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Old 05-18-2022, 10:31 AM   #21
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I live in a townhome. I hear the yard guys out their right now mowing and blowing.
Isn't it great? After mowing my own yard for years, I love hearing Percy (my yard guy) out there mowing and blowing.
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Old 05-18-2022, 10:56 AM   #22
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Isn't it great? After mowing my own yard for years, I love hearing Percy (my yard guy) out there mowing and blowing.
I am enjoying yard work so far. We always had a yard service because I was gone all the time. Now that I am retired, it is nice getting back into it. Maybe by the time my new mower stops working I will change my mind.
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Old 05-18-2022, 12:35 PM   #23
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Unless you are genuinely thrilled and ecstatic looking forward to the opportunity to mow your own yard, I'd get a yard man instead of a rider mower. Take your weekends back!
Actually the main reason I still mow after about a two-year layoff is just for the exercise. Every doc says the best thing I can do for myself at this point is keep up the cardio exercise and given the hills I have to deal with it is more than just a walk in the park. It's a pretty good workout, there's an incentive to do it, and I get the immediate gratification of seeing results afterward.

Back on topic, I'm looking hard at the new Milwaukee battery electric which generally gets good reviews but a disturbing number mention an issue dealing with sudden and repeated stoppages for no apparent reason. (All my battery tools are Milwaukee, so the batteries all fit.) Also the manual cautions against using a hose to clean it off. Who ever heard of a lawn mower that can't stand getting wet? It doesn't say in the manual, but does that mean you can't mow wet grass? If so I'm out. The battery well isn't sealed against dust and that looks like it'll need a vacuum cleaner to get it clean. All in all, for $1,100 (yikes!) I think it needs more development so I'll probably wait at year or two. I'm really happy with my other Milwaukee tools so if I do buy an electric I'll probably buy that one.

And there isn't a doggone thing wrong with the gasoline powered Toro that I have now so it's hard to justify pitching that just because "I wanna...". Filling it with gas every mowing, changing the oil and air filter once a year is not a challenge for me, and neither is sharpening the blade, which has to be done on the electric anyway.

Re the noise level, on the Milwaukee the sound level is ~90 dbA (I forget exactly) which is pretty close to most gas-powered mowers. A factoid I learned from model airplanes is that most of the noise is not generated by the engines or motors, but from the propellers. This is true of propeller driven full size airplanes too. So while electric mowers are quieter, it is unrealistic to expect near silence and you'd probably be better off hanging on to your earplugs when using them.
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Old 05-18-2022, 01:16 PM   #24
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It's funny, when I moved into our home 9 years ago I was gifted a used Toro push mower. I haven't even bothered changing the oil on it. I just keep filling it each spring with a little bit since it tends to burn a tad throughout the summer. That thing is like rock solid. I don't even bother running ethanol free in it. So basically in terms of time consumption to maintain, I drive to the gas station to fill up 87 octane, bring my can with, and when I am done filling my truck, I just drop the tailgate and proceed to fill the gasoline can as well.

MAYBE this won't be sustainable, but so far it's worked for 9 years without any signs of the mower slowing down. I do sharpen the blade each spring as well, which you would also need to do on an electric. I haven't made the switch to electric yet. I bought a dewalt electric chain saw and quickly realized it wasn't powerful enough and the battery didn't last very long.

I have all Echo gas saw, weed whacker, backpack blower. My neighbor tried using a battery blower and quickly bought a STIHL as the battery wasn't powerful enough for the whole yard clearing task each spring and fall.

I am TEMPTED to get a battery lawnmower...and when my push gas dies, I think I will. But for now no need for me to switch.
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Old 05-18-2022, 02:53 PM   #25
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Frank and I have a yard guy, Percy, who mows and edges our lawns every week or two depending on how fast the grass is growing. He charges each of us $35/mow. Even in our hot rainy climate that is so conducive to grass growing, this still only adds up to about $1200/year. You'd be surprised at how many retired people do not mow their own yards.

