A New Ryobi Tool

[Jim Frye]

For that money and that sized lot, I might be looking to see what a neighborhood kid would charge me using his tools and his gas.

Hard to get a neighborhood kid to do lawns these days. A great many of our neighbors use lawn services for lawn care. The streets are literately clogged every day with their trucks and trailers. I still like to do my own thing and the activity keeps me a bit more fit. My knees are a bit iffy these days and that's why SWMBO thinks I should have a rider. I'm loath to give up the 1 1/4 mile walk I get when I mow with the Honda walk behind. After all, I'm only 71.

[Jim Frye]

Well, gee thanks Hank! I also wondered about service and repair for this mower in the long run. A quick check for Ryobi Authorized Service Centers for outdoor equipment turned up one a mile and a half from me (a green/yellow dealer) and the one farther in town that I've used for decades. Guess I'm lucky.
As for battery replacement, The ones used in the 75ah model list for about $50 dollars each (total of four) and the nearby Battery Wholesale shop sells them, if you don/t want to Amazon them. The cost of gas over 5 - 7 years easily pays for battery replacement. And like a Tesla, the batteries slide out on a tray for service. I also checked with a relative who builds/sells custom golf carts and he says one should get 5 to 7 years out of these batteries if you care for them properly. Battery care is stupid simple: don't run them down to dead and keep them on the charger when not in use. These are the same type of batteries that are used in golf carts, wheel chairs, and mobility scooters, so it's not bleeding edge tech.

[leehljp]

CapnCarl, I hear you. I used to buy the bottom of the line mower as a trim mower about every 5 - 7 years. They just don't last. I bought a Husqvarna 6 summers ago for about $300 and that thing runs better after 6 years than a new bottom of the line 3 hp Briggs and Straton 21" Walmart/HomeDepot special. When I bought the Husqvarna, I also bought one of those cheap mowers. The cheap one has died and I coaxed every minute I could out of that motor. (I usually keep two push mowers for trimming around flowers bed, trees and bushes and garden that are too close for my 42 inch to get through or around.)

A second part to this is the "Owner". I know Jim will take care of his. It was interesting on the old Ryobi Forum to see the folks come on and then see their personalities evolve: In one, you could see a person who protected his tools; in the other you could see a person who did not take care of his tools and blame the tool (Ryobi BT3000) for his slamming a 2x4 or 4x4 down on the top and blaming the tool for its breaking - i.e. can't take the responsibility for not taking care or mis-use. Jim will take care of his. (I will admit that there WERE some quality control issues on occasion, as were pointed out often on even Uni-Saws.)

I have an 18 year old Craftsman LT1000. I have had to replace parts on it over the years, but the motor runs smooth, belt drive is the same one. I have had to replace the solenoid twice, battery twice, blades twice and I need a new seat, replaced the fuel cap/gauge once. This is a middle of the pack mower at best.

If I can do that, Jim Frye will make that new Ryobi Mower last for his lifetime and pass it on to whoever he sees that will take care of it in the future!

[atgcpaul]

For that money and that sized lot, I might be looking to see what a neighborhood kid would charge me using his tools and his gas.

[capncarl]

Mowers are a perfect example of getting what you pay for. Buy a cheap mower from the big box store and in a few years you will have to buy another one. Spend a few minutes researching mowers online and it will be revealed that most manufacturers sell numerous grades of nearly identical looking mowers. Suprisingly the nice looking green mower won’t hold a candle to a green mower that one of the many lawn service companies bought at the green tractor dealership. After going three Snapper Comet mowers, each with a retail price of somewhere near $850, I purchased a Honda HT3813 (2 cylinder, water cooled, shaft drive lawn lawn tractor), around $3200. This was in1988, now in 2018 I still own this mower and still occasionally use it. It still has the original tires, deck drive belts, and looks nearly as good as the day it was purchased. It is truely about worn out but I wonder how many $850 Snapper Comets I would have gone through during those 40 years?

The Ryobi 480e may be as good as the BT3, and it may be a good residential mower. This could be a viable replacement for the junk residential gasoline riding mowers. I would question where you would get this machine serviced and get repair parts?
Another fear would be that the money saved on fuel would be lost at the first battery replacement.

capncarl

[Jim Frye]

Yeah, it's more than the 30" riders and some of the 42s, but an analysis that I read showed that it has a lower cost of maitenance and owersbip over 5 years or more. Most of the rear engineed riders consume about a gallon of gas per hour, and the RM480e would cost me about 10 - 15 cents to fully charge. Plus no oil, belts, filters, and related gas engine maintenance is necessary. The twin blades are driven by two electric motors, and the machine is driven by a third motor via a differential.

[Black walnut]

Seems quite high in price.

[Jim Frye]

OK SWMBO thinks I should ditch the self propelled walk behind Honda mower and get a riding mower. While checking out the available machines that would work on our 80x160 lot,I came acrossthe Ryobi RM480e rider. It's a 48 volt electric mower that can do 2 acres on a single charge. It's a bit expensive at 2,500 buckos, but it's getting very high ratings from a multitude of reviewers. As an eary adopter of Ryobi's BT3000, I recognize out of the box design and engineering, so. I'm wonderig if anyone has seen or used one?. The problem is that few HDs have them in stock. The nearest one ion a store floor is 45 miles away. They will deliver them to your door. but I'd like to touch/feel one before dropping 25K of my pension on it.