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Ryobi is jumping on the lithium-ion battery ZTR riding mower bandwagon with 30", 42" and 54" cut models. They all use an innovative single joystick control that they call iDrive instead of the traditional lap bars. Although they use a proprietary 80 volt suitcase battery, they can also use their standard 40 volt batteries connected in series to provide 80 volts. They are available at Home Depot for $3999, $4999 and $5999.

I think maybe the way it works with those large batteries is that they give away a free mower with the purchase of a battery pack. ?

Those new Ryobi Electric battery powered units look interesting. Very simple design indeed. I question the build quality......will they last very long with normal use? The construction seems a little light and it may be fine for flat manicured lawns but 1/2 acre and up, I'm not so sure. Another suspect area is the mowing deck. It just seems weaker than I am used to seeing. Time will tell but for $6K I wouldn't take a chance just yet. IMO!

bkeller500 said:

Those new Ryobi Electric battery powered units look interesting. Very simple design indeed. I question the build quality......will they last very long with normal use? The construction seems a little light and it may be fine for flat manicured lawns but 1/2 acre and up, I'm not so sure. Another suspect area is the mowing deck. It just seems weaker than I am used to seeing. Time will tell but for $6K I wouldn't take a chance just yet. IMO!

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Well, the deck on the 54" model is made from 10 gauge steel, which is quite robust, and the mower weighs nearly 800 lbs so it's not exactly lightweight construction. As to quality, well Ryobi is not exactly the best, but their warranty is 5 years on both the mower and the 80 volt batteries. Ryobi claims that it can mow up to 5 acres on a single charge, and that it can be fully recharged in 5 hours.

price the battery pack. There some electrics where replacement batteries are almost as much as the mower. There are many folks here with 20 - 30, even 35 year old mowers, where they have just replaced belts, blades, tires, and rebuilt an occasional carb, changed the oil etc.. How many battery packs will one have to buy in that time to keep the electric mower running? I have a great Makita screwdriver that is about 30 years old. It is a PITA to find good batteries for it. And, if I forget to charge them every month when not in use, the batteries go bad quickly.

sgkent said:

price the battery pack. There some electrics where replacement batteries are almost as much as the mower. There are many folks here with 20 - 30, even 35 year old mowers, where they have just replaced belts, blades, tires, and rebuilt an occasional carb, changed the oil etc.. How many battery packs will one have to buy in that time to keep the electric mower running? I have a great Makita screwdriver that is about 30 years old. It is a PITA to find good batteries for it. And, if I forget to charge them every month when not in use, the batteries go bad quickly.

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This has been debated ad nauseum. Battery powered tools, especially large tools are more expensive than gasoline powered or even corded electric tools. People like myself buy them for other advantages, such as ease of maintenance, safety, quiet and clean operation, and ease of use. As to the cost of this particular mower, the price of the batteries have not been announced, but I'll assume they'd be about the same as the EGO 56 volt 52" ZTR mower, which is $3300 or about half the price of the mower including batteries. Conservatively assuming the batteries lasted only 5 years, that would be a running cost of $550 per year to operate the mower. IME, good quality lithium-ion batteries last a lot longer than 5 years, especially if they are used infrequently, and therefore not subjected to a lot of charge cycles, which is what kills them. I have a Bosch 18 volt drill/driver which is now over 10 years old, and the Li-Ion batteries still charge fully.

Personally, I have no interest in expensive riding mowers, since my yard is flat and only .15 acres. All I need is a simple push mower, and I've never spent over $500 on a lawn mower.

MowerMike said:

This has been debated ad nauseum. Battery powered tools, especially large tools are more expensive than gasoline powered or even corded electric tools. People like myself buy them for other advantages, such as ease of maintenance, safety, quiet and clean operation, and ease of use. As to the cost of this particular mower, the price of the batteries have not been announced, but I'll assume they'd be about the same as the EGO 56 volt 52" ZTR mower, which is $3300 or about half the price of the mower including batteries. Conservatively assuming the batteries lasted only 5 years, that would be a running cost of $550 per year to operate the mower. IME, good quality lithium-ion batteries last a lot longer than 5 years, especially if they are used infrequently, and therefore not subjected to a lot of charge cycles, which is what kills them. I have a Bosch 18 volt drill/driver which is now over 10 years old, and the Li-Ion batteries still charge fully.

