New John Deere electric zero turn mower

[Deleted member 97405]

By now, I'm sure you have heard about the battery powered zero turn mower that Deere is about to open up for pre-orders set to begin in the 2024 model production year. I can't share pics yet as Deere hasn't authorized their release. Thoughts?

 

[ILENGINE]

My take is these mower companies need to pin their battery technology down to stay with a standard platform instead of changing battery styles every couple years with no cross compatibility. ie, different batteries require different connections, and then they obsolete the batteries out after a couple years, and then when the battery goes bad the entire mower goes to the landfill.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I wonder if the battery(s) will have a warranty and if so how long. Or will they be like belts, tires and batteries now?
What will the replacement cost of the battery(s) be? And how long are they expected to last?
Will the battery(s) be chipped or bluetooth to the mower to prevent any aftermarket batteries? You know how JD fights right to repair.
It will be interesting how big green rolls it out. I have people wanting me to work on electric push mowers and chainsaws. I tell them sorry but i don't service them. Unless they got it from a dealer it usually goes in the trash as i don't know of any nondealers who service them. The ones i did look at either had bad batteries or blown control board. I can't get parts so i quit bothering with them.

 

[Deleted member 97405]

I wonder if the battery(s) will have a warranty and if so how long. Or will they be like belts, tires and batteries now?
What will the replacement cost of the battery(s) be? And how long are they expected to last?
Will the battery(s) be chipped or bluetooth to the mower to prevent any aftermarket batteries? You know how JD fights right to repair.
It will be interesting how big green rolls it out. I have people wanting me to work on electric push mowers and chainsaws. I tell them sorry but i don't service them. Unless they got it from a dealer it usually goes in the trash as i don't know of any nondealers who service them. The ones i did look at either had bad batteries or blown control board. I can't get parts so i quit bothering with them.

To be clear, JD does not fight right to repair as evidenced in the latest resolution. Rather, they wanted to protect the source code from piracy. A lot of folks got that misconstrued, and there is a ton of misinformation out there. Politicians, lobbyists, and legislators wanted to legislate the issue, but Deere and the farmer board have been able to work out the issue for the best interest of both sides. If politicians had gotten involved, the whole thing would have gone in the toilet for all manufacturers. I have all the official documents, so please don't give in to the internet myth.

As for the battery in the mower, so far, it looks like it will be built into the machine, and you plug a standard 110v extension cord into the back of the machine. We do know the system will turn off the blades at a certain level to allow you to get the machine back to the garage to recharge. Since they aren't in production yet, we don't know how easily the batteries will be to remove. We do know that the batteries are officially rated to be sealed against dust, dirt, and water. It will be interesting to see what the production machine will look like. I wish I could share the pics I have, but I can't....yet.

 

[Deleted member 97405]

My take is these mower companies need to pin their battery technology down to stay with a standard platform instead of changing battery styles every couple years with no cross compatibility. ie, different batteries require different connections, and then they obsolete the batteries out after a couple years, and then when the battery goes bad the entire mower goes to the landfill.

I expect John Deere to be more consistent with their products than Ryobi, Kobalt, etc., but I share your concern as having owned the previously mentioned brands personally.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Here is my big problem
I assume they will be using a Li battery of some kind
Li batteries do not like to be too hot or too cold and in both cases can spontaneously combust due to the mechanical breakdown of the separation plates in the cold and critical temperature at the other end .
Just today a block of home units caught on fire because one of the residents was recharging an electric scooter which ignited .
Building in the transformer and charge controller into the mower where it id subject to all sorts of mechanical abuse in my mind is a receipe for disaster .
While it might take the normal rough & tumble of the mower bashing and crashing over rough terrain how will it handle 10 hours of extreme vibrations from say a bent & broken blade.

Point in hand , currently there is a Victa 1542 ( rebadged Murray ) in the workshop I last serviced & did major deck repairs to in 2018
There is a big chunk missing from the end of one of the Gator blades ( the reason why I don't like Gators )
Running like this for hell knows how long, has cracked the frame , broken off 2 of the engine mounting bolts and shaken out all 4 of the top engine mounting plate bolts, ripped the muffler to pieces & broken a muffler bolt, cracked th e dip stick tube, cracked the rocker cover, cracked the lower heat shield ( both bolts missing ) , cracked through all of the deck mounts & broken the transmission stabilizer .
I got called in because it was moving very slowly & the owner could not get the new belt to work ( wonder why ) .
Would the electronics survive this ?
and what are the chances of the battery or charger shorting out & setting the mower on fire inside the garage Saturday night while it is recharging then burning down the whole house ?
Is the plug socket on the mower shielded from dew & rain so it can safely be left outside to charge overnight ?
If not I would recommend no one ever buying one because of the potential ( low in most cases ) of setting the house on fire & killing the owner or their family .
And the same applies to Ev's of all kinds and Li powered tools .
FWIW my phones, cameras & battery tools are only ever charged on a steel surface with nothing combustable near by.
Inside the house , on or in the laundry tub & in the shed on the steel welding bench .

