Export thread

I saw a Raven electric riding mower in Lowe's today. It is a 7100w generator on a utv frame with a 46 inch 2 electric motor driven deck. The reviews I read on the net from those who have bought one from Lowe's are so far positive. The idea is great since one can either mow, cruise the farm, or power the house with the generator. I think it is around $3000, which doesn't seem to bad considering what this thing can be used for. There was some question regarding the longevity of the Chinese engine though.

It does seem neat! Here are some other threads on the same topic:

• http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/front-porch/13884-check-out.html
• http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/general-mower-discussion/14015-raven-46-hybrid-riding-lawn-mower.html

apparently lowes has had som many complaints about them they are not selling them anymore...

txzrider said:

apparently lowes has had som many complaints about them they are not selling them anymore...

Click to expand...

What sort of complaints ?

MowerMike said:

What sort of complaints ?

Click to expand...

Yeah I would like to know the same thing. The first 7 reviews on the website are 5 stars but I did notice the most recent two are one/two stars.
Shop Raven 46-in Hybrid Riding Lawn Mower at Lowes.com

lots of good discussion... New hybrid tractor @ Lowes - Tractors Forum - GardenWeb

Couple of other electric or hybrid pieces of equipment come to mind.

That GE Elec-Track tractor from back in the day, which might have been ahead of it's time, and maybe battery technology has caught up with the idea of an all electric piece of outdoor equipment;
The Electric Tractor Store :: Elec-Trak Parts

And Honda's hybrid snow blower, that might be just a little too narrowly focused for my own purposes;
Honda Snowblowers: HS1336iAS Hybrid Snowblower

So the notion of a hybrid mower/tractor/generator has some merit, in my opinion.

the raven looks sweet. i think if i had that kind of money i would buy it. just think, you wouldnt have to store 3 different units, if the power went out then you just drive the thing over to the outlet (no more carrying it around the house or through the snow) and the list hoes on and on. it looks to be like a good deal (but i would rather it come with a kohler command or a briggs.

bwdbrn1 said:

And Honda's hybrid snow blower, that might be just a little too narrowly focused for my own purposes;
Honda Snowblowers: HS1336iAS Hybrid Snowblower

Click to expand...

Yeah that snowblower is a beast! :thumbsup: But luckily it's not expensive....only $8,000! :wink: :shocked:

so... one finally showed up on display at my lowes. Apparently the recall is over and they are for sale again. They would not let me demo one, but they said they would be happy to sell me one. It looks like one of those chinese atv's that you see selling for less than $1000 at Christmas. The generator and engine assy looks like very cheaply made, I just saw an 8750 watt generator at harbor freight for $400. This looks less well engineered. Also not a lot of leg room. I felt like it was meant for a smaller person. The deck looks lightweight, the blades are very thin, much thinner than normal. I doubt they will survive much abuse. I like the idea of replacing my mower and golfcart with one device... but I think I would like to see much more quality before I would consider it.

txzrider said:

The deck looks lightweight, the blades are very thin, much thinner than normal. I doubt they will survive much abuse. I like the idea of replacing my mower and golfcart with one device... but I think I would like to see much more quality before I would consider it.

Click to expand...

I was wondering about the heftiness of everything. Still, it is a pretty decent concept. Thing looks to be really tall too.

feels really tall and top heavy when you sit on it.