Debating an electric zero turn mower

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andypanda
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by andypanda »

"Seems the main control panel / display is DOA."

Well heck. I want these great new ideas and products to work and be successful, but sometimes I wonder if the manufacturers and retailers are serious about what they're doing.

You can't blame problems like this on the old retired folks. :wink:
homebuyer6426
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by homebuyer6426 »

talzara wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 6:11 pm Small engines are the dirtiest engines that the average American will personally operate. The design is dirty, the manufacturing is sloppy, and the testing is haphazard.
Consider that they're also the ones that get the least use. My gas riding mower is used for 6 hours per year to mow a half acre.
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cmr79
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by cmr79 »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 7:26 am
talzara wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 6:11 pm Small engines are the dirtiest engines that the average American will personally operate. The design is dirty, the manufacturing is sloppy, and the testing is haphazard.
Consider that they're also the ones that get the least use. My gas riding mower is used for 6 hours per year to mow a half acre.
One of my main interests in getting an electric vehicle is that most of my driving is done in short 5-10 min trips, and these short trips (mostly done before the ICE has reached a steady-state normal operating temperature) both cause disproportionate wear on the engine and emit a disproportionately large amount of pollution. Using a less-regulated lawn equipment ICE for frequent short periods in which the engine may not reach it's normal operating temperature is likely to be worse, both from a wear and from an environmental impact standpoint, given some of the manufacturing tolerance discussions that have already been addressed in this thread.

Not saying that using a riding lawn mower for 15 min a week isn't better from an emissions standpoint than 30 min per week--it is. But it will emit more than 50% pollution, cause more than 50% wear on the engine, and use more than 50% as much gas. It's simply less efficient.
bloom2708
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by bloom2708 »

corn18 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:51 am 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.
That is too bad. How did you get it on the trailer?

Did you roll it on with pushing?

Were the batteries all charged? It might not go if not getting enough power.

I was hoping for a good review. I have the Ego 2 stage blower, 21" mower, trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer. All have been great for me.
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corn18
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by corn18 »

bloom2708 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 8:43 am
corn18 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:51 am 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.
That is too bad. How did you get it on the trailer?

Did you roll it on with pushing?

Were the batteries all charged? It might not go if not getting enough power.

I was hoping for a good review. I have the Ego 2 stage blower, 21" mower, trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer. All have been great for me.
They had it on a pallet and just put the whole pallet on with a forklift. When I got it home, I just unstrapped it from the pallet and rolled it off the trailer to put it together.

I fully charged the batteries. Was surprised how quick that was.
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queso
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by queso »

corn18 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:51 am 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.
Things might be different where you are located, but in my area the lead time on mowers is pretty bad. I decided to replace my mowers last year and the push mower I ordered (Honda) took about 5 months to come in and the zero turn (Hustler) took about a year from time of order. That said, if you aren't too particular in regard to manufacturer, model or deck size you can definitely find stuff in stock.
pshonore
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by pshonore »

Popular Mechanics just did a positive review of the Ego ZT5207. Thats a $7000 machine, and comes as a "drive by wire" machine. Comes with 6 - 56V batteries.
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by KneeReplacementTutor »

corn18 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 5:51 am 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.
Sorry to hear. I was following along on this thread as I have a zero turn gas mower I bought new 20 years ago and am looking to replace. Not at all against getting another gas one but want to consider electric, mostly so I don't have to wear ear/hearing protection while using.
cmr79
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by cmr79 »

This sounds a lot like the reliability issues with battery electric vehicles...the problems aren't with the vehicle mechanics or electric motors, but rather with fancy electronic interfaces that are more common on these types of vehicles vs their more standard gas counterparts. Bummer.
onourway
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by onourway »

It’s a bummer you got a bad unit, and a PITA, but I’m not sure I’d let it change your opinion. It happens. The last Honda mower I bought wouldn’t start out of the box. I took it back and its replacement started first pull every time for the next decade+.
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corn18
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by corn18 »

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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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by Doom&Gloom »

corn18 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 11:36 am 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.
Well, that's a nice update! I was only scrolling through the past dozen posts to express my disappointment in your experience.

