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Recall for Greenworks and Kobalt twin-blade cordless mowers
#2
MowerMike
MowerMike
Thanks for the heads up. My Greenworks mower has a date code that is not part of the recall. Is yours affected ?
#3
1
1 Lucky Texan
LIke yours, mine predates the affected production run - I think I saw where about 28,000 units could be affected?
Ran across the info somewhat accidentally on-line.
1
1 Lucky Texan
Thanks for the heads up. My Greenworks mower has a date code that is not part of the recall. Is yours affected ?
LIke yours, mine predates the affected production run - I think I saw where about 28,000 units could be affected?
Ran across the info somewhat accidentally on-line.
#4
MowerMike
I noticed that Amazon had stopped selling them for awhile, and Lowe's no longer carries the Kobalt version.
MowerMike
LIke yours, mine predates the affected production run - I think I saw where about 28,000 units could be affected?
Ran across the info somewhat accidentally on-line.
I noticed that Amazon had stopped selling them for awhile, and Lowe's no longer carries the Kobalt version.
#5
MowerMike
MowerMike
An interesting twist to the circuit board saga. The left side battery port on my Twin Force has died and I can only run the mower with a battery inserted into the right side port. I first noticed this several weeks ago when the mower suddenly shut down while I was mowing with just one battery inserted in the left port. At first I thought the battery had discharged, but it still had two charge lights lit, so I switched to the right side port and completed my mowing without further incident. Today I inserted a charged battery in the left side port, and the mower ran for just a second before shutting down and refusing to restart. Again, I switched the battery to the right side port and mowed my lawn without any problems. When I was done, I inserted a second charged battery in the left side port, and when I started the mower it immediately selected the right side port. Normally with two batteries installed, it would first select the left side port and then switch to the right port when the left port battery became discharged. So, basically, I now have a mower with one live port and a second spare battery storage compartment. I have to swap the batteries when the first one becomes discharged, but at least I don't have to walk back to the house to fetch another battery. This mower is over four years old, so it is out of warranty to get a circuit board replacement, and I'm not going to bother purchasing a replacement as long as at least one battery port is still functional.
#6
1
1 Lucky Texan
interesting - given any thought to some disassembly - if even to look for a broken wire or other obvious problem?
Mine still leaves a lot (well, more than at lower cutting heights and more than when it was new) of uncut stragglers - I try to 'overmow' them as I'm walking the next path but, I miss some and let others go. ALL the plastic teeth are gone form under the mower. I have tried to brainstorm a way to add something back that might have the same function. I also have thought about using a 'door sweep' - maybe the type with a brush? to extend the sides of the deck downwards, probably glue and/or pop rivet sections on the sides at least. - I guess the hope would be to increase suction in the cutting chambers. Just kinda lazy about trying anything I guess lol!
Mike, is the 60V mower much less maneuverable than the Twin blade? maybe I'll watch for a sale and upgrade before next season. Or, I might look for a refurbished twin blade 'tool only'....
1
1 Lucky Texan
An interesting twist to the circuit board saga. The left side battery port on my Twin Force has died and I can only run the mower with a battery inserted into the right side port. I first noticed this several weeks ago when the mower suddenly shut down while I was mowing with just one battery inserted in the left port. At first I thought the battery had discharged, but it still had two charge lights lit, so I switched to the right side port and completed my mowing without further incident. Today I inserted a charged battery in the left side port, and the mower ran for just a second before shutting down and refusing to restart. Again, I switched the battery to the right side port and mowed my lawn without any problems. When I was done, I inserted a second charged battery in the left side port, and when I started the mower it immediately selected the right side port. Normally with two batteries installed, it would first select the left side port and then switch to the right port when the left port battery became discharged. So, basically, I now have a mower with one live port and a second spare battery storage compartment. I have to swap the batteries when the first one becomes discharged, but at least I don't have to walk back to the house to fetch another battery. This mower is over four years old, so it is out of warranty to get a circuit board replacement, and I'm not going to bother purchasing a replacement as long as at least one battery port is still functional.
interesting - given any thought to some disassembly - if even to look for a broken wire or other obvious problem?
