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Broke my mower, dang!

#1

A

A-58

Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.


#2

A

A-58

?


#3

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage

I bet you blew a fuse or blew some part of the electrical system. Not worth fixing IMO. Go get a gas mower, unless you're a tree hugger🙄. My Honda HR215 hit a metal screw-in stake for the dogs and it simply shredded it and tossed it into the bagger like it was nothing! Couple dings on the blade but no other damage to the mower. Gas mowers are better than electric mowers any day.


#4

M

MParr

I highly doubt that you will find anyone to work on that thing.


#5

A

A-58

Craftsman Garage said:
I bet you blew a fuse or blew some part of the electrical system. Not worth fixing IMO. Go get a gas mower, unless you're a tree hugger🙄. My Honda HR215 hit a metal screw-in stake for the dogs and it simply shredded it and tossed it into the bagger like it was nothing! Couple dings on the blade but no other damage to the mower. Gas mowers are better than electric mowers any day.
Click to expand...
Nope, I'm not a tree hugger. The electric mower was a Christmas gift from my Mom several years back. It worked fine until I broke it yesterday. Good cutting too. Hopefully I can get it going without buying another one. Thanks.


#6

A

A-58

That's what it's looking like. Dang.


#7

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage

Ok, I get that. I guess I'll help ya. Do you have a multimeter? Do you have any electrical experience? If you could find the model number of the mower or/and upload some pics that would be a good start.


#8

S

slomo

Most old timers would walk the yard, prior to mowing, as to retrieve items like log chains, dog stakes, fence posts, bottles, cars, people, barbed wire, trailer hitches and so on.


#9

A

A-58

Craftsman Garage said:
Ok, I get that. I guess I'll help ya. Do you have a multimeter? Do you have any electrical experience? If you could find the model number of the mower or/and upload some pics that would be a good start.
Click to expand...
I don't know what a multimeter is, nor do I have any electrical experience. I was mainly looking for some help on where the reset or restart switch is located. I want to try to see if that would work and if anyone here knew something about it.

I'm still at work and my mower is at home in the garage so I don't have any access to model numbers and such right now. All I remember is that it's a Kobalt electric mower, with two batteries. Yeah I know that's not much help but it's all I have to go on now. Appreciate the concern.


#10

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Unfortunately most shops won't work on electric mowers because there are no parts lists or parts available.


#11

StarTech

StarTech

Hammermechanicman said:
Unfortunately most shops won't work on electric mowers because there are no parts lists or parts available.
Click to expand...
Which is basically a waste of our time. And the manufactures don't even provide us wiring schematic. It like asking us to be Magicians.


#12

S

slomo

A-58 said:
I don't know what a multimeter is, nor do I have any electrical experience. I was mainly looking for some help on where the reset or restart switch is located. I want to try to see if that would work and if anyone here knew something about it.

I'm still at work and my mower is at home in the garage so I don't have any access to model numbers and such right now. All I remember is that it's a Kobalt electric mower, with two batteries. Yeah I know that's not much help but it's all I have to go on now. Appreciate the concern.
Click to expand...
Did you download the manual for the mower?

Did you call Kobalt telling them your trouble? Ask for a manual? Offer to pay for a manual? Most companies have toll free numbers these days.


#13

H

Honest Abe

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
try removing the battery(ies) then reinsert, now see if that does the trick...
for what it's worth
there's a service note on some units that if the machine hits something it will somehow shut off the power requiring the batteries to be removed and reinserted


#14

upupandaway

upupandaway

MParr said:
I highly doubt that you will find anyone to work on that thing.
Click to expand...
I do know a shop that works on electric mowers. Then again, I know because they throw them away left and right...(In other words, they aren't worth fixing.)


#15

A

A-58

Honest Abe said:
try removing the battery(ies) then reinsert, now see if that does the trick...
for what it's worth
there's a service note on some units that if the machine hits something it will somehow shut off the power requiring the batteries to be removed and reinserted
Click to expand...

Thanks but I tried that first. No dice.


