So I eventually managed to get my hands on the RMA 448 vc
First impressions are mixed, it takes a bit of getting used to along with using a Weibang legacy 48pro bbc.
Being so quiet to use, you hear every little thing hitting the blades, which you don't with ear defenders in & this can be quite disturbing at first. I used it on the verges at a private close I maintain, I didn't reiliase how much grit gets blown off the road onto the verge.....By me! Not anymore! I have used it now for around 5 hours & I inspected the blades earlier today, they are already dulled & a few chips. I don't go rotovating with it so think the metal is quite soft.
Pro- It's LIGHT so much so that I can lift in in & out of the van one handed. (Weibang 65Kg) Con- It's light, only time will tell if the plastic body will hold up. It is VERY plastic.
Pro- Battery power around 50 Mins on AP300 I have two of these & awaiting a new AP300S so atm I am making sure I can charge up on site. Con- Charging up if you can't get power plus today I was using the battery's in hedge trimmers at the same time, the client is away for 3 months & tight F***ers turn the power off to outside socket.
Pro- Variable speed is good, it takes a second or so to respond to pulling away but I am already used to this. When boxing in, if on tight curves or angles I found it easier to use it as a push mower as it seemed to be easier to control. Top speed is almost running so good on a straight line.
Pro- It folds up nicely & doesn't take up much room.
I have been using it in Eco mode, which is meant to save a bit of juice, this is quite strange at first as the cutting motor changes speed depending on the grass under it. It is constantly up & down.
Pick up seemed very good until today. Todays job was just over two weeks long, dewy grass & it struggled on the longer area's, not throwing the grass up the shute. I don't think it will be much cop in the wet!! Grass box is a decent size which you have to open out like an envolope to empty.
Only time will tell how good a machine it really is. I managed to get this one for £489.00 from a company called Buxtons, they had it online as 'Sale item' & only the one in stock. I gave them a ring to confirm if it was actually in the warehouse, it was just on 5pm & the guy I spoke to couldn't confirm as he didn't have access to the warehouse. He rang me back at 8am, as promised & I ordered it straight away. They delivered in 48 hours at no extra cost so great service, which makes a nice change nowadays.
I will update if needed!!!
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hi I have very similar previous model, I sacked that Eco mode off on day one, it's all pretty Eco anyhow being electrically powered, especially if you can charge using sustainably generated electricity. I totally get that you were using that mode to extend your battery range however ! The plastic body is nothing to worry about it's pretty bullet proof. With the long wet grass pick up issue I have had this if being over ambitious trying to cut too short for the machine's capabilities but it's trial and error to see what it will take. Just lifting the height one notch can make all the difference between plain sailing and struggling horribly, with any cordless mower
Hi Billybop, Yes I raised the height, just meant double cutting which is not something I want to do on more than a cpl of lines. I know the eco button is a bit of a gimmick as you say it's all green anyway.
hi neil if its just part of the grass which has grown unevenly longer than the rest I tend to push mine slower on that bit rather than using the drive, or making a half width pass on that line so it doesn't choke on the thick stuff, the pop up/down indicator on the box is a generally very useful feature but irritating if it drops down before the box is full due to reduced air flow from blocking
Stihl RMA765 with big battery pack and charger is about £3K lol
by the time we are in our geriatric walking frames we will be reminiscing about the long lost delights of petrol mowers to the horrified snow flake gardeners at our nursing homes lol
If Electric hasn't got enough power (or until a model is produced that does) then its a non-starter. Initial capital outlay for a box full of spare batteries is significant.
But that apart my Pros for battery include:
Fuel saving - if you use, say, a gallon of Petrol 200 days a year then Electric will save you around £500 - £1,000 a year (£6 per day for petrol, overnight cheap rate electricity around £1-£2, Using client's electricity is a further reduction). Further savings on Service of Electric vs. Petrol Engine
Environmental benefit on top of that, possible circumstances where reduced noise would be a benefit - e.g. early starts / irate neighbours!, and lastly there will come a point at which Fossil Fuels will be increasing frowned upon by clients and then any legacy Fossil Fuel kit will become a dead weight. The point at which it makes sense to switch to battery, such that new Fossil Kit is knackered before being ostracised, is difficult to predict but I reckon that groundswell will be sudden and sooner than expected ...
Hopefully drier next week and will have the Hayters back out!
Hi Kris, thanks for doing the Math. I know it makes a saving but hadn't worked it out as such. Btw what's a gallon? lol.I only have to justify my spending to myself as a sole trader & I know in the long run it's better for my wallet & the planet.
I use Sthil battery hedge trimmers so already have a cpl of AP300 but for the mower to be used on the same day I need another one.
As for me, we have Solar panels so if I charge at home the power really is free, or charge at a clients if a point is avaliable.
It's only what, five years ago since electric cars really started to show on the market & now that the battery power has improved somewhat all the car companies have a range, even Telsa sold 200k in the last three months I believe. Wifey is actively looking for a Hybrid car as I type so it won't be many more years before clients say 'You use petrol, why?)
My starting point (a 2-car family) was to buy EV and use it as the primary vehicle keeping one of the old ICE for long journeys. Since then infrastructure of charging has improved, and also the vehicle range, so we have replaced back-up-ICE with EV too.
Outside of the 'Green' movement there are some key pundits that think we will look back at large scale production of EVs and battery power gear in 10 -20 - 30 years time and consider it another environment disaster....
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