Unless you are genuinely thrilled and ecstatic looking forward to the opportunity to mow your own yard, I'd get a yard man instead of a rider mower. Take your weekends back!
That's fine for a small suburban yard. My 2 acres would be $80 and up. Not sure the current prices. With inflation it's probably $100 or more.

Also I do not mind mowing or yard work. At some point in the future it might become too much, but hopefully that is around the same time my big zero turn is used up.
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Old 05-18-2022, 08:33 PM   #26
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I bought a Ryobi 40V string trimmer in 2020, and have been quite pleased with it. I haven't completely run down the battery once yet.
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Old 05-18-2022, 08:55 PM   #27
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I knew those 2 cycle engines were bad, but was never really sure how bad. At least a gas riding mower is 4-cycle, but it is still not good.
Yes, 2-strokes are really bad, but small 4-strokes are still very bad, compared to a car engine.

It just isn't feasible to put such expensive stuff like catalytic converters, computers, sensors computer controlled fuel injection, gas fume capture systems, and so on, into a product that is much cheaper than a car. Looks like some are switching to a simple fuel injection, which helps, but it takes all that other stuff to really lower emissions.

It just seems like going battery is a simpler, better solution. Even if you charge the batteries from a truck engine running a generator - that truck has all the modern pollution controls.

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Old 05-18-2022, 10:10 PM   #28
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Lithium battery powered tools are OK if you have spare battery packs and a reliable source of electricity for the long term.
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Old 05-20-2022, 04:51 AM   #29
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UPDATE:

I went and picked up the Ego Z6 yesterday. I had it set for delivery but that kept getting pushed out, so I just decided to go pick it up. Had to rent a U-Haul trailer to get it home.

I put it together on the trailer so I could just drive it off. Well, that didn't work out. Seems the main control panel / display is DOA. Charges fine. The green start button lights up. The USB port works. But I cannot power up the mower. After calls to Ego and Lowes asking me stupid questions, I am going to return it and rethink all this.

Although all the reviews are glowing, this failure has put me off to all the techno wizardry. I know how to work on a gas mower (I used to flip them) and I know I can always get one up and running without a lot of fuss. I don't know how much a new display costs, but my guess is it ain't cheap. And while this failure will cost me nothing, I am concerned about what happens in 5 years when the warranty is up.
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Old 05-20-2022, 06:29 AM   #30
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Personally, I wouldn’t let this change my mind. Electronics have typically been that way - they either work fine right out of the box or they don’t. It’s gotta be frustrating, but I’d see it through. Good luck.
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Old 05-20-2022, 06:52 AM   #31
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I pressure washed the house yesterday with my way over 25 year old gas machine. It started up on the second pull despite not having been used in over a year. I use regular gas in it. In the 25+ years I've had it I had to change out the valve rocker arm ($20) and the recoil starter ($15). And the wand but that is not an engine problem.
I don't see any way an electric mower/pressure washer/etc. would last that long without at least new batteries. Which aren't cheap!
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:32 AM   #32
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I'm not even close to being ready to switch to a battery powered lawn mower. Small gasoline engines are actually very simple and with the advent of electronic ignition decades ago, about the only problem you might face is a dirty carburetor if you don't run the fuel system dry at the end of the season. This can normally be taken care of in a few minutes and you'll be ready to mow. Also, I don't think I ever bought a new mower. I usually am given fairly new units with minor problems that are easy to fix. So economically, it doesn't make sense for me at this time. If a battery powered unit has an electronic failure, it's usually not a simple fix with readily available parts. Maybe down the road with a more proven track record, I'll convert. I'm already sold on battery powered drills, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, etc. They've certainly come a long way in the past ten years.
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:48 AM   #33
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Well, my wife came home and I mentioned the Ego ZTR again and she said order it. Will be delivered Friday. Yeah!