#16

Homer31

Homer31

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Have you looked at all the Youtube videos on this issue? 2nd place to go after here. A multimeter is a voltmeter, resistance meter, amp meter all rolled into one device. Get one at Lowes, Harbor Fright etc & then watch some youtube videos on how to use it. Also call the manufacturer & see if they offer any help. It's a cheap effort. Good luck & let us know how you fair. - Bob



#17

C

CaptFerd

Youve damaged the motor. They sell them on Ebay ($50 to $100). Problem is that if you have no mechanical ability to work on it. Like the millions of others in your situation its a very expensive and heartbreaking push to the curb or an opportunity to get your hands dirty and learn.


#18

C

cavman138

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
How old is it? 40v or 80v. Kobalt has an excellent warranty, I believe it’s still 5 years. I hit a stump once when I was cutting the grass low to keep for seed and it wouldn’t stop running at full speed. Kobalt sent me a new one. I tried to take that one apart to find anything obvious, but I saw nothing that looked out of sorts once I opened it up. No fuses or resets.


#19

canuckjohnny2023

canuckjohnny2023

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Hi, a simple google search gave me this link that describes the "RESET SWITCH" on most? (and probably all) Electric lawnmowers. It's an "overload" mechanism that prevents the electric motor from being destroyed. Hitting the metal stake likely caused the overload and tripped the switch. The description in this video should let you check if it's the problem.
Good luck.


#20

S

Savage3

Where are you located Boss? I repair electric power equipment. No problem. Parts are available for many units.

In many cases, it's simply a fuse or the nut came loose on the shaft so the blade quits spinning.

Is there any life at all when you try to start? Does motor start, but, blade doesn't spin?

Can you post the specifications? I'll try to walk you through it?


#21

Homer31

Homer31

A-58,
Listen to the guys who want to help here. Everything is fixable. It may not make fiscal sense to do so, but I still fix stuff instead of putting it out on the curb.
Listen to guys like Savage3 and try to understand the failure mode & then try to repair it. ICE powered mowers would have a step key that would shear when hitting a solid object.
I suspect the Motor powered have something similar.
You came to this forum to fix, not to throw it away.
-Bob


#22

S

sailingharry

Hammermechanicman said:
Unfortunately most shops won't work on electric mowers because there are no parts lists or parts available.
Click to expand...
Well, they may not work on them for whatever reason, but not for lack of parts. My first, around 1998, was a Black and Decker 12V unit. Beyond awesome -- mow the entire lawn in one session, never needed an oil change, never had bad gas, never... nothing, but my wife got it in the divorce. Around 2002, I found one in a pawn shop that needed a new motor armature and a new battery. Parts available (battery is standard at the local battery store, armature was mail order from Black and Decker). If you can get a new armature, well, there ain't much you can't get. Took a solid hour or two to get it running, left it (still working) with my house when I sold it 20 years later.


#23

O

OldtimeJarhead

A-58 said:
I don't know what a multimeter is, nor do I have any electrical experience. I was mainly looking for some help on where the reset or restart switch is located. I want to try to see if that would work and if anyone here knew something about it.

I'm still at work and my mower is at home in the garage so I don't have any access to model numbers and such right now. All I remember is that it's a Kobalt electric mower, with two batteries. Yeah I know that's not much help but it's all I have to go on now. Appreciate the concern.
Click to expand...
Do you have owners manual once you get home look at that it may give you an idea on where to look or look on line for that make and model maybe able to find some answers good luck this is the first I have heard good or bad about electric mower


#24

H

Have_Blue

Excellent advice from Homer31! Some of the advice here is tainted by bias and inexperience. Electric mowers are very simple, just batteries, motor, switches and controller. I have a large yard and have always had a 54-60" ICE mower, and my electric is priceless for mowing in places the big one won't reach. That saves me a lot of weed whacking. Getting parts is very simple, there are various replacement parts specialists online that DO have parts explosions and much better prices than local shops.

The only problems with electric mowers are the owner trying to mow a larger area than the batteries can handle. They're as reliable as your cordless drill until you hit an iron rod or something.


#25

E

eagle86801

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
The first thing that comes to mind is a sheared keyway but I don't know if an electric mower even has a keyway . Just a thought


#26

S

Slider99

Should be pretty easy to identify the problem. I'd start by taking it apart looking for any obvious signs of trouble. They aren't overly complicated machines. Follow the voltage, you should find the problem. From what I found the company doesn't sell any parts outside of new batteries and blades, but there's plenty of parts on ebay.


