All depends on the task. I have a John Deere lawn tractor, E170, that handles the yard, including leaf removal. I have a Milwaukee leaf blower that is just used to blow leaves out of the bushes and away from the house. The JD takes care of them afterwards. I have a battery operated string trimmer that is quiet and doesn’t produce any smell. I don’t have that much trimming with a little over a half acre, so that will never be gas. I am also looking to purchase a Milwaukee battery operated bush trimmer in the next few years as well as a battery operated tree trimmer chainsaw. I will likely always have my Husqvarna gas powered chainsaw for any trees in the back or tree branches that are more that a few inches in diameter. I will also be sticking with a gas powered snowblower as my area can get 12” of snow in a single storm, sometimes even over 24” on a rare nor’easter.
Gas vs Electric Lawn maintenance tools
- Thread starter Jmp63
- Start date
Lawn boys. When I was in high school we had the red, white and blue one made for 1976. My dad gave it to me in 1982 for my first house. I have no idea how many hours it ran, but it definitely got used. I had it for over 10 years.
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I thought about the battery option for a snowblower, but there have been years when we get 10 feet of snow. The last two years it’s been just a few storms, but you never know when a big year will happen. I don’t see a battery operated unit pushing a foot of wet snow
Had to look that up! “Waltzing Matilda” sounds like either a large chore or a lovely afternoon!
I'll go with "large chore" for 200, Alex.
I spent a day doing the orchard on Saturday. Most of it is just back and forth, but once that part's done it's time to mow between all the trees. Can't get too close as I'd also mow off the irrigation heads, so once I've done as much as I can with power I get out the old sickle and a honing stone and go down to finish trimming. Stand up, sit down, trim, trim, trim.
Definitely time for beer once I get done that!O.H.
To agree with a few of the other posters, in that I would try to live with a gas lawn tractor and battery powered trimmer/blower. But that would depend on your specific property and how well you can setup the perimeter for mowing tight. For example, will you have some type weed barrier or hard edging (such as a paver stones) next to structures so that your mower takes care of 99.9% of the effort. I think you would find it nice to have an electric blower around the barnyard as the low noise and instant on capability for a quick usage is nice to have.
Glyphosate and a sprayer greatly cuts down on my weedeating.
Ron R
I survived a lathey foreman
Gas power works well for most lawn maintenance, Honda makes excellent products for longevity and mostly carefree for many years has been my experiences.
I have an electric leaf blower that does pretty well. But I'll take gas over electric every time for any outdoor job.
Looks to me that it was all covered, but I had to weigh in. I say that because I recently looked into this myself but, I have to say that I have the opposite yard. I have a postage stamp in a city, Maybe 15’x20’. My gas powered mower has been "on the blink" for this year…so I looked into electric/repair the ICE mower/alternative. Again, small yard so I opted for a human powered reel push mower…and it works. I don’t dislike it. As a matter of fact, it makes a better cut than a rotary mower.
The original poster though, needs to go ICE, because... 1) Electric - Battery — Better have a lot of batteries ready to go and there’s a cost to that. My next door neighbor has a corner lot that’s not even suburban neighborhood average size, and he needs 2 fully charged batteries. 2) Electric - AC cord — That’s a lot of cord, even if ya have decent access to AC outlets in yer yard…lotta cord to deal with and buy. 3) - Push Reel mower like mine. Ya got too much lawn. It’s takes longer to cut lawn, grass can’t grow as high between mow’s. It can be done, but you’ll be mowing all the time (exercise good) but, you’ll need a drink container holder added to the mower, if ya get my drift.
Edgers - Electric corded could be ok, but it’s the AC outlet access/cord length buying process again.
Fun fact, that’s not a fun fact - My first Edger was a “Weed Eater” brand and I only had to get rid of it because I couldn’t find parts anymore. However, my “Weed Eater” brand hedge trimmer is still going strong.
\ \\// - Live long and Prosper.
Over and Out,
Al
PS - There are ICE powered Reel Mowers out there. They cost a forture, but they make a beautiful and quality cut.
The original poster though, needs to go ICE, because... 1) Electric - Battery — Better have a lot of batteries ready to go and there’s a cost to that. My next door neighbor has a corner lot that’s not even suburban neighborhood average size, and he needs 2 fully charged batteries. 2) Electric - AC cord — That’s a lot of cord, even if ya have decent access to AC outlets in yer yard…lotta cord to deal with and buy. 3) - Push Reel mower like mine. Ya got too much lawn. It’s takes longer to cut lawn, grass can’t grow as high between mow’s. It can be done, but you’ll be mowing all the time (exercise good) but, you’ll need a drink container holder added to the mower, if ya get my drift.
