Electric Maintenance

According to the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado, there are now reliable alternatives to the traditional gas-powered lawn mowers and other yard maintenance equipment. With the cost of gas rising and more homeowners and commercial bussinesses concerned about reducing emissions, the timing is right for these greener machines.

Well-known manufacturers like Toro, Green Works, Black & Decker and Stihl have all introduced battery-operated models of lawn mowers and other outdoor equipment.

Benefits:

• No emissions
  
• Quieter operation
  
• No maintenance
  
• No more changing oil or replacing spark plugs or air filter
  
• No worries about gas getting stale and clogging the carburetor
  
• No E15 gas worries
  

When you add up the cost savings on maintenance alone over the lifetime of the equipment, battery powered is more cost effective. When you add up the time you save not doing maintenance chores, battery powered is time productive.

The length of the charge is the only real downside to battery-powered equipment. But improvements in battery life are increasing.

Once charged, most equipment will run long enough to mow the lawn on a quarter-acre lot.

With several manufacturers now selling this equipment, there are options to choose from. Some mowers are mulching mowers. Some are self-propelled and there are push mowers.

Other traditional maintenance equipment is also available now as battery-powered machines. Blowers, hedge trimmers and grass trimmers all come in gas-free models.

They typically use either lithium-ion batteries, which are light-weight and hold a charge well or NiCad batteries which tend to perform best in extreme temperatures-either hot or cold. It's good to know the battery pros and cons based on your own needs when you select equipment.

Heavy-duty equipment that must run all day to mow expansive areas like ball fields and office parks is still in the research and development stage. Toro, for example, has introduced a batter-powered golf-green mower that holds a charge up to 3 hours.