So What's a Good Electric mower?

That dang Task Force, not sure it's even on the market anymore but I'd say with the drought I'd mowed some 200-250 times in the last 11 years, with some electrical repairs. Now it's spinning slowly and popping the circuit breaker. I'd guess it's not worth fixing, though I'm still curious what might cause that.

Meanwhile, I'd like to avoid another such fiasco. I'd say I mowed my lawn at the cost of .70-.90 cents each time at mower cost, parts included. Modeled at maybe .10 cents of electricity per mow, that might be .10x+220. Perhaps over a dollar with electricity, I don't know.

So this convertible sounds good, but looks like it would be hard to handle. Something that cheap would probably be a pain anyway.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-6-5-Amp-12-in-Deck-Width-Push-Corded-Electric-Push-Lawn-Mower/50250149

Anything particularly cheap is probably a dicey proposition.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-DECKER-10-Amp-15-in-Deck-Width-Push-Corded-Electric-Push-Lawn-Mower/50257023

I'm about to get a cordless 56V EGO from Home Depot. I'll post about it in a week.

One that collects the cuttings for removal is much more desireable than one that leaves behind rotting vegetative material and weed seeds. The catcher contents can be dumped into a composter to reduce the amount of green waste.

I think they pretty well all come with a catcher. But a few years back the state of California was making a big deal about leaving your cuttings on your lawn to reduce the trash pickup. When I trim the trees, etc., I leave it all in the yard and compost it when I mow. Lawns grow better in compost.

Dauntless said:

That dang Task Force, not sure it's even on the market anymore but I'd say with the drought I'd mowed some 200-250 times in the last 11 years, with some electrical repairs. Now it's spinning slowly and popping the circuit breaker. I'd guess it's not worth fixing, though I'm still curious what might cause that.

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Depending on the kind of motor, there's a few possiblities.

The first is a simple mechanical problem, of the brake not releasing when you pull the handle. Some mowers, like my original old B&D (RIP), have a separate pull handle to release the blade brake, and then a switch / grip to turn on the motor. Some like my slightly newer B&D have an integrated brake release and switch handle. IIRC both simply pull a cable to pull friction pads away from a drum on the motor.

So if the cable is broken or disconnected, it would do exactly what you are seeing.

Should be a simple fix if so.

amberwolf said:

the brake not releasing when you pull the handle.

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I don't think there's any brake, the blade spins freely when I try it. Maybe a little too freely, as though there's no magnets or something. Or maybe a clutch? All it has is a release that allows to work the throttle, which is a lever which could have a release cable. Yesterday I was hoping whomever has stolen my project bikes and moped recently would take this home and pop his circuit breakers, maybe then lacking the good sense to figure out WHY his power is gone.

Today if it wasn't raining I'd probably have pulled it apart already, even if I am still sick of having problems with that thing.

My world ornamental horticulture.

The EGOLM2102SP self propelled is a very nice mower. BUT ALL battery mowers should not be used like gas mowers and used to cut very long grass. Two cutting are best if very tall.

Non self propelled look to EGOLM2101, Black+DeckerCM 2040, EGOLM2000

EGO seems to do the best job. I'm a bum and use my mower to mow down bushes and plants in the fall and have gas mowers, but I had several Black and Decker mowers for ten years in Las Vegas, and my department had a few and we were fairly hard on them. Still would buy EGO first.

It'll be easy for a talented builder to sort a replacement pac IMO. Samsung INR18650-25R in some packs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyGwGXaWs1s

Looks like the "Big Three" in turf maintenance; Toro, Jacobsen, and John Deere, don't even make an electric mower.

The fingers said:

Looks like the "Big Three" in turf maintenance; Toro, Jacobsen, and John Deere, don't even make an electric mower.

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Maintenance worker are careless and beat the shit out of equipment. Toro has had electrics, battery and corded. We used some at The Mirage in the private villas, but they were carefully used. Gardeners that messed up equipment were counseled.

Go with the 56V mower, then you can use it for your ebiking.

markz said:

Go with the 56V mower, then you can use it for your ebiking.

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I can speak from experience on the EGO Tools as being top notch and great quality. I have and use most of their line in doing my outside/yard upkeep.

Like Markz said.... I actually modded my EBIKE to accept the EGO Batteries using an old EGO charger base and love the fact that I can use the battery to ride my bike and then mow the grass or weed eat or blow leaves!

