My new 'TESLA' lawnmower

[aerohead]

My HONDA mower gave up the ghost after 29-years.
I took a chance on a SEARS CRAFTSMAN,Briggs & Stratton-powered mower.It broke an oil ring before it could make it to the first oil change.I considered dealing with it,then changed my mind.
I considered a 'corded' electric at much lower cost,but we've got 40-acres of park land where I live, and my 'adopt-a-spot' is all the walking/cycling trails,so a battery-powered mower was the better choice.
I brought home an 80-V,4Ah, brushless,Lithium ion,Kobalt mower from LOWES.($431.95 out the door).It's what I'd have paid for a HONDA-powered Husqvarna.
I charged one of the batteries while I completed the simple assembly and was mowing within 30-minutes.
We set an all-time record for September rainfall (over a foot) and basically wasn't dry enough to work outside the whole month.Which left grass as high as 30-inches.
The 80-volter cut through it as well as the HONDA had,and with the heat index,you didn't want to mow more than 30-minutes at a time anyway,so the battery 'range' wasn't an issue at all.
Since the house is on wind power-produced electricity,lawn mowing will be basically carbon-free from here on out.
So far ,so good.

[2000mc]

The efficient use of space. When I was looking, gas powered wasn’t really on the radar for that reason. It uses about 2 sq feet of floor space, and the charger is on a shelf. Cutting wet grass was an unforeseen bonus, flip it on it’s side when I’m done and do a quick clean

[Daschicken]

Broke an oil ring on a briggs? Yikes. Usually those are known for being simple and resilient towards lack of maintenance. Was that one of their newer OHV engines?

[teoman]

When not used for the mower, you could use that battery in your car as a virtual alternator delete. With a stepdown voltage regulator.

[jamesqf]

Had one for years. Black & Decker (I think) with lead-acid batteries rather than lithium. Does a half-hour or so of mowing on a charge, no hassles with starting, keeping gas around, changing oil... I just have to figure out what to do about the plastic deck that's starting to crack.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Broke an oil ring on a briggs? Yikes. Usually those are known for being simple and resilient towards lack of maintenance. Was that one of their newer OHV engines?

Yes,and I was guilty of presuming that the Briggs might perform as well as the 29-year-old HONDA OHV.
I read through the warranty and it was weasel-worded enough that I figured they wouldn't honor it.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by teoman

When not used for the mower, you could use that battery in your car as a virtual alternator delete. With a stepdown voltage regulator.

Yeah,there possibilities with the technology.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Had one for years. Black & Decker (I think) with lead-acid batteries rather than lithium. Does a half-hour or so of mowing on a charge, no hassles with starting, keeping gas around, changing oil... I just have to figure out what to do about the plastic deck that's starting to crack.

My friend's Ryobi is also plastic.She keeps it out of the sun and we'll see how it holds up.The hot-air plastic welding systems might be able to help.
The Kobalt is a steel deck which I could weld on if I had to over time.

[jjackstone]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Had one for years. Black & Decker (I think) with lead-acid batteries rather than lithium. Does a half-hour or so of mowing on a charge, no hassles with starting, keeping gas around, changing oil... I just have to figure out what to do about the plastic deck that's starting to crack.

Give it a couple quick layers of fiberglass. Use UV rated epoxy and it should last a few more years.
JJ

[aerohead]

The 'Tesla' mower didn't let me down, but I sure let her down.
I've used it for bush-hogging and trail-blazing through our commie 80-acres of park land.
The good news is, that neighbors helped, chain-sawing small trees and invasive privit. The bad news is that some of the stumps were tall enough for the mower's blade to crash into at full-rpm.
After a few years of that, I managed to reduce the motor's lower bearing to dust. The shaft wanders around and it's no longer dynamically stable.
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LOWE'S does not supports parts nor service for the mower. And they no longer sell a 80-Volt mower.
Of all the places locally, which sell 80-V EV mowers, I'm down to Harbor Freight as the single source. They're sold out right now. For a week. I've never experienced a hand tool or power tool from them, so I'll do the gamble. Their Li-ion pack has a higher A-H rating than KOBALT. Price is comparable with what I have.
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Denton lost it's only motor repair shop over a decade ago. Dallas would be a minimum 200-miles in round-trips.
When things slow down, I'll pull the damaged motor, crack it open, and see if I can press out the remains of the zorched bearing and replace.
Worst-case, I'll attempt an auxiliary bearing outboard of the original location, and dedicate the motor to an EV bike project. My mad-scientist electronics wizard brother says adding a variable speed control is very easy. 555-chip, a pot., and a few other goodies on a breadboard. And sniff the solder fumes.