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Electric Lawnmowers: Who's got one? What would you recommend?

thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Stepson wants to get an electric mower for his yard. Using Google Earth he's got about 12k sq. ft. of yard. I had one a long time ago (back around 08-09) and I distinctly remember the battery wasn't powerful enough for my thick grass. Admittedly, I would let the lawn go and not cut for sometimes months back then. I think he'd be the same where he wouldn't consistently keep up with his yard. With that in mind, what are the good brands to look for. Anything specific we need to look for when choosing one? I'm pretty sure he doesn't want a corded one (they still make those?).

Thanks!
 
I got a Ryobi 40V brushless back in 2017, still going strong. Got a string trimmer too, because I needed one, and also to have a second battery for those times when I slack on the mowing. So I have a 5Ah and 2.6Ah battery, both still do the job (most times I only need the 5Ah).
 
I have a Ryobi, the largest one powered by one of their 18V batteries. So it's only 16 inches. Small. I've never seen it stall in thick grass, but it doesn't have an easy time. It cranks up to the higher of two speeds frequently. It does a little over 1k sq. ft. of yard per 4Ah battery, and it comes with two. You'd definitely want something bigger.
 
BoomerD said:
Is that in the Central Valley?

Based on that picture, maybe 3000-4000 sq/ft.
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Yea CV.

Using Earth, it's measuring 4100 sq. ft. for just the northern section. Obviously not completely accurate. After looking at it though, their house can't be more than 2k and that measured area looks equal to the house.
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thestrangebrew1 said:
Yea CV.

Using Earth, it's measuring 4100 sq. ft. for just the northern section. Obviously not completely accurate. After looking at it though, their house can't be more than 2k and that measured area looks equal to the house.
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Lived in that nasty hot, dry, dusty place for 25 years...that picture SCREAMS "Valley."

If he doesn't plan to mow it all at once...a battery-powered electric might do the trick...most seem to run up to an hour. Want to mow more? Invest in batteries.
Corded electric doesn't have the battery problem...but you're fighting with/dragging a cord around...
 
Yeah, I got a plug-in string trimmer way back when, said NOPE! not again. It's less of an issue with my pole saw.
 
So far, he's looking at Toro and Ego. Was originally looking at Ryobi, but the reviews lately have been hammering them. And yea, he's not into corded. Battery or bust baby!!
 
thestrangebrew1 said:
So far, he's looking at Toro and Ego. Was originally looking at Ryobi, but the reviews lately have been hammering them. And yea, he's not into corded. Battery or bust baby!!
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Gasoline, self-propelled…preferably Honda branded. ( not just a Honda motor)
Mine is 14 years old…still starts on the first or second pull.
(sat in my garage for 7 years basically untouched other than a quick pull on the cord once or twice every year…when we moved to a place that had a lawn, I gassed it up…started on the second pull…since then, first pull…even after sitting all winter.)

With as much lawn as he has, self-propelled would be a must…too much lawn to push a mower through.
 
BoomerD said:
12,000 sq/ft of lawn to mow? Get a riding mower.
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Riding for a .25ac? I would point and laugh but mine needs mowing right now and my knee is considering a vacation. Eff.

+1 for the Honda. I've had it for 7 or 8 years. Usually starts on the 1st pull. Run the fuel out of the carb at year end.
 
I myself have a Honda. But haven't used it in years since we have a lawn guy. I offered it to him but he wants electric. I can't remember when was the last time I tried to start it honestly.
 
highland145 said:
Riding for a .25ac? I would point and laugh but mine needs mowing right now and my knee is considering a vacation. Eff.

+1 for the Honda. I've had it for 7 or 8 years. Usually starts on the 1st pull. Run the fuel out of the carb at year end.
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I run the carb out of gas after every mow.
 
BoomerD said:
I run the carb out of gas after every mow.
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Too lazy for that and it shouldn't foul after a week.

What's the lifespan for a new electric...maybe that's work hrs or something.

Nephew just got out of lawn care but all of his small equipment was electric.
 
thestrangebrew1 said:
I myself have a Honda. But haven't used it in years since we have a lawn guy. I offered it to him but he wants electric. I can't remember when was the last time I tried to start it honestly.
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Well, electric is superior because it's so much quieter and no maintenance and no exhaust fumes. Love it. A+++ would switch again. When I'm done I fold the mower up and tuck it in the side of the garage.
 
I don't do shit with my mowers. Pull them out, shorten the stupid grass, put it back away. End of the season, it gets stored with whatever fuel's left in the tank. I do use corn free gas now cause I actually do care about my saws, but I did the same thing when I ran corn gas. They could be a little balky first start of the season, but ran fine after that.

I use a pushmower on a 1ac lot. No idea the area that's mowed after the deductions are made. There's a lot of deductions, but there's also hassles that make up for it, where it would be easier if I could just go back and forth. It's semi propelled. The self propel sucks, but I use it for uphill stuff. I'm probably 50:50 using the power and not.

Electric is interesting, but I'd want to try something before I bought. I don't have a clean yard, so my mowers are part bushhog. If it goes through the blades, it gets mowed. Sticks, walnuts, vines... I'm not sure an electric is up to the task. I buy used from the consignment shop. Usually about $100 for a mower. Running a B&S Craftsman now. It's ok, but shortening grass is a huge waste of time.