Glad to see you got a good 'un. Looking forward to more pleasant updates!
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by talzara »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 7:26 am
talzara wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 6:11 pm Small engines are the dirtiest engines that the average American will personally operate. The design is dirty, the manufacturing is sloppy, and the testing is haphazard.
Consider that they're also the ones that get the least use. My gas riding mower is used for 6 hours per year to mow a half acre.
The EPA limit for light-duty vehicles is a fleetwide average of 0.03 g/mile of NOx + NMOG. Assuming all miles are highway miles (20 kW at 60 miles/hour), that is 0.09 g/kWh.

The EPA limit for gasoline lawnmower engines is 10 g/kWh, which is more than 100 times worse than automobiles.

You may use your lawnmower 6 hours a year, but most homeowners use them more than that. When the lawnmower is 100 times dirtier than the average car, a little bit of use adds up to a lot of emissions.

As I've pointed out twice on this thread:
talzara wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 5:32 pm In California, small engines are now causing more smog than cars! Automobile engines are getting cleaner, but small engines are not. ... https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/fact-s ... fact-sheet
talzara
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by talzara »

iamlucky13 wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 8:13 pm Ignoring it is not likely to end the environmental talk, because the topic naturally brings in a lot of people interested in electric mowers, some of whom are interested in the environmental aspect specifically (both favorably and warily, as you have seen). But ignoring it does resolve feeling like other people expect you to justify your purchase to them, which if you're like me, is how I tend to feel when conversations go this way.

Also, I estimate you will use about $4 per year worth of electricity with your new Ego, so spending $200-300 on a solar panel plus the other components that would be needed to make that work out is economically uncompelling.
Not "people," just "one person."

Only one person in this thread was talking "warily" about the emissions benefits of electric lawnmowers.

Everyone else who has talked about regulated emissions -- NOx, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulates -- has agreed that electric lawnmowers have much lower emissions than gasoline lawnmowers. The discussion got sidetracked, but they're actually arguing about other things, not emissions.

As I showed, electric lawnmowers have 97% to 100% lower emissions than gasoline lawnmowers when you look at emissions from the power plant.

The OP doesn't need to justify anything. Electric lawnmowers are cleaner, period. You can charge them with 100% coal-generated electricity, and they're still cleaner.
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by protagonist »

andypanda wrote: Thu May 19, 2022 3:12 pm
I also remember when the river caught on fire...

"On June 22, 1969, an oil slick caught fire on the Cuyahoga River just southeast of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. The image that the "the river caught fire" motivated change to protect the environment.
The great Randy Newman wrote a song about that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDVIFVy1MXQ
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corn18
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by corn18 »

Went out and mowed the front yard with the new Ego Z6. I practiced some yesterday and discovered I am a terrible zero turn driver. I had it in the slowest speed and still ended up in the flower beds a couple of times. I suck. I chickened out today and used the push mower to trim around all the beds first so I didn't have to get close to them when I was mowing for real. Glad I did. I still suck. But it was a hoot! I started getting the hang of it towards the end. Then I put it in sport mode and did some donuts in the street. The inside wheel lifted enough to peel out. What a dork, I am. My wife rolled her eyes.

I can't mow the back yard yet because it is fresh sod. If you turned me loose on that with this mower, it would look like a dirt track for motocross.

It was hot and humid and I didn't break a sweat, which is good and bad. No workout, but I will mow more often and keep the yard looking nicer.
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mortfree
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by mortfree »

Here’s a trick that helped me with steering- visualize yourself pushing a grocery cart.

Right hand forward, go left.
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Normchad
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by Normchad »

mortfree wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 6:41 pm Here’s a trick that helped me with steering- visualize yourself pushing a grocery cart.

