Tesla riding lawn mower. John Deere unveils quieter, electric riding mowers

John Deere unveils quieter, electric riding mowers

John Deere is joining other American legacy brands — like Ford and GM — in jumping into the electric market. The company has announced plans to expand its electric offerings, with entrants in both their personal and commercial mower lines. For your garage, the company’s first electric zero-turn mower, the Z370R Electric ZTrak, is now available for preorder; it joins an electric lineup of green and fairway mowers, a utility rake (like this guy), and an electric version of the Gator utility vehicle aimed at the golf course and sports field industry.

The ZTrak’s 58V, 3.2-kWh lithium-ion battery is chargeable using a standard outlet, Gizmodo reported, and Deere claims that it can mow around two acres on one charge. Of course, that estimate comes with caveats: inclines, heavy attachments like mulchers, or having to chew through high or thick grass will likely drain the battery sooner. A large LCD screen allows users to keep tabs on their juice during mowing, and the battery comes with multiple settings to optimize life based on the conditions. If you do run it all the way down, the mower has a “go home” mode, which turns off the blades and dips into a battery reserve to get you back to your charging station. According to John Deere, the ZTrak has no engine noise or emissions, and shares its frame and mower deck — the part that covers the blades — with the company’s other, gas-powered models, and it can reach the same top forward traveling speed (a blistering 7 mph). Deere touts lower maintenance requirements as a selling point; with no belts, oil changes, or fuel to worry about, it theoretically should be simpler to keep running. As with all new things, the ZTrak comes with its own app, called MowerPlus. The app monitors battery charge and recent mowing patterns, using data from the mower’s on-board GPS, Gizmodo reported.

The company has announced plans to expand its electric offerings, with entrants in both their personal and commercial mower lines.

Joining their residential push is an equipment line for golf courses and other sports fields, which were announced at the 2023 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference and Trade Show in Orlando. In addition to zero emissions and easier maintenance, the commercial lines could help expand the operating window for ground crews where early morning or evening poses noise concerns, Golf Course Industry, a trade publication, noted. Orders for commercial models open February 13, GCI reported. We’d love to hear from you! If you have a comment about this article or if you have a tip for a future Freethink story, please email us at tips@freethink.com.

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Lawn Mower Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Lawn Mower

If you’re in the market for a new lawn mower, you might wonder what type of mower fits your lifestyle and budget. From deck size to power source and price, there’s a lot to consider if you plan on buying a new lawn mower – so let’s stack up the options and compare.

Types of Mowers

• Self-propelled: The motor powers both the blades and propels the mower forward.
• Push behind mowers: These mowers have engines that move the blades – but you’ll rely on your own power to push it across the lawn. [Looking for more information on the difference between these two mowers? Check out our self-propelled vs. push mower comparison].
• Zero-turn mowers: The steering occurs in the rear wheels, providing maximum maneuverability, tight turns and a large cutting deck.
• Riding lawn mowers: Tractor-style mower with steering wheel and larger cutting decks.
• Manual mowers: Always self-powered.

Purchasing the biggest mower on the market can be tempting – but that might not be the best option for your yard (or your wallet!). Check out the following chart to visualize yard size, mowers and even voltage.

Lawn Mower Categories

You’re probably most familiar with gas-powered lawn mowers.- the traditional power story leader. However, with advances in battery technology, the electric power movement has arrived in full force. It’s no secret what we think is the best – electric mowers are the clear (and cleaner!) winner.

Check out the following categories for lawn mowers:

GAS-BURNING MOWERS

These mowers have a miniaturized combustion engine under the hood, mixing air and gas to spark a mini-explosion to power the mower. Gas mowers require different fuels – most commonly gasoline, diesel or propane – adding extra cost for each mowing.

ELECTRIC MOWERS

Like a Tesla car, electric lawn mowers run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries – without a drop of gas. Electric lawn mowers with brushless motors utilize magnets and electromagnets instead of sparks, gas and mini-explosions. In addition to being efficient and powerful, electric mowers are quiet, safe and environmentally friendly. Corded mowers exist, but with battery technology advancements, why tether yourself unnecessarily?

