Electric car thread

[old man emu]

I didn’t realise that my off-handed comment would cause so much interest. It’s more than I get for some of my serious posts. 😀

 

I have a tad under 1/4 acre to mow, which I can do in just under two hours. I use a petrol mower. Pushing it around gives me a bit of exercise. I’ve only mowed a couple of times since last Spring because the hot weather stopped the growth (I can’t afford the electricity to pump the water to irrigate my ground.) 

 

Regarding the quality of ride-ons, it is said that in the cheaper ones, the drive gears are not metal, but polymers of some kind, which means that can fail before the mower itself is worn out. 

[facthunter]

Don't buy a pretend TRACTOR, Get the real thing. A zero turn hydro drive and the V twin vertical shaft motors are  smooth and sophisticated. The only thing about Batteries would be the weight. Soil compaction and bogging. Steep slopes are a problem for all. I mow steep slopes straight down them, slowly. .  Nev

[old man emu]

I’d say that an EV mower’s battery and motor would probably be lighter, or equals in weight to an ICE with battery and fuel.

 

There is a only one thing I have against an EV mower, and all battery-powered devices in general, is that once the stored energy has been used, it takes more time to replenish the energy than simply pouring a liquid into a tank. 

 

It’s OK if the job has been done and the battery can be being charged when it is not required to complete a job, but running out of power in the middle of a job is like getting a Three-Cornered Jack in your underdaks.

[onetrack]

SWMBO bought a little (16") battery electric mower off eBay about 5-6 years ago, and she loves it, and it's never given any trouble. Nice and light and highly suitable for our handkerchief-sized lawns.

It takes a bit of forethought to ensure the battery is charged prior to using it, you can't just cut the grass on a whim, that's about the only drawback.

[Jerry_Atrick]

8 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Maintained?

Our ride on was inherited from my father in-law when he popped his clogs about 10 years ago.

I use it about 3 times a year during summer. Fill the tank every 2 years. Still starts first time.  Never even looked at the blades, except to remove a length of aluminum bar that someone had left in the paddock and that the mower turned into a pretzel.

My mower gets a pretty hard workout.. I can't compare Tassie, but a plot I had on the Mornington Peninsula, which is a pretty fertile part of Victoria is a desert compared to prodution to here. If I manage to keep the grass trimmed every week during the spring and summer months, it is a minimum 3 hour job - every week. And our grassy areas (can't call them lawns) are the antithesis of a lwan bowls green - sloping, bumpy, full of all sorts of crap. As I haven't tended to it for about 3 weeks studying for an exam (of which I have done better), all Saturday will be on the thing. Dog loves it though.. He rides on my lap when cutting and races to the area I dumpt the cuttings. 

 

Also, its warranty was based on an annual service - the warranty was 5 years and has just run out. 

 

And, they don't make 'em like they used to. But I still don't want to prematuerly have to buy another one.

[Jerry_Atrick]

5 hours ago, facthunter said:

Don't buy a pretend TRACTOR, Get the real thing. A zero turn hydro drive and the V twin vertical shaft motors are  smooth and sophisticated. The only thing about Batteries would be the weight. Soil compaction and bogging. Steep slopes are a problem for all. I mow steep slopes straight down them, slowly. .  Nev

Mine is a hydro drive., but not zero turn. On my property, not having a zero turn is not a bad thing.. there isn't too much where I have to reverse and forward because of it and there's not too much I have to get the push mower or strimmer out for that the ride on can't handle.

[Jerry_Atrick]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

There is a only one thing I have against an EV mower, and all battery-powered devices in general, is that once the stored energy has been used, it takes more time to replenish the energy than simply pouring a liquid into a tank. 

Except for the chipper and ride on, all my stuff is battery (or mains) powered - chain saws, strimmers, blowers, hand tools, etc. I just buy a spare battery or two. The ride ons seem to have swappable batteries, and that one at $10K comes with a spare, too. You just keep the spare charged, and when the cuirrent one goes flat, its quicker and cleaner than refuelling the tank. 

 

I would never go back to petrol garden tools.. 

[facthunter]

It's danger

OIus toput petro

l 

into

 a hot Mo

wer.   That's how my posts are often I'm leaving this one to show it. Great isn't it? I reck

on i's the keybpard. Nev

[kgwilson]

One of my neighbours has an electric push mower & the good thing is he can mow at any time and not annoy anyone as the only noise comes from the spinning cutting blade which is not much. He has had it for 5 or 6 years and says he will never go back to petrol. He has a spare battery but can get his suburban block lawn mowed with one of them. he just swaps them after each mow & the just used one is put on charge. It usually still has some charge left.

[facthunter]

They start much easier too. A bit of W D underneath now and again and a blade touch up is all they need. Always have the Blades really sharp (and straight) on any mower. It reduces the Power needed a lot and does a much better lob, particularly with onionweed.  Nev