Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Interested to see how well this will work. I wonder what battery replacement costs will be?

http://www.wisesales.com/ariens_916003.html

Product Name AMP 24 Stage Type Two Stage Powered By 48V Brushless DC Motor Starting System Key On, PTO On Clearing Width 24" (61 cm) Housing Height 20" (50.8 cm) Throwing Distance 3' - 40' Chute Turning Radius 205º Chute Rotation 2.5x Ice Drill Chute Construction Steel Deflector Control Remote Tire Size 13" x 4" (33 x 10.2 cm) Axle System Pin Lock Batteries 48V / 30A-Hr Drive Type Disc-o-matic Speeds 6 FWD, 2 REV Gear Case Aluminum Impeller Profile Steel 3-Blade Impeller Diameter 12" (30.5 cm) Auger Diameter 11" (27.9 cm) Auger Type Steel Serrated Skid Shoes Reversible Energized by two 48-Volt AGM Valve Regulated battery packs that last up to 200 charges. Unplug charger, turn key and you are ready to start throwing snow. Specially designed steel chute discharges snow accurately up to 40 feet. User-friendly controls for simple and convenient maneuverability. Largest in-class freeze-resistant 12-inch 3-blade high speed impeller ensures superior performance. Features a battery level indicator that gives the operator an early warning by flashing approximately 10 minutes before battery is discharged.

I also have a couple of those cordless drills where the batteries are no longer available.  One is a fairly recent Craftsman (yep, another reason to stay away from a product line that changes product vendors every year or two!).  I think there'd be good money in a business that retrofits these 'obsolete' drills with a universal powerpak, so you could at least use the sucker.  The electronics behind them aren't difficult, just match the voltage and amps; however, a retrofit wouldn't be very elegant and may not sell well just due to perception (which, as we all know, is reality).  I took apart one of the older battery packs and it looked like just a bunch of rechargeable "C" or "D" cells wired up in series.

Hobbyists use the motors out of these cordless drills for different things, like motors for hopped-up R/C cars/boats!  You could probably re-purpose one to operate the chute on your blower...

As for electric OPE, I don't think it is there yet for a two-stage blower.  Smaller equipment might be a different story - was reading an article the other day that said modern electric lawnmowers can mow the typical one-third-acre lawn for about ten cents worth of electricity.  If the batteries would last ten years and you could replace them for around $100 (just guessing here), then that would be a worthwhile solution.

My brother has an electric chainsaw.  He likes it a lot, except that in cold weather it doesn't get hot enough for the oil to flow to lube the chain, so it is pretty much a warm-weather tool.  I thought it wouldn't have enough power, but he pointed out that a good circular saw has plenty of power for cutting wood - that this is just applying the same concept to a chain-blade rather than a circular blade (good point!).

One advantage I see for electrical OPE is that you have max torque at starting rpms.  On the flip side, you have no reserve torque if things get nasty.  One way to offset that issue is to use a flywheel (which brings up the question as to why don't snowblowers use flywheels to get them through the really nasty stuff?).  I have an electric wood chipper - if the motor starts to lug down, I can pull the branch back out and let the motor catch up again - but it is only the flywheel effect of the spinning chipper blades that allows that to happen.  Otherwise, the motor will hang and trip the onboard circuit breaker.

Anywayz, I think there is a lot of room for electric OPE to improve.  With $5/gal fuel on the way, it may become more attractive to many folks.

borat wrote:
That's why I'm going to hold out for a solar powered one.

I already have a solar powered one. Even at 15 degrees F, on a sunny day all you need is a little bit of black showing and the rest melts away.

Bill_H wrote:
That isn't a snow blower.

I believe they call those "3 state solar power snow evaporators".  Now go tell your neighbors what you just bought.

Shryp wrote:
Oh yeah, and I'll have to brag about the great price I got on it, too

Bill_H wrote:
Someone just dropped it off in your driveway.  They must have left it at the wrong house.

I had one once, really cool and VERY green too.  Had trigger steering - two little squirrels running in cages.  One fur each wheel and trigger just braked axle on the desired side (squirrels hated that tho - they tripped every time I steered.)   But had to give it up cause oaks don't grow here and I cudn't afford shipping fur all the acorns.

I don't see the flux capasitor

I know ths is a couple years late but i got one of the last ones new with full warranty for 900. so basically the same as a regular gas. of course as soon as it arrived there's no snow in the forecast.
I have a 75 foot single car wide driveway like the T tetris piece that widens to 2 cars at the ends. super quiet for the little bit of snow i had. I have a shed so i can trickle charge it when not in use. I will post back the results of the next snow storm :)

droden wrote:

Are they discontinued?