MANUAL PUSH-BEHIND MOWERS

Manual mowers are old school – and they only work as hard as you do. Also known as reel mowers, manual lawn mowers are not efficient, but they do offer a stellar workout. The frustration factor is also apparent with manual mowers, as you can find yourself going over and over the same spot if your blades aren’t sharp enough for a crisp cut.

Lawn Mower Features that Make a Difference

When shopping for a new lawn mower, evaluate what key features are most important to you – and your lifestyle. If price is no object, you might be eyeing up the Cadillac of lawn mowers. Or if you’re looking for a mower that can cut your lawn the fastest, cutting speed might be at the top of your wish list. If making green and sustainable choices is your primary FOCUS, you’ll want to opt for an eco-friendly lawn mower. The options are endless!

No matter why you’re in the market for a new lawn mower, there are a few universal factors to consider when choosing the best lawn mower.

Lawn Mower Deck Size

A bigger deck size means you can cover more ground faster, but they take up more space to store. Stay tidy with a smaller deck size if you want something small and compact, stay tidy with a smaller deck size.

Walk-behind mower decks range between 14 and 36 inches – and can get even wider with riding lawn mowers and zero-turn lawn mowers. On a typical riding lawn mower, the cutting deck averages 42 inches – meaning you’ll cover about 3.5 feet in a single pass.

Mulching vs. Bagging Lawn Clippings

Everyone has a strong opinion about mulching vs. bagging. Most mowers have the grass-mulching option, while some mowers also offer side discharge – which blows the cut grass to the side and allows you to mow at an increased speed when your grass is extra-long or wet. Side discharge helps with speed and efficiency; however, it does make a mess.

Mulching mowers get the most out of your lawn clippings – this type of grasscycling helps to feed your lawn each time you mow. If your yard is extra-long or wet, you might consider bagging while you cut to keep large clumps of mowed grass off your lawn. It is a bit more time-consuming, as you’ll need to stop to empty the bag when it’s full. However, bagging gives your yard a clean, polished look – plus it’s quicker than raking up all the grass clumps.

Give yourself maximum versatility by choosing a lawn mower that can do all three.

Lawn Mower Cut Height

If you just returned from vacation and your lawn is 16 inches longer than expected, you’ll want to mow on the highest setting to avoid getting bogged down with grass clippings. You can mow a second time on a lower cut height setting to tackle any remaining sections of tall grass. Or, if your lawn is almost picture-perfect and you only need to tackle a few unwieldy patches, you can simply lower your cut setting to customize your lawn care.

Lawn Mower Pricing

With almost everything in life, you’ll need to consider the cost when choosing the best lawn mower. The simplest mowers cost a few hundred dollars, while the largest mowers with all the bells and whistles will cost you a few thousand dollars. No matter which route you go, it’s a significant investment – so make sure you do your homework and determine the best fit for your lifestyle and budget before purchasing your new lawn mower.

What Should I Look for in an Electric Lawn Mower?

Here at Greenworks, we’re advocates of electric lawn mowers, so it’s no surprise that buying the best lawn mower includes our intelligent and sustainable line of lawn mowers, riding mowers and zero-turn mowers. Factors to consider include:

• Fast and consistent cut – our brushless motors keep a constant blade speed, ensuring a crisp and mohawk-free mow.
• Charge time matters – how long will it take to charge your batteries?
• Easy push-button start – say goodbye to the pull-cord hassle forever.
• Durability – built to last heavy-duty steel deck.
• Versatility – embrace the ability to bag, mulch or side discharge.
• Quiet – a smoother and less noisy mowing experience – no earplugs required.
• No maintenance – forget spark plug replacements, costly tune-ups and mid-mow gas stops.

Greenworks taps into 20 years of battery power expertise with our Intelligent Power™ mower line – Smart enough to sense a change in lawn conditions and auto-adapt the power you need accordingly. Add in zero emissions, zero pull cords, zero maintenance and zero pollution breathed – and you’re looking at a powerhouse lawn mower platform that also gives you zero wasted time. Shop now!

Electric Lawn Mower Mania: Are You Ready To Abandon Gasoline?

