New John Deere electric zero turn mower

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bertsmobile1

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No it is not
The battery was giving off fuming HF acid that reacts with the air to cause the white smoke, called funny enough "acid reflux "
They were breathing in a lot of it .
The HF will cause their bones to decalcify
There is no cure nor treatment for it just palleative care
Burning batteries also give off a lot of other gasses and every one has fatal endpoints if enough is breathed in
And we are doing this to save the planet, really ?
Li batteries are perfect for small devices but the wrong technology for anything bigger than an e-scooter
Every car maker has had an EV sitting in the wings , just waiting for a safe battery with enough capacity to drive them.
There is a mob down here that has been doing E-conversions for decades using Pb batteries but they suffer from limited range.
Perfect for doing local deliveries into big cities from a central warehouse as is done in a lot of EU cities .
Musk has forced everyones hand to bring on their E-models for fear of loosing market share so they just had to adopt Li batteries although none wanted to but the media fell in love with Musk so he got massive amount of media attention
Large Li batteries are just plain stupid but as Frank Zappa prophesied "We are dumb all over & maybe even a little ugly on the side "
Every one now days seems to be suffering from the "superman complex".
No matter how stupid we act & how irresponsibe we act superman will pop up & save us .
And right now the media see Must in a blue body suit with his red undies on the outside
In a decade he will be portrayed wearing a red body suit with a forked tail .
And even more stupidly people are flocking to bolt one of these time bombs to the wall of their houses to save money on electricity bills .
Humans are the most stupid species on the planet , but the end of human dominance is getting closer at an increasing rate .
We will either choke to death on our own pollution or starve to death because we have decimated the insect population & we continue to erradicate every species that we think is ugly , scarey or annoying
Over 1/2 of the plants on the planet are fertilized by insects other than honey bees .
Several attempts at revegitation have failed because the insects that are needed to maintain it are extinct .
 

Smithsonite

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The media has turned their backs on Musk now, because he uttered words that MIGHT sound a little on the Conservative side. And that's the WRONG side for corporate media. The meltdown has been highly entertaining, though.

After hearing about what J/D has done to farmers spending a half-million dollars or more on their combines, I've swore off J/D for good. If I spend that much money on a machine, you had damned well better give me the service info I need to keep my livelihood!
 

Gord Baker

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By now, I'm sure you have heard about the battery powered zero turn mower that Deere is about to open up for pre-orders set to begin in the 2024 model production year. I can't share pics yet as Deere hasn't authorized their release. Thoughts?
Never buy the first Production Year of Anything. Especially battery powered. I have a box full of B&D and Makita battery powered tools you can have. Drills always good for 1-1/2 holes!
 

nc10

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Here is my big problem
I assume they will be using a Li battery of some kind
Li batteries do not like to be too hot or too cold and in both cases can spontaneously combust due to the mechanical breakdown of the separation plates in the cold and critical temperature at the other end .

Definitely Li battery, but don't see what Li technology they are using listed anywhere. While there is a need/desire for maximum energy density in cars, I don't see that in a mower. I expect JD will use LFP battery technology (or something like that) where there isn't much of a fire or explosion risk, and you can keep the battery at full charge all the time without losing capacity, though your battery size/weight will go up. LFP is cheaper also.

Looks like JD is expecting owners to keep the mower plugged in when not in use (not exactly sure what they will recommend). Just guessing, but this could be to provide ongoing power/heat in cold weather to maintain battery temp above some minimum. Also allows them to avoid using 220V charging, there won't be as much need to recharge a mower in an hour or two if you tell owners to keep it plugged in all the time. But when your battery gets low, I expect you'll need to several hours to get back to mowing (700W charging system, 3.5 kw battery). I expect leaving your mower just sitting without power over a winter will be a problem.

Definitely some tradeoffs vs long, well established combustion engines for mowers and equipment, certainly price, probably low temp operation, battery life and replacement cost vs engine life likely a concern for early models, but some advantages also. The need to reduce GHG emissions is almost certainly real, will be forced to evolve and implement solutions over the next decade or two. I'm pretty hopeful battery tech, power generation continues to improve and will be more than competitive.
 
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Deleted member 97405

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Never buy the first Production Year of Anything. Especially battery powered. I have a box full of B&D and Makita battery powered tools you can have. Drills always good for 1-1/2 I ha
 

Gord Baker

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Smithsonite

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Geesh ... $6,400 and it looks like a homeowner z-turn sold at Home Depot. NO THANKS!!
 
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Deleted member 97405

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Never buy the first Production Year of Anything. Especially battery powered. I have a box full of B&D and Makita battery powered tools you can have. Drills always good for 1-1/2 holes!
I agree with your sentiment, especially with the brands you've mentioned, but I've also owned a 1988 Chevy K1500 (first year) for 24 years and I'm sure the folks with those 1963 110's are sure hating life these days! Not ragging on anyone here, I can only speak for myself, but I prefer to keep an openminded, curious mindset, especially when it comes to John Deere, although I did raise a hairy eyebrow when the SST16 and SST18's were introduced! I was still a technician at the time. Those drivetrains were some kind of overly convoluted, but the mice were happy because they loved the taste of the rubber diaphragms.
So glad those SpinSteers morphed into the Z300 series zero turn mowers we have today. And that lineup has been totally redesigned for 2023, including Kawasaki engines. Gone are the crappy earlier versions and junky B&S engines. I now feel the 2023 lineup has some reliability.
Back to the newly introduced battery mower, I am critical of the pin instead of a traditional key in the start button. That pin isn't going to sit right in my pocket on my keyring of JD keys. Hopefully that will get changed.
But the main reason I'm optimistic is because it's John Deere. Historically, Deere has taken what is on the market and made it better. All the way back in 1837, John Deere perfected the plow by taking what was there and perfecting it. Then, they did the same thing in tractors. And again, in 1963, they built a lawn tractor that has stood the test of time. Now, in the battery era, I expect the same. The first year, just like the 1963 110, may need some tweaks, but I expect dominance and perfection from Deere. If history is any indicator, I'd say we'll be fine!
I will keep my all original 1964 110 (great grandpap bought it new), Z950M(25th anniversary edition), and GT225(2002). I have the consecutive 110 to my grandpaps that doesnt have an engine, so I may 3D print an engine shell over an electric drive motor only if I can do it without cutting up the 110 chassis. I also have plans to convert an old 110 deck shell to electric blade motors for the helluvit, and if I ever could build an autosteer into it..... I believe lawn tractor autosteer is the next thing since Deere already has that in the smaller self-docking E5 mower, and they are hard-focused on it in the Ag industry, with some capability now on some Gators. Only a matter of time until it trickles down into the residential/commercial side of products. What can I say, I love the blend of new and old. I'm only 42, born and raised with an older generation mindset mixed with curiosity of youth and new tech.
 
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