GOODBYE TO ELECTRIC

[woodstover]

Warranty is generally 5-years for non-commercial use. The OP obviously fits within the warranty but not everyone keeps receipts and RYOBI service centers and not always convenient.

True, but most batteries are dated at mfg. Ryobi has mailed me batteries under warranty.

Might also be cheaper to have them rebuilt locally as opposed to replaced.

 

[GearHead36]

The maintenance on a gas mower really isn’t a pain.

True, but.... I'm fairly mechanical, and I've had no-start problems with gas equipment in the past, too, until I learned not to ignore the maintenance schedule. One problem, if you want to call it that, is that many OPE engines will tolerate being neglected. To a point. If someone buys a new gas mower, and does nothing to it but add gas, it will still likely last 3 yrs if it's a 4-stroke. For 2-cycles, they will last longer as they will get fresh oil in every tank of gas... until the exhaust screen plugs. Then you learn to stop running at part throttle. Then there are those who DO follow the maintenance, and after 5 yrs or so, it still gets hard to crank because the valves need adjusting. If you follow the maintenance schedule, including valve adjustments, and always run your equipment at full throttle, it will last decades. Or, at least, they used to. Equipment built 10 yrs ago would do this. Now? I'm not so sure.

Now if someone is the type who just adds gas to their gas mower until it dies, they will also likely be the type to run an electric mower until it stops, then change or charge the battery. Completely draining a battery every time is a good way to shorten it's lifespan. So these people will still be replacing their mower every 3 yrs.

 

[papajack]

True, but.... I'm fairly mechanical, and I've had no-start problems with gas equipment in the past, too, until I learned not to ignore the maintenance schedule. One problem, if you want to call it that, is that many OPE engines will tolerate being neglected. To a point. If someone buys a new gas mower, and does nothing to it but add gas, it will still likely last 3 yrs if it's a 4-stroke. For 2-cycles, they will last longer as they will get fresh oil in every tank of gas... until the exhaust screen plugs. Then you learn to stop running at part throttle. Then there are those who DO follow the maintenance, and after 5 yrs or so, it still gets hard to crank because the valves need adjusting. If you follow the maintenance schedule, including valve adjustments, and always run your equipment at full throttle, it will last decades. Or, at least, they used to. Equipment built 10 yrs ago would do this. Now? I'm not so sure.

Now if someone is the type who just adds gas to their gas mower until it dies, they will also likely be the type to run an electric mower until it stops, then change or charge the battery. Completely draining a battery every time is a good way to shorten it's lifespan. So these people will still be replacing their mower every 3 yrs.

In the 70's I had a Murray lawn mower. It lasted over 10 tens. I just put gas in it and left it out in the yard until next spring. Always started on the first pull. Like real men, they do not make them like that anymore.

 

[PGB1]

I can surely empathize with your frustrations, PapaJack!
Battery tools can often be frustrating- espeically when the manufacturer coats the circuit boards with black epoxy so we can't diagnose & fix them! Most of my hand tools are plug-it-in-the-wall. I get to keep working while my co workers mess around with batteries.

Maybe One of These Will Help Ease The Pain...
(For tool batteries, including yard tools)

A) I usually rebuild the packs myself, upgrading to higher mAh cells in the process. It costs about 1/10th the cost of a ready-made brand name battery.
Open the pack & you will see markings on the cells showing you what to purchase.
If you're not really good at soldering, buy cells with the solder tabs already on them. The tabs are crazy-easy easy to solder. Low priced sources for cells are Temu, sometimes Amazon, eBay, BangGood, sometimes Bonanza. (Temu is by far the lowest priced of the group, but tedious to search.)

B) Places like Batteries Plus will rebuild the battery packs. Cost?

C) Low cost aftermarket batteries are all over the internet for many tools.
Checked Today For An Example:
Ryobi #OP4015/4050 40 volt 5aH = Two For $12.02 USD at Temu (A friend bought these some years ago & they are performing very well.)
There are lots of legitimate aftermarket sellers on line, or try the cheap places mentioned in "A" above.

