Green Your Lawn with an Electric Riding Mower
With this coming Wednesday being the first day of Spring, everywhere you look people are calling in sick with a case of "spring fever". What does this also mean? YARD WORK!
Before you run out to the garage and fire up that mower, please allow me to share some information I just learned with you.
"A typical gas powered lawnmower produces as much pollution in 7 hours of operation as a modern car does in a 100,000 miles of driving.", says ThirdDirection.com
That's a big, whopping, "WTF?!" for must of us. It sure was for me. What does it make you think?
The same articles as mentioned above goes on to explain why:
"The off-road engines found on lawnmowers, leaf blowers, tillers, as well as snow blowers, snowmobiles and dirt bikes don't have to have catalytic converters. These handy devices reduce gasoline emissions by about 90%, and are mandatory on cars and trucks.â€Â
Granted, those above numbers seem a little high to me, but I've not been able to find anything else to the contrary. Another site, PeoplePowereMachines.com, does seem to confirm those numbers by saying:
"Each weekend, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gas per year and producing tons of air pollutants. Garden equipment engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation's air pollution and a good deal more in metropolitan areas.A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars (or as much as as much air pollution as driving a car for 100 miles)."
Is there a solution this madness???
Yes! There is! Consider recycling that old gas guzzling, carbon spewing, noise polluting gas powered mower for an electric one.
I know what you're thinking. "They look stupid" or "I don't want to have to mess with the cord". Well, electric mowers have changed quite a bit these days. Many models are as sleek and sexy as the fancy gas powered ones. In addition, more and more models can be found without the hassle of a cord, utilizing rechargeable batteries instead.
Now, let me blow your mind.
If you've got a big lawn or just happen to be a riding mower kind of guy/girl, there is ONE solution for you! It took some scouring, but I've found one, and only one, cordless electric riding mower!
The Electric Ox, pictured at right, is THE solution for riding mower aficionados. Hang on, there is a hidden bonus. This is not just a riding mower, it is the "Electric Ox Multi-Purpose Vehicle".
This big guy has a myriad of awesome attachments, such as:
- the pictures 44'' mower deck
- a 48" dozer blade (manual angle)
- a front counterweight - 50 lbs. (when the Electric Ox is used for towing)
- a convention clean sweep blade/brush
How cool is that?!
Head on over to the product specification page to check out the other standard and optional features. Such features include:
- Charge Gauge with Hour Meter
- Adjustable High Back Suspension Seat
- On board Smart Charger
- Optional AC Inverter with three 120V outlets to use the Electric Ox as a mobile power station for your tools!
So there you have it, the riding lawnmower lover's electric dream come true! Have you seen any other cordless riding electric lawnmowers? What electric push mowers have you had experience with and how did you like it?
[UPDATE 6/16/07]: Since so many of you asked for greater details about the Electric Ox in the comments and emails, we went to great lengths to obtain this information, including its pricing, options, and other specifications and have finally succeeded!
Check out ALL the details, including pricing details, of the Electric Ox tractor and it's options/attachments!
i would be interested in how you did this would you be willing to share this info thanks tony.
this is nothing new!!!!!
my dad had a GE electrac cordless electric riding lawnmower back in the early 1970's!!
Check out the new riding electric mower at www.ampbyariens.com
Opps!
Mike, you're right. Try: dcjarboe@hotmail.com. I've been very busy. Google search my name to verify.
Larry J.
I am very interested in information on these lawn mowers. I would need many of them if their specs match up to my needs. Please drop me an email so we can speak further on the subject. I look forward to hearing from you.
-Anthony
hey ronald...you know manufacturing? i have practical designs in the electric riding mower field, but this $10,ooo model is way overpriced lets make an affordable version and sell it?
You could just convert your old gasoline riding mower to electric like I did:
www.flickr.com/mbarkley/sets
Could you explain ''A typical gas powered lawnmower produces as much pollution in 7 hours of operation as a modern car does in a 100,000 miles of driving.", says ThirdDirection.com ''that lien does not work . That affirmation does not seem proportional to my eyes ,could you help me to undersand that .
larry jarboe your email is not complete-email me mjacobs223@fewpb.net
Hello, am also interested in your zero-turn electric mower. Can you provide more info on cost and where to purchase?
