Battery powered lawn mowers?

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,819]

23 hours ago, mdmost said:

Thanks for the tip. I looked around on there and got a new Ryobi 40v dual battery self propelled for $330 shipped. Same unit goes for closer to $500 at Home Depot. I like the idea of being able to interchange with other Ryobi tools like cordless drills. Not sure how long it might take to ship but hopefully not too long. The yard is getting a little tall.

This is a bizarre price and I’m filing it under “ if it sounds too good to be true”.  Supposedly not refurbished.
 

https://www.vardon.shop/product/blackfriday-ryobi-21-in-40-volt-lithium-ion-brushless-cordless-walk-behind-self-propelled-mower-with-7-5-ah-battery-charger-included/

[dcbc 14,506]

15 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

So how well do these thing cut through St Augustine/ Floratam grass .   And I'm  talking about thick shit after a good rain.

I run mine over tree limbs and everything else.  St. Augustine isn't any trouble.  If it's super wet, it might clump up in the grass exhaust, but that's not a function of power.

Edited May 10, 2022 by dcbc

[gsoda3 3,280]

that vardon.shop link looks like one of those scammy websites that advertise on facebook. 

 

i've never mowed a lawn before but just bought this ryobi 40v from direct tools outlet.  this is a legit vendor, i've bought well over a dozen ryobi tools from them.  they don't publicize it but i think they're ryobi's official/unofficial outlet for retail.  it was $299 but looks like they're out.  i'll repost if they come back in stock.

[mdmost 43,014]

That's where I got mine from at the $299 price. It arrives on Thursday. 

[Nueces River Rat 5,539]

4 hours ago, dcbc said:

I run mine over tree limbs and everything else.  St. Augustine isn't any trouble.  If it's super wet, it might clump up in the grass exhaust, but that's not a function of power.

That's good to know. I guess if they are using batteries in Zero Turns now, that's a good indication they have the power to do heavy duty stuff.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,346]

18 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

This is a bizarre price and I’m filing it under “ if it sounds too good to be true”.  Supposedly not refurbished.
 

https://www.vardon.shop/product/blackfriday-ryobi-21-in-40-volt-lithium-ion-brushless-cordless-walk-behind-self-propelled-mower-with-7-5-ah-battery-charger-included/

Lol... yeah "Happy New Year" banner... the battery alone is worth $200+ new / $150+ refurbed

[CooterBrown 18,022]

that vardon.shop link looks like one of those scammy websites that advertise on facebook. 
 
i've never mowed a lawn before but just bought this ryobi 40v from direct tools outlet.  this is a legit vendor, i've bought well over a dozen ryobi tools from them.  they don't publicize it but i think they're ryobi's official/unofficial outlet for retail.  it was $299 but looks like they're out.  i'll repost if they come back in stock.

Yep, a scam site. Only Home Depot and Direct Tools Outlet, for open box and refurbs, are authorized retailers.

[dcbc 14,506]

19 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

That's good to know. I guess if they are using batteries in Zero Turns now, that's a good indication they have the power to do heavy duty stuff.

[High Plains Drifter 11,050]

On 5/10/2022 at 8:25 AM, gsoda3 said:

 

 

i've never mowed a lawn before

 

 

I know what the words mean individually, but the way they are combined in this particular phrase makes no sense to me.

 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

That would be sick haha

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,346]

6 hours ago, dcbc said:

Lol, a mower with a "sport" mode.

 

[mdmost 43,014]

Ryobi arrived today. Charged up both batteries. Did a couple passes on the front with the side discharge installed so it wouldn't clog the main cutting area. It worked great. I got through the backyard and was doing some touch ups when the first battery was depleted. Switched over the key to the other side and went back to work. 2nd battery shows 3 bars still. I think I'm going to like this new mower. 

[dlatin 328]

My BIL who has a place next door is looking at this. We’re on a lake and he has 3 lots. I have trouble getting my head around 5k for an electric mower but I guess this thread suggests they are good.

[AUinHsv 579]

On 5/9/2022 at 6:09 PM, Judge Roybeanbag said:

This is a bizarre price and I’m filing it under “ if it sounds too good to be true”.  Supposedly not refurbished.
 

https://www.vardon.shop/product/blackfriday-ryobi-21-in-40-volt-lithium-ion-brushless-cordless-walk-behind-self-propelled-mower-with-7-5-ah-battery-charger-included/

and it's now 98 bucks..  Very suspicious

[dcbc 14,506]

1 hour ago, dlatin said:

My BIL who has a place next door is looking at this. We’re on a lake and he has 3 lots. I have trouble getting my head around 5k for an electric mower but I guess this thread suggests they are good.