Mine still leaves a lot (well, more than at lower cutting heights and more than when it was new) of uncut stragglers - I try to 'overmow' them as I'm walking the next path but, I miss some and let others go. ALL the plastic teeth are gone form under the mower. I have tried to brainstorm a way to add something back that might have the same function. I also have thought about using a 'door sweep' - maybe the type with a brush? to extend the sides of the deck downwards, probably glue and/or pop rivet sections on the sides at least. - I guess the hope would be to increase suction in the cutting chambers. Just kinda lazy about trying anything I guess lol!
Mike, is the 60V mower much less maneuverable than the Twin blade? maybe I'll watch for a sale and upgrade before next season. Or, I might look for a refurbished twin blade 'tool only'....
#7
MowerMike
The 60 volt mower is not significantly less maneuverable than the Twin Force, given that the wheelbases and handlebar lengths are about the same. Of course, it is a couple of inches wider, so it can't get into some tight spots that are accessible to the Twin Force. Although it is about 15 lbs heavier it doesn't seem any more difficult to push, perhaps due to the larger front wheels and ball bearings in all of the wheels. It also has a nice comb built into the front deck insert that makes for a very clean cut and a minimum number of stragglers.
MowerMike
Mike, is the 60V mower much less maneuverable than the Twin blade? maybe I'll watch for a sale and upgrade before next season. Or, I might look for a refurbished twin blade 'tool only'....
The 60 volt mower is not significantly less maneuverable than the Twin Force, given that the wheelbases and handlebar lengths are about the same. Of course, it is a couple of inches wider, so it can't get into some tight spots that are accessible to the Twin Force. Although it is about 15 lbs heavier it doesn't seem any more difficult to push, perhaps due to the larger front wheels and ball bearings in all of the wheels. It also has a nice comb built into the front deck insert that makes for a very clean cut and a minimum number of stragglers.
#9
1932highboy
1932highboy
Sort of a high jack, but , I replaced the plastic sleeve bearing wheels with ball bearing wheels. It made a note able difference in the force required to push the mower. Anything to help this old man out!
#10
MowerMike
MowerMike
1 Lucky Texan - Another possibility is this new G-MAX 40 volt model from Greenworks that would allow you to use your existing G-MAX 40 volt batteries:
https://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-M...eywords=greenworks+g-max+40v+lawn+mower&psc=1
It is basically the same design as my 21" 60 volt model, except that it is instead 20" and has a dual battery port setup similar to the Twin Force. Amazon is currently selling the bare tool version for only $180.77 for a total of $195.68 including Texas sales tax. From what I can tell this new model replaces the 19" Digipro model that is no longer shown on the Greenworks website and is now being scalped by independent sellers for crazy high prices. It also appears that the 16" G-MAX model is being replaced with a new 17" model.
https://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-M...eywords=greenworks+g-max+40v+lawn+mower&psc=1
It is basically the same design as my 21" 60 volt model, except that it is instead 20" and has a dual battery port setup similar to the Twin Force. Amazon is currently selling the bare tool version for only $180.77 for a total of $195.68 including Texas sales tax. From what I can tell this new model replaces the 19" Digipro model that is no longer shown on the Greenworks website and is now being scalped by independent sellers for crazy high prices. It also appears that the 16" G-MAX model is being replaced with a new 17" model.
#11
1
1 Lucky Texan
whoa - thanx for the link/info! - I have never seen that model.
1
1 Lucky Texan
1 Lucky Texan - Another possibility is this new G-MAX 40 volt model from Greenworks that would allow you to use your existing G-MAX 40 volt batteries:
https://www.amazon.com/GreenWorks-M...eywords=greenworks+g-max+40v+lawn+mower&psc=1
It is basically the same design as my 21" 60 volt model, except that it is instead 20" and has a dual battery port setup similar to the Twin Force. Amazon is currently selling the bare tool version for only $180.77 for a total of $195.68 including Texas sales tax. From what I can tell this new model replaces the 19" Digipro model that is no longer shown on the Greenworks website and is now being scalped by independent sellers for crazy high prices. It also appears that the 16" G-MAX model is being replaced with a new 17" model.
whoa - thanx for the link/info! - I have never seen that model.
#13
MowerMike
On the negative side, I just found out that it only has one live battery port, and the second compartment is just storage for a spare battery. So, when the battery in the live port is discharged, you have to manually swap the batteries before continuing to mow. Kind of like my Twin Force is now. :laughing:
MowerMike
that MO40L00 mower you linked also has ball-bearing wheels.