As the world continues to make the about-face to electrification, the electric lawn mower is gaining even more popularity. Are you ready to abandon gasoline? If so, you may be surprised to find a mind-boggling number of electric options from push mowers to riding mowers.

One example is Cub Cadet. The company has a storied rep in the mowing world and the name can be traced back to 1960 when it was established as part of International Harvester. You know, IH, the company known for legendary farm equipment. Cub Cadet’s first garden tractor was simply known as the “Original” and it was powered by a 7 HP Kohler engine.

Fast forward to today and Cub Cadet is still producing machines that help you tame your grass. Not only that, the company has jumped onboard with electrification and is producing a wide range of electric lawn mowers. One of the Cub Cadet mowers that caught our eye is the XT1 LT42E rider.

Cub Cadet XT1 LT42E Electric Mower

At a glance, the Cub Cadet XT1 LT42E riding mower looks similar to its gas-powered sibling, but the machine is powered by an efficient brushless electric motor that draws power from a 56 Volt MAX, 60 Ah, 3,000 Wh lithium-ion battery. The battery can be charged by a 110V outlet. Drivability is said to be super easy thanks in part to the fully electric transmission that requires no shifting. Deck cutting width is 42 inches and 12 deck positions allow it to be adjusted from 1-4 inches so you can sculpt your lawn the way you want. The mower is said to have a maximum forward speed of 5.5 mph and a top reverse speed of 3 mph. The XT1 LT42E also has push-button start and cruise control.

We know what you’re thinking. What’s the range of this electric lawn mower? Well, Cub Cadet says the XT1 LT42E has a run time of 1.5 hours or up to 3.5 acres. The lithium-ion battery is said to charge in 4 hours (if fully depleted) using the included fast charger. And the company also notes that there’s no power fade as the battery discharges.

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t note that an electric mower like the Cub Cadet XT1 LT42E offers several benefits over a gasoline mower, including less maintenance and fewer trips to the gas station. This eliminates two things that’ll give you more time to do stuff you want to do. And by taking the gas engine out of the equation it’ll be quieter while you’re mowing (Cub Cadet says up to 64-percent quieter).

Want more electric mower options? Read on.

Cub Cadet ZT1 42E Electric Mower

If you’re drooling over a zero-turn electric riding mower like we are, check out the Cub Cadet ZT1 42E. It’s battery specs and performance are identical to the XT1 LT42E specs, but the machine has dual brushless motors and a faster 7 mph forward speed. The ZT1 42E offers 15 deck positions, a 1- to 4.5-inch cutting height range, and that drool worthy zero-degree turning radius.

Cub Cadet CC30E Electric Mini Riding Mower

If you don’t need or want a full-size electric riding mower, Cub Cadet offers the CC30E Mini Riding Mower. Cub Cadet says it’s runtime is 1 hour, or 1 acre and it uses a 56 Volt MAX, 30 Ah, 1,500 Wh lithium-ion battery to power the brushless motor. Recharge time is said to be 4 hours using the included fast charger. Top forward speed is 4 mph, and the max reverse speed is 2 mph. The CC30E has a deck cutting width of 30 inches, 5 deck positions, and a cutting height range of 1.5 to 4 inches.

Cub Cadet SCP21E

Are you a push mower fan? Or do you need a small push mower for mowing those hard to reach places? Well, if you need or want an electric cordless push mower, Cub Cadet offers the SCP21E. The SCP21E’s motor is fed by a 60 Volt MAX, 5Ah, 300 Wh lithium-ion battery. This is said to give the mower a 50-minute runtime and the included fast charger is said to charge the battery in 2.5 hours from fully depleted. The SCP21E has a 21-inch cutting width and 6 deck positions that offer a cutting height range of 1.25 to 3.75 inches.

But Wait, There’s !

At the beginning of this story, we noted that there are several electric lawn mower options available today. The list below digs into some of the many companies that offer electric riding mowers and/or cordless electric push mowers. Check out the 19 links below to find a wide variety of mowers that cover a very wide feature and price range.