#27

J

jwax

Can you rotate the blade manually, or is it seized? Electric motors for blades are not forgiving of striking hard objects like a gas motor with forgiving belts/pulleys/idlers. A mechanical or electrical interrupter has caused your motor to not run. With a history of gas JD's, Cub Cadet, etc., I love my electric rider- a Craftsman E150. Tell us what model you have and perhaps we can help.


#28

F

Freddie21

IF it is less than three years old call your local Lowes store. They replaced mine with a newer model one after I decided to clean the deck underside with a power washer. Blew the motor even though I let it dry for a week. I just rolled it in and carted a new one out in the box. My son gave it to me so I didn't have a receipt.


#29

mechanizm

mechanizm

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower.
Click to expand...
I'll betcha that it has an auto-shut-off for just such situations. I doubt that it's "broken". You need to reset it somehow. do a search for "reset electric lawn tractor" . It's going to be simple.... try disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and see if it resets.


#30

T

ttimtucker

I've worked on a few electric mowers. Here is a speculation/theory on what may have happened. When you power-on an e-mower, the control board initiates a slow start of the motor until it spins up and begins to generate some back-EMF which reduces the amount of current that the motor requires (EMF is electromotive force: think of it as voltage). If the motor suddenly was halted (hitting a metal stake), there would suddenly be no back-EMF and excessive current would flow. I had a mower where the control board was fried, and I tried to power the motor directly from the 24v battery. A fuse internal to the battery blew very quickly because I wasn't "soft-starting" the mower. I replaced the fuse (it is a soldered part) and eventually constructed a frankenstein of a replacement control board, just to understand how it all worked. So the first question I would ask you is whether the battery is still working. You'd either need a multimeter to measure the battery voltage, or power some other device that uses the same battery. If the battery is good, then the control board may be fried.


#31

T

Tornadoman

slomo said:
Most old timers would walk the yard, prior to mowing, as to retrieve items like log chains, dog stakes, fence posts, bottles, cars, people, barbed wire, trailer hitches and so on.
Click to expand...
My son-in-law, v-twin had a mouse nest under the shroud. Engine overheated and is shot!


#32

F

fordman55

have you tried looking at the owners manual to see if there is a listing for trouble shooting??


#33

B

bentrim

Tip the mower on it's side and check to see if the blade shaft is bent. If the blade turns this will be easy to see as you watch the center of the blade or compare where the each end of blade passed a spot on the housing. If good review the manual for a fuse or circuit breaker.


#34

T

ttimtucker

I've worked on a few electric mowers. Here is a speculation/theory on what may have happened. When you power-on an e-mower, the control board initiates a slow start of the motor until it spins up and begins to generate some back-EMF which reduces the amount of current that the motor requires (EMF is elctromotive force: think of it as voltage). If the motor suddenly was halted (hitting a metal stake), there would be no back-EMF and excessive current would be flowing. I had a mower where the control board was fried, and I tried to power the motor directly from the 24v battery. A fuse internal to the battery blew very quickly because I wasn't "soft-starting" the mower. I replaced the fuse (it is a soldered part) and eventually constructed a frankenstein of a replacement control board, just to understand how it all worked. So the first question I would ask you is whether the battery is still working. You'd either need a multimeter to measure the battery voltage, or power some other device that uses the same battery. If the battery is good, then the control board may be fried.


#35

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Remove motor. Apply 24v from a couple batteries.
Motor does nothing. Bad motor

Check voltage at mower battery terminals. No voltage. Bad battery.

If motor and battery test good then most likely controller bad.

Not many DC motors like stopping in a couple milliseconds. I have seen windings twist on the shaft and break the connections to the commutator.