I've had my walk behind for probably eight years or so.  Other than replacing the battery at 5 years (about $100 at the time), it's been bulletproof.  I have no idea about the riding mowers, but they have pro series equipment and I've seen at least one lawn service locally with all E-Go gear.

[CooterBrown 18,022]

I may be changing my review of the E-Go. Bought it last summer and used it maybe a half dozen times. No complaints.

Used it for the first time two weeks ago and the 7.5AH battery didn’t finish my backyard before dying. My backyard takes a total of maybe 20 minutes to mow.

I read online that someone said if you don’t use the battery for 30 days it goes into storage mode and keeps a 30% charge while on the charger. Okay, I guess that explains it.

I mow this morning, two weeks later, and I barely finish the backyard before it dies. I charge it for four hours to 100% according to the charger and it barely finished my front yard, another 20 minute mow.

I don’t know if I got a dud or this is normal but out of the box I could mow for 40 minutes in less than half a charge and a year later I get 20-25 minutes out of it.

[Guest]

I do store my batteries indoors.

The only time they are out in the heat is when I'm actually doing the yardwork.  The warnings about heat and whatnot made me leery, so possibly overkill.

Never have had a charging issue, and I am in the 3rd season with 3 of them.

[ChickenSandwich 9,848]

16 minutes ago, slorch said:

I do store my batteries indoors.

The only time they are out in the heat is when I'm actually doing the yardwork.  The warnings about heat and whatnot made me leery, so possibly overkill.

Never have had a charging issue, and I am in the 3rd season with 3 of them.

Yup. All batteries stored inside. 

[CooterBrown 18,022]

Mine are in a workshop with no AC. Weird though that all my Ryobi batteries are 3-5+ years old are working like brand new but the E-Go can’t handle the heat.

[Guest]

and it might not be the heat for sure.  Could be some fucked up battery memory or whatever like you also described.  I just read that shit when I first got mine and I was like,  " Most expensive part of the equipment? Sensitive to heat and I live in Texas?  Welp, I have a place for those in the house!"

Little bit annoying at first,  but good explanation of possible issue:

But here's this ringing endorsement of their E-Go  tools, but HATES the batteries.

 

[smuggs 9,353]

For the electric mowers out there - do the decks hold up well? They all seem to be made of plastic (at least on the EGO models). The metal deck on my 5-year old gas Honda looks like the shield of Leonidas. I can't help but think if it were plastic it would be completely busted all to hell at this point.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, smuggs said:

For the electric mowers out there - do the decks hold up well? They all seem to be made of plastic (at least on the EGO models). The metal deck on my 5-year old gas Honda looks like the shield of Leonidas. I can't help but think if it were plastic it would be completely busted all to hell at this point.

That's why you trim first...LOL.

(but not LOL)

[NoName 16,369]

Project Farm just did a review of battery powered string trimmers, for what it's worth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ZCMcaAOVM

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by NoName

[Hpara759 1,780]

On 5/14/2022 at 9:09 AM, dlatin said:

My BIL who has a place next door is looking at this. We’re on a lake and he has 3 lots. I have trouble getting my head around 5k for an electric mower but I guess this thread suggests they are good.

plus 6 of their biggest batteries and chargers......no thank you

[ChickenSandwich 9,848]

1 hour ago, NoName said:

Project Farm just did a review of battery powered string trimmers, for what it's worth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ZCMcaAOVM

 

 

 

dewalt FTW

[Francisco 2.0 32,406]

10 hours ago, smuggs said:

For the electric mowers out there - do the decks hold up well? They all seem to be made of plastic (at least on the EGO models). The metal deck on my 5-year old gas Honda looks like the shield of Leonidas. I can't help but think if it were plastic it would be completely busted all to hell at this point.

 

My DeWalt has a steel deck.  It's not quite the gauge of a gas powered mower, but it's held up fine so far.

 

 

[TeeDubya 3,362]

All my yard equipment/tool batteries and chargers are indoors.  Heat and cold are their mortal enemies.  

I wish I'd have logged the number of charge cycles each one was receiving, but I didn't think of that until this week.

 

 

[mdmost 43,014]

2nd time using the Ryobi 40v. I installed the mulch plug as the yard wasn't too high this time and I didn't need to worry about the mower stalling on too much grass. Put the two batteries back in, did the entire yard in about 30 minutes. Took the batteries out and the one used still had 3 bars left. I'm waiting on a good deal on the 40V trimmer and blower then ditching the corded models I have. I love this mower. It doesn't mulch up sticks as well as the Toro but I also didn't mow that low today. I may test it with a lower setting next time. 

