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Looking to go green re lawnmower.

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by gaterzfan, Jun 5, 2025.

  1. l_boy

    l_boy 5500

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    The thing about the electric is on flat ground you almost don’t need self propel because it is so light.
     
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  2. OklahomaGator

    OklahomaGator Jedi Administrator Moderator VIP Member

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    If you want your lawn to look like a golf course fairway you need a reel mower.
     
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  3. antny1

    antny1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Sorry to bump an old thread but a neighbor's house caught fire a couple nights ago from a battery for his yard equipment. Just a reminder that there is a risk with lithium batteries and while I dont have any idea how rare the incidence of these occurrences are, I have responded to at least 5 or 6 of these fires myself over the last few years.

    Im looking to get a storage container to keep my batteries in. My biggest fear is to have a fire start in my garage while we are at work and our dogs are at home.
     
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  4. demosthenes

    demosthenes Premium Member

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    There are gas mower fires every year too but I think many of them tend to happen during use or relatively shortly after.

    Here’s your solution, put one of these in your garage to monitor while away.
    https://a.co/d/9R5FoTq
     
  5. l_boy

    l_boy 5500

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    Thanks for bringing this up. So where and how are you supposed to store them? All the instructions say store at 50-80 degrees which is not our TX garage that only leaves the house. I read where most of the fires are from e-bikes and scooters. EGO batteries purport to be safer but I don’t know what that means.
     
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  6. antny1

    antny1 GC Hall of Fame

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    One of the more irritating things I see and hear is when people ask or assume a car fire is an electric vehicle. I've responded to several vehicle fires over the years and one was a hybrid while all the other ones were gasoline/ICE engines. Electric vehicle fires are a problem especially if in a parking garage but they aren't common and I've yet to have to deal with one myself.

    That isn't the case for lawn equipment. There is, in my experience a new and different concern when it comes to lithium battery fires that does not compare to gasoline lawn equipment. Not at all the same as vehicle fires. In the relatively short existence of battery powered lawn equipment i have personally seen about 10 instances of battery fires involving lawn equipment or electric scooters. 2 of those resulted in the buildings being condemned from damage while several others were stopped but still suffered significant damage.

    The wife is into smart home equipment and smart detectors are one option but id still feel better with a designated box like a fuel cabinet just for batteries. Yard equipment batteries are small and will burn out in short time but they burn hot and catch everything around them on fire.
     
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  7. antny1

    antny1 GC Hall of Fame

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    I only just started to search for options and apparently there are storage boxes with fire ratings made specifically for batteries. I haven't been too concerned with the idea until recently when a coworker used a newly installed pet camera in his house while at work and realized his kitchen was on fire with his dogs inside. Apparently they turned on the stove while counter surfing and he had something on top that caught fire. His neighbors weren't home so it was unlikely anyone would notice and call 911 until the fire was well involved.d

    Im meticulous about the stove and dont allow anything to be put on a stove top even temporarily because that's how accidents happen but it made me realize I need to address my growing battery collection one of which has recently started giving me an overheat warning even on a fresh charge. Im going to discard that one as a precaution because its not under warranty.
     
  8. antny1

    antny1 GC Hall of Fame

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    No idea how well they hold up against fire but I just started searching for options.
     

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  9. gaterzfan

    gaterzfan GC Hall of Fame

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    Well …… the wife hired a lawn service before I could decide on a mower. I was close on the EGO 800 series.

    Now, I need a real chain saw to remove trees that fall across the one road in/out of the neighborhood. Stihl or Husqvarna?
     
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  10. vaxcardinal

    vaxcardinal GC Hall of Fame

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    Ego makes a chainsaw ;)
     
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  11. OklahomaGator

    OklahomaGator Jedi Administrator Moderator VIP Member

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    I got a small one, it works great for small jobs but I wouldn't think it could handle a large tree.
     
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  12. ridgetop

    ridgetop GC Hall of Fame

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    My battery powered Ryobi lawnmower (40v) is fine as long as
    1. Yard is smaller
    2. You mow regularly. Do NOT let the grass get all and thick.

    Chainsaws
    Stihl or Husky will work fine. Find a dealer YOU like and trust in your area and use that brand (Stihl or husky).
    We use a Stihl in the mountains.
    For travel we ha a 12 inch Ryobi battery powered chainsaw to clear trails. It works great.
     
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  13. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  14. gaterzfan

    gaterzfan GC Hall of Fame

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    thanks. I have a small Black & Decker battery chainsaw I used in FL for trimming fronds from Pindo palms. Now, we’re in a heavily wooded area in north GA and our lot has a long road frontage. I learned this past Sunday that storms can bring trees down across the road and if it’s my tree it’s my job to clear. Thus, the need for a real chainsaw.

    There is a Stihl dealer just down the road. I need to check it out.


     
  15. demosthenes

    demosthenes Premium Member

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    I think the both the battery casement sealing and the BMS on small equipment isn’t there, particularly for cheaply built batteries. We’ve seen a decent number of fires from cheaply built e-bikes, etc. My mower has an active cooling system while charging so I feel pretty good about it but it wouldn’t be the worst idea to have fireproof box to hold them while charging.

    I like the idea of having fire detectors in garages since there tends to be so many flammable liquids and even cars will catch on fire from their brakes after being parked. Having the remote notifications is a great way of monitoring from a distance (or if it’s not synced with the rest of your home’s alarms since you may not hear one in your garage).
     
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  16. VAg8r1

    VAg8r1 GC Hall of Fame

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    I have an electric chain saw (plug-in type). It's adequate for logs and branches up to maybe 12 inches in diameter. On the rare occasions when I needed a real one I visited the local rental outlet. I usually rent the saw on a Saturday so that I can get two days for the price of one.
     
  17. antny1

    antny1 GC Hall of Fame

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    Only problem is that detectors in garages might be susceptible to a lot of false alarms due to dust and humidity otherwise I like the idea as well.

    The problem with battery fires has definitely been more prevalent with cheap Chinese knockoff brands so far. Still though,they dont give any warning when they go and they go violently once they start so some sort of storage box will give me the most peace of mind.