Is electric the way to go now?

[Craftsman Garage]

nothing better than the old stuff

 

[Craftsman Garage]

electric tools suck, i got an electric weewhacker. cooked in 10 minutes under some thin blackberries whereas my stihl weedwhacker cuts through em like butter. and who doesn't like the sound of the engines? yeah, your neighbors, but WHO ACTUALLY CARES? california politicians, that's who.

 

[Muhammad]

At present, I think if most of your 'dollar-volume' is from commercial and large 'estate' machinery, I wouldn't worry too much.

As a homeowner with 9 years experience with batt-powered stuff, I can't see ever going back to gas. Doesn't mean I wouldn't switch back to ice in a heartbeat if I began having to maintain 'acreage' though.

This is where I'm at as well. Living in the suburbs, I don't want to deal with gas powered equipment although I do make an exception for my Stihl 194t chainsaw. I don't really need that much power for occasional limbing and would be totally fine with a Milwaukee fuel chainsaw 9/10 times but it's nice to have the power if I ever need it.

My parents have a battery powered ryobi lawn mower that I picked up for them for $99 including battery on clearance at home depot and it's perfect for their corner lot with about 8,000sq ft and maybe 2,500sq ft of grass.

The town next to mine already banned gas powered equipment so the pro crews are wearing the stihl battery backpacks for regular maintenance. I actually don't know what they do about chainsaws, maybe that's an exemption, I should look it up.

I think the battery stuff has come a long way and is quieter, no exhaust smells, etc. Definitely is sufficient for the suburban user. The downside is the cost and longevity. You're basically buying a throw away that will have at most a 10 year life. That may be fine if you pay $99 like I did, but not if you are paying $4k for a battery ztr. That doesn't fly with me.

 

[smhardesty]

Haven't seen any pro yard crews running anything battery yet. That will tell you something. Those guys can tear up new anvils.

Good point. I hadn't even thought of that, but you are 100% correct for crews in my area. I've not even a battery powered blower or trimmer. Imagine how many batteries a lawn service would have to own. LOL! They'd have to have a guy doing nothing but running batteries to the crews all day long. Also, imagine just how hard a lot of the guys on mowing crews would treat batteries. Those things would be bounced along like ping pong balls. Yep, excellent point, slomo.

 

[smhardesty]

electric tools suck, i got an electric weewhacker. cooked in 10 minutes under some thin blackberries whereas my stihl weedwhacker cuts through em like butter. and who doesn't like the sound of the engines? yeah, your neighbors, but WHO ACTUALLY CARES? california politicians, that's who.

You brought up California. I know they banned gas powered OPE a couple of years back. Is that ban still in effect? If so, what the hell are they doing out there for mowing crews and lawn service? Are they actually using battery powered mowers for everything? How many batteries does a crew that mows large areas of grass use? There are countless places in California that have monstrous grassed areas around their huge office buildings and factories. Are they still only using battery powered mowers on those areas? If so, just how many batteries does it take?

 

[smhardesty]

That may be fine if you pay $99 like I did, but not if you are paying $4k for a battery ztr. That doesn't fly with me.

Bingo! These forced bans on gas powered equipment have at least two negative affects on the general public. Homeowners are forced to buy equipment with a very short life expectancy, at least when compared to gas OPE. On top of the short lifespan of the equipment, batteries have even shorter life expectancies. So, homeowners are bearing the burden of much higher costs to mow and trim their lawns. Then, it gets even worse for mowing services. Decent battery powered zero turns run AT LEAST $4,000 and most are more. Their batteries aren't lasting as long as they were advertised to last. Add in a little rough treatment by the guys employed by the mowing service and the things aren't lasting anywhere near their advertised life expectancies. That added cost HAS to be passed on to the property owner.

I have read articles and posts on other forums where guys are arguing until they're blue in the face that battery powered OPE is actually cheaper than ICE OPE because of the cost of gas and oil. They then compare the life expectancies of the two and that's when I get irritated. I have seen, time and again, statements that a gas powered lawn mower or zero turn only has a life expectancy of 7 years or, at most, 10 years. I suppose if you never did the first spec of maintenance on your mower it might not last over 7 years. I've got stuff sitting in storage, waiting on me to refurbish them, that are over 20 years old. Had these same pieces of equipment received just basic care they would still be running and serving their owner well. I did a refurb on one mower recently that was given to me at no cost because the owner said it was junk and wouldn't run. I dumped the old gas, pulled the carb, stuck it in some paint thinner, blew it out, put it back together, then finished the servicing, and it fired and purred like a kitten. The other thing I found was that the blade on the thing hadn't been removed and sharpened for a LOT of years, if ever. All that was left was a slab of metal, half the width as when it was new, with the front edge rolled and blunt. THESE are what those articles are using as evidence that ICE OPE won't last over 7 years. Irritates the crap out of me.

