# [EVDL] electric lawn mower, conversion or buy one



## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Hi gang,

I'm not an electrician, but not averse to learning.
I have run up against a wall, though: I'd like to convert an old
gas one (already disassembled) into either corded electric (AC) or
battery powered (DC) but I want it to have some PUNCH to it. I just
burnt up a used B&D MM850 that I felt was anemic at best. On taking
that one apart, I noticed the motor was totally unprotected from
foreign matter entering the motor and I'm just really disappointed in
the design of the whole thing, including the wimpy size of that motor
(4.0 HP - I don't think so!) Any help would be greatly
appreciated. Oh, location info: I'm in the PNW close to Portland
Oregon, but on the Washington side of the river. I've looked over the
D&D Motor Systems website, and tho there's some helpful info there, I
get as many questions as answers using that as a point of departure
for reference.... Also the whole HP elec vs gas is very much up in
the air. The one thing I have deduced is that I need a motor that
will deliver more like 3k RPM than the 1.7k RPM that most used motors
from other application would deliver....

I think I'd prefer to make the first go with a power cord to get
something useable with as little outlay of cash as possible (push
mower) even tho I have close to a 1/2 acre to deal with... but I'm
open to other options. At one point I'd like to get a riding mower
setup, as I'm not gettin any younger and I can ride a bike for
exercise lolz
TIA

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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

I was also keeping an eye on that increased weight factor yeah.
That's another whole issue. I just returned from Sears after seeing
some info on the new G2 mowers and finding that Sears will sell you
their stuff (online only) and thought maybe they could provide me
with more detailed information. Disappointing results - none. I did
check out the Remington models they have on the floor and after
noticing they're MiC (Made in China) I wasn't so impressed, then
looked further and all the Craftsman equipment is also MiC. Now I'm
just depressed... at prices like near $3000 for the riding mowers, the
G2s make no mention of country of origin. So, I'm assuming they are
also from China. If this all holds true, and my having heard some
major problems with the bearing on the beefier B&D mm850. I am really
considering ordering the kit from D&D Motor Systems and buying a used
non running Deere or like riding mower, and puttin my money with a
company that makes the gear HERE, and save myself a grand or two in
the process....
thanks Peter for the input... and the insight on the weight factor....



> Peter Eckhoff <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Hello David,
> >
> > I converted a B&D MM675 from corded to cordless. I'm using 6-12v 5.0
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

Before you go too far, you might consider adopting an orphan Elec-Trak 
electric tractor or one of its other-branded cousins (Wheel Horse or Avco 
New Idea). These were made mostly from the late 1960s into the 1980s, and 
many of them are still going strong. They show up on Ebay now and then.

I cut my grass with an Avco R36 rider mower (same as GE ER8-36) and have a 
GE E15 for plowing snow in the winter. Both have been quite reliable. 
Well, OK, the E15 has been reliable since I dumped the moldering old GE 
resistance controller and fitted something more modern. The R36 has a 
multispeed transmission for speed control; the motor runs at a constant 
speed, so I haven't yet updated it.

For more information on these vintage machines, see elec-trak.org. 

Rod Hower has some ET photos here 

http://www.qsl.net/w8rnh/etrakh/

And my E15 is pictured here :

http://drmm.net/ev/pages/et.htm

I also strongly encourage you to sign up for the ET mailing list, which is 
where the action is. From time to time someone on the list will offer a 
machine for sale.

To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail to 

[email protected] 

and in the body of the message put the word 

subscribe

David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
EVDL Administrator

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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

> On 19 Jun 2012 at 19:41, Lee Hart wrote:
> 
> > Many of today's offerings are near-junk. Their plan seems to be to
> > spend all the money on styling and advertising instead of quality. Then
> ...


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## EVDL List (Jul 27, 2007)

I converted my gas mower to run electric ... after trying to use an old Toro
electric that just didn't pack the punch, as you say. I have a Newton that
cuts well, but the batteries last only 20 minutes and the deck is a measly
14", so I save that for when my kids want to "help". 

For my conversion I took my old gas mower, removed the engine, put in a
steel plate with a hole, had a machinist modify the coupler, and put on a
plywood mounting board for the batteries and wiring. I used a 48v motor
from a Craftsman electric mower rated at 600w I believe. I'm running it at
around 1000 w (larger blade) and the punch is pretty good, but the motor got
HOT! So, I put a fan on it and it's running much cooler and doing ok - not
sure how long it will last. I searched in vain for a bigger motor, but just
couldn't find one.

My conversion is HEAVY, despite the fact that I am using lithiums (16 x 20ah
cells). The good thing is that I can do my entire lawn (probably 1/2 acre
with lots of obstacles and a sloping front yard) on a single charge. I got
16 x 10ah Headways in a pack now for my e-bike that I thought I might try to
lighten up the mower too - but I'm pulling almost 20 amps to mow, that means
I can't really finish my whole yard on a charge (it takes me about 40-50
minutes for the entire yard - my most unfavorite time of the week, but it IS
better with an electric mower).

I'm not sure what I'll if/when this setup just doesn't work for me anymore. 
I've put way more money into it than just buying an electric mower - but I
do think, as you and others have said, the electric offerings available to
buy are junk and/or too weak to do a good job mowing a lawn. 

-----
Dan Gallagher
http://www.evalbum.com/3854

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