Your thoughts on Cash for Clunkers.... Lawn Mower Style?

[rawfuls]

Yup!
They're doing it again, trade in your old, but working lawnmower "clunker" for a electric one!

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthr...9164&t=1991358

My dads old lawn mower (about 10 years old now) just pooped out on us, the throttle linkage completely snapped (Hey, at least it's not a nitro..), so I was just browsing for a newer, cheaper one if we could, but he decided to fix it, since it was a rather easy fix, but found this...

Let's see who's gonna do it?

[TexasSP]

because this is really where Cali needs to be focusing their energy right now being on the verge of bankruptcy.

[slimthelineman]

+1 sp, annoying diversion at best. then again the more we plug in the more work there is for me, for now.....

[Finnster]

lol.. that's pretty silly, tho I'm waiting for someone to blame Obama for it

[lincpimp]

Pretty sure Obama is to blame for this.

Until they start making electricity via non burning shit methods there is not a whole lotta point going electric. Plus no one ever seems to think that making batteries potentially pollutes more than just burning gas. Plus you have to dispose of batteries as they do not last forever. If you want an electric lawnmower just go buy one.

Not that I am saying that you should not take advantage of stuff like this. If you don't someone else will and then you have paid taxes and not seen the benefit for yourself. Not the "correct" way to do things, I know....

More silly stuff from cali. Girlie Man politics at its best.

[zeropointbug]

Spending your money, so you will spend more money.

If you have good batteries such as A123 cells, they are much more environmentally friendly than burning gas, they should have a very long life in a lawn mower app. Lawn mowers are BAD for polluting.

[Finnster]

Originally Posted by zeropointbug

Spending your money, so you will spend more money.

If you have good batteries such as A123 cells, they are much more environmentally friendly than burning gas, they should have a very long life in a lawn mower app. Lawn mowers are BAD for polluting.

I think its true on an individual basis, that mower engines are not very clean, but still seems small apples to me. How many mowers are out there creating hoardes of pollution? I use maybe 2 gals of gas all yr.

Meanwhile, the giant cargo ships that ferry the worlds goods about are some of the largest polluters on earth, and there are almost no standards or movement towards upgrading them. Its been estimated that the 15 largest ships pollute more than all the cars in the world combined. (in regards to NOx and SOx)

Mowers seems pretty low on the food chain to me.

[zeropointbug]

Agreed that it's small apples. I get a headache often when mowing the lawn, either from the noise or the fact that it's burning oil. (I also have 5 acres to mow with push mower) I say why not, as you are directly breathing in that exhaust fumes just a few feet away. With my retrofitted electric mower, I don't get headaches anymore and I don't have the noticeable oily film on my skin afterwards. I enjoy cutting the grass now!

Plus, I don't know about you guys, but my mowers only last at most 3 years, so an electric mower with a good battery pays for itself. Plus as a gas engine ages, they produce more and more emissions, burn oil, etc.

Here is an article about 1 hour of cutting grass is equal to 100 mile car ride.

http://www.infobarrel.com/Lawn_Mower...to_Change_That

I can't remember the thread but I have mentioned the 15 largest ship thing as well... pretty crazy huh.

[lincpimp]

The more stuff you buy the more pollution you cause, pretty simple.

So THROWING AWAY your WORKING lawn mower and buying another lawn mower will likely cause more pollution despite the power source. Power is power, does not matter how you use it. Unless the US goes fully nuclear and stops burning coal I see no reason to go to electric powered items, save for convenience.

[Semi Pro]

why should everyone else subsidize your lawn mower?

[zeropointbug]

Oh yes, I don't agree at all with the cash for clunkers at all. All I am saying, is say when your gas mower dies, and if there were electric units with good batteries, it is more than worth it IMO to go that route. BUT, most electric mower come with horrible, literally horrible batteries that have high internal resistance, wrong type of battery, and from a low quality manufacturer... they just don't last.

When my gas mower died, I bought an electric one a few years ago, and low and behold the battery barely lasted 1.5 seasons with my use. It was a 24V lead acid unit, so I threw in a 10s1p A123 pack just to see... plenty of power, alot more than the huge lead acid pack. So i made a 10s6p pack, I get at least 30 mins runtime, then throw it on the charger for a couple hours in 5s12p config for use on a 20V/10A PSU.