Why You Shouldn’t Buy an Electric Riding Lawn Mower

Josh Hendrickson

@canterrain

Riding lawn mowers are great for making quick work of lawn care. But they’re loud, jerky, and chug through oil and gas. An electric riding lawn mower promises to solve all of that. But after two years of owning one, I’m here to say don’t make the mistake of buying one. At least not yet.

I’ve owned a variety of lawn mowers, both of the push and riding variety, and have tried both gas and electric options. I switched over to electric mowers years ago, first with my push mowers and then my rider. And while I absolutely loved my electric riding lawn mower in the beginning, now I’m sorry I bought it. The purchase feels like a mistake, and it’s all down to using old technology.

The Benefits of an Electric Mower

Although it’s easy to think an electric mower sounds like a dumb idea, that’s not true. Range really isn’t as much of an issue as you might assume. While corded electric mowers were once a thing, battery tech has come a long way. If you have an electric push mower, chances are a single battery can get through the average 1/4th acre yard found in the U.S., and if not, you can swap it out with another battery on the fly.

It helps that companies selling electric push mowers also typically sell other yard tools, like weed whips, that use the same batteries. It’s a lot like power tools at this point—stick with a brand, buy more batteries, and you’ll have plenty of juice for the job. And you get other benefits along the way.

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For one, whether we’re talking push or riding, electric mowers are much quieter thanks to skipping the traditional engine. Depending on your machine, the loudest part will be the blades themselves; you may not even need hearing protection as you do with conventional mowers. In the case of my riding lawn mower, I once helped out a neighbor who ran out of gas partway through a mowing job. When I started mowing, she grabbed my attention as though something was wrong. It turned out she thought I hadn’t started the blades on the machine because it was so quiet.

An electric mower is easier to use, too. No seriously. Think about all the times you’ve pulled the chain of a gas mower only to have to pull it again and then a third time. If you’re lucky, that’s all it took. Even with a riding lawn mower, you’ve probably dealt with getting everything set just right, so it starts when you turn the key. Electric mowers are nothing that. You push a button, and it just goes. Every single time, assuming you remembered to charge the battery.

On top of all that, while an electric mower is typically more expensive to purchase than a gas mower, it’s also less costly to use. Electricity is cheaper than gas, especially right now, and you won’t have to deal with oil. Depending on where you live, it’ll cost you pennies to mow your lawn with an electric mower.

When I first purchased my electric riding lawn mower, I loved it for all these reasons. It starts quickly, it’s quiet, it doesn’t cost much to run, and it felt like I finished mowing the lawn faster than with my old gas-riding lawn mower.

But two years later, I’m not so in love with it anymore.

The Problem With Most Electric Riding Lawn Mowers

The first year and a half I owned my riding lawn mower, I loved the thing. But starting this summer, I changed my mind. In fact, I can’t in good conscience advise anyone to buy an electric riding mower right now. You should not buy one at all. You’re better off with a gas mower, at least for the next few years.

Why did I change my mind so much? The batteries. When you buy an electric push mower, you get a nice set of easy-to-change long-lasting lithium-ion batteries. But that’s not the case with an electric riding mower. Instead, most currently use a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery. You’re probably already familiar with SLA batteries—there’s one in your car. Yes, it’s the same kind of battery your car uses. And chances are, if you have a gas riding mower, it also uses one as well!

But there’s a big difference between how your gas riding mower, your car, and an electric riding mower use that battery. In very basic terms with the former two, the battery starts the engine before the gas components take over to keep things going. After that, the battery powers other electrical functions, like those useless headlights on your mower.

Electric riding mowers are entirely reliant on SLA batteries. In the case of my machine, it houses four SLA batteries under the seat, and they all work together to provide 48 volts or about an “hour of run time.” My mower promises to get through an acre before needing a recharge, but I can tell you from my experience that’s inaccurate. It’s probably something closer to 3/4ths of an acre.

So what’s bad about that? Well, SLA batteries are, frankly, terrible. They don’t last long at all and are easy to damage. They work well enough in a car (though some people might disagree) because most people drive their vehicles daily. But you probably don’t mow your lawn every day, and you definitely don’t during the winter.

