Banning two-stroke lawn equipment

[Zoodles95]

Lawnmower handles the heavy stuff no problem. If you do a lot of it the battery will just get depleted quicker. The lawnmower has tech that if the lawn is patchy that it recognizes a lighter area and slows down to save energy. Hit a thicker are and it ramps up the power.

Our neighbors lawn was a good ft tall and full of weeds. The "Tesla" roared through it but I only made it 2/3 of the way. I put it on the charger jumped in the pool and finished it an hour later once the battery had charged. Now that we have 2 batteries I could have done it in one shot.

I'm sure the 120 V units are even better. 80 V is darn good though. My Dad is a lawn snob and he admitted that the mower did a good job so it he thought the lawn looked good then that was good enough for me.

Just be aware of the A/hrs. Ours is 4 A/hrs and there are units out there with 2 A/hr or less. If they could make a similar sized and weight battery that was 6 A/hr then we could have tackled our neighbor's crazy yard and not have had to run out of battery life.

In short, I think the tech has reached a point where it is "good enough" for home use. Pro use is probably going to have to be 120 V or above and even more A/hrs.

 

[nobbie48]

We're stuck with a 40 volt system and I wonder where we are going in the future with 80V. A colleague is considering an 80 volt Milwaukee paving breaker and concrete saw combo. My old fashioned mind says "Why doesn't he use his Honda generator?" 120 volt AC is universal unlike every tool manufacturer having their own battery platform that dies in a number of years or is made obsolete.

 

[GreyGhost]

We're stuck with a 40 volt system and I wonder where we are going in the future with 80V. A colleague is considering an 80 volt Milwaukee paving breaker and concrete saw combo. My old fashioned mind says "Why doesn't he use his Honda generator?" 120 volt AC is universal unlike every tool manufacturer having their own battery platform that dies in a number of years or is made obsolete.

Battery power in big tools shines for quick jobs (repair or small install, etc). It saves you hauling out the generator, cords etc which could be a significant percentage of the job time. For a big job, we still have a long way to go before it can compete with AC power. When battery life is measured in minutes, it never has a chance to replace gas on a big job. Milwaukee is very careful to advertise run time in obscure units that could drastically vary based on the product being attacked (2 tons, 40'x6"x12" etc, absolutely no mention anywhere of run time in minutes which would matter if you were chipping around rebar or stronger concrete or . . .)

On the snowblower front, I would love if someone made a battery powered snowblower designed for chewing through a frozen windrow. I have no need nor desire to store a 300 lb 30" wide gas monster. If someone made a two-stage ~12" wide that could be great. Lots of torque to break up and spit out the ice.

 

[Michael0124]

Its the noise not the emissions that are in issue.
2-stroke outdoor equipment just doesn't have much in the way of mufflers.
I lived through 3 days of stone being cut for a neighbour's interlocking driveway, it was not pleaseant.

My 2 stroke Husqvarna weed whacker is loud but my electric leaf blower is louder, to my ears anyway. But I also don't constantly blip the throttle on the leaf blower lol, which probably annoys my neighbours. And obviously no smell.

My Husqvarna snowblower is a 250cc (maybe 300? can't recall right now), 4 stroke single that's louder than both combined. Neighbours don't seem to mind that one though especially when I clear their driveways

 

[nobbie48]

Battery power in big tools shines for quick jobs (repair or small install, etc). It saves you hauling out the generator, cords etc which could be a significant percentage of the job time. For a big job, we still have a long way to go before it can compete with AC power. When battery life is measured in minutes, it never has a chance to replace gas on a big job. Milwaukee is very careful to advertise run time in obscure units that could drastically vary based on the product being attacked (2 tons, 40'x6"x12" etc, absolutely no mention anywhere of run time in minutes which would matter if you were chipping around rebar or stronger concrete or . . .)

On the snowblower front, I would love if someone made a battery powered snowblower designed for chewing through a frozen windrow. I have no need nor desire to store a 300 lb 30" wide gas monster. If someone made a two-stage ~12" wide that could be great. Lots of torque to break up and spit out the ice.

The frozen windrow is my problem as well. I used to do the driveways of a few older neighbours but now I'm the older neighbour and the city has taken over the sidewalk duties. I can handle my modest driveway at my leisure but clearing the glacier is hard on the shoulders and elbows.

How about a battery chain saw. Make and stack ice blocks. I wonder if something like a roto tiller would work.

BTW the same buddy has a battery powered heat shrink gun which seems to equal a 600 watt job. I almost fell asleep waiting for it to properly close a piece of shrink.

 

[GreyGhost]

The frozen windrow is my problem as well. I used to do the driveways of a few older neighbours but now I'm the older neighbour and the city has taken over the sidewalk duties. I can handle my modest driveway at my leisure but clearing the glacier is hard on the shoulders and elbows.

How about a battery chain saw. Make and stack ice blocks. I wonder if something like a roto tiller would work.

BTW the same buddy has a battery powered heat shrink gun which seems to equal a 600 watt job. I almost fell asleep waiting for it to properly close a piece of shrink.

I wouldnt use a chainsaw. There are rocks and dirt and it normally isnt a solid ice cube. Roto tiller is an interesting concept. I doubt it would work. Without the anchor into soil, I think it would climb up on top and drag you along.

 

[Mad Mike]

The first rechargable lawnmower I purchased was a Black and Decker 24V lead acid powered - it was awesome. I bought it for my dad in 1996, he struggled with mechanical stuff so this was the ea. It ran flawlessly for 10 years, would cut 1/2 an acre of grass without complaining.

I wouldnt use a chainsaw. There are rocks and dirt and it normally isnt a solid ice cube. Roto tiller is an interesting concept. I doubt it would work. Without the anchor into soil, I think it would climb up on top and drag you along.

stump grinders work well.

 

[nobbie48]

The first rechargable lawnmower I purchased was a Black and Decker 24V lead acid powered - it was awesome. I bought it for my dad in 1996, he struggled with mechanical stuff so this was the ea. It ran flawlessly for 10 years, would cut 1/2 an acre of grass without complaining.

stump grinders work well.

I was just going to say that. However when the city ground a stump in front of our house bits of stump and dirt were flying 40-50 feet.