An added fact is the great warranty it has, and the return/replace policy Home Depot has. A quick little unplug of an internal wire and off to customer service you go

Just picked up the EGO 56V mower. There were two versions. The $500 model had a "45-minute" 5.0-Ah battery. I have been working a lot of overtime, so I splurged and treated myself to the $550 version with the 7.5-Ah pack, rated for "60 minutes" (I only needed the 45 minute battery), but...mostly I paid extra to get the "self propelled" wheel drive, which the $500 model does not have. Well worth it, whether gas or electric.

Battery pack teardowns have shown that the EGO brand is using top-quality name-brand cells, but...more importantly, they have active cooling on their packs. The cells are internally arranged to spread them out, and there are air-channels to allow air to flow through the pack. The string-trimmer or mower has an integral air-fan that pulls air through the pack when it is being used. Its not heat-triggered. If the device is on, the fan is running. Also, each individual cell has a thin thermal absorption sleeve, similar material as the Allcell blocks that cells are inserted in.

I have recently learned that keeping the pack heat down, and also not charging to 100%, are the two biggest factors in making a "frequent use" battery pack last as many months as possible.

Leave the battery pack low all week (if you mow once a week), then, charge to 80% just before the mow. If you want, you can charge to 80% (4.0V per cell) the night before, and then charge to 90% (4.1V per cell) just before the mow. This is the biggest reason to get a very large battery pack. you can charge to 90% and still complete the job on one charge. This alone is a great reason the pay the extra $50 for the larger 7.5-Ah battery. Doing this can double or triple the life of the pack.

I can now verify that the large 7.5-Ah pack will fit on the string trimmer, and the smaller 2.5-Ah pack will fit on the mower. (There is also a 2.0-Ah, and 5.0-Ah pack available.

The Echo brand cordless tools also have a 14S / 52V pack system (called 58V), but they do not use air-cooling with a fan. Their pack is physically smaller because the cells are in a tight cube...bad for heat, and long life is compromised.

edit: just mowed, very happy with power and grass cutting ability. Mowed at lowest speed and 50% speed. Fastest speed to too fast (jogging speed), and lowest speed could be slower. I prefer for the device to be designed so 50% speed to be normal walking speed, then...you actually have more usable options. Happy with it, the speed adjustment range is a minor annoyance. The cutting blades are very quiet, and the wheel-drive is louder than the cutting blade motor. Overall noise much quieter than gas mower it replaces, but making the wheel-drive quieter would be an easy improvement by the engineers at EGO.

The rear axle is solid, connecting both wheels (no differential so tight powered U-turns are awkward). And on one side it has a combination 90-degree gearbox and reduction (similar to an angle-grinder head). The wheel-drive motor is a small vertical cylinder. It sounds like one of those plastic 24V electric cars for 3-year-olds, 98% certain its brushed.

9/10, would buy again...

The fingers said:

One that collects the cuttings for removal is much more desireable than one that leaves behind rotting vegetative material and weed seeds. The catcher contents can be dumped into a composter to reduce the amount of green waste.

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Bah - always mulch.
Its a horrific waste to have a giant metal truck haul that valuable fertilizer away and results in more chemical treatments to the lawn.

I have cared for lawns over years... from tilling to seeding to tearing out... end to end.
If you keep extracting nutrients it will eventually fail.
Emulate nature as best you can and use a broad leaf inhibitor if you absolutely must.

As for mowers... on campus at Google and through monitoring my neighbors I have seen that any battery powered unit over 48V will meet requirements and you will be happy with your purchase. At our ranch we are using chain saws from Stihl. On campus they use blowers by the same company.

Judge the supplier by how well they document the battery pack. The rest of the system is fairly basic.

-methods

It is better to use mulch in the non-turf areas, where it can be worked into the soil or left on the surface to prevent weeds and erosion.

The fingers said:

One that collects the cuttings for removal is much more desireable than one that leaves behind rotting vegetative material and weed seeds. The catcher contents can be dumped into a composter to reduce the amount of green waste.

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Bah! Absolutely contrary to current and best practice. Fertilize and collect clipping nags and throw away the fertilizer you paid for. I have 20 years of managing turf and instructing in turf care. Mulch mow for the best lawn. Weeds? From grass clippings? Silly...

spinningmagnets said:

Battery pack teardowns have shown that the EGO brand is using top-quality name-brand cells, but...more importantly, they have active cooling on their packs. The cells are internally arranged to spread them out, and there are air-channels to allow air to flow through the pack.