On the negative side, I just found out that it only has one live battery port, and the second compartment is just storage for a spare battery. So, when the battery in the live port is discharged, you have to manually swap the batteries before continuing to mow. Kind of like my Twin Force is now. :laughing:
#15
MowerMike
MowerMike
Amazon is selling the Twin Force today for just $259 in its Deals of the Day.
#16
MowerMike
Well, guess what ? I opened it up and could not see anything obvious, so I ordered a new PCB under a cross-reference to the Craftsman version of this mower for $17.85 including shipping, which saved me about $10 over the Greenworks part. They are all made by Sun anyways, so there is no physical difference. The board is really complicated with no less than six separate unlabelled connectors. Two go to the battery compartments, two go to the motors, one goes to the start switch and one goes to the battery compartment status LEDs. I swapped them out one at a time to make sure that they were hooked up correctly, but really didn't know until I cut some grass that the motors weren't running backwards.
When I first tested the mower I got the same behavior as before, namely it would only start up with a battery in the right compartment. So, the problem was not the PCB ! I then opened it up again and poked around with the wires and connectors in the left battery compartment, but still no luck. I then jiggled the four connectors to the start switch, and this time the mower started normally with a battery in the left compartment ! So apparently the start switch has separate circuits for each battery compartment, and there was a bad connection for the left compartment, which triggered a fault signal with flashing LEDs and the PCB would not start the mower.
It is interesting how this thing works. There is a SPDT relay on the PCB which is de-energized when power is drawn from the battery in the left compartment, and energized when transferred to the right compartment. I could hear the relay click when starting the mower with a battery in the right compartment.
MowerMike
interesting - given any thought to some disassembly - if even to look for a broken wire or other obvious problem?
Well, guess what ? I opened it up and could not see anything obvious, so I ordered a new PCB under a cross-reference to the Craftsman version of this mower for $17.85 including shipping, which saved me about $10 over the Greenworks part. They are all made by Sun anyways, so there is no physical difference. The board is really complicated with no less than six separate unlabelled connectors. Two go to the battery compartments, two go to the motors, one goes to the start switch and one goes to the battery compartment status LEDs. I swapped them out one at a time to make sure that they were hooked up correctly, but really didn't know until I cut some grass that the motors weren't running backwards.
When I first tested the mower I got the same behavior as before, namely it would only start up with a battery in the right compartment. So, the problem was not the PCB ! I then opened it up again and poked around with the wires and connectors in the left battery compartment, but still no luck. I then jiggled the four connectors to the start switch, and this time the mower started normally with a battery in the left compartment ! So apparently the start switch has separate circuits for each battery compartment, and there was a bad connection for the left compartment, which triggered a fault signal with flashing LEDs and the PCB would not start the mower.
It is interesting how this thing works. There is a SPDT relay on the PCB which is de-energized when power is drawn from the battery in the left compartment, and energized when transferred to the right compartment. I could hear the relay click when starting the mower with a battery in the right compartment.
#17
1
1 Lucky Texan
that is interesting - kinda old-school
was the switch issue related to the cable not pulling enough? I think some early failures were due to there being too much slack or a bent mount??? (I've' never opened mine up)
not buying another twin force, with all the plastic teeth missing, it leaves too many uncut stragglers at the high setting I use. It still runs fine. Indeed, if I get the single blade one you linked, I may cannibalize the twin force for a motor and battery mount and try to make a batt powered shop vac.
1
1 Lucky Texan
Well, guess what ? I opened it up and could not see anything obvious, so I ordered a new PCB under a cross-reference to the Craftsman version of this mower for $17.85 including shipping, which saved me about $10 over the Greenworks part. They are all made by Sun anyways, so there is no physical difference. The board is really complicated with no less than six separate unlabelled connectors. Two go to the battery compartments, two go to the motors, one goes to the start switch and one goes to the battery compartment status LEDs. I swapped them out one at a time to make sure that they were hooked up correctly, but really didn't know until I cut some grass that the motors weren't running backwards.
When I first tested the mower I got the same behavior as before, namely it would only start up with a battery in the right compartment. So, the problem was not the PCB ! I then opened it up again and poked around with the wires and connectors in the left battery compartment, but still no luck. I then jiggled the four connectors to the start switch, and this time the mower started normally with a battery in the left compartment ! So apparently the start switch has separate circuits for each battery compartment, and there was a bad connection for the left compartment, which triggered a fault signal with flashing LEDs and the PCB would not start the mower.
