Is electric the way to go now?

[smhardesty]

I've been seeing more and more battery powered mowers and trimmers in my neck of the woods. I just got a a Stihl chainsaw in to prep for sale by the owner. He told me he has switched his mower, trimmer, blower, and hedge trimmers to battery powered devices already and plans to buy a small, battery powered chainsaw as soon as he sells this Stihl.

So, is that something we should all be looking to add to our regular repairs? Should we be stocking a couple of battery powered mowers? And my big question is, should we be learning to repair these things? I'm just getting my little repair business going and I'm wondering what the near future holds. Then, if we should be considering learning how to repair this type of equipment, where do we find courses?

Actually, I have been referring to "we" and the truth us I really mean me. LOL! Are there any repair courses available now? I'd be interested in an online course or a good, old fashioned, book type course. If anybody knows of one, or more, I'd be grateful for the info.

 

[Bertrrr]

Just more green agenda being shoved down our throat in my opinion ,
Doubtful any battery powered mower or other lawn equipment will hold up for very long , then they've got you over a barrel for parts etc.

 

[StarTech]

Just moving our destruction of the Earth to other places. Looks great on the surface until you dig in and see all the extra pollution created in the mining and disposal after the batteries fail. Currently recycling the batteries costs more than the new batteries so everybody just piling them up.

If anybody even remembers the Space 1999 series. It supposedly happen that the discard waste exploded and sent out Moon out its orbit. But of right now the Russians are destroying a beautiful county called Ukraine just to make more room in their country. It now looks several nuclear bombs have gone off. Even they succeed what is left is waste dump.

And yes these battery powered equipment will hold us up on new parts or we have to just dump the machines and buy new. Sorta like our ink printers where the replacement ink cartridges cost as much as a new printer.

 

[RayMcD]

I've been seeing more and more battery powered mowers and trimmers in my neck of the woods. I just got a a Stihl chainsaw in to prep for sale by the owner. He told me he has switched his mower, trimmer, blower, and hedge trimmers to battery powered devices already and plans to buy a small, battery powered chainsaw as soon as he sells this Stihl.

So, is that something we should all be looking to add to our regular repairs? Should we be stocking a couple of battery powered mowers? And my big question is, should we be learning to repair these things? I'm just getting my little repair business going and I'm wondering what the near future holds. Then, if we should be considering learning how to repair this type of equipment, where do we find courses?

Actually, I have been referring to "we" and the truth us I really mean me. LOL! Are there any repair courses available now? I'd be interested in an online course or a good, old fashioned, book type course. If anybody knows of one, or more, I'd be grateful for the info.

Sure, go electric (battery) just don't park it anywhere you don't want it burnt down.. Cheers, Ray

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I will not be working on any battery powered outdoor power equipment. I am an internal combustion engine person. The gas/diesel engine built this world as we know it today. The battery powered equipment owners can get their stuff serviced and repaired at the shops that sold it.

The government and media are shoving battery power down our throats. Many people have already accepted the change, good for them. I won’t get into all the several reasons battery power will take years to really catch on. Remember, there are literally millions of pieces of gas equipment out there that will last many more years. Look forward to hearing what Bertsmobile says about this topic.

 

[bkeller500]

The challenge with a lot of the battery powered equipment is not with the equipment but more often with the batteries. I have had several battery powered tools become useless as their batteries and/or chargers died. Monitoring a couple of other forums, I have noticed this is a complaint of owners of newer snow throwers and walk behind mower models. Replacement batteries are expensive. You get a better deal when you first purchase new equipment bundled with a battery and charger. Separately purchased is another story. There is a push to comply with new government and environmental restrictions that encourage transition away from fuel powered equipment but I am not so sure they want us to know of all the new challenges they are creating. Meanwhile the consumer is going to pay more either way.

 

[RayMcD]

The challenge with a lot of the battery powered equipment is not with the equipment but more often with the batteries. I have had several battery powered tools become useless as their batteries and/or chargers died. Monitoring a couple of other forums, I have noticed this is a complaint of owners of newer snow throwers and walk behind mower models. Replacement batteries are expensive. You get a better deal when you first purchase new equipment bundled with a battery and charger. Separately purchased is another story. There is a push to comply with new government and environmental restrictions that encourage transition away from fuel powered equipment but I am not so sure they want us to know of all the new challenges they are creating. Meanwhile the consumer is going to pay more either way.

What you want to bet one regimen change in the White House and much of this electric stupidity will also go away. r

 

[smhardesty]

Well, it appears obvious that you guys all think the switch to EV stuff is as bad an idea as I do. I happen to be involved in an all out, full scale argument with a couple of EV lovers on Facebook. I should stay away from this type of crap on Facebook, but I see a post that just lights me up and I can't refrain from posting a comment.

All my personal OPE is of the "supposedly" antiquated, world destroying, ICE type. I will never own or even rent a battery operated car. That sounds so ridiculous when you say or think it. A battery operated car? I immediately think of a kid's toy when I say that.

Anyway, you all think that battery powered equipment is still a ways down the road from being the predominate type of OPE. That's good. I won't need to worry about stocking any and won't need to worry about learning to fix them. That is the biggest thing to me. I am scared to death of electricity. Yes, I spent 30+ years working on computers, but that is electronic and not electrical. Big difference there.

StarTech mentioned that we'll be dumping the actual battery powered pieces of OPE instead of repairing the stuff, just like printers. That couldn't be a truer statement. I advised many customers to throw away the printer I was called on to try and repair. At that time, Lexmark and HP were in a mini battle for printer superiority. You could go to your local Walmart and buy a brand new printer, with ink included, for $39 to $49. Replacement cartridges would cost a bit more than that. For me to repair what they had that went belly up would cost twice, or more what a new printer cost. Unfortunately, shortly after that time they started flooding the market with throw away computers like the eMachine. I was no longer able to compete with big computer manufacturers. Up to that point I could build a better computer for less money, but when the industry went full blown disposable, I was just out of luck.

So, we really have reached the beginning of the throw away OPE era. So damned sad. I think back to when I was growing up. Every device imaginable was repaired until it was just basically impossible to repair it anymore. That included OPE, appliances, cars, trucks tractors, etc, etc, etc. I've had a few of the cheap, Chinese lawn mowers in the shop and those things sure can't be repaired. Now, the "powers that be" want to force disposable, battery powered OPE on us. Just freaking great.

 

[smhardesty]

What you want to bet one regimen change in the White House and much of this electric stupidity will also go away. r

I'm betting you are 100% correct. I'll not start any political debate here, but I will simply say that our current leadership in the White House doesn't seem to have a grasp on reality. The only thing I'll use as evidence of that is the fact that they have stopped oil and natural gas exploration and new drilling in the US of A to "save the environment", but then turned right around and increased our import of crude from other countries. So, I'm guessing they think that the environment can only be destroyed by citizens of the US of A, or they think that the environment can be destroyed on one half of the planet while not affecting the other half. Brilliant thinking. LOL!

 

[StarTech]

My opinion is that Washington DC is just completely filled idiot politicians of all parties. As long as they are fighting a cookie like a bunch of spoil brats we are never going get anything done by them. So I have just been ignoring them and take care business around here without them.