Over it's lifetime, this will be many times cleaner than a comparable 4hp gas mower. I think the larger your lawn is, the more this makes sense, as batteries have a specific calender life, A123's being ~15 years give or take a few.

[Finnster]

Originally Posted by zeropointbug

Agreed that it's small apples. I get a headache often when mowing the lawn, either from the noise or the fact that it's burning oil. (I also have 5 acres to mow with push mower) I say why not, as you are directly breathing in that exhaust fumes just a few feet away. With my retrofitted electric mower, I don't get headaches anymore and I don't have the noticeable oily film on my skin afterwards. I enjoy cutting the grass now!

Plus, I don't know about you guys, but my mowers only last at most 3 years, so an electric mower with a good battery pays for itself. Plus as a gas engine ages, they produce more and more emissions, burn oil, etc.

Here is an article about 1 hour of cutting grass is equal to 100 mile car ride.

http://www.infobarrel.com/Lawn_Mower...to_Change_That

I can't remember the thread but I have mentioned the 15 largest ship thing as well... pretty crazy huh.

hehe, if I had 5 acres of grass to mow I'd get a nice ride-on mower with a beer holder. I've mowed my fair share as a kid, of 5acres is way too much.

Maybe I'd just get some goats. IDK. Let them work eating the grass during the day, and then rent them out to the preverts at night. Mo Money, Mo Goats, No Grass, No Problem. :P


That's what the Cali org should have done (minus the goat pimping) Goats are biodegradable, renewable and easier to recycle anyway.
Could have then fed the goats to the unemployed people going hungry and saved some money on the food stamps.

Goats: Fertilizing the road to economic recovery.

[TexasSP]

Originally Posted by Finnster

hehe, if I had 5 acres of grass to mow I'd get a nice ride-on mower with a beer holder. I've mowed my fair share as a kid, of 5acres is way too much.

Couldn't agree more. I nice 22hp job with a sun screen and beer holder and I could mow all day!

Originally Posted by Finnster

Maybe I'd just get some goats. IDK. Let them work eating the grass during the day, and then rent them out to the preverts at night. Mo Money, Mo Goats, No Grass, No Problem. :P


That's what the Cali org should have done (minus the goat pimping) Goats are biodegradable, renewable and easier to recycle anyway.
Could have then fed the goats to the unemployed people going hungry and saved some money on the food stamps.

Goats: Fertilizing the road to economic recovery.

That's what the state did on an island across from my lake house. The herd kept the 10 acre island nice and tidy plus they ate the trash campers left.

[lincpimp]

3 yr lawn mower life? Wow, I have an edger that is 30yrs old, and my dad has a push mower that is 45. He did have to replace the intake valve recently, so he has 20 bucks in it...

I have a craftsman self propelled mower, got it used in great shape and have had it for at least 5yrs. Paid 35 bucks for it, changed the oil a few times, had to replace the blade once and both front wheels (ft wheel drive). Might have 75 bucks in it now, plus gas.

10s6p? 60 cells, 5 bucks a cell, 300 bucks on the battery. That would be 120 gallons of gas. Not sure what my mowers capacity is, maybe a gallon. And I get a few cuts on a tank, say 2 full cuts. So maybe 15 gallons go in it a season, if that. So I would pay 300 bucks in 8 years in gas for the mower. So your battery should be cheaper over time. But one cell may die, and then you have to fool with it. Plus when my mower runs out of gas I can fill it up.

I like elctric, but for cutting the grass it just does not make much sense. Electric weed eaters and edges (corded) sound good, as 2 stokes are a pain. I like my 4 stroke weed eater better than a 2 stroke. I maybe have 3k in yard equipment...

[rootar]

On the subject of mowers only lasting a few years.

If you buy a good mower such a kubota or a gravely and theyll last 20+ years..... we have a old rear engine gravely riding mower at my parents and it has been used every summer for the past 26 years (give or take 1 i cant remember exactly) it doesnt smoke, leak,or anything. Now we did buy a new Kubota diesel zero turn just to cut down on the time since we started mowing double duty this past year which includes my grandma's yard. but we still use the gravely to mow around the ponds/levees/road/ and pasture fence rows.