It is interesting how this thing works. There is a SPDT relay on the PCB which is de-energized when power is drawn from the battery in the left compartment, and energized when transferred to the right compartment. I could hear the relay click when starting the mower with a battery in the right compartment.
that is interesting - kinda old-school
was the switch issue related to the cable not pulling enough? I think some early failures were due to there being too much slack or a bent mount??? (I've' never opened mine up)
not buying another twin force, with all the plastic teeth missing, it leaves too many uncut stragglers at the high setting I use. It still runs fine. Indeed, if I get the single blade one you linked, I may cannibalize the twin force for a motor and battery mount and try to make a batt powered shop vac.
#18
MowerMike
I don't think it's a cable problem, but perhaps one of the internal switches not closing properly. When I jiggled the connectors, the switch terminals were very loose and moved a lot. It might be nothing more than burned or corroded contacts due to arcing. Anyway, if the problem reoccurs, I'll just replace the switch assembly.
MowerMike
was the switch issue related to the cable not pulling enough? I think some early failures were due to there being too much slack or a bent mount??? (I've' never opened mine up).
I don't think it's a cable problem, but perhaps one of the internal switches not closing properly. When I jiggled the connectors, the switch terminals were very loose and moved a lot. It might be nothing more than burned or corroded contacts due to arcing. Anyway, if the problem reoccurs, I'll just replace the switch assembly.
#20
MowerMike
MowerMike
Well, the problem with the mower not starting with a charged battery in the left compartment has come back, so I’ve ordered a new switch from Greenworks for $10 plus $8.99 standard shipping. No amount of connector jiggling will fix it, and it seems that one of the contacts is stuck in the closed position, such that it does not open when the bail lever is released. As soon as I receive and install the replacement switch, I’ll report back as to the result. I don’t use this mower very much anymore, since getting my new 56 and 60 volt mowers, so I’m pretty much done with sinking any more money into it.
#21
MowerMike
MowerMike
Update on 3/24/2018
I received the replacement switch today, and the mower is again functioning properly. After examining the switch, I discovered that it actually does not operate the way I initially thought. It is in fact a complicated SPDT On/Off switch, nothing more, and has nothing to do directly with selecting the battery port. One contact is NC and the other is NO, and the two switch terminals on one side are jumpered together to a common wire. The terminals on the other side are connected to separate wires, such that the NC contact represents the Off state and the NO contact represents the On state when the bail operates the switch. As soon as the bail is released, a strong internal spring inside the switch returns it to the Off state. The On wire is connected to the safety key circuit, suggesting that it is the hot side of the circuit. The Off wire is connected to the circuit board, so it is a mystery exactly how it works. As to battery port selection, it must be done by direct voltage detection of the batteries, since all the battery connector wires go directly to the circuit board. So, the problem with my old switch was that the NC contact was not opening when the bail was operated, and not that it was not opening when the bail was released. Curiously, after I removed the old switch and bench tested it, it seems to work again, so some internal part is failing intermittenly. It is a complete mystery to me why the malfunctioning switch permitted the mower to operate with a battery inserted in one port but not the other.
I received the replacement switch today, and the mower is again functioning properly. After examining the switch, I discovered that it actually does not operate the way I initially thought. It is in fact a complicated SPDT On/Off switch, nothing more, and has nothing to do directly with selecting the battery port. One contact is NC and the other is NO, and the two switch terminals on one side are jumpered together to a common wire. The terminals on the other side are connected to separate wires, such that the NC contact represents the Off state and the NO contact represents the On state when the bail operates the switch. As soon as the bail is released, a strong internal spring inside the switch returns it to the Off state. The On wire is connected to the safety key circuit, suggesting that it is the hot side of the circuit. The Off wire is connected to the circuit board, so it is a mystery exactly how it works. As to battery port selection, it must be done by direct voltage detection of the batteries, since all the battery connector wires go directly to the circuit board. So, the problem with my old switch was that the NC contact was not opening when the bail was operated, and not that it was not opening when the bail was released. Curiously, after I removed the old switch and bench tested it, it seems to work again, so some internal part is failing intermittenly. It is a complete mystery to me why the malfunctioning switch permitted the mower to operate with a battery inserted in one port but not the other.