My Battery Equipment - Pros & Cons...

ecocuts

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Started this to generate some discussion and hear some thoughts on the battery / gas debate...

I've taken the lawn care side of my business completely cordless. For battery equipment, I started with a black & Decker SPCM1936 36V self propelled 19" mower, Stihl FSA85 straight shaft trimmer and Stihl BGA85 blower. I've since added a second B&D mower, the CM1936ZF2 which differs in that it's not self-propelled but came with 2 batteries and most of all... a fast charger. For battery power I have three 36V batteries for the two mowers and two 36V lithium Ion batteries for the Stihl's. To keep things charged up, I plug the chargers into a 3000 watt inverter, hooked up to 2 - 120ah deep cycle batteries. They charge dually off a 45 watt solar panel mounted on the roof of the truck and when the truck is running, off the alternator (with the truck starting battery protected by an isolator). The inverter/deep cycle combination is powerful enough that I can run 12-15Amp corded equipment off the truck when needed (for 30-45 minutes without running the truck). There are still some areas of the business that on occasion still needs gas such as aerating and power raking or weed whacking large areas. I went with the B&D mowers because I bought the initial one over a year ago as I thought it held the most promise (I've been watching the development of cordless for a few years), I have been very impressed with the mower so far. The Stihl trimmer and blower because I have a lot of faith in the Stihl brand having used their gas equipment for years.

Pros -

Less or zero emissions - When operating the equipment, charging solely off the solar panel, there are zero emissions. Even end of day topping off, plugged into the house there are zero emissions as here in BC, Canada, all of our electrical comes from hydro dams which is like the sun, renewable energy. We have no nuclear or coal generating plants here.

Quieter - This has turned out to be one of the biggest benefits. All these tools are at least 50% quieter than their gas counterparts. No longer a need for hearing protection as everything runs under 75db. My son has been cutting a lawn 10 feet away while I have a "normal" voice conversation with the client. I have knocked on doors after finishing a property to collect and had the client say they didn't even realize we were there

Fuel costs - The cost of solar is free, the truck is running anyways transporting us to our next job, so charging costs nothing during the day and costs when plugged into the shop at night is minimal. The savings compared to buying gas everyday is huge considering we are paying $1.35 per liter. There is some debate here which I will talk about in the cons.

Maintenance - My biggest maintenance issue now is "cleaning" and blade sharpening. I periodically take the cover off the mower motors to vacuum any dust and cobwebs, wash the mowers and clean the Stihl's..... that's it! No more gas motor maintenance, changing spark plugs, bad gas, bad or wrong mix's, winterizing, spilling gas, carburaters acting up...

Storage - The mowers primarily, fold the handles and stand them upright with or without the batteries (they are sealed) - Can't do that with gas mowers. Saves me money and wear & tear on the truck as I don't need to always pull my trailer. Ford Ranger, 2 (2 cubic foot) storage boxes (deep cycles underneath), two mowers, trimmer, blower, garbage can, 2 rakes, shovel, broom, etc all stored in the rear bed. We bag all of our clippings and put them in contractor plastic garbage bags, I never have to carry more than a couple properties worth of clipping as I have a number of people with large gardens that take the clippings for compost and one is always close enough to drop off in the area we are working.

Advertising - People love the "green" aspect of the business and also the quiet operation. Once again we don't drive people inside when we show up with noisy, smelly gas engines. We all know there a a thousand guys doing this business in every town, what do you do to make yourselves stand out from the rest? We all need a "hook"

And now (for all you diehard gasheads) the cons...

Initial Cost - The cost of my first B&D mower was $450 CAD which is self-propelled, one battery and charger. This mower is on it's second year (first year of hard use). My new B&D mower just cost me $550, also a 19" cut, no self propelled but two batteries and a fast charger (45 min full charge). Argument here is that a good gas mower is going to run you $400 (This has been my observations here) and a good commercial Honda for example can run you upwards $1000 (and you still may only get a couple years, I have a couple friends in the business who don't bother with commercial grade anymore because the good box store $400 end up more cost effective) Next is the bigger kicker, the Stihl trimmer and blower. They run $250-$300 each, the longer life battery is $200 (I have 2) and the fast charger is $100 (Why would you buy anything else but the long life batteries and fast charger?) So I'm $1000 for the trimmer and blower. Could have gone cheaper with box store brands but I'm gambling on Stihl's reputation for quality and reliability that by the time they bite the bullet I would have gone through multiple box store units.