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lxskllr said:
I don't do shit with my mowers. Pull them out, shorten the stupid grass, put it back away. End of the season, it gets stored with whatever fuel's left in the tank. I do use corn free gas now cause I actually do care about my saws, but I did the same thing when I ran corn gas. They could be a little balky first start of the season, but ran fine after that.

I use a pushmower on a 1ac lot. No idea the area that's mowed after the deductions are made. There's a lot of deductions, but there's also hassles that make up for it, where it would be easier if I could just go back and forth. It's semi propelled. The self propel sucks, but I use it for uphill stuff. I'm probably 50:50 using the power and not.

Electric is interesting, but I'd want to try something before I bought. I don't have a clean yard, so my mowers are part bushhog. If it goes through the blades, it gets mowed. Sticks, walnuts, vines... I'm not sure an electric is up to the task. I buy used from the consignment shop. Usually about $100 for a mower. Running a B&S Craftsman now. It's ok, but shortening grass is a huge waste of time.

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Good summary. We keep about half our 3 acre as free growing field, and only that because residents get worried about snakes and mice.
 
Yes, grass lawns are generally stupid, they exist specifically to be useless, to show off your wealth that instead of having your land designated for a useful purpose, it has this decorative stuff that requires maintenance and serves no purpose other than aesthetics. I'm encouraging moss to take over whatever it can in my yard. It is still nice to have a soft place to kick a ball around with a kid and stuff, but it doesn't have to be grass.
 
I have a Toro walk behind self propelled battery electric mower. I also have a 0.9 acre yard. (About 35,000 square feet, of which about 1k is taken up between the house and garage. It’s a small house.) the mower was about $700 and an extra battery was another $250 (open box on eBay.)

Same battery I use for my snowblower, string trimmer, leaf blower, and chainsaw. The Toro 60v lineup is mostly solid tools and I have had no trouble finding “open box tool only” examples on eBay at a steep discount.

I bought it in ‘21 when I moved in but this year broke me and I bought a gas mower.

It works fine in general. It’s peak output is about 2hp, but it’s nominal operating power (based on the battery capacity and drain) is like 3/4hp.

In general, I can get about a quarter acre done on a single battery charge. Which jives with the manufacturer claims, and means I can mow half my yard one day, the other half the next, ince it takes about eight hours to charge the batteries. (They have to cool down from operating temps after draining, and then trickle charge for about 4 hours.) Normally this is fine - I wouldn’t want to walk that much anyway.

However, if the grass is too long or the blade is a bit dull, the engine works harder and drains the battery faster, and that ~10,000 feet of yard per charge quickly becomes like 3-5,000. Because the electric engine is kinda wimpy, it’s extra super important to have that blade be sharp as hell. And still, the longer the grass is or the faster it grows, the less of the yard I can, practically speaking, mow in a day.

This year was very wet, especially June, and the grass grew fast. It got to the point where even mowing every day it didn’t rain I was losing ground.

So I got a used off brand gas mower from a guy on Craigslist for $120 and have been using that. Not only does it “charge” immediately, although I have to drive an extra couple blocks to get to the gas station with non-ethanol gas, but it uses a common name brand (Briggs & Stratton) engine with cheap parts and its about 2x as powerful. (3.8hp or so, based on the published specs, torque, rpm, etc.)
So I have both mowers and I’m a little sore about “overspending” $880 on the Toro.

But it does work, is quiet, doesn’t smell, doesn’t need oil or engine maintenance, and will likely continue to work fine for a long time. So I’m ambivalent about hating on it because as long as we don’t have another swampy summer (mosquitos have been really bad this year too) its a perfectly adequate mower even for my huge years, and would be totally adequate for somebody with a quarter or a third of an acre.
 
highland145 said:
Too lazy for that and it shouldn't foul after a week.

What's the lifespan for a new electric...maybe that's work hrs or something.

Nephew just got out of lawn care but all of his small equipment was electric.
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A week? Fuck that. I'm bitching if I have to mow once a month!
 
BoomerD said:
A week? Fuck that. I'm bitching if I have to mow once a month!
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I think last year I only had to mow four times, and it was glorious. Couldn't get away with that shit in the Midwest, had to be mowed every week, two weeks at the most. In that oppressive heat. In closing: fuck the Midwest, fuck it hard, and put it away wet.
 
It's every week here til August, and then I can start skipping a week, or even two if I'm lucky. Then there was this year. Hot as shit, and very little rain. I can't remember how many times I mowed this season. I think it may have only been six, and there were lots of spots I could just skip over. I think this is the least I've mowed since I've been here. It still sucked, but it sucked less than previous years, so I guess that's a win of sorts.
 
nakedfrog said:
I think last year I only had to mow four times, and it was glorious. Couldn't get away with that shit in the Midwest, had to be mowed every week, two weeks at the most. In that oppressive heat. In closing: fuck the Midwest, fuck it hard, and put it away wet.
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When we lived in NorCal, we had Clark Pest Control service. Not only did they spray for bugs and spiders, they fertilized my lawn. I finally had to discontinue that part of the service...mowing once a week wasn't enough.
 
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