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I have a 2010 B&D CMM1200 that I got for free from the county when I traded in an old gas mower. It has served my well for 9 years. Today I was mowing my somewhat tall grass and it was struggling. Figured it's time for a battery. 9 years isn't a bad run.

It's a 24v mower with 2 12v batteries connected together. Cheap Amazon battery is about $80, but review aren't the best. 1-2 years if I'm lucky and I have concerns with cheap (likely) Chinese batteries always plugged in and charging in the garage. I can source the original Panasonic battery from Mouser for about $180 shipped. Now we're getting up there in price for a 9 year old mower. Batteries Plus has a Duracell for ~$140 which is what I've decided I'd get if I were to buy batteries.

I see there are some newer cordless mowers. Ego gets the most press and has a 56v system. Greenworks/Kobalt have an 80v. The higher voltage mowers seem to be the best from an electronics standpoint and it seems Kobalt has the battery warranty and customer service (Go figure). I'm not much for store branded equipment, however as they usually are lower featured or quality than the name brand for obvious reasons.

This weekend is sale weekend so I poked around. HD doesn't seem to have the Ego on sale. Kobalts are $50 off or so. I didn't buy anything.

I'm leaning toward replacing the battery. Considering the mower was free in the first place, $140 to extend the life of the B&D seems reasonable. Will likely get a new blade for $25 and sharpen the old one as a spare, so let's say ~$170 to revitalize a 9 year old mower. I imagine battery mowers will continue to improve and hopefully I can buy myself another 5 years before I have to buy one. Thoughts? Any CMM1200 owners still happy with the unit or is everyone going Li-Ion?

~2500 square feet of grass. Already have B&D string trimmer/blower which is sufficient. Not going gas.

Does your mower have 2 stage or multi-stage 'load sensing'. newer mowers can change their power based on load, that extends mowing time.

could be time for an upgrade.

1 Lucky Texan said:

Does your mower have 2 stage or multi-stage 'load sensing'. newer mowers can change their power based on load, that extends mowing time.

could be time for an upgrade.

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No, it's just a basic mower.

I have had that model for 23 years.
I am probably on my 5th set of gel cells. I wouldn't get them from Amazon, go to a outlet that specializes in batteries. There are plenty of them. Better choice and better batteries.
BatteryMart for starters. :thumbsup:

BTW, you can order 1 or 2 sizes up if you don't mind modifying the mounting arrangement. I did that one time, but the problem was, bringing it in the basement in the winter. The weight difference was a killer, but the run time basically doubled.

there are drop-in lithium replacements for gel cells. Probably very expensive at first, but likely more power, longer-lived, and lighter weight. They have their own charging management so, should be direct replacement.

^ Source?? ^

some might not work if you run in series, or, you need a special unit?, proceed carefully!

this one seems to be able to run up to 3 in series. https://relionbattery.com/products/lithium/rb20-x

not sure on any of these - maybe contact them?; https://www.lithiumion-batteries.com/ or https://www.powertechsystems.eu/hom...20ah-12v-lithium-ion-battery-pack-powerbrick/ or https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-LiFePO...876970?hash=item3d8bf1aeaa:g:uHwAAOSwGBxc7X3i or https://greenlifebattery.com/product/12v-20a-lithium-ion-battery/

these claim to be replacements (gel) for your mower; https://www.mightymaxbattery.com/p3517063/12v-18ah-gel-battery-for-black-decker-cmm1200-mower.html

I also found this!; http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=8415 and http://markselectricmower.blogspot.com/2010/04/battery.html

Sheesh, now I'm sorry I asked. :frown:

It never occurred to me to look into packs that were something other than gel cell, let along Li-Ion. Nor even looking into forums on this mower since I really never had a problem with mine (other than their 3 electrical recalls, those cheap plastic wheels that were replaced 3x and of course battery replacement. I have had mine for 23 years. Can't wait to see how long this replacement will last.

I see what you mean about being 'expensive'. How about a single 24volt single version since this takes two 12v in series and I read that some of those can't be run in series which this mower would require.

There are 24V batteries that seem to have there own management for charging. There are the 2 guys in the bottom links that retrofit lithium AND a new charger into their mowers, and some of the batteries can be run is series, the others would need inqury. I suppose a lot depends on the actual space you have available.

https://www.electriccarpartscompany.com/Replacement-Drop-In-for-24V-Lead-Acid-Batteries_c_210.html


My guess is, the scooter batteries with their own chargers, probably taken apart and re-configured to fit, would be the cheapest way forward for you but....lots to educate yourself about.

Even when you've done that, you won't have 'load sensing' like newer mowers have. Fun project if you have some eelctro-mechanical experience and time for a weekend of tinkering I guess. But, these new batteries have a lot of energy in them and you do need to be cautious with them. passenger airlines won't ship lithium batteries as cargo - we use them where I work - because their energy density approaches the same as low-grade explosives.

The money is probably better spent on a new Craftsman or Greenworks, or ?,etc. mower.

"The money is probably better spent on a new Craftsman or Greenworks, or ?,etc. mower." I already have. :thumbsup:

I wound up doing a search for a 24v version and was flabbergasted by the prices. Amazing just what is available in much larger capacities (and the cost).

so, what did ya get?

used it yet?

Under my user name,
used probably 10x so far in 6 or so weeks. Rained every 2nd or 3rd day, mild temp's. Perfect grass growing weather.

oh, gotcha

Thanks for the link to the Nissan Leaf forum. That was me, and I've been looking for that info for a couple days now! Forgot I made that post. Anyway, I'm in the market to replace the LiFePO4 batteries I installed in my CMM1200 back in March 2012. I had decided to not pamper them in any way, so they've been charged by the stock B&D charger and the mower has been sitting in the very hot heat here in Houston and also the chilly winters. Now it can mow only about 1/4th the grass it used to.

The batteries I bought 7 years ago don't seem to be available anymore. I'm zeroing in on this as a current replacement:

https://www.bioennopower.com/collec...s/copy-of-24v-20ah-lfp-battery-pvc-blf-2420as

The down side is that, with a charger and shipping cost, it'll be about $440.

1 Lucky Texan said:

some might not work if you run in series, or, you need a special unit?, proceed carefully!

this one seems to be able to run up to 3 in series. https://relionbattery.com/products/lithium/rb20-x

not sure on any of these - maybe contact them?; https://www.lithiumion-batteries.com/ or https://www.powertechsystems.eu/hom...20ah-12v-lithium-ion-battery-pack-powerbrick/ or https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-LiFePO...876970?hash=item3d8bf1aeaa:g:uHwAAOSwGBxc7X3i or https://greenlifebattery.com/product/12v-20a-lithium-ion-battery/

these claim to be replacements (gel) for your mower; https://www.mightymaxbattery.com/p3517063/12v-18ah-gel-battery-for-black-decker-cmm1200-mower.html

I also found this!; http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=8415 and http://markselectricmower.blogspot.com/2010/04/battery.html

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ouch - bet you paid a lot back then, too bad you didn't get more life outta them. Still, not 'horrible' I guess.

They were $350 back then. I probably should've gotten a dedicated charger but other things, like mower storage conditions, couldn't be helped.
I'll update this thread when I settle on a new battery system and get it installed.

1 Lucky Texan said:

ouch - bet you paid a lot back then, too bad you didn't get more life outta them. Still, not 'horrible' I guess.

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