Ryobi Mower SLA conversion
- Thread starter mattdcox
- Start date
at 4wh i can't imagne you'd get much mowing done.
If it's a 48v mower then 18v isn't gonna work well either.
Perhaps you shoudl read the existing threads on mower conversions to learn about what others ahve done and why.
If it's a 48v mower then 18v isn't gonna work well either.
Perhaps you shoudl read the existing threads on mower conversions to learn about what others ahve done and why.
I'd say that if you expect 4wh to do much, you havent' read enough. 
dogman dan
1 PW
I think you must mean the 18v Ryobi drill batteries. I'm not sure how big they are, but 4 ah is likely. Somewhere around 70-80 watt hours each.
So two of them in parallel, should run a 36v mower ok. Others have done similar things, stringing lots of dewalt batteries or whatever together to run bikes. So why not a mower?
Whatever you do, drill batteries, a tiny bike battery, RC batteries, you'll love your mower when you dump that chunk of lead out of it. Pushing around 25 pounds of lead sucks. My mower is easy to push now as an empty baby buggy.
So two of them in parallel, should run a 36v mower ok. Others have done similar things, stringing lots of dewalt batteries or whatever together to run bikes. So why not a mower?
Whatever you do, drill batteries, a tiny bike battery, RC batteries, you'll love your mower when you dump that chunk of lead out of it. Pushing around 25 pounds of lead sucks. My mower is easy to push now as an empty baby buggy.
Thanks for the constructive comments Dogman.
Yes I was referring to the 18v 4ah ryobi batteries. My thought was 2 in parallel and two in series to get close to the 48v, and have some decent run time.
What mower did you start with? I have the 48v ryobi that people give away haha. Wondering what you ended up powering it and or charging it?
Thanks.
Yes I was referring to the 18v 4ah ryobi batteries. My thought was 2 in parallel and two in series to get close to the 48v, and have some decent run time.
What mower did you start with? I have the 48v ryobi that people give away haha. Wondering what you ended up powering it and or charging it?
Thanks.
Drunkskunk
100 GW
18 + 18 = .... Let me see if I can remember my math.... 36! 
That's too low for a 48v mower to work effectively. And even if you replace the motor with a 36 volt unit, 4 batteries is just 288wh of power. That is pretty tiny. ( V x Ah = Wh ) I was just able to mow my lawn with 550wh of power, if the grass didn't get too high. I'd want >800wh if I rebuild it, so it could cope with long grass or wet grass and not leave the yard half finished.
That's too low for a 48v mower to work effectively. And even if you replace the motor with a 36 volt unit, 4 batteries is just 288wh of power. That is pretty tiny. ( V x Ah = Wh ) I was just able to mow my lawn with 550wh of power, if the grass didn't get too high. I'd want >800wh if I rebuild it, so it could cope with long grass or wet grass and not leave the yard half finished.
dogman dan
1 PW
I still have the old 24v Black and Decker mower.
Your 18v packs will make 36v, or 54v packs. since they likely charge to more than 18v, you might be too high voltage for the 48v mower then.
RC lipo packs run mowers real good, for cheap. 13 or 14 cells in series is 48v. or, get one of the new 48v 4 ah lithium packs for mowers, and hack it to connect to your mower.
This weekend is when those will be on sale.
Your 18v packs will make 36v, or 54v packs. since they likely charge to more than 18v, you might be too high voltage for the 48v mower then.
RC lipo packs run mowers real good, for cheap. 13 or 14 cells in series is 48v. or, get one of the new 48v 4 ah lithium packs for mowers, and hack it to connect to your mower.
This weekend is when those will be on sale.
bowlofsalad
100 kW
I have a black and decker 1936, I can't get half my yard done with the two sealed lead acid batteries. I've been interested in and strongly considered changing the battery with something better, but the conclusion I keep coming to is that it'd be better to either try to convert this mower to corded or to simply get a corded mower.
It would be pretty easy to convert a battery mower into a corded one, something I've considered more than once. Just need a power supply with enough capacity, cut the ends off of an extension cord and connect. The cost of converting a cordless to a corded mower probably wouldn't be too bad. My black and decker 1936 main power connector is an anderson power pole SB 50.
Some things have stopped me from trying to upgrade the battery myself. The upfront cost of a battery (I don't have any packs with the appropriate voltage already) alone doesn't seem worth it to me, but adapting the battery so it sits securely with the mower seems like plenty of trouble. I'd hate to beat a battery to death as it jostled around on a mower.
I've mowed plenty with a corded mower, with a little route planning and awareness the cord seems like a non-issue or at worst a very slight amount of hassle(which was worth it to me in contrast to dealing with a gas or battery mower, in my opinion). I am honestly baffled as to why there are no self propelled corded mowers, but it's not like a corded mower is super heavy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZVOLXE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002ZVOLXE&linkCode=as2&tag=xbnijgbr-20&linkId=WIH2SMPSDYCWP22E When I look at something like this or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076SOAGO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0076SOAGO&linkCode=as2&tag=xbnijgbr-20&linkId=VHKYD7CGHF6LJ57D this with it's price, anything else doesn't seem worth the effort. Especially when I consider what I paid (and would pay) for another battery
. These corded mowers will probably last a very long time assuming you don't use a 20 gauge 250 foot power cord with it or something.
It would be pretty easy to convert a battery mower into a corded one, something I've considered more than once. Just need a power supply with enough capacity, cut the ends off of an extension cord and connect. The cost of converting a cordless to a corded mower probably wouldn't be too bad. My black and decker 1936 main power connector is an anderson power pole SB 50.
Some things have stopped me from trying to upgrade the battery myself. The upfront cost of a battery (I don't have any packs with the appropriate voltage already) alone doesn't seem worth it to me, but adapting the battery so it sits securely with the mower seems like plenty of trouble. I'd hate to beat a battery to death as it jostled around on a mower.
I've mowed plenty with a corded mower, with a little route planning and awareness the cord seems like a non-issue or at worst a very slight amount of hassle(which was worth it to me in contrast to dealing with a gas or battery mower, in my opinion). I am honestly baffled as to why there are no self propelled corded mowers, but it's not like a corded mower is super heavy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZVOLXE/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002ZVOLXE&linkCode=as2&tag=xbnijgbr-20&linkId=WIH2SMPSDYCWP22E When I look at something like this or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076SOAGO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0076SOAGO&linkCode=as2&tag=xbnijgbr-20&linkId=VHKYD7CGHF6LJ57D this with it's price, anything else doesn't seem worth the effort. Especially when I consider what I paid (and would pay) for another battery
. These corded mowers will probably last a very long time assuming you don't use a 20 gauge 250 foot power cord with it or something.Similar threads
