Old POS push mower just died. Need something else to mow the "hay". Maybe 1/3 acre, decent amount of trees and flowerbeds and other obstacles. We live in town, if that matter. The old mower was not self-propelled, but that was fine. With the old mower, it's maybe a 1.5 hour job.

We put rooftop solar in earlier this year, so I'm trying to see if I can make sense of some sort of electric mower (either plugin or battery powered). I like the idea and price of the plugin electric (i.e. no battery) models that I'm seeing. For under $200, looks like some decent options. The only thing that gives me pause is the issue of dealing with a long cord at the outer stretches of our property. I do already have a plugin weed whacker that I use. Works well for what I need it to do, and I've managed the cord issue on that one just fine. I also like the idea of a more quiet mower, which I'd get with battery powered or plugin.

To get a decent battery powered model just feels like I'd need to make a bunch of tradeoffs:

• Cost - for a mower + battery, probably looking at 2x the cost of of a plugin model. Add another large capacity battery so we can mow everything in one shot, cost total is probably 3x a plugin.
• Battery longevity - maybe I'll get 5 usable years out of the batteries? And by the end, reduced run time, meaning probably need to charge one battery while mowing with the other. And at that point, perhaps it wouldn't even be possible to buy a replacement battery.

The battery route Just seems like a high price to pay to be able to ditch the cord.

The other option is to just get another gas mower. I'm loathe to do this, as I would like to avoid having to buy mower gas since we have essentially "free" electricity.

Anyone out there with either a plugin or battery powered mower that can give me some real world advice on this?

We love our Ego, we have this 21" self-powered.

[egopowerplus.com]

Runs about 60 minutes on a charge in my household, recharges in like 45 minutes.

You may not need a second battery if you want to mow your whole lawn - 60 min, take a break and let you and the battery recharge, then mow again.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2018 04:13PM by sekker.

I had a Greenworks Twinforce 20" 40V battery powered lawn mower. It lasted 5 years, and would still be going if the instruction manual had not reversed instructions for removing the blades for sharpening (I stripped the bolt and bent the shaft of one of the motors because of this). At 5 years old, the batteries lasted just as long as they did when new.

I now have a Greenworks brushless 21" 40V battery powered lawn mower. Its deck is metal instead of plastic and it is heavier, but the brushless motor is powerful and efficient, and the 5 year old batteries from the first mower go twice the distance. Rather than going through two 4Ah batteries and half a 2Ah battery, I go through one 4Ah battery and about 5 minutes of a 2Ah battery. It takes about 45 minutes to mow the lawn.

You will resent the cord, go with the battery model.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
sekker
We love our Ego, we have this 21" self-powered.

[egopowerplus.com]

Runs about 60 minutes on a charge in my household, recharges in like 45 minutes.

You may not need a second battery if you want to mow your whole lawn - 60 min, take a break and let you and the battery recharge, then mow again.

Ditto. I've got a little over 1/2 acre and replace my old gas self-propelled with an Ego 21" self propelled. If the grass isn't too tall or too wet I can almost do the entire yard on one charge. But I usually take a couple of short breaks and let the battery charge when I'm resting. Doesn't take me any longer to do the entire yard with the Ego than it did with the gas mower, and the Ego is lighter, takes less room in the garage and doesn't require gas/oil type maintenance.

Quote
Speedy
You will resent the cord, go with the battery model.

This, I had a corded one growing up. The cord is always a PIA. Although I did "accidentally" run over the cord a few times…Sorry Dad.

Steve

At your age and the size of your lawn, you owe yourself a riding lawn mower.

[www.ryobitools.com]

[www.protoolreviews.com]

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Quote
Speedy
At your age and the size of your lawn, you owe yourself a riding lawn mower.

[www.ryobitools.com]

[www.protoolreviews.com]

I hope that their battery powered yard equipment is better than their gas powered equipment. The Ryobi leaf blower that I had was the biggest piece of junk I've ever had.

Those toys are for kids. Here is a real mower, the choice of real men.

Ride on or walk behind....
[www.youtube.com]

I have a 21" EGO to cut where the riding mower either doesn't get or can't get.
I had a gas mower for this but using a gas mower intermittanlty these days can be fraught with carb issues. I got tired of them, an EGO was on sale at HD end of year and I bought one.