#36

G

guitarman4805

Mostly good advice on here (excluding the anti emowers). Get on the WWW for Lowes or Kobalt Operators Manual for the specific part numbered mower. Read the book; don't skip to the back for the surprise ending. In the manual pay attention to the dos and donts as to batteries, safety interlocks, loss of power and or foreign object strikes. A severely bent blade can cause an impossible start load for a battery; battery internals shut down, or blow fuses. Battery checks can easily be performed with the charger. Mowers with two batteries usuallly have a higher operating voltage if paralled, or a demand for higher current if configured in series. The best way to test the batteries is with a standalone charger; specific to the battery. A charger plugged into the mower can verify battery fail due to internal failures, but has to have special circuitry for multiple battery configuration and that circuitry can fail if you have a combination of events clouding the issues. Issues include but not limited to:; such as reading the manual, driving while under the influence of tall trees blocking the view of the forest, tall grass, short grass, grass offering safe harbor for the dogs screw anchor!....the list goes on. If the mower lurched when you hit the stake it is possible the start stop safety interlocked control took a hard lick. It is fixable; it may not be practical unless you wish to further your education. Parts are probably not available. Warranty is highly disirable in these mowers and paying attention to normal wear and tear will help prevent bent or broken belts and blades, broken or faulty interlocks and especially electrical components. Motors have an internal temp sensing device and will disconnect the battery to prevent further damage to the motor. Safety interlocks are external to the motor; are mechanically interlocked to open a switch, or mechanically brake a rotating blade. Hope this doesn't discourage you.....anything is simple once you understand it.


#37

S

sailingharry

A little Googling, and some thoughts.
* Does the charger give useful lights indicating that it is "charging" and then "charged?" That shows the battery is good/wires are connected.
* Do any lights at all come on when you try and start it? In other words, is it trying and giving an error, or completely unaware you are even asking it to start?
* This link
https://www.reddit.com/r/KobaltTools/comments/uo9373
has two useful thoughts. First, the handle has interlocks requiring it to be fully extended and seated, something that seems to be temperamental. Second, it seems to have a safety protocol to prevent starting if the blade doesn't spin easily -- turn it over and try and spin it a few revolutions to check if it is free/loosen any impediments.


#38

Alan46

Alan46

Hey OP, what’s the latest?


#39

S

sailingharry

Oh, one final thought on the "no parts" folks. This thread prompted me to do a search for used electric riding mowers -- my property is right on the ragged edge of too large, but I sure would love to ditch my gas version. I found a Ryobi 30" electric riding mower for sale dirt cheap (but 400 miles away, so non-starter) with a dead drive motor. It took me 10 minutes to figure out the model number, get the exploded parts list, and find the motor for about $270 (I forget exactly), in stock and ready to ship. How is this "not supported, too hard, not worth fixing?"


#40

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

No offense but open a mower shop. Charge $50-$100 per hour to diagnose, repair and time to lookup parts. Most ICE stuff it is fairly easy to lookup parts with sites like Jack's and others. Electrix stuff not so easy. Most folks won't pay you what it costs to fix some electric stuff. If you want to fix stuff or do it as a side hustle thats great but we shop guys have reasons.


#41

Dixie Boosh Wookie

Dixie Boosh Wookie

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Get a fossil fueled mower. You'll sleep better at night. moreyouknow.jpg


#42

Dixie Boosh Wookie

Dixie Boosh Wookie

slomo said:
Most old timers would walk the yard, prior to mowing, as to retrieve items like log chains, dog stakes, fence posts, bottles, cars, people, barbed wire, trailer hitches and so on.
Click to expand...
Always walk my property prior to running any equipment on it. Been doing it for neigh on 45 years. It started as being born and raised on a farm/ranch, and really set in after the young'uns would leave toys in the yard (some rather expensive, by my standards at the time). Now I got gran-young'uns leaving all sorts of who knows whats all over the ranch. I always walk it. Some farm equipment is much more expensive than a mower. ;)


#43

grumpyunk

grumpyunk

A 'stalled' DC motor will pull a lot of juice. It would not surprise me to find a fuse or circuit breaker that got popped when the armature came to a quick stop. Mechanical damage to the internals of the motor may also have occurred.
Have not seen a reply to the request about the blade spinning freely. Just as ICE driven blades, electric likely also are required to have a 'blade brake'. I would check the brake mechanism to determine if it has sprung, and perhaps cut the juice at the same time. Makes sense to me to have a built-in power cut if a blade brake is used. Coming to a quick stop might set off the blade brake...
tom