 

[Deleted member 97405]

Here is my big problem
I assume they will be using a Li battery of some kind
Li batteries do not like to be too hot or too cold and in both cases can spontaneously combust due to the mechanical breakdown of the separation plates in the cold and critical temperature at the other end .
Just today a block of home units caught on fire because one of the residents was recharging an electric scooter which ignited .
Building in the transformer and charge controller into the mower where it id subject to all sorts of mechanical abuse in my mind is a receipe for disaster .
While it might take the normal rough & tumble of the mower bashing and crashing over rough terrain how will it handle 10 hours of extreme vibrations from say a bent & broken blade.

Point in hand , currently there is a Victa 1542 ( rebadged Murray ) in the workshop I last serviced & did major deck repairs to in 2018
There is a big chunk missing from the end of one of the Gator blades ( the reason why I don't like Gators )
Running like this for hell knows how long, has cracked the frame , broken off 2 of the engine mounting bolts and shaken out all 4 of the top engine mounting plate bolts, ripped the muffler to pieces & broken a muffler bolt, cracked th e dip stick tube, cracked the rocker cover, cracked the lower heat shield ( both bolts missing ) , cracked through all of the deck mounts & broken the transmission stabilizer .
I got called in because it was moving very slowly & the owner could not get the new belt to work ( wonder why ) .
Would the electronics survive this ?
and what are the chances of the battery or charger shorting out & setting the mower on fire inside the garage Saturday night while it is recharging then burning down the whole house ?
Is the plug socket on the mower shielded from dew & rain so it can safely be left outside to charge overnight ?
If not I would recommend no one ever buying one because of the potential ( low in most cases ) of setting the house on fire & killing the owner or their family .
And the same applies to Ev's of all kinds and Li powered tools .
FWIW my phones, cameras & battery tools are only ever charged on a steel surface with nothing combustable near by.
Inside the house , on or in the laundry tub & in the shed on the steel welding bench .

I agree. I see this as a major issue as more equipment become powered by Li batteries. I would never own an electric car. If I did, it would be charged outside far enough from the house that I wouldn't have to worry about fire issues. I've seen EV's on fire, and it's scary stuff. Handheld power tools, I'm a little more relaxed about because I don't get them wet or beat them around, but I definitely echo the concern for mowers due to vibration damage, and on the road vehicles from salt corrosion damage. Either way, the machines are hitting the market, and we'll embrace it as best we can...

 

[bertsmobile1]

One of my builder customers lost his garage & all of his tool because a Li saw being charged overheated & self ignited on his wooden work bench with overhead shelves which also caught fire which then spread to the paints , thinner & solvents .
The exploding bottles woke him up with just enough time to drive the truck out of the garage but not before most of what was on the back also burned .
HE lost all of his hair & badly burned his left hand but he saved the truck & house but not the wifes car ( bad move )
From then on all my battery tools got charged on the welding bench or on the concrete floor .

 

[RayMcD]

I would not put a battery ZTR in my barn if you want to have it (the barn) very long...

battery ztr on fire at DuckDuckGo

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duckduckgo.com

 

[bertsmobile1]

I would not put a battery ZTR in my barn if you want to have it (the barn) very long...

battery ztr on fire at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

Those fire fighters have obviously not been trained to handle LI battery fires
All you can do is spray WATER on them to try & keep them cool and prevent the fire spreading.
The battery will burn till it is all consumed and nothing on the planet can put it out.
The recommended emergency response is to simply keep water on it
If it is in a critical place then liquid nitrogen is used to smash everything and separate the + & - plates but they are still going to burn but it will happen quicker.

Note the mower just kept reigniting .
The red flames is the steel / paint / seat / tyres drive motors & plastic burning , ignited by the intense heat the battery gives off .
So all the fire fighters can do is keep the water up till the battery has been totally consumed to stop the fire spreading
Also note there was no way for them to get to the battery.
I hope JD at least put a quick release on the seat so it can be tipped up out of the way .
And just a word of warning, every gas given off by a burning Li battery is very toxic .
A lot of them give of HF which is fatal in very small doses and a very painful death as HF attacks your lungs effectivly dissolving them
It also gets into your bones .
Death is the ultimate conclusion and there is no treatment wat so ever so even if you are not seriously burned your life will be drastically shortened .