Warranty The Easy Way:
Warranty for Ryobi was mentioned earlier.
With no receipt, if you happened to buy the machine or batteries at a Home Depot store; they can handle the entire warranty claim by using the credit card number of the card used for the purchase.

This can be done in the store or by calling their Customer Service number.
I've done this a few times without problems. Home Depot Customer Service is pretty peaceful about returns & warranty claims. In-Store around here is a roll-of-the-dice. Some people are happy & some are evil.

Home Depot usually tells me not to return the old part, so with batteries I get a new one from them and then rebuild the old one for a spare.

I don't know how easy Walmart & other Ryobi sellers make returns.

Enjoy Today!
Paul

 

[Hawk1954]

I was at walmart yesterday and the gas powered t(what we use to call a throw away) push mower with b&s, was 294 bucks....were talking 89 bucks a few years ago.... They are forcing you to electric.

 

[GrumpyCat]

I own an EGO battery push mower, too. Replacing the battery costs $300, which I have done twice. It is like buying a new mower. My next push mower will be gas.
I can't wait to be forced to have an electric car.

The EGo battery warranty is 3 years. Am still using my original 7.5Ah from 2016.

The worst thing you can do is leave it on the charger 24/7. Second only to leaving it out in freezing temperatures.

My 2013 Tesla Model S 85 still had 93% of it's original battery capacity remaining when I passed the car on to my sister this past December. Simply awful! In December it also needed it's 4th 12V battery.

 

[GrumpyCat]

And you are lucky that the batteries haven't been obsoleted forcing you to purchase a new mower.

That is the old Craftsman trick of "upgrading" to higher battery voltages every few years. Sears sure is a success to be admired!

EGo did a very good job designing one battery, right, the first time. Everything is 56V, and the same connection is used for all.

 

[GrumpyCat]

For anything with batteries, you have to decide if you are OK with the cost. Look up the cost before you buy. My Ryobi takes four batteries, old-fashioned lead batteries.

Yes, that is why they didn't last very long. Flooded lead-acid batteries wear very fast when subject to a deep discharge. Lithium-ion doesn't like operating at full charge or low charge but is very happy in the middle. LiFePO4 costs less than lithium-ion, likes a full charge and discharges don't wear as bad as other chemistries, but weigh more than lithium-ion.

For example, now stories are coming out that car battery replacements cost from $20 to $50 thousand if they still make the battery pack. My car is a 2005 Honda Civic, and my truck is a 2015 Colorado. Both are still going strong, and any repairs are within my budget. Anyone would be stupid to buy a used electric car.

I hear batteries cost a million dollars each! There, I've outdone you in sensationalism.

EV batteries are warranted 100% replacement for 8 years, 100,000 miles. Or more.

A good assortment of Tesla Model Y Long Range 82kWh batteries can be had on eBay for $8500. Simply awful!

 

[ILENGINE]

That is the old Craftsman trick of "upgrading" to higher battery voltages every few years. Sears sure is a success to be admired!

EGo did a very good job designing one battery, right, the first time. Everything is 56V, and the same connection is used for all.

Sears isn't the only one. Add Husqvarna/Poulan Pro for total customer refund of money for a blower that the battery went bad on 3 months into a 3 year warranty and the battery was NLA.

 

[PGB1]

Sears isn't the only one. Add Husqvarna/Poulan Pro for total customer refund of money for a blower that the battery went bad on 3 months into a 3 year warranty and the battery was NLA.

NLA sure is the killer of many things!

For a Metabo-HPT oscillating tool that came missing a part last week, the part was "Obsolete no replacement available" the very same day that I bought it new in the box from Lowes. (Lowes gave me no problems returning it.) And, that model is still for sale locally and on Metabo-HPT's web site.

I have a Cleva Lawnmaster Brand mower. It arrived missing parts. The same day that it arrived, I contacted them. Like the tool above, "No Parts Available- and Not Returnable". The credit card company refunded the cost. I made the parts. Free Mower. Ditto on a Cleva leaf blower.
But, oddly a year after purchase, the Cleva Vacmaster workshop vacuum needed a switch. They sent a whole new vacuum free.

Crazy World!