#44

S

sailingharry

Hammermechanicman said:
No offense but open a mower shop. Charge $50-$100 per hour to diagnose, repair and time to lookup parts. Most ICE stuff it is fairly easy to lookup parts with sites like Jack's and others. Electrix stuff not so easy. Most folks won't pay you what it costs to fix some electric stuff. If you want to fix stuff or do it as a side hustle thats great but we shop guys have reasons.
Click to expand...
No, I think you misunderstood me. I had said that there may be other reasons (like, say, replacing a motor is harder than replacing a carburetor), but parts availability and/or cost are not the reason. Even looking up the parts is no harder than looking up ICE (quick, find me a factory replacement carb for my Honda H3011). The motor for that Ryobi was directly on the Ryobi website, the only hard part was sussing out the mower model number from pictures on a for-sale ad. But the skill sets, the effort, the cost to do it, etc are a different issue than "the diagrams don't exist and there is no parts support." It is a sad but true fact that it often cheaper to buy new than to pay to diagnose and repair almost anything. Side example, my neighbor is about $3000 into repairing his malfunctioning generator (with no end in sight) on his power boat, and a new one could be bought and installed for about $6K


#45

R

RevB

A-58 said:
I don't know what a multimeter is, nor do I have any electrical experience. I was mainly looking for some help on where the reset or restart switch is located. I want to try to see if that would work and if anyone here knew something about it.

I'm still at work and my mower is at home in the garage so I don't have any access to model numbers and such right now. All I remember is that it's a Kobalt electric mower, with two batteries. Yeah I know that's not much help but it's all I have to go on now. Appreciate the concern.
Click to expand...
Lesson 1....Do what the respondent asks. Don't go off on some tangent as that just aggravates the guy/gal wanting to help.


#46

B

bsb ohana

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
First thing is see if you can hand turn the blade. Is it jammed or float free? Electrical mowers are so simple there are no parts to replace, nothing much to do, so nothing much to work on. A person who is handy and know how to use multimeter could look at it. It is either a mechanical problem (probably) or an electrical problem. As far as "tree huggers" there is no need in this type of forum to speak in a rude and derogatory manner to anyone. We are all brothers and some sisters trying to mow our lawns and fields and to help each other keep our equipment running. I have gas, diesel and battery equipment. Each has its place, but batteries are the future and electrical equipment gets better every day. I love my redwoods, fruit and nut trees. They give me so much. I am going to go and give them a hug.


#47

S

slomo

Tornadoman said:
My son-in-law, v-twin had a mouse nest under the shroud. Engine overheated and is shot!
Click to expand...
Been preaching to clean yours, mine and everyone else's cooling fins for a while now. Shame taking about 3 minutes of not reading your engine manual killed a perfectly good engine.

So what do you guys have? Valve issue or what?


#48

G

guitarman4805

About the charger and the lights: I may have overlooked the model number of the Kobalt, and I do not know your battery chemistry. As previously stated chargers usually were sold with the end item and were specific to battery type. Lithium batteries have internal BMS electronics to make sure you don't over charge more than 90 % of usable power. This is because the charger senses the open terminal, no load of the suspect batteries and adusts internals to match charge parameters so it will not over charge. During charge cycle, the charger monitors temperature, voltage and current so that when the lights indicate a READY for service you can rest assured the battery has been recharged to close to 100% of capacity. Nicad, NIMH, LeadAcid and other variations of lead acid use a different type of charger. You need to be certain the charger is specific to your type batteries and that the charger is functional. The manual fpr the mower, the manual for the charger will tell you how to safely charge.
One word of caution. Lithium batts output full demand current for cutting grass and suddenly the BMS will shut down the battery because it is at <10% charge. Do Not repeatedly hit RUN; BMS has to draw a little power to re run the sense voltage again to determine battery status. This pulls the 10% down even more and if you continue it will not have enough no load load voltage for the charger to act on and will status the battery as a hard fail. The lights will give you an indication of battery condition. Some one else mentioned the soft start. When you pull the trigger the motor is almost a short circuit and as such demands an extremely hight amount of current except for the BMS monitoring the discharge rate and will limit that current until it is within the RUN spec for load. The Battery Management System is a small computerized integrated circuit wired internally in the battery. It is a great system and works well
with a little care and maintenance. As a aside; you could have a one battery, two battery or a four battery configuration. I am thinking you have the simplest of a single 12 volt battery running a single speed motor turning a single SHARP blade and a putting green quality lawn to maintain. OR YOU COULD HAVE an extension cort that converts 120AC to a DC to run the motor. A model number put into this site will get you on the right track. This is a simple problem and no one has mentioned if you plug it in to the AC wall plug or run it off self contained batteries. Dude, the dang thang is broke. OR you could get POE to help you with the troubleshooting.


