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Is anyone in here into lithium ion outdoor power equipment?

13K views 77 replies 33 participants last post by  nick4030 
#1 ·
In the 3 years since I last posted here I have sold all my Lawnboys and have gone green in different way!

I started Eco Cuts, an eco-friendly lawn care service. I pull all my equipment on a 6 foot cargo trailer with a bicycle. All my equipment is lithium ion, except for my Toro SR4 that has only ever run on propane the last 2-3 years! The conversion kit is made by AltFuel LLC.

I have 2 lithium ion mowers, an EGO 56 volt 20 inch, and I just bought an Echo 58 volt 21 inch mower that is the best thing since sliced bread! I also just bought an Echo 58 volt trimmer and I LOVE it! I also have had a Stihl FSA 85 since I started. Other equipment includes 2 Core "Power Lok" (split boom) power heads with a trimmer,hedge trimmer, and 2 blower attachments. I use an EGO 56 volt blower for the most part though.

I'm just wondering if anyone else is into this stuff, as I think it's the future of OPE. Plus I'm looking for forums to talk about this stuff, as well as dispell any myths and half truths about MODERN battery OPE.
 
#64 ·
I started using 40 and 80 v gadgets about 5 years ago just for convenience.I have a 80v Kobalt trim mower and 40 trimmer, blower, hedge trimmer and chain saw. I have had good service from them and Lowes has a decent warranty on them. I never use them for major projects. I've had good service from the batteries and only had to exchange one during the warranty. One thing I will say about cordless tools is you want to choose a good brand and stick with it just to have interchangeable batteries.
 
#65 ·
The other day I was doing a fab project and had 5 or 6 cordless drills and impacts in use. No swapping out bits for me. One drill had the center drill, the next had the intermediate sized bit, the next had the final sized bit for the smaller fasteners, the next had the final sized bit for the larger fasteners, the next had the countersink for deburring the holes, then an impact for tightening the fasteners.
 
#66 ·
I must have upset the battery Gods bad mouthing the devices. Two days ago my Dyson vac crapped out. Battery won't take a charge. I can only guess what it will take to replace that. Likely cost just enough to cause me to buy a new one. That's part of the plan ya know. Yesterday I went out to blow the leaves off the driveway and yet another Ryobi battery crapped out. This is at least the fourth. At least they replace them without too much grief. So far. I love these tools. But ****!

Now lets here from the experts who can tell me what I'm doing wrong.
 
#67 ·
I read somewhere that the low AH Ryobi batts seem to have a short life. Almost like they have a 'get to X hours and zap, the board kills itself' program. I DID discover the other day that the B&D 20v lithium tools have an auto shutoff. With lithiums it's a must but you never know what the bean counters might get by with.

I got this concept off youtube. Use at your own risk.





 
#69 ·
I see Nick hasn't posted here in a long time but I love this thread. I have done landscaping in the past, always had old homeowners grade equipment, constant maintenance and repair hassle.

My teenage son wants to start doing landscaping while I do building maintenance. We are starting with the usual old homeowners equipment but plan to upgrade to all battery-electric with solar chargers built into the trailer.

Sorry about all the electro-haters on here but I learned small engine repair in high school and really have learned to hate the small of old gas and oil on a hot summer day. I farmed for years too and hated starting issues on my John Deere 2 cylinders in Wintertime. Give me electric any day!

With the improvements in electronics and batteries I'd say in a few years electric outdoor equipment will be cheaper for homeowners and that will begin a free fall drop in profitability in small gas engines, relegating them to hobby status.
 
#71 ·
LOL, comparing the old two cylinder starting ability to anything built in the last 20 years is not even in the same ballpark. I get the idea of wanting to be green, but I dont think your idea is feasible, or at minimum would be a very small and close market. Ill keep my gas and diesel engines.
 
#70 ·
I think battery-powered stuff is not cost-effective for doing maintenance, as you've got to have a bunch of batteries to work all day, as they don't last particularly long, and short of having a gas generator on your truck, you'll need to have enough to work all day and then charge them at night. Solar charging while you drive around is unlikely to charge a battery a significant amount.

I've considered replacing individual things with battery-powered versions, like a weed whacker, and most days it would be fine with a couple of batteries, but I never know when a customer will ask "can you take down these weeds over here" or something along those lines, and then I'd need a gas one to do it.
 
#72 ·
If you really want to be green, why not use a push reel mower? There's no free lunch when it comes to energy.

Mike
 
#73 ·
Personally I've been a big fan of Ryobi hand tools (drill, impact wrench, etc) for years. Even like the small blower for pool deck and walkway. Now they have come out with these:

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/rm480e-electric-riding-lawn-mower

https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/75-ah-zero-turn-electric-riding-mower

And I have to admit I'm intrigued. We have a small (1/3 acre) yard and when you subtract the house, pool, deck and driveway- grass is maybe half that and there are a lot of obstacles. Currently have a Honda HRR walk behind that cuts the best I've ever seen but sometimes I'd like to ride, pull a small cart, thatcher etc. No tilling or plowing or anything. Almost silent operation, small, easy to maneuver, not cleaning or replacing carbs every season due to crappy gas in my area sounds sweet but 3 to 4 k is a lot for a "toy" especially if it doesn't like up to the cut quality I really want. Anyone try one of these? I trust the folks here a lot more that the online reviews and I'm prepared for the inevitable avalanche of "get a 7 series and be done"! They are great-just not what I need.

Thanks!
 

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#74 ·
I have been looking at the Ryobi rider as well, but I don’t think I would buy this machine, as it still uses traditional lead acid batteries rather than LI-Ion. The batteries on this mower will last 4-5 years when taking care off (trickle chargerd over winter). with automobiles going electric, I expect the LI-Ion battery cost to continue the steep drop and we know these last 10 years +. Within 5 years, I think electric mowers will replace gas mowers for all but heavy commercial use.
 
#77 ·
There are certainly places in the country that will not happen. For example, in some parts of Florida, they have mandated mowing requirements, allegedly to keep reptiles out of neighborhoods. If you don't mow, the city will do it for you and give you a bill and a fine. Personally, I believe that to be a scam, as you can't mow everywhere.

There are times when I wish I could stop mowing altogether here. But, I prefer the look of lawn over woods, at least in the front yard. My back yard is pretty natural (trees, rocks, underbrush, dirt), which is pretty maintenance-free other than cleaning up the sticks and leaves that fall from the trees.

Mike
 
#78 ·
I'd like to see some hard data on the energy requirements to make batteries, use them and dispose or recycle them. Then compare that data to internal combustion engines. My guess is they're aren't better overall.

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