Personally, I have no interest in expensive riding mowers, since my yard is flat and only .15 acres. All I need is a simple push mower, and I've never spent over $500 on a lawn mower.

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we only got about 5 years on lithium-ion batteries before the battery life started measurably tanking. I think Tesla guarantees theirs to 70% capacity at 8 years.

sgkent said:

we only got about 5 years on lithium-ion batteries before the battery life started measurably tanking. I think Tesla guarantees theirs to 70% capacity at 8 years.

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Like I said, it's all about charging cycles. If you use them a lot, they won't last as long as if you use them infrequently. Apple promises that their cellphone batteries will last about 500 full charge cycles before their capacity will drop below 80%. For most people who are constantly using their cell phones, this amounts to about 3 years. I use mine very little, and when I replaced it after 5-3/4 years of use, it still had 96% capacity remaining.

MowerMike said:

Like I said, it's all about charging cycles. If you use them a lot, they won't last as long as if you use them infrequently. Apple promises that their cellphone batteries will last about 500 full charge cycles before their capacity will drop below 80%. For most people who are constantly using their cell phones, this amounts to about 3 years. I use mine very little, and when I replaced it after 5-3/4 years of use, it still had 96% capacity remaining.

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It is about charge cycles and heat. One of the things I like about EGO equipment is that the battery cells within the battery pack are encased in a phase changing substance that absorbes the heat out of the cells as it melts (undergoes phase change) from solid to liquid so the battery cells are never exposed to excessive heat from discharging, and while charging the high power charger blows a crap load of air through the battery pack to prevent over heating during charging, and the blower keeps running until the pack cools off after charging. I wonder if the ryobi Lithium ion packs have a similar system?

Keith

PS: Amazing how much the lithium pack costs, for my Ryobi 480e I just replaced the 75 ah (3.6 kWh) lead acid pack with a 100 ah (4.8 kWh) lead acid pack for $986 after 4 years and 104 hours of use.

Earlier this year, because the Toro walk behind battery mower I wanted wasn't becoming available in a timely fashion, I bought a Ryobi top of the line walk behind battery mower.

Ryobi may know batteries, and may know how to make hand tools, but they don't know diddly squat about making lawnmowers. It was painful and awkward to use, I couldn't pull the batteries out because their design stinks, and my lawn was filled with "stragglers and mohawks" as someone else on this forum called them.

I mean, if it can't even do its core job--cut grass--then that makes the rest of it all the worse. It looked good on paper, but we don't use paper to cut the grass now, do we.

After 6 months, I got rid of it--money down the drain--and bought the 60v Toro I should have waited for in the first place. (BTW, Personal Pace is a dream.)

Good luck with that Ryobi ZTR.

Hello, I'm new to the forum with targeted interest in Ryobi 80V ZTR and specifically the 42" cut.
Purchased late May 2024.

Only disappointment and truly a choice I had to make was the 42 inch "Stamped Deck".
I wasn't of a mind to pay for the larger "manufactured deck", as 42" is in my comfort zone. I have a Hustler Raptor 42" with manufactured deck with "lap bar steering" and transitioning to iDrive joy-stick steering has been a chore...muscle memory has yet to develop fully. I've never wrecked a shopping cart nor my Raptor 42, but I'm dreading the day when this Ryobi with iDrive is going to do some damage. I creep (slower than January Maple Syrup) between the 12YO Toyota Camry and 54YO Chevy CST to the Ryobi's reserved barn parking.

I see the cost of Batteries is a scalding subject of discussion. We didn't go to war to rape Afghanistan of their $Trillions in Lithium Reserves, estimated static amount, but rather for their $Billions in annual Opium production. We wouldn't have an opium crisis here at home without it. Somebody tell me, why any sane individual would voluntarily serve multiple tours in a carp hole like Afghanistan.