[SuperSport 1,333]

First time lawnowner here, bought the Greenworks 80V, brushless DC suite from Costco last summer: self-propelled mower (steel deck!), trimmer, edger, blower, 1x 4Ah battery, 3x 2Ah battery, supercharger, regular charger...something like $1k all-in. Clean, quiet, and easy, no real issues to speak of yet.

Echo what everyone else here has said though..go with the max voltage lineup (and brushless DC motors if available) and maintain your schedule. Thick/wet grass will bog down the mower and kill your battery, especially if you bag and/or self-propel. The 4Ah battery is generally enough to mow my entire yard (0.3 acre, minus house), but I've had to swap in a backup once or twice. And like someone mentioned upthread, probably a good idea to store batteries inside.

[TexasEd 8,068]

Bump

Looking into this now after getting tired of servicing my 25 year old gas mower.  Read this article and decided I like the EGO power plus model.  Neighbor has had one for a couple of years and he let me test drive it and it did my whole yard with a half a battery (7.5ah).  Also decided to get the self-propelled model which bumps the price.

On 5/16/2022 at 10:22 AM, smuggs said:

For the electric mowers out there - do the decks hold up well? They all seem to be made of plastic (at least on the EGO models). The metal deck on my 5-year old gas Honda looks like the shield of Leonidas. I can't help but think if it were plastic it would be completely busted all to hell at this point.

This was one of my questions as well and my neighbor's looks great after at least 2 years of using it (he moved in in 2020).

Any ideas on the best place to purchase?  It looks like Amazon might be the cheapest but wanted to hear if there is something better before I make this large purchase.

[Gene Parmesan 4,011]

29 minutes ago, TexasEd said:

Bump

Looking into this now after getting tired of servicing my 25 year old gas mower.  Read this article and decided I like the EGO power plus model.  Neighbor has had one for a couple of years and he let me test drive it and it did my whole yard with a half a battery (7.5ah).  Also decided to get the self-propelled model which bumps the price.

This was one of my questions as well and my neighbor's looks great after at least 2 years of using it (he moved in in 2020).

Any ideas on the best place to purchase?  It looks like Amazon might be the cheapest but wanted to hear if there is something better before I make this large purchase.

I have the select cut ego and the plastic deck seems sturdy.  It probably wouldn't hold up for commercial use, but it should be fine for a homeowner.  The battery will probably wear out before the deck.  The battery is where the $ is.  If you want to save a little money, the non self propel version is what I'd do.  Mine is so easy to push that I forget to even use it, and you likely don't have a lot of long strips of yard to where you would see the benefit of self propel anyway.  It's kind of dumb to engage for 20 feet and disengage to turn it around for another 20 feet.  Unless you are older and just need the lightest load possible.

[Beau Vine 54,350]

On 5/1/2022 at 5:49 PM, Gil Bang said:

If I were considering an electric mower, I'd look at all the electric lawn tools, weed whacker, blower, etc, and pick whichever brand has the best products for the money all around.  Same charger, same battery, etc. 

Fucking this.  I have nearly every tool made by https://www.greenworkstools.com/ and they all kick ass, especially the mower and the chainsaw.

Edited July 7, 2022 by Beau Vine

[Murfdogg21 4,421]

I am on my second summer with Ryobi 40V self-propelled mower. I’m on a quarter acre and the one battery can do my front and half my back. I usually recharge after mowing the front, and take that time to weed eat. I bought the corresponding Ryobi 40V multi-tool where you can sub the string trimmer end with an edger. I love it for now. I’ll hate it if the battery starts not holding charge in year 3 or 4. 

[Blotto 23,564]

greenworks Primeday sale

https://www.amazon.com/deal/1db9b57f?

[TexasEd 8,068]

On 7/12/2022 at 6:31 PM, Murfdogg21 said:

I am on my second summer with Ryobi 40V self-propelled mower. I’m on a quarter acre and the one battery can do my front and half my back. I usually recharge after mowing the front, and take that time to weed eat. I bought the corresponding Ryobi 40V multi-tool where you can sub the string trimmer end with an edger. I love it for now. I’ll hate it if the battery starts not holding charge in year 3 or 4. 

Thinking of going Ryobi now instead of EGO with it made in USA and EGO reportedly having battery problems recently. Friend has Ryobi Chainsaw and it is great.  I still use Echo gas for now.

[morehornsepower 887]

On 7/12/2022 at 6:31 PM, Murfdogg21 said:

I am on my second summer with Ryobi 40V self-propelled mower. I’m on a quarter acre and the one battery can do my front and half my back. I usually recharge after mowing the front, and take that time to weed eat. I bought the corresponding Ryobi 40V multi-tool where you can sub the string trimmer end with an edger. I love it for now. I’ll hate it if the battery starts not holding charge in year 3 or 4. 