#49

Alan46

Alan46

bsb ohana said:
First thing is see if you can hand turn the blade. Is it jammed or float free? Electrical mowers are so simple there are no parts to replace, nothing much to do, so nothing much to work on. A person who is handy and know how to use multimeter could look at it. It is either a mechanical problem (probably) or an electrical problem. As far as "tree huggers" there is no need in this type of forum to speak in a rude and derogatory manner to anyone. We are all brothers and some sisters trying to mow our lawns and fields and to help each other keep our equipment running. I have gas, diesel and battery equipment. Each has its place, but batteries are the future and electrical equipment gets better every day. I love my redwoods, fruit and nut trees. They give me so much. I am going to go and give them a hug.
Click to expand...
Right on brother!
I remember the first tree I hugged, I was going out with this hippie woman and she had a huge barkless eucalyptus
tree in her backyard, that was a really good feeling I will never forget!☮️✌🏻


#50

C

callwill

slomo said:
Most old timers would walk the yard, prior to mowing, as to retrieve items like log chains, dog stakes, fence posts, bottles, cars, people, barbed wire, trailer hitches and so on.
Click to expand...
Thats a good thing to do, but not at all helpful at this point in time is it.


#51

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage said:
@Alan46 🙄"I'm surrounded by idiots"
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#52

StarTech

StarTech

At least you didn't wipe your tail with the leaves of three that grows here is the US. And btw it wasn't me that did it but was a city dude. I explain that why we carry a roll of the paper with us on outdoor trips.


#53

G

guitarman4805

About the charger and the lights: I may have overlooked the model number of the Kobalt, and I do not know your battery chemistry. As previously stated chargers usually were sold with the end item and were specific to battery type. Lithium batteries have internal BMS electronics to make sure you don't over charge more than 90 % of usable power. This is because the charger senses the open terminal, no load of the suspect batteries and adusts internals to match charge parameters so it will not over charge. During charge cycle, the charger monitors temperature, voltage and current so that when the lights indicate a READY for service you can rest assured the battery has been recharged to close to 100% of capacity. Nicad, NIMH, LeadAcid and other variations of lead acid use a different type of charger. You need to be certain the charger is specific to your type batteries and that the charger is functional. The manual fpr the mower, the manual for the charger will tell you how to safely charge.
One word of caution. Lithium batts output full demand current for cutting grass and suddenly the BMS will shut down the battery because it is at <10% charge. Do Not repeatedly hit RUN; BMS has to draw a little power to re run the sense voltage again to determine battery status. This pulls the 10% down even more and if you continue it will not have enough no load load voltage for the charger to act on and will status the battery as a hard fail. The lights will give you an indication of battery condition. Some one else mentioned the soft start. When you pull the trigger the motor is almost a short circuit and as such demands an extremely hight amount of current except for the BMS monitoring the discharge rate and will limit that current until it is within the RUN spec for load. The Battery Management System is a small computerized integrated circuit wired internally in the battery. It is a great system and works well
with a little care and maintenance. As a aside; you could have a one battery, two battery or a four battery configuration. I am thinking you have the simplest of a single 12 volt battery running a single speed motor turning a single SHARP blade and a putting green quality lawn to maintain. OR YOU COULD HAVE an extension cort that converts 120AC to a DC to run the motor. A model number put into this site will get you on the right track. This is a simple


#54

Alan46

Alan46

I’m beginning to think that this isn’t a real issue, just the OP messing with us, thoughts?


#55

The Maintenance Guy

The Maintenance Guy

A-58 said:
Dear dudes,

I'm having trouble with my Kobalt electric lawnmower. I was cutting grass yesterday and hit a metal stake in the ground as I was turning it. The blade stopped abruptly. Couldn't get it to start again. I called a few shops and nobody seems to work on electric mowers. At one shop the guy said that I should hit the restart button to see if that helps. He said that I might have to remove a lid or cover to get to it. If that didn't work I could drop it by his shop and he'd have a look at it. Does anyone know if this works? Many thanks in advance.
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Probably a reset of some kind. Either that or the electric mower has some kind of shear pin or woodruff key like a gas mower. Take the top off and look for anything that appears to be a reset button, usually a bright color. If nothing comes up, see if the blade turns freely, like it is not connected to anything. This could indicate some kind of pin sheared off. If nothing else, just begin disassembly (remembering where everything goes) and look for anything that looks busted. If you find nothing, at least you have it apart for disposal. Good Luck!


