Son tells me, "Dad, the mower made a loud noise and now won't run" so I told him I'd take a look at it when I got home. Hmmm..... Well that's not good. That's the connecting rod enjoying a new view of the outside world via a customized large hole in the engine block! I must admit I have secretly hoped this mower, the last of my gasoline power equipment, would die so I could go completely electric and I guess my "wish" just came true. Picked up this 80v LiOn model and it works really well. Overkill for my size yard but it's thick St. Augustine carpet grass so it's not an easy mow; however, the torque of the EV motor handles it very well and doesn't bog down like the old gasser it replaced. And yes, it's much quieter and doesn't stink.
I did a similar thing this year - bought an electric lawn mower. Advantages are like you said - less noise, non-polluting and I don't have to lean over to yank the awkward starter cord anymore!
congrats! i wish my lawn were small enough for electric. went thru two of them and gave up. i used to have a small lot and an old b&d rechargeable that was pretty sweet for the tech in the 90's.
Hmmmm..... I'm going to be a few years from going all electric (if ever) but I am quietly changing over to 'lectric for line trimmers and chain saw (pun intended.) Ryobi 38 in. 100 Ah Battery Electric Rear Engine Riding Lawn Mower-RY48111 - The Home Depot
Our electric mower had the gears break at 6 months and charger break at a year and a half, Warranty was meaningless and it became a $299 lesson
That was a very big reason why I went with the Kobalt line from Lowes. It's their house brand so I don't have to deal with third parties wanting me to ship it somewhere and also it's a 5 year pretty much no-hassle type warranty. My other battery equipment (weedwacker and blower) is old NiCad tech having lasted 8 years but the batts have, of course, worn out. If this 80v system holds up, I'll most likely replace those with respective Kobalt units and share the two 80v mower packs among them as I seem to have more than enough "range" and it has a true 30min-to-full charger.
I used those in my youth; not the right tool against a large yard of healthy, lush St. Augustine grass and oak/pecan trees. The Kobalt is a push mower though so we lost the self-propelled feature of the gasser but it's lighter and an easy push.
I understand. I hated idea of having beautiful green lawn. You use water, fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide (aka weed killer) to let those specific monocots belonging to the true grasses (and nothing else) grow long and lush, and what do you do? Cut them. What a waste. Over the years I have converted my backyard lawn into permaculturist potager with useful ground covers, flowers, vegetables, and edible fruit trees and bushes. Initially, the idea was to get rid of all lawn and grow something useful, so I would harvest them instead of wasting them. so I never have to cut grasses again. That said, I still own a push lawnmower. A gasser with HONDA engine on it. And it is a fine tool, or sometimes an only tool suitable, for cutting down other unwanted vegetation around trees, vegetables and flowers. A reel mower would only work in relatively open but small flat grass only lawn.
......said NO-ONE EVER who has ever used one on a lawn that was large enough to require mowing. Disclaimer: I have a reel mower. I also have REAL mowers.....1 ztr, 1 42" riding mower, and 2-21" push mowers......
Congrats & good luck! I just bought my first lawn three years ago, so I decided to get all electric tools to care for it from the start. It's a lot of work compared to some of the gas-fired options, but I'm just not doing that. I do have a gasoline fired emergency generator, so I can't say I'm completely off it... but at least the lawn care is quiet and not pumped full of fumes. Worth it.
I've got a lovely Husqvarna reel as a backup to my electrics. I just got a fresh tub of lapping paste. But vs. 3/4 acre? hmm..
I have a Fiskers reel mower that probably needs some lovin'. With that experience, I'd say it is possible to have too small a yard for one. Corners and complex edges break the momentum, but on a straightaway it is golden.
Things have gotten a lot better since then. There's a new wave of electric riding mowers, zero-turn rigs and robotic mowers. The heaviest options seem well built. The robots are still stuck on small lots, but they're getting better too. Plus the walk-behinds have been selling well and improving quickly just in the last 3 seasons. My lawn is "too big for electric" but I'm doing it anyway. Small gas engines pollute far more than automobiles. It isn't very expensive to replace them electrically- the cost/benefit ratio is much better than that of a hybrid or plug-in car, for example.
you're tempting me, but twice burned, three times shy. how many square feet, and what are you mowing with?
Plant wild flower instead of lawn. You never have to cut them! Here is four seasons of wild flower meadow looks like.