No, I don't think we are at the point where battery powered ANYTHING is better than the old ICE stuff, and that includes cars and trucks. Whether we like it or not, it seems U.S. government agencies are dead set on outlawing anything powered by gas, diesel, kerosene, LP, or natural gas, including cook stoves. I still can't believe they are attempting to outlaw a danged gas cook stove. WOW!

 

[Craftsman Garage]

You brought up California. I know they banned gas powered OPE a couple of years back. Is that ban still in effect? If so, what the hell are they doing out there for mowing crews and lawn service? Are they actually using battery powered mowers for everything? How many batteries does a crew that mows large areas of grass use? There are countless places in California that have monstrous grassed areas around their huge office buildings and factories. Are they still only using battery powered mowers on those areas? If so, just how many batteries does it take?

Yup it’s still in effect until republicans finally take control, then you can use your gas mowers again.

 

[Muhammad]

@smhardesty Yeah. The cost increase is going to be significant and nobody is going to pay for it other than homeowners.

I was looking at the stats and the electric mower market is already $5 billion a year, mostly walk behinds. I personally don't mind the electric walk behinds but the bigger the equipment gets or the more you use it the more expensive it will become.

You brought up California. I know they banned gas powered OPE a couple of years back. Is that ban still in effect? If so, what the hell are they doing out there for mowing crews and lawn service? Are they actually using battery powered mowers for everything? How many batteries does a crew that mows large areas of grass use? There are countless places in California that have monstrous grassed areas around their huge office buildings and factories. Are they still only using battery powered mowers on those areas? If so, just how many batteries does it take?

The State Air Resources Board of California has until 2024 to eliminate gas-powered lawn care equipment.

If they want to buy back my Stihl 194t for full price, I'm okay with that. Anything less would be unacceptable.

 

[Thalweg]

On the bright side, all this ridiculousness seems like an opportunity for handy guys. I've been collecting old OPE that people are throwing out or selling for very little and rebuilding it. I suspect that in a few years when all that is available to the general public is the battery powered crap, the demand for this old stuff will grow precipitously. Just need to fix it while parts are still available.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Bingo! These forced bans on gas powered equipment have at least two negative affects on the general public. Homeowners are forced to buy equipment with a very short life expectancy, at least when compared to gas OPE. On top of the short lifespan of the equipment, batteries have even shorter life expectancies. So, homeowners are bearing the burden of much higher costs to mow and trim their lawns. Then, it gets even worse for mowing services. Decent battery powered zero turns run AT LEAST $4,000 and most are more. Their batteries aren't lasting as long as they were advertised to last. Add in a little rough treatment by the guys employed by the mowing service and the things aren't lasting anywhere near their advertised life expectancies. That added cost HAS to be passed on to the property owner.

I have read articles and posts on other forums where guys are arguing until they're blue in the face that battery powered OPE is actually cheaper than ICE OPE because of the cost of gas and oil. They then compare the life expectancies of the two and that's when I get irritated. I have seen, time and again, statements that a gas powered lawn mower or zero turn only has a life expectancy of 7 years or, at most, 10 years. I suppose if you never did the first spec of maintenance on your mower it might not last over 7 years. I've got stuff sitting in storage, waiting on me to refurbish them, that are over 20 years old. Had these same pieces of equipment received just basic care they would still be running and serving their owner well. I did a refurb on one mower recently that was given to me at no cost because the owner said it was junk and wouldn't run. I dumped the old gas, pulled the carb, stuck it in some paint thinner, blew it out, put it back together, then finished the servicing, and it fired and purred like a kitten. The other thing I found was that the blade on the thing hadn't been removed and sharpened for a LOT of years, if ever. All that was left was a slab of metal, half the width as when it was new, with the front edge rolled and blunt. THESE are what those articles are using as evidence that ICE OPE won't last over 7 years. Irritates the crap out of me.

No, I don't think we are at the point where battery powered ANYTHING is better than the old ICE stuff, and that includes cars and trucks. Whether we like it or not, it seems U.S. government agencies are dead set on outlawing anything powered by gas, diesel, kerosene, LP, or natural gas, including cook stoves. I still can't believe they are attempting to outlaw a danged gas cook stove. WOW!

Just finished a 15 y/o cub cadet 1000 series
Exteriour is immaculate but he was complining it had no power
The plugs had so much soot in them you could not see the electrodes
The float had been pushed so hard againstthe carb body that the body had dents worn it it and so did the float till eventually the float wore through where it was rubbing on the body.
So a nre neelde & float, some new tyres and 15 replaced bolts and it is off for another 15 years .
What the pro battery crowd are using for the life of the mower is the length of time the engine is EPA compliant which is very short because they are jetted too lean so wear the bore faster .