Electric Mower

[Stubby79]

Interesting timing...I finally got my hands on a Ryobi 40v "Expand-it" power-head - used, for cheap, been looking for a long while now - to use with my previously gas-powered attachments.

I didn't think it would have the oomph to run my leaf blow attachment - even the gas power head has to work hard to spin it - but it ran it just as hard with out a hiccough...and no screwing around to get it started! They came out with a newer, supposedly more efficient (brushless, perhaps) version this year, which is presumably better.

Nice to hear a review on the mower. Between yours and the results with the power-head, I would actually consider getting a 40v mower. If I ever took up mowing again, rather than having a (landscaper) neighbour do it (cheap). Then again, I still have my 48V lead-acid mower (which had crappy run time with any acceptable level of power) and a 48V lithium battery on my ebike...yeah, ok, I won't be buying a Ryobi 40V one until I find a used one for cheap, but hey, I'll add it to my searches.

Oh, and you could run it off of 2 "18V" ryobi batteries, if you wanted to go through the effort...there's exactly half as many cells in series inside the 40v battery as the 18v battery. 18 + 18 ≠ 40? Well, it would, if Ryobi had called their 18V batteries "20V MAX" like everyone else. There is a string of 5 in series in the 18V battery and 10 in series in the 40V. Like the Ego "56V" line has 14, which would only be considered a nominal 48V on an ebike.

Bla bla bla...glad you're happy with your present and thanks for the review.

[redpoint5]

The silly thing is, the mower has a slot to hold a spare battery. It easily could have been 2 slots to hold 2 18v batteries, which would have been my preference.

I dislike the "MAX" marketing terminology. Nobody cares what the voltage is the moment a battery comes off the charger. We're interested in operating voltage. The marketing is similar to how vacuums are claimed to be 5hp "peak". The outlet has a peak of 2.4hp before the breaker pops, and really shouldn't be run at more than 1.9hp continuously.

I've read many good things about the Ego.

...now you've got me thinking about how to combine 2x 18v batteries in series and create an adapter to plug them into the 40v battery slot. I'd sell the 40v battery and stick with my plethora of 18v batteries.

...and I cut the grass again last night and mulched instead of bagged. Took the deck down 1 notch from tallest, which is probably a little soon considering how much I took off the first time I cut the grass 2 days ago. Mulching works great too, though the wife is complaining that the kid will make a mess and that I should bag.

[freebeard]

Mulching works great too, though the wife is complaining that the kid will make a mess and that I should bag.

No! Don't bag the kid.

[redpoint5]

I used the 18v Ryobi string trimmer a couple nights ago too, and it got the small job done, though I wouldn't say it was a great tool. It has a single 5" line (10" diameter) that is a bit underpowered. I don't need anything better for my yard, but for a large yard I would want something with more power. Also not thrilled that the line advances any time the trigger is released. That has me walking around with a spinning head as I reposition just so I'm not wasting line.

Originally Posted by ksa8907

Glad to see you liked it. I have looked at their 40v trimmer to replace our ryobi gas trimmer. I really like the power of the gas, it's an older 31cc model not the newer "low emissions" 29cc. But, it has no adjustment for the carb and the fuel lines leak. I don't have enough property to need the gas version.

Reconditioned Worx trimmer is on sale with 2 batteries for $58 right now (price reflected at checkout).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254131400566

Probably worth it for the batteries alone.

[Xist]

Does anyone know if Scotland Yard has grass? If so, will you pretend this is merely a coincidence?!

If you just happened to get a disposable mower I would suggest you looked into selling it and buying a corded one.

I don't know your dad and I cannot infer anything from my own, I just hope yours has better interpersonal skills, financial skills--anyway.

Maybe I am just sentimental because both Father's Day and the fifth anniversary of losing my father are coming up, but I would take the dad rep and accompanying loss of efficiency.

As for growing plants, I hear the best ones are ones that you will actually eat.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Now what to do with the boring backyard? I'm thinking it has too much gravel, and I might take out the crushed rock and extend the grass, putting stepping stones in for the path. I'm happy to hear all suggestions of what to plant, particularly along the fence, or how to make the backyard more appealing.

Not grass, flowers! Looks like you have a good starting base with gravel mulch to keep down weeds, unless it's underlaid with solid black plastic. Permeable landscape fabric is OK, just make holes where you want the plants.

WRT the lawn mower, I've used one for a decade or more. Black & Decker with lead-acid batteries, still going strong. The good thing about lead-acid is that when the built-in charger craps out, as mine did a few years ago, you can just use a regular car charger.

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Reconditioned Worx trimmer is on sale with 2 batteries for $58 right now (price reflected at checkout).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254131400566

Probably worth it for the batteries alone.

Not sure what AH capacity that battery is, I planned to buy the 4ah battery with the ryobi. It's already a compromise to go electric for yard equipment (typically it's cheap ****) so I want to make sure the battery is oversized for what I need. Thanks for the feedback on the products!

[Xist]

How about wildflowers? They should not be too much maintenance and the bees should appreciate it?

[freebeard]

There is a general category of https://duckduckgo.com/?q=landscaping+ground+covers

Creepers and sedums and moss.... Oh my!

www.thespruce.com/best-low-maintenance-ground-covers

Edit:
There're 16 related links at the bottom of that page. Some might be of interest. (silver foliage, deer-resistant, etc.)

[slowmover]

The advantage of grasses is their root system. Genuine resilience. An acre of prairie has more biomass than an acre of mature forest.

What grasses will work is the only “problem”. Livestock grazers in your area figured it out about a century ago. Start there.

A lawn needs boundaries. This is where homeowners fail. Fences and right angle corners make upkeep more difficult. (A lawnmower should never need to be reversed).

The house, trees, the drive and walkways, are all prime for plantings and beds that extend “into” the yard. It’s the easiest start. A few feet here and there, then contours that allow a lawn to flow around and through things is not that hard to get started on.