered blowers, trimers, and lawn mowers are becoming powerful enough to get the job done well, but suspect a couple hot summers in a shed or garage could be a costly battery degradation experience.

Guessing one would need to remove the batteries and store them in the house during the summer, a time when they would be used the most, subtracting a good bit from the convenience of battery operation.

 

i keep ours on charge in the barn. it can get into the 90's in there, but never seen it go over a hundred.
no idea if it is shortening the life or not. i do know that the charger won't charge them if it's too hot.