I had to mow a neighbours lawn last summer (my own lawn is actually "moss", and doesn't require any mowing), and used their 24V cordless electric. Quietest, easiest mower I have ever used. They had a spare battery but said if one battery wasn't enough, that meant they had let the lawn get too long. They also made a point of sharpening the blades a couple of times a year. A gas mower just hacks through even with blunt blades, but, just like woodworking tools, sharp blades make the job easy.
I know a landscape contractor in Calgary who ditched all his engine powered stuff for cordless (or corded for chainsaw, etc). He bought the best quality stuff he could get, mostly the Worx brand, when it's your living, you get the god stuff. Set up his truck with a solar panels on the canopy, a deep cycle battery and 150W and 3000W inverter (small for charging, big for corded tools), and can run anything from his truck, and just recharges the batteries at night, with wind power that he buys.
Called his company the quiet revolution landscape co, and started getting contracts from all sorts of condo boards and nursing homes, simply because his tools were quiet, and didn't smell. He is looking into an electric truck as the next step, as he rarely drives more than 50km in a day, and all his client sites are happy to let him plug tools/battery chargers into their sockets.
Best hopes for wind powered gardening!
Paul Nash on April 13, 2010 - 7:27pm |