It actually cuts halfway decent but if the lawn is a little tall and/or wet it will suck down battery life quick trying to not bog down.
I really doubt it will last anywhere as long as a gas mower might but it might be worth it for the carb issues.

If I was to get a gas mower today it would probably be a Husqvarna. I used to like Snappers and Hondas but the Snappers are looking rather chintzy and my last Honda was a POS.

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The Phorum Wall keeps us safe from illegal characters and words
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is the knowledge of one's own ignorance. -Benjamin Franklin
BOYCOTT YOPLAIT [www.noyoplait.com]
[soundcloud.com]

EGO Mower. even if i have to take a a break to cut front/back .40 acre, it's still better than making gas station runs for gas.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

Are those electric mowers easier, since you're not being assaulted with noise and vibration?

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

Don't know if battery mowers are easier, but mine is sure lighter than my old gas Honda.

I have been pleased with my Greenworks (thanks to the special pricing note here a couple of years ago). The green stuff that covers my yard (some of it is grass) holds dew until well into the afternoon so I am running through the wet unless I wait for the hottest time of day. The effect of this is that I typically have to mow in two settings, mow half, recharge, then mow the second half, but my yard sets up nicely for that.

With all that wet stuff, the undercarriage fills up with wet cuttings just about every time out. One thing I really like with the battery mower is that I can tip it over on its side to easily get to the underside for cleaning. With the old Honda, turning if up like that would pour gas and oil all over the ground.

I am thinking about getting a second 40Amp battery, which should give me power to do the whole (wet) lawn and use the 20 for the blower when I am done mowing.

I have had both. A 21" plug in (I quickly got used to the cord and had no trouble with it-make sure the gauge is right for your draw! But I do have many outdoor outlets on the house and barn, so 100' was always plenty) and a new 20" (wish it was wider) Kobalt brushless battery powered one. They are both fairly loud and vibrate plenty, but then I've never used a gas model.

My "grass" is usually damp too, and I am often turning the mower over to get the clumps of stuck crap off. I kind of like that the battery will eventually force me to take a break. Otherwise, sometimes, I'd do 90 minutes with the corded one and take a short break to move the cord, then another 90 minutes... my battery is only warranteed for 3 years, the rest is waranteed for 5. I'd love to get a deal for another battery for this, but I'm not holding my breath. I had trouble finding another plug in when I was shopping few months ago. The ones that were available are too small, no 21" models or even 20"s. The stores said they were being quarantined? Kobalt, Greenworks, and maybe another brand are all made by Sunrise, by the way.

Was going to go with the EGO but settled on a Ryobi as it was WAY cheaper. We have almost exactly 1/3 acre and it finishes the job nicely. Its light and quiet. The wife and daughter can do it. And the biggest thing we all love is there is no gas laying around.

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Black and decker 40v max mower does a wonderful job on my lawn. I have two batteries and it’s Pretty much all I need. I have the hedge trimmer as well. That’s a beast!

Seems like the time is right for mowers. My next car MIGHT be electric, but my next mower will!

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

thanks all. fantastic advice and experience.

I like the EGO, but I think it might be too rich for my blood at $550 for the Home Depot kit. I'm looking at the Greenworks model that I'm seeing at Lowes. Price looks good, and seems to represent a pretty good value: [www.lowes.com]

Probably pull the trigger on something tomorrow or Monday. Any additional thoughts, feel free to share.

That's a nice mower, the GW 60v. I looked at those and in hindsight, would've been probably a bit more satisfied wiith this one here [www.lowes.com]

--I think you're best off with the one I linked to - it's a GW model (made for Lowe's) - but note for the same price, it's an 80v vs 60v, and it comes with TWO batts vs one on the 60v. The included extra battery alone is worth it. A buddy of mine has this one and it really doesn't matter what size your lawn is because the batts charge in about 30 minutes, and it takes a bit longer than that to run through one.

I got the GW 40v 2 years ago this month; for the money, it's "okay" for my yard but I need to buy another 4v batt because I can't do my leaves and lawn in the fall all at once = pita. Still eons (ions? ha) ahead of a gas mower...all that maintenance, poor reliability, smelly/toxic fumes, and then there's buying gas. Gas mowers create way more pollution in an hour than several gas cars create.

My next car will likely be electric. Or hybrid. Preferably electric.