Batteries - I'm listing these as potential cons because there are some possible issues (we'll see with time). Batteries do not last forever so you will need to purchase new ones, a new one for each system per year? we'll see. The 2 year old B&D battery is showing no lessening of run time in it's second year, the other two and the Stihl's are in their first year. So talking operating costs, battery vs gas, IF I buy a new battery for each system per year ($400) that is still less than cost of fuel but if you have to replace your whole bank of batteries per year... well we'll see. The next issue so far with batteries is availability, neither company can supply the batteries at the rate they are being sold or so it seems. I believe that part of this is that they are expensive to stock so companies aren't willing to carry that while the sales are just starting grow. B&D did list that replacement batteries were backordered all winter until mid May. And another potential issue is development which you worry that as things develop and progress, will your product get outdated and still be supported? Will you still be able to get replacements? But this can be an issue with any product but an old gas trimmer will always work if taken care of while if the battery dies and you can't get a replacement, your trimmer may still work but no go-go juice :frown:

Power/Run time - I have had minimal issues with the runtime on the B&D mowers, they have performed as advertised, FOR HOMEOWNER USE! I found very quickly to operate commercially I needed more batteries. One battery was good for 2-3 average lawns using the self propelled only when needed. I have had NO issues with the power until the battery drops to 25% charge and even then only in thick shin high grass. My other issue with the first mower is that the supplied charger was a trickle charger, 8-10 hours for full charge. Needed a fast charger which they now have ($100) and at least one more battery ($200) then found B&D has come out with the CM1936ZF2 which has fast charger and 2 batteries ($500 bought separate) and the mower so you can look at it in the light that the mower cost me $50 :wink: and the second mower cuts potentially cuts the job time by 35-50%, so more lawns. The stihl's batteries - you get 45 minutes with trimmer continuous run time, I say that because you only run it while cutting, you turn it off and on constantly so that 45 minutes draws out to much longer BUT you do need multiple batteries and if you use the blower, it sucks juice like well I won't say her name... The blower is good for cleaning up clippings and such after mowing, blowing a lot of heavy leaves or dirt, no. The mph between battery and gas/corded electric is approx. half which makes it only good for maintenance/light cleanup. The good thing and bad thing about the stihl batteries is that you get full power until it just stops, so there is no warning other than to check the indicator lights on the battery. Talking power, is there more power/torque with gas equipment? Most definitely but is there enough power with the battery equipment, for my business, definitely.

So I've rambled on to the point where most of you now need a second cup of coffee so I will leave you with these observations and would love to hear thoughts, debate, questions....

Doug Severny
EcoCuts Lawn & Garden Care
Victoria, BC, Canada
:confused2:
 
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I think an electric mowing business is an AWESOME idea! It sounds like you are doing well!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 

exotion

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I think an electric mowing business is an AWESOME idea! It sounds like you are doing well!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Yah we have a guy here in spokane has a similar set up he does great he charges about 60 an hour and doesn't even bag lol
 

Sunyimin43

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I have used many mowers in my time and this is the best mower i have ever used.The weight of the mower for me makes it perfect because it is easy to use and move around.you can use the self propelled feature when the mower is not on makes putting it away great. Read more articles
 

066

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Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Threads
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Messages
136
Started this to generate some discussion and hear some thoughts on the battery / gas debate...

I've taken the lawn care side of my business completely cordless. For battery equipment, I started with a black & Decker SPCM1936 36V self propelled 19" mower, Stihl FSA85 straight shaft trimmer and Stihl BGA85 blower. I've since added a second B&D mower, the CM1936ZF2 which differs in that it's not self-propelled but came with 2 batteries and most of all... a fast charger. For battery power I have three 36V batteries for the two mowers and two 36V lithium Ion batteries for the Stihl's. To keep things charged up, I plug the chargers into a 3000 watt inverter, hooked up to 2 - 120ah deep cycle batteries. They charge dually off a 45 watt solar panel mounted on the roof of the truck and when the truck is running, off the alternator (with the truck starting battery protected by an isolator). The inverter/deep cycle combination is powerful enough that I can run 12-15Amp corded equipment off the truck when needed (for 30-45 minutes without running the truck). There are still some areas of the business that on occasion still needs gas such as aerating and power raking or weed whacking large areas. I went with the B&D mowers because I bought the initial one over a year ago as I thought it held the most promise (I've been watching the development of cordless for a few years), I have been very impressed with the mower so far. The Stihl trimmer and blower because I have a lot of faith in the Stihl brand having used their gas equipment for years.

Pros -

Less or zero emissions - When operating the equipment, charging solely off the solar panel, there are zero emissions. Even end of day topping off, plugged into the house there are zero emissions as here in BC, Canada, all of our electrical comes from hydro dams which is like the sun, renewable energy. We have no nuclear or coal generating plants here.

Quieter - This has turned out to be one of the biggest benefits. All these tools are at least 50% quieter than their gas counterparts. No longer a need for hearing protection as everything runs under 75db. My son has been cutting a lawn 10 feet away while I have a "normal" voice conversation with the client. I have knocked on doors after finishing a property to collect and had the client say they didn't even realize we were there

Fuel costs - The cost of solar is free, the truck is running anyways transporting us to our next job, so charging costs nothing during the day and costs when plugged into the shop at night is minimal. The savings compared to buying gas everyday is huge considering we are paying $1.35 per liter. There is some debate here which I will talk about in the cons.