#56

T

TobyU

bsb ohana said:
First thing is see if you can hand turn the blade. Is it jammed or float free? Electrical mowers are so simple there are no parts to replace, nothing much to do, so nothing much to work on. A person who is handy and know how to use multimeter could look at it. It is either a mechanical problem (probably) or an electrical problem. As far as "tree huggers" there is no need in this type of forum to speak in a rude and derogatory manner to anyone. We are all brothers and some sisters trying to mow our lawns and fields and to help each other keep our equipment running. I have gas, diesel and battery equipment. Each has its place, but batteries are the future and electrical equipment gets better every day. I love my redwoods, fruit and nut trees. They give me so much. I am going to go and give them a hug.
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Sure there is. We blast these cheaply made, underpowered, short run time crappy battery mowers and more and more people who try them have buyer's remorse and decide they want a gas mower.
THIS is what many people want to happen. They don't want battery to "be the future".
People will do lots of things to help their goals so this makes it a bit needed 😆

I'm not here to make friends with anyone.
I don't care about the people/owners is mowers.
I only want the equipment to last and week properly and I do mean gasoline equipment.
Don't overthink my position too much.
I really can't stand diesel either. LOL
Not really a big fan of 2 stroke but I still like that better than battery.

In fact, I get more than aggravated with people online who insist on doing troubleshooting (or lack thereof) and "repairs" the WRONG way or at least a really expensive and inefficient way.
So often, they won't listen and take good advice being repeated by -almost everyone.
Their in their own little la la land and want to do it their way.

I have no desire to restore time on these people and I hope they never get their stuff fixed.

When I don't know something, I look to those who do. I take their advice and experience to heart and make the best and most likely to succeed plan of action I can.
I don't resist their repeated recommendations etc.

People would likely not question or second guess a doctor or specialized medical professional but they don't like to listen to the specialized professionals who have solved the same symptoms 100s of times - this year!
And let's not forget (because I never miss an opportunity to make a dig) those youtube/amazon debacle people who remove (usually a waste of time) and throw away a perfectly good carb (better than the new one) instead of just cleaning the darn thing or often just the one main jet.

Then they went to argue and justify their actions.
-it was only $14.
-it was faster- NOT if you know what your doing!
-it's better- NOT

Do you sense an attitude from me?
It's FROM dealing with people and to many of the wrong kind. Lol
What do they say and don't with the public??? Makes you NOT want to deal with the public.
They are not wrong.

I'll be over here using my gas equipment with the original carbs for the foreseeable future.


#57

S

Slider99

TobyU said:
Sure there is. We blast these cheaply made, underpowered, short run time crappy battery mowers and more and more people who try them have buyer's remorse and decide they want a gas mower.
THIS is what many people want to happen. They don't want battery to "be the future".
People will do lots of things to help their goals so this makes it a bit needed 😆

I'm not here to make friends with anyone.
I don't care about the people/owners is mowers.
I only want the equipment to last and week properly and I do mean gasoline equipment.
Don't overthink my position too much.
I really can't stand diesel either. LOL
Not really a big fan of 2 stroke but I still like that better than battery.

In fact, I get more than aggravated with people online who insist on doing troubleshooting (or lack thereof) and "repairs" the WRONG way or at least a really expensive and inefficient way.
So often, they won't listen and take good advice being repeated by -almost everyone.
Their in their own little la la land and want to do it their way.

I have no desire to restore time on these people and I hope they never get their stuff fixed.

When I don't know something, I look to those who do. I take their advice and experience to heart and make the best and most likely to succeed plan of action I can.
I don't resist their repeated recommendations etc.