Quite true the cost of a 80V Briefcase Battery is eye opening at $900 each, 06.12.24 MSRP
(+/- $1). Outrageous in fact, considering all the money spent to re-install Al-Qaeda into power.
But, I digress. And $350 for the 40V "supplemental" batteries (SB) that are included with a $4000 Electric ZTR Mower.

Stress Test them batteries my friends. BTW, Ryobi dropped the price on the 42" ZTR mower by $2000. Seems no one was willing to take the plunge for the Original $6000 MSRP tag. And for $4000 they are lined up, and sun-faded, ready to go at you local HomeDepot.
I demanded a FRESH unassembled unit when I ordered through HomeDepot. Thus assuring no parking lot sun-scorched unit. Assembly is installing the Seat Back, that's it. Acquaintances are holding off for that $500 discount for a sun-bleached unit.

Stress Testing batteries led me to conclude the 1st unit received was defective. BTW, it was manufacture 05/22. All power usage was being drained from the "SB".
Evidenced by LED readout showing charge level down to 60%; but, the 80V Briefcase Battery (BB) check indication a full tank (100%). Swapped it, the 1st unit, for a 2nd and put it to the test. Suspicion validated when LED readout of 60% was verified by BB check of 59-61% and likewise the SB idiot lights indicating 50+%. IMPORTANT to know that the Ryobi ZTR requires the installation of at least 1x 80V briefcase battery, whether barely seaworthy or not, the mower will operate on the power from at least a pair of 40V SBs.

I read that charging is a subject for discussion. The longevity of batteries is predicated on the number of "charging cycles". That raises the question, if Li-Ion batteries don't acquire a charging level memory then why is the number charging cycles a factor?
Nonetheless, I have taken to maximizing the number charging cycles by depleting charge levels to as low as comfortable. I've gone so low as to require a scurry hurry back to the barn when the Low Battery Alert arose. An upgrade would be an audible on this alert, not simply a visual on the LED.

Double-Cut blades replacements are not available at this time, 06.12.24. The blade adapters are available @ $4.20 each. The double-cut blades do an awesome job of mulching the grass, even tall grass is no problem. The problem is them thar blades are thin and won't stand up to hitting a common red house brick. Bent the carp out of the upper blade on one side. Pounded it back into reasonably same straightness but not good enough, I surmise. Removed the same blade from the other side and I'm back to mowing. But it won't mulch the grass as before. The Red Brick incident damaged the associated blade adapter. I'm waiting for Ryobi to reverse their cranial-anal positioning and restock the blades before also ordering adapters.

Well folks, those are my 1st month notables, and I hope to hear from you

Ooh Ooh, just remembered another thing about batteries. I've a couple Ryobi tools in addition to the ZTR that also require 40V batteries. I've a 4AH, a 8AH, and now several 12AH 40V batteries. All interchangeable, from chain saw to string weed whacker and now to a ZTR mower they'll ALL work with any 40V battery pack. The chain saw is rather tiresome with a 5.6# battery installed, but doable.

Don't tell anybody, I'm using the string weed whacker, with 4AH battery, as a not recommended for use as a Brush Whacker. This can only be done on a straight shaft weapon. I can't see spending another $400 for their "recommended" bicycle handle-bar Brush Whacker, without battery; for that price it should have a 12AH battery. It does rather well with the right 8" saw blade and with selected targeting. I have gnawed through 1" saplings but I try to keep that to a minimum. My gas powered Brush Whacker will do a 3" tree in less than a minute and spent < $300 for it.

A last addition to my show and tell/itch and moan: 2x 80V 10AH Batteries + 4x 40V 12AH Batteries MSRP ~ $3200. Basic Ryobi 42" Cut 80V ZTR $4173 with 2X & 2X batteries Tax/Title. Don't tell me a Ryobi 40V Bicycle Steering Brush Whacker is priced right!