Thanks,
Mark
THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU POSTED ISNT COMPLETE
Hello Larry my name is Ron Jelliff and I'm interested in your zero turn electric mower. Would like more information on you building them. Please drop me a line. Thanks
I live in Baltimore. I am interested in building or converting a riding gas mower into a DC electric.
I am very interested in meeting you
thanks
Al dcrinc2@yahoo.com
Bryan and Mike, I checked this site which I don't do often. I have a few extra DC motors, but you will need an old Swisher 3 wheel zero turn frame to make this conversion. I have enough parts to put together one more. You may contact me at: dcjarboe.com. Include a reference to elec. mower in your e-mail heading.
LARRY,I AM INTERESTED IN THE CUSTOM ELECTRIC RIDING.
do you know what kind of motor is in this or where i could find out i would like to build one and would like to know what size they used.
Barbara,
This is a front wheel drive 24 volt mower that cuts for about 45 minutes at a time. This is a run time that fits a half acre suburban lot. These suburban areas are heavily impacted by mower emissions.
Unfortunately, the Bay Rider does not handle hills particularly well, but moderate inclines are not a problem.
Maintenance is practically zero. If I custom made these units, I would have to charge $2,500.00 dollars, but a mower would last a lifetime. The two batteries would be changed about every 5 years.
If you're in the Washington DC area, I will be showing the mower and some neat stuff at the Blue Salon event in 2 weeks.
Larry J.
I would like more info on your zero turn electric riding mower. Cost and how well it works on a incline? How long it operates before needing to be recharged, ect. Thanks baboreno@qwest.net
Google search: Tour de Sol 2002 Photo Essay. On the first hit, you can scroll down the pictures to see a red zero turn three wheel electric riding mower that I converted. It is the only zero turn elec. riding mower that I know of. It has worked great for seven years now. It is designed specifically for small suburban yards. I would be happy to build more, if there is interest or a niche market.
No fuel, no fumes. Now, I like cutting the grass. Larry J.
Rod, very true, push-mowers do kill two birds with one stone, as it were. There are also some wonderful rechargeable electric push-mowers available these days.
Your local Home Depot, Lowe's, or other home improvement store should have a nice selection from about $200-$500.
Use a push mower from Leevalley.com - rather than walking on a treadmill - walk your lawn and mow at the same time. No matter how big the lawn. Great exercise.
ha ha george. that would be pretty awesome. You're right, however, it would take some serious skill to do it!
Ive been thinking about building an electric riding mower myself. im sure i could except that i dont have the money right now or a welder.
Blue Healer:
Good stuff! thanks so much! that file you linked to had some very interesting information in it.
I have not heard back from the Electric Ox people either. I'm still working on ways to find more info on it.
At least that file you linked to listed a price for it...though we don't know with what options that entails.
Thanks so much.
Managed to dig up some information here
http://www.nonoise.org/library/qz6/
See the comparison chart towards the bottom of the article
I have also contacted this company for the same information. That was 2 months ago and I have yet to hear anything.
I just bought my first house on a half acre and would like to stay away from combustion engines. I am looking into the cordless rechargeable lawn mowers but my lot seems to large for most (Unless I buy to batteries and switch them out half way through mowing the yard). Can anyone here recommend, share any first hand experience or provide me with resources to aid in the purchase making decision?
Thanks!
Dave & Ravenclaw,
thanks for stopping by and inquiring about where to buy such a mower. I've sent the Electric Ox contact listed on their website an email with questions such as: "I'm in the USA, where can I get one?", "what is the base price", etc...
I'll post it here as an update to this article as soon as I know something. I do know that this bad boy looks awesome!
Looks cool. But that webpage is dated 2003, and they list only two dealers, both in Canada. Where does one get one of these?
Where's the Electric Ox dealer nearest me at zip 46614 and what is the base price?