Right hand forward, go left.
This is the kind of useful advice I come here for!
bzcat
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by bzcat »

Here is a smaller youtube person that has used an electric zero turn, reviews the current options available, and wouldn't make the same purchase again. today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcJH7QqEn_Y
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corn18
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by corn18 »

bzcat wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 9:05 pm Here is a smaller youtube person that has used an electric zero turn, reviews the current options available, and wouldn't make the same purchase again. today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcJH7QqEn_Y
His big complaint is the lead acid batteries in the Ryobi. The Ego has lithium batteries.
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homebuyer6426
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by homebuyer6426 »

talzara wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 4:27 pm
You may use your lawnmower 6 hours a year, but most homeowners use them more than that. When the lawnmower is 100 times dirtier than the average car, a little bit of use adds up to a lot of emissions.
What is the total percentage of world emissions that comes from lawnmowers?
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cmr79
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by cmr79 »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 7:29 am
talzara wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 4:27 pm
You may use your lawnmower 6 hours a year, but most homeowners use them more than that. When the lawnmower is 100 times dirtier than the average car, a little bit of use adds up to a lot of emissions.
What is the total percentage of world emissions that comes from lawnmowers?
This is a really hard question to answer as it relies on a lot of assumptions. I can't find recent (in the last decade; most studies are 15-20 years old), reliable data for the US, let alone the world. Most older data that I've seen suggests that small motor/lawn equipment CO2 emissions are between 2-3% of motor vehicle emissions, so 0.5-1% of all US CO2 emissions.

It is easier to estimate this on a personal level, though. I have a Honda Civic, which produces about 0.59 lbs of CO2 per mile driven. I've only been driving 2-3k miles per year recently (and expect that trend to continue post-pandemic), so about 1200-1800 lbs of CO2 per year. I have a 2 acre lawn that needs to be cut 30-34 times per year. Mowing a 1 acre lawn with gas (either push or riding mowers are similar) generates about 30 lbs of CO2 emissions per cut, which for me means about 1900 lbs of CO2 per year. The PPM, CO, VOC and NOx emissions will look worse for the lawn mowing than for cars given greater restrictions on these emissions from vehicles.

For me personally, it seems like it would actually make a bigger environmental difference for me to get an electric mower vs an electric car, which I didn't realize before running these numbers. For what it's worth, my electricity is 100% renewable.

Not sure how actionable this is, though, given that OP has already re-purchased his EGO mower and seems to be pleased with it so far and was never motivated primarily by the environmental aspects of this choice.
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by talzara »

homebuyer6426 wrote: Tue May 24, 2022 7:29 am What is the total percentage of world emissions that comes from lawnmowers?
Emissions data for California and the United States was already posted in this thread.

Smog is local. The other people in your community will be suffering the most severe effects of lawnmower emissions, not people on the other side of the world.

Dividing by total world emissions will understate the local emissions impact. The United States has almost half of the global lawnmower market, but it has a much smaller fraction of the world's electric power plants and cars. Other countries just don't have as many suburban lawns that need to be cut.
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corn18
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by corn18 »

In case anyone is still following, here is an update.

I love it! So quiet. Great cut. I mow more often now and also keep the grass a little longer so it looks nicer. I certainly had some issues driving it initially, but now I am better. I can mow my yard and my neighbor's yard (about 3/4 acre) on one charge. I look like Forest Gump.

So two thumbs up for this green mower.
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KneeReplacementTutor
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by KneeReplacementTutor »

Still following! I had wondered how things turned out for you as I continue to consider what I'll do when my gas zero turn mower needs to be replaced. Thank you for the update!
Last edited by KneeReplacementTutor on Tue Aug 02, 2022 10:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
andypanda
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by andypanda »

That's great.

___________

"The United States has almost half of the global lawnmower market"

But what about all the chainsaws cutting down the rain forests? Do you know how stinky those millions of old 2-stroke chainsaws are? ;)

But speaking of lawnmowers, with the exception of a few expensive high hp models that have radiators, the vast majority of lawnmowers are air cooled and the engines come up to operating temp in a hurry, even the 20- to 25-hp models on the typical zero turn. I'm all in favor of letting our yard return to meadow or woods, but my wife isn't having any of it.
homebuyer6426
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Re: Debating an electric zero turn mower

Post by homebuyer6426 »

Glad you are happy with the purchase. I need to mow this weekend, it's been 3 weeks.
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