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Over the last decade, battery-powered tools have improved leaps and bounds.
Once upon a time, the only electric lawn equipment we had access to, was plugged into a wall.
Which was not only inconvenient but also dangerous.
Nowadays, battery-powered lawn care tools are available for everything from lawnmowers, to chainsaws and leaf blowers.
But is battery-powered equipment worth investing in? Or is it a gimmick?
Below you will find everything you need to know about lawn care with battery-powered tools.
What do lawn care pros say about battery-powered equipment?
We wanted to know what lawn care pros thought about battery-powered equipment in commercial applications.
So we asked them!
And what we found is the overwhelming majority of lawn care professionals (64.5%) said that battery-powered lawn care equipment had some practical commercial applications.
The most commonly cited tool used by lawn care pros is battery-powered hedge trimmers. Battery-powered leaf blowers and weed-eaters were also cited as a good way to quickly and quietly finish a small job.
But the overwhelming consensus is that nothing beats gas-powered equipment overall.
While 34.5% said they can not stand using battery-powered equipment when it comes to their lawn care business.
Only 1% of the lawn care pros we polled said they "love" battery-powered equipment.
Battery-Powered Equipment: Professional vs. Homeowner
Here’s the deal, battery-powered equipment has come a long way and is more than suitable for most homeowners.
Whether you are talking about a battery-powered leaf blower, chainsaw, or lawn mower. Battery-powered equipment is truly up to par as compared to gas equipment for the average homeowner.
However, there are certain limitations that battery-powered equipment is subject to that limit its value in most commercial applications, as well as for “professional homeowners”.
Pros and Cons of Battery-powered Equipment
Here’s the deal, whatever your preconceived notions about electric power are, there are pros and cons to using battery-powered equipment. And to know whether or not battery-powered equipment is worthwhile, we need to look into the pros and cons of using them.
Benefits of Battery-powered Equipment:
There are so many positives to owning and operating a battery-powered lawn mower or weed whacker.
Those benefits include:
Less mess (no spilled gasoline or oil to manage),
Near silent operation,
No smells,
Great for small residential neighborhoods.
Think about it, despite the severe limitations of battery-powered lawn care equipment. In certain applications, such as small residential neighborhoods. Battery-powered lawn equipment can be less disruptive to the neighborhood.
Which can make your neighbors happy if you are a homeowner, or give you an edge on the competition if you use the quiet nature of battery-powered equipment as a selling point. And you won't have to worry about whether you will need to use a fuel stabilizer or not.
Cons of Battery Powered Equipment.
Now for the limitations. Here’s the deal, no matter what improvements are made to battery-powered equipment, there will be limitations.
The cons of battery-powered equipment include:
Energy is limited to battery storage,
There are limitations to the power a battery can produce,
Requires power source.
The biggest downside to battery-operated equipment is the limitations on the run time of the equipment. Gas-powered engines can theoretically run indefinitely as long as fuel is available.
But a battery-powered machine requires access to a power outlet, and unless you have extra batteries while the one charges. You are going to have downtime.
Which for the average homeowner, isn’t really a problem. But if you are operating a commercial lawn care company, or are regularly doing yardwork. It may be a limitation you don't want to deal with.
Who are battery-powered lawn mowers for?
In short, battery-powered lawnmowers are for the average homeowner who lives on a ½ acre or less of land. While some more expensive models like the RYOBI 38 Inch can cut up to 2 acres on one charge.
But battery-powered lawn mowers won’t really serve in most commercial applications, though there are commercial battery-operated mowers nowadays.
Who is other battery-powered lawn equipment for?
Other battery-powered equipment on the other hand can serve a wider range of people. For example, battery-powered leaf blowers can be great for almost anyone, even lawn care professionals. However, when it comes to fall leaf clean-up, battery-powered equipment may not always be practical in commercial applications.
Hedge trimmers and weed whackers that are powered by batteries can be great even in commercial applications. Assuming the property you are working on has been maintained regularly.
On the other hand, for example, if you need to clear brush on a half-acre, a battery-powered weed whacker or lawn mower may not “make the cut”. Commercial companies may find it useful to market their company on Facebook as an all-electric lawn care company in densely populated neighborhoods.
Battery Powered Lawn Care Equipment At the End of the Day
At the end of the day, battery-powered lawn care equipment is great for regular maintenance on most properties. And it is improving constantly. In fact, many argue that battery technology is the next step in the evolution of the lawn mower.
However, when things get overgrown or are not managed regularly, battery-powered equipment may not be up to the task.
That being said, battery-powered equipment has come a long way. And it truly serves a wide range of purposes. Best of all you will have less to do when it comes time to winterize your lawn care equipment.