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Any idea what cans they are using?
Found it - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=83525&p=1270036&hilit=ego+56v#p1270036
Stated in the post as 25R's but I thought maybe they were Sanyo because of the red heat shrink, or maybe I saw a different YT vid. If that be the case and they are Samsung 25R's then I am buying one for myself. Too bad they dont have a 56V 10Ah model.



Here up in Canada eh I just saw EGO Regular charger $80cdn, fast $130, 2Ah $178 ($90/Ah), 4Ah $237 ($60/Ah), 5Ah $298 ($60/Ah) and 7.5Ah is $560 ($75/Ah) all CAD. Might be best to buy two 4Ah packs or two 5Ah packs.
I am either going to tell my friend to buy the EGO which are looking like a great deal from what I can tell or LiGo from Justin at ebikes.ca, but the thing is with Justin its an extra $80 hazardous shipping, I dont know if that is each LiGo, or each package shipment. With EGO its down the block, nothing to worry about. If money was not an issue I'd tell them to buy 100% from Justin to support his store. When I am through Vancouver in the future I plan to buy some stuff from his store.

The highest current cells are in the physically smallest packs. I suspect the 5.0 mower pack would have the 25R's (28 of them, 14S / 2P), however...the 7.5-Ah only has to put out the same peak amps, but it has more Ah's to pull the amps from, and can use cells with a 33% lower C-rate, which might cost less. Then again, maybe they simply added a third row of 25R's?

I have the 2.5-Ah weed wacker pack, and also the 7.5-Ah mower pack, which is huge...but same interface. I wouldn't use the small pack on the mower, but the big pack would run the weed wacker 3 times longer. I have a small front and back yard, and the mower did both on one charge. I'm going to mow as many times as I can before charging, as a range test.

I'm going to figure out a way to charge these to 4.1V per cell, as I truly now believe that doing this can double the life of the pack. they are just a hair off from being the same length, but the 7.5-Ah is definitely fatter and taller. The cells are spread out in a shallow "U" shape, and you can see the vents here to allow air-flow through the center.

edit: the large pack will also run the weed wacker, but....the small weed wacker pack refuses to run the power, even unloaded. There aree three blades on the mower battery interface, so that third blade somehow knows...this is relevant because a couple years from now I will be adapting my old ebike pack to run the mower.





My official "banana for scale" is calibrated in four inches and some centimeter furlong fortnights...

tomjasz said:

The fingers said:

One that collects the cuttings for removal is much more desireable than one that leaves behind rotting vegetative material and weed seeds. The catcher contents can be dumped into a composter to reduce the amount of green waste.

Click to expand...

Bah! Absolutely contrary to current and best practice. Fertilize and collect clipping nags and throw away the fertilizer you paid for. I have 20 years of managing turf and instructing in turf care. Mulch mow for the best lawn. Weeds? From grass clippings? Silly...

Click to expand...

You manage turf in MN. This is Southern California. One would expect a completely different type of turf practice there, where you live, mi amigo. :wink:

spinningmagnets said:

and you can see the vents here to allow air-flow through the center.

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Ah yesssss I remember watching the Eco vs Ego YT vid, the one you have are real vents, the other fake vents.


Some random vid I found
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LP0gzGtsic

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=84348&p=1234258&hilit=ego+teardown#p1234258
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRdBS9oFUXc

Home Depot has free shipping on the battery, or order online and pick it up at the nearest store.
Its the best deal for HD.

The fingers said:

You manage turf in MN. This is Southern California. One would expect a completely different type of turf practice there, where you live, mi amigo. :wink:

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Orange County, California, they've long recommended leaving your lawn cuttings on your lawn. Even as they've begun to provide a separate yard waste container for trash pickup.

Mt thoughts on grass clippings everywhere on planet earth. Leave em on the grass. They decompose and add nutrients to the soil. This is the way that God designed plants to be.
Decomposition

Only exception might be a golf course where they use all kinds of fertilizer and enough bug and weed killer to kill the people playing golf.
golf course pesticide exposure

My robot grass cutter is still working great. Don't see any grass clippings because the robot cuts em all up.
Search found 3 matches: +husqvarna

Pick out the best-looking lawn in your neighborhood and watch the work being done to see what they do. Nobody I know is going to pay someone to leave behind a pile of clippings and ground up leaves no matter how it gets spread around. :lol:

The fingers said:

Nobody I know is going to pay someone to leave behind a pile of clippings and ground up leaves no matter how it gets spread around. :lol:

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Three yards on my block, three different people paid to mow it. They all leave the clippings in place.