I don't have the self-propelled, but with my mower, I did have a spare battery die after a few years already.  Went to buy a new (improved, higher amp-hour) battery and charger, and ended up picking up a whole new mower with battery and charger for only a few dollars more.  Now I use the new mower on the yard, and the old mower on the rougher weeds & low brush in non-landscaped areas.  It's insane how much abuse that old mower has taken...

I'm all in on the Ryobi 40v offerings...

[gsoda3 3,280]

my sons are about to tackle my lawn with our 40v ryobi.  they love it.  it's a novelty.  i'm about 4 mows in with it so it's halfway paid.

[RPM 26,336]

Not a lawn mower, but I just bought a Craftsman electric pole saw and I love it. Works much better than I expected.

[CooterBrown 18,022]

Thinking of going Ryobi now instead of EGO with it made in USA and EGO reportedly having battery problems recently. Friend has Ryobi Chainsaw and it is great.  I still use Echo gas for now.

I just replaced my year old EGO with the Ryobi. The battery life was down to 18 minutes after a fucking year. Total piece of shit.

[TexasEd 8,068]

5 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

I just replaced my year old EGO with the Ryobi. The battery life was down to 18 minutes after a fucking year. Total piece of shit.

Traded in Discover points. Bonus is wife and kids can do it easily. 

[Handcruser 2,805]

I had an ego.

Took it to Home Depot to fix a cutting issue it had. Anyway, I called to check on it two weeks later and they had destroyed it lol.

Gave me a $500 gift card and I bought a Honda.

If I ever go back to electric - Ryobi will be the way. I have a bunch of their other stuff and it all works well.

[fattyflattie 4,638]

On 7/22/2022 at 6:20 PM, TexasEd said:

Traded in Discover points. Bonus is wife and kids can do it easily. 

Those are a choice for mowing shoes.  Surprised they aren't already matching the mower.

[TexasEd 8,068]

3 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Those are a choice for mowing shoes.  Surprised they aren't already matching the mower.

lol I told her she should not use white shoes to mow grass

 

[TeeDubya 3,362]

On 7/25/2022 at 11:10 PM, TexasEd said:

lol I told her she should not use white shoes to mow grass

 

New shoes for every mowing.

[pacmanmakesitrain 91]

I got an eGo lawnmower for this season on sale at Lowes. I converted to a battery trimmer and blower a few years ago and figured it was time to completely eliminate gas. The concept of the electric mower (no gas, lighter, low maintenance, much quieter) had me sold. At this point I’m ready to throw that $500 hunk of shit in the trash and go back to gas. It leaves random blades of St Augustine all over my yard after each mow. I’ve tried narrower passes, walking slower and not using the self propel. Nothing seems to work and after combing through some forums, it appears this is a known issue. 

[Gene Parmesan 4,011]

On 8/5/2022 at 12:28 PM, pacmanmakesitrain said:

I got an eGo lawnmower for this season on sale at Lowes. I converted to a battery trimmer and blower a few years ago and figured it was time to completely eliminate gas. The concept of the electric mower (no gas, lighter, low maintenance, much quieter) had me sold. At this point I’m ready to throw that $500 hunk of shit in the trash and go back to gas. It leaves random blades of St Augustine all over my yard after each mow. I’ve tried narrower passes, walking slower and not using the self propel. Nothing seems to work and after combing through some forums, it appears this is a known issue. 

Have you sharpened your blades?

[HornOnTheBayou 8,945]

Bump. My old gas mower finally died so I picked up a Ryobi at Home Depot yesterday. My grass was pretty high, since I had been procrastinating on buying a new mower, but the Ryobi handled it like a champ. 

[wackawacka 179]

team electric Ryobi mower. bought the cheaper model a few years ago because all the store had at the time. i wish the mower would die so would compel me to upgrade but keeps running like a champ

[Bevo 13,593]

I bought a robot mower that I kind of like. I haven't programmed it correctly because of some wifi issue, but it is still easier than pushing a lawnmower. I'd pay someone, but I have a trust issue - we have travertine steps that lead up to the yard and I think lawn guys or gals would eventually screw them up - maybe on first try.

[morehornsepower 887]

6 hours ago, wackawacka said:

team electric Ryobi mower. bought the cheaper model a few years ago because all the store had at the time. i wish the mower would die so would compel me to upgrade but keeps running like a champ

I got to a point where I needed to get a new battery and a new blade on my cheap model Ryobi mower...and for 'just a few dollars more', I picked up a whole *new* cheap model Ryobi mower.  Now I use the old one (which *still* hasn't died) to mow the greenbelt behind the fence.  Allegedly.