Edgers - Electric corded could be ok, but it’s the AC outlet access/cord length buying process again.
Fun fact, that’s not a fun fact - My first Edger was a “Weed Eater” brand and I only had to get rid of it because I couldn’t find parts anymore. However, my “Weed Eater” brand hedge trimmer is still going strong.
\ \\// - Live long and Prosper.
Over and Out,
Al
PS - There are ICE powered Reel Mowers out there. They cost a forture, but they make a beautiful and quality cut.
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Apparently the big EGO blower can handle it - but it runs about $1,700 and if you've got a lot to do you might need another set of batteries - which are quite expensive. They have a smaller one, but I'm not going out 3 times for one storm so it doesn't get too deep for the machine to handle.
Yep, I want to go out and get it done and not have to go out every couple hours. A few of my neighbors went to battery powered lawn mowers and what I do in 30 minutes with gas takes them over an hour. I can’t say where we live is hilly, but we do have slopes. It seems that extra effort it takes for battery drains it quicker. Battery is getting there, just not yet.
Correction, the mower has a 6.0 Ah battery, the weed eater uses a 2.5 Ah.
A power blower is still something I walk around the property every so often. I like the walks and driveway kept clean.
We have three ancient electrics, one a Sears from the early 80s. They all work fine, but have been sitting in the shed for many years collecting dust. Electrics are a lot of extra work with all that cord to manage.
For many years, I instead used a cheap old homelite gas blower I bought for $65 at the Ace.
I now use an Echo PB-2620 I picked up at the tractor dealer about 5-6 years ago. Always starts on the first gentle pull, and a gallon of gas lasts most of the season. Incredibly powerful. WOT, the thing blows good sized twigs across the lawn. A lot of fun. No batteries to charge, worry about, or eventually replace.
I often watch the neighbor's battery powered one die before he finishes his driveway, and occasionally walk over and finish it for him. I don't think he's a beer drinker, because he's yet to offer me one.
There's a reason all the pro crews use gas equipment. It just works.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the state’s green lawn care law (Assembly Bill No. 1346) in October 2023, barring selling new gas-powered equipment using small off-road engines (SORE) in 2024. This ban includes all gas-powered lawn and landscape equipment, generators, pressure washers, and chainsaws.
According to the law’s sponsors, SOREs pose serious health risks to the equipment operators, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the environment at large. Here’s why: These small engines emit high levels of particulate matter (PM), reactive organic gasses (ROG), and nitrogen oxides (NOx
I wonder how this will work with landscape crews?
Everyone who can will drive over to the next sane state and spend their money outside CA.
Here’s the issue with regard to leaf blowers:
We have verified that bans exist in Hermosa Beach (18,600) and West Hollywood (36,700). Organized efforts to ban blowers are also under way in Palo Alto, Portola Valley, and Sunnyvale.
It won’t be long until the use of lawnmowers will also be banned.
If they can, as is the case with laws that just prohibit new sales, then the money just goes elsewhere, where it can be bought. That was proven by the quickly rescinded "sugary drink" tax that was instituted in Cook County Illinois. Retailers were hurting from loss of revenue, and over the county line, sales were booming.
Any point in California is only about a 5 hour drive to another state.
If they outright ban the product, people will accept the issues where they live, break the law, they will move, or they will change the laws.
When you get down to it, that's the only choices.
simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
Californication.
Among the many ridiculous issues with the California ban in gas powered gardening tools is that the state has the highest electricity rates in the nation. This is forcing people who buy new lawncare tools to pay more for fuel. Additionally, assuming everyone switches to electric tools, does the state even have sufficient power supply for all the tools?
I remember seeing a video about how switching all California's publicly owned fleet vehicles to electric vehicles and then charging them all would require two or three times as much power as the entire state has ever supplied in any one year period.
While I'm all in favor of moving toward using just renewable energy, requiring such a transition before the infrastructure is in place to support it is just sheer idiocy.
I remember seeing a video about how switching all California's publicly owned fleet vehicles to electric vehicles and then charging them all would require two or three times as much power as the entire state has ever supplied in any one year period.
While I'm all in favor of moving toward using just renewable energy, requiring such a transition before the infrastructure is in place to support it is just sheer idiocy.
Isn't this the state that is cutting down all the Joshua trees, to put in solar panels? What will all those fish do for shade after all the rainwater runs out to sea?
Won't ever catch me there. I like the smell of reactive organic gasses in the morning.