Maintenance - My biggest maintenance issue now is "cleaning" and blade sharpening. I periodically take the cover off the mower motors to vacuum any dust and cobwebs, wash the mowers and clean the Stihl's..... that's it! No more gas motor maintenance, changing spark plugs, bad gas, bad or wrong mix's, winterizing, spilling gas, carburaters acting up...

Storage - The mowers primarily, fold the handles and stand them upright with or without the batteries (they are sealed) - Can't do that with gas mowers. Saves me money and wear & tear on the truck as I don't need to always pull my trailer. Ford Ranger, 2 (2 cubic foot) storage boxes (deep cycles underneath), two mowers, trimmer, blower, garbage can, 2 rakes, shovel, broom, etc all stored in the rear bed. We bag all of our clippings and put them in contractor plastic garbage bags, I never have to carry more than a couple properties worth of clipping as I have a number of people with large gardens that take the clippings for compost and one is always close enough to drop off in the area we are working.

Advertising - People love the "green" aspect of the business and also the quiet operation. Once again we don't drive people inside when we show up with noisy, smelly gas engines. We all know there a a thousand guys doing this business in every town, what do you do to make yourselves stand out from the rest? We all need a "hook"

And now (for all you diehard gasheads) the cons...

Initial Cost - The cost of my first B&D mower was $450 CAD which is self-propelled, one battery and charger. This mower is on it's second year (first year of hard use). My new B&D mower just cost me $550, also a 19" cut, no self propelled but two batteries and a fast charger (45 min full charge). Argument here is that a good gas mower is going to run you $400 (This has been my observations here) and a good commercial Honda for example can run you upwards $1000 (and you still may only get a couple years, I have a couple friends in the business who don't bother with commercial grade anymore because the good box store $400 end up more cost effective) Next is the bigger kicker, the Stihl trimmer and blower. They run $250-$300 each, the longer life battery is $200 (I have 2) and the fast charger is $100 (Why would you buy anything else but the long life batteries and fast charger?) So I'm $1000 for the trimmer and blower. Could have gone cheaper with box store brands but I'm gambling on Stihl's reputation for quality and reliability that by the time they bite the bullet I would have gone through multiple box store units.

Batteries - I'm listing these as potential cons because there are some possible issues (we'll see with time). Batteries do not last forever so you will need to purchase new ones, a new one for each system per year? we'll see. The 2 year old B&D battery is showing no lessening of run time in it's second year, the other two and the Stihl's are in their first year. So talking operating costs, battery vs gas, IF I buy a new battery for each system per year ($400) that is still less than cost of fuel but if you have to replace your whole bank of batteries per year... well we'll see. The next issue so far with batteries is availability, neither company can supply the batteries at the rate they are being sold or so it seems. I believe that part of this is that they are expensive to stock so companies aren't willing to carry that while the sales are just starting grow. B&D did list that replacement batteries were backordered all winter until mid May. And another potential issue is development which you worry that as things develop and progress, will your product get outdated and still be supported? Will you still be able to get replacements? But this can be an issue with any product but an old gas trimmer will always work if taken care of while if the battery dies and you can't get a replacement, your trimmer may still work but no go-go juice :frown:

Power/Run time - I have had minimal issues with the runtime on the B&D mowers, they have performed as advertised, FOR HOMEOWNER USE! I found very quickly to operate commercially I needed more batteries. One battery was good for 2-3 average lawns using the self propelled only when needed. I have had NO issues with the power until the battery drops to 25% charge and even then only in thick shin high grass. My other issue with the first mower is that the supplied charger was a trickle charger, 8-10 hours for full charge. Needed a fast charger which they now have ($100) and at least one more battery ($200) then found B&D has come out with the CM1936ZF2 which has fast charger and 2 batteries ($500 bought separate) and the mower so you can look at it in the light that the mower cost me $50 :wink: and the second mower cuts potentially cuts the job time by 35-50%, so more lawns. The stihl's batteries - you get 45 minutes with trimmer continuous run time, I say that because you only run it while cutting, you turn it off and on constantly so that 45 minutes draws out to much longer BUT you do need multiple batteries and if you use the blower, it sucks juice like well I won't say her name... The blower is good for cleaning up clippings and such after mowing, blowing a lot of heavy leaves or dirt, no. The mph between battery and gas/corded electric is approx. half which makes it only good for maintenance/light cleanup. The good thing and bad thing about the stihl batteries is that you get full power until it just stops, so there is no warning other than to check the indicator lights on the battery. Talking power, is there more power/torque with gas equipment? Most definitely but is there enough power with the battery equipment, for my business, definitely.

So I've rambled on to the point where most of you now need a second cup of coffee so I will leave you with these observations and would love to hear thoughts, debate, questions....

Doug Severny
EcoCuts Lawn & Garden Care
Victoria, BC, Canada
:confused2:
with your original post back in may last year, I was just wondering how your business went over the past 9 months, any problems with machinery or battery?
keen to hear how the Stihl product is performing.
 

066

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Oct 18, 2012
Threads
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Messages
136
It's now September 2015 on the tail end of your summer, I was wondering how the batterys & equipment have held up, any problems with battery life?
 
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