And therein lies the problem. Buy any electric mower with an SLA battery, and you’ll find heavy warnings:

Always connect the mower to the charger when the unit is not in use. If it is not possible to leave the mower charger connected, make sure to charge the batteries fully at least once a month.

Unlike other battery tech, SLA batteries need to remain charged, and letting them drop below 50% can damage them. They don’t do well with cold either. Ignore those warnings, and you can kill batteries. Or the batteries may not hold a charge anymore. We tried our best to keep to those rules, but our batteries aren’t working correctly two years later.

I think range issues ended up killing the batteries. Our mower is rated for a full acre before needing a recharge, but it’s realistically closer to 3/4ths an acre. We have a half acre of land, so just mowing the lawn regularly drained the battery below 50%. Again, going below 50% can deplete an SLA battery’s recharge life.

From the information I’m now getting from the battery indicator display, I can tell two of the four batteries are dead. That tracks, as when I get the mower to start (it now takes several tries), I only get half the range I had when I first bought the mower. Two years in, and my electric mower needs two new SLA batteries—that’ll cost around 480 to swap out. And doing so requires a tricky procedure that entails taking apart the mower, dragging a heavy tray back, avoiding toppling the mower over in the process, then avoiding shorting out the system since the four batteries are tied together. It’s not pretty.

I spent over 2,000 on a mower that’s now half as useful as it once was, and I’ll spend hundreds more getting it back into shape. Only to have to repeat the process two years from now. That same mower now costs even more than when I first purchased it. A gas mower would be better. You might be wondering if better electric riding mowers are on the way, and the answer is yes. But it’s not all good news.

The Future of Electric Riding Lawn Mowers

Obviously, the biggest complaint and downfall of most current electric riding lawnmowers is the reliance on SLA batteries. And if that’s the case, the solution is, in theory, pretty easy—switch to Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. You probably own devices that already use Li-ion batteries. Do you have a smartphone, cordless drill, true wireless earbuds, or an electric vehicle? All of those use Li-ion batteries.

It’s not surprising that so many gadgets made that choice either because Li-ion solves many of the problems plaguing SLA batteries. It doesn’t damage them to drain the battery to zero (at least not as much), you can keep them charged all the time (modern tech prevents “overcharging”), it doesn’t suffer from “memory issues,” and as much it’s generally longer lasting. With a Li-ion battery-powered electric mower, you won’t have to worry about maintaining charge as much or plugging in over the winter.

So what’s the catch? Price. Electric riding mowers are already expensive. You’ll pay over 2,000 for a model that promises to mow just one acre on a charge, more if you need something that can handle a bigger yard. Compared to other similar riding mowers, that’s a 20% premium. But if you want to buy a Li-ion electric riding mower, the price goes way up.

Ryobi only recently started selling its first Li-ion options, and the starting price is a wallet-busting 6,000. That giant price gets you a mower that only promises to mow around an acre of land on a single charge. And remember, companies tend to overpromise and underdeliver on charge claims. When it comes time to recharge, you’ll need to wait an hour and a half to get back to a full charge. You can buy a model with more range, but each step up adds another 1,000 to the price.

Other mowers either go for a similar price or come from lesser-known manufacturers. The most affordable entry I can find is a Craftsman, tipping the scales at 3,000. But scroll through the reviews, and any Комментарии и мнения владельцев not tagged as a promotion are pretty negative.

For that kind of money, you can buy professional-grade gear that’ll cut your lawn in a fraction of the time.

The bottom line is until come down and enough time has passed to prove reliability; you probably shouldn’t drop a ton of cash on a Li-ion electric riding mower. Push mowers, on the other hand, are a solid bet. Those work well and won’t break the bank. For now, electric riding mowers just aren’t worth the money, despite their benefits. They’ll either cost way too much up front, or cost too much down the road as you replace batteries again and again.

Josh Hendrickson Josh Hendrickson is the Editor in Chief of Review Geek and is responsible for the site’s content direction. He has worked in IT for nearly a decade, including four years spent repairing and servicing computers for Microsoft. He’s also a Smart home enthusiast who built his own Smart mirror with just a frame, some electronics, a Raspberry Pi, and open-source code. Read Full Bio »