Here's all my other cordless stuff:
WOW!!! Impressive collection of tools.

To comment on battery operating tool, I like them a lot. So many advantages to them like no oil changing and less maintenance. I have had a few battery- operated tools that I have had for 20 years and still work and do just fine. never had a problem or had to replace batteries.
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:55 AM   #34
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UPDATE:

I went and picked up the Ego Z6 yesterday. I had it set for delivery but that kept getting pushed out, so I just decided to go pick it up. Had to rent a U-Haul trailer to get it home.

I put it together on the trailer so I could just drive it off. Well, that didn't work out. Seems the main control panel / display is DOA. Charges fine. The green start button lights up. The USB port works. But I cannot power up the mower. After calls to Ego and Lowes asking me stupid questions, I am going to return it and rethink all this.

Although all the reviews are glowing, this failure has put me off to all the techno wizardry. I know how to work on a gas mower (I used to flip them) and I know I can always get one up and running without a lot of fuss. I don't know how much a new display costs, but my guess is it ain't cheap. And while this failure will cost me nothing, I am concerned about what happens in 5 years when the warranty is up.
Very sorry to hear that, I’d be put off too. Hope it all works out to your satisfaction. I did a search online and found several others that had similar issues that were only fixed when the customer demanded a total replacement, that’s not so encouraging either.

https://www.reddit.com/r/egopowerplu...mpletely_dead/
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Old 05-20-2022, 08:58 AM   #35
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Actually the main reason I still mow after about a two-year layoff is just for the exercise. Every doc says the best thing I can do for myself at this point is keep up the cardio exercise and given the hills I have to deal with it is more than just a walk in the park. It's a pretty good workout, there's an incentive to do it, and I get the immediate gratification of seeing results afterward.
+10. I plan to do as much as I can in and around the house, car, etc. for as long as I can for the exercise more than the satisfaction of not “paying a guy.” I’ll be saddened when the day comes that I can’t do things for myself…so I’m putting it off as long as possible by staying active!
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Old 05-20-2022, 09:18 AM   #36
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Personally, I wouldn’t let this change my mind. Electronics have typically been that way - they either work fine right out of the box or they don’t. It’s gotta be frustrating, but I’d see it through. Good luck.
Exactly! Electronic are or can be an issue with any product. I have returned things through the years with issues with electronic problems doesn't mean it is the mower isn't a good product.
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Old 05-20-2022, 10:27 AM   #37
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Exactly! Electronic are or can be an issue with any product. I have returned things through the years with issues with electronic problems doesn't mean it is the mower isn't a good product.
This is the first gen of riding mowers from EGO introduced in Mar 2021 IIRC, so it may not be the same as mature products, electric or otherwise. But I’m an EGO fan, so I hope their riding mowers are just as great as their other products.
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Old 05-20-2022, 10:36 AM   #38
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ANOTHER UPDATE FROM OP

Well, I caved and went to get another one from a different store (the first store sold me their last one). This time, they assembled it at the store and i tested it out before I drove it on the trailer. That was nice because I knew it was unused and I watched them assemble it (which is easy, 8 bolts). Had that been my first experience I would be ecstatic. As it is, I am just giddy.

Will report back on performance once the yard dries.
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Old 05-20-2022, 10:50 AM   #39
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ANOTHER UPDATE FROM OP

Well, I caved and went to get another one from a different store (the first store sold me their last one). This time, they assembled it at the store and i tested it out before I drove it on the trailer. That was nice because I knew it was unused and I watched them assemble it (which is easy, 8 bolts). Had that been my first experience I would be ecstatic. As it is, I am just giddy.

Will report back on performance once the yard dries.
Hope it goes great!
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Old 05-20-2022, 10:59 AM   #40
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You are going to love the Ego 2-stage snow blower.

What's a snow blower? Sent from Panama city Florida, where you don't have to brush the sunshine off your windshield.
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