And speaking of battery powered lawn mowers...
My brand new Neuton CE 6.2, 19", battery powered lawn mower arrived today. In addition to the mower, I ordered an extra battery, charger, and two spare blades. The total bill was about $680, which is comparable to a commercial-grade Lawn Boy mower I purchased last season.
I plan to put the CE 6.2 to the test in a commercial environment where I work. There are 30 acres of turf overall with just over 1 acre that gets mowed by hand. With the spare battery, the Neuton should be able to mow 2/3 of an acre or about 2 hours worth of work depending on the conditions. I'll use it to mow areas near the office building where it can be seen and not heard.
There has been a company-wide effort to "go green" where I work and the Neuton is one component of my department's green effort.
Once I'm convinced that the Neuton has taken enough punishment from my crew I'll give it the full review in the Product Reviews section.
Again, if anyone out there has a battery powered lawn mower, or any other innovative, new, lawn care product, let us know all about it in the forum.
photo © Neuton Inc.
Comments
I bought the Neuton 6 last March for the 2008 mowing season. For the most part, I love it and it accomplishes the job well. I would say it performs excellent when conditions are perfect but falls off a little in more challenging conditions like when the grass is wet and / or too tall or if the mowing blade in not in perfect condition. I should start by saying I live in the NW and it can be difficult to find enough dry days to make this mower work at its best especially in the early or late growing seasons. Even during dry days we get enough moisture, in the form of dew, that it can be difficult to mow until late in the day. It also require you make sure you do not get a build up of grass on the underside of the mowing deck. This will cause it to clog quickly and not discharge the grass very well. Having said all of this, I would still buy the Neuton again because of the benefits. This is a relatively simple first step to lowering my carbon footprint, which was one of my main objectives. The batteries last very well. I have never been left without enough power to finish my 1/3 acre yard although I do frequently complete the task over a couple of days. I love the no hassle approach to mowing, never going out to start and finding out you need to make a trip to the gas station. It is very light and manuverable even on realatively steep slopes. I do not miss the self propelled gas mower at all.
Cool. I used mine for the first time on Monday. I had two batteries and they lasted an full hour each. I mowed on the highest level and will be mowing twice a week once the season kicks in.
I hear you about the moisture, but even conventional mowers get bogged down. It’s tough to get caught up once you miss a cut and when you get those crazy Northwestern week-plus rain episodes. I don’t think the Neuton is a workhorse in that way. I think they must have designed it to be as light as possible for maximum efficiency.
Thanks for your comment.