People would likely not question or second guess a doctor or specialized medical professional but they don't like to listen to the specialized professionals who have solved the same symptoms 100s of times - this year!
And let's not forget (because I never miss an opportunity to make a dig) those youtube/amazon debacle people who remove (usually a waste of time) and throw away a perfectly good carb (better than the new one) instead of just cleaning the darn thing or often just the one main jet.

Then they went to argue and justify their actions.
-it was only $14.
-it was faster- NOT if you know what your doing!
-it's better- NOT

Do you sense an attitude from me?
It's FROM dealing with people and to many of the wrong kind. Lol
What do they say and don't with the public??? Makes you NOT want to deal with the public.
They are not wrong.

I'll be over here using my gas equipment with the original carbs for the foreseeable future.
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I have plenty of Stihl equipment and they wear out and break just like everything else. Also have a few EGO electric things and they have preformed flawlessly. Each is right for a job. Good electric equipment are not cheaply made garbage. I'm going with you have never used any, and also going with you say EV's are all garbage being forced on us.
You sound pretty bitter about something.


#58

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

🍿


#59

StarTech

StarTech

As Slider99 said well made electrical works nearly flawless but there is a lot el cheapo equipment out there in both electric and gasoline powered versions.

As with all cost to repair is the biggest factor when they break. And currently with battery powered equipment it is the getting IPLs and service info is our biggest problem. Personally electric equipment is not a problem as long as I get the needed info and parts. We also got use common sense and don't go overboard on repairs as we got consider replacement costs too.

It is like the two Stihl handheld blowers here one has bad crankshaft bearings with my labor costs nearly 3/4 of the replacement cost. The other one needs a PNC kit which cost nearly same percentage wise. Since both units are over 7 yrs old I recommended the customer just to replace them.


#60

H

Have_Blue

Slider99 said:
I have plenty of Stihl equipment and they wear out and break just like everything else. Also have a few EGO electric things and they have preformed flawlessly. Each is right for a job. Good electric equipment are not cheaply made garbage. I'm going with you have never used any, and also going with you say EV's are all garbage being forced on us.
You sound pretty bitter about something.
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EGO stuff is awesome, and always near the top in head-to-head testing. The manufacturer is great, and probably has the best support of any in the industry. Having said that, I prefer multiple small cheap(er) batteries to 1 large, super-expensive one, so I use Makita.

People need to understand that electric yard tools are no more complex or unreliable than good brands of cordless drills, impact drivers, and jig saws, so much of their negativity is unfounded.


#61

H

Honest Abe

Have_Blue said:
EGO stuff is awesome, and always near the top in head-to-head testing. The manufacturer is great, and probably has the best support of any in the industry. Having said that, I prefer multiple small cheap(er) batteries to 1 large, super-expensive one, so I use Makita.

People need to understand that electric yard tools are no more complex or unreliable than good brands of cordless drills, impact drivers, and jig saws, so much of their negativity is unfounded.
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when was the last time you bought an plug-in tool that lasted 45 years after daily work use, I have several; but, not a single battery tool has lasted 5 years...... Oh ya, I have a 1981 Case 108 tractor with a deck and blower that my son uses, and which is still going strong after HOURS and HOURS of use!


#62

G

GearHead36

Have_Blue said:
EGO stuff is awesome, and always near the top in head-to-head testing. The manufacturer is great, and probably has the best support of any in the industry. Having said that, I prefer multiple small cheap(er) batteries to 1 large, super-expensive one, so I use Makita.

People need to understand that electric yard tools are no more complex or unreliable than good brands of cordless drills, impact drivers, and jig saws, so much of their negativity is unfounded.
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I'm negative on battery powered OPE because it's being shoved down my throat. As are EV's and other "green" initiatives. Battery tools are fine for light duty. In some cases, they are easier to use. Like impact wrenches. I was recently at a Discount Tire, and got a look inside their work area. They've switched to battery impact wrenches. But for a mower, or a trimmer, or a chainsaw... I don't want to be forced to have to buy something battery powered.


#63

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage

@GearHead36 Exactlyyy. Well said. That's my only problem with Electric equipment. Luckily Oregon doesn't force us to buy electric... Yet. I personally have several cordless drills, impacts, etc. And they get the job done great. I haven't tried a cordless blower or mower yet but I don't have high hopes so I'm not going to waste my hard-earned


#64

Craftsman Garage

Craftsman Garage

*Money


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