Top Battery Powered Commercial Mowers

Last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom banned SORE (small off-road engines) emissions. The ban outlaws the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and other lawn care equipment.

The reason behind the change is to protect the environment. Small engines produce a large quantity of carbon pollution. In fact, using a gas-powered leaf blower for only one hour produces the same amount of pollution as driving in a car for 1,100 miles. That’s a lot of pollution.

Where does this leave landscaping and lawn care companies? In a newly battery-powered world with plenty of questions. Questions like how much will this cost me, is charging batteries time-consuming, and what are the best machines for my business?

Fortunately, Arborgold is constantly observing the landscaping industry. Our software is designed especially for businesses like yours. Staying on top of industry trends is one of the ways we support our clients.

Whether you’re in California or simply looking to reduce carbon emissions, here are the top battery-powered lawn mowers to consider.

A Bit About the Top Battery Powered Lawn Mowers

According to Protool reviews, there are a number of important factors to consider before ranking any battery powered lawn mower including:

Mow Time

 Continuous mow time is an important feature for lawn mowers. In gas-powered machines, mow time lasts between the initial fuelling and eventual refuelling. In battery-powered machines, mow time is the duration of a battery charge. When the battery runs out, it must be recharged or replaced.

Electric mowers vary on mow time. Some brands, like Mean Green will run seven to eight hours before needing a charge. Brands like Gravely, feature a quick-swap battery system to let you mow all day. Some batteries only last 90-minutes and take half the time to charge. It depends on your machine.

Climbing Hills

 Landscaping companies take on lawns of all shapes and sizes. Electric mowers work well on a variety of lawn types, but hills are not their specialty.

The problem with electric mowers on hills is that they generate less torque than their gas-powered counterparts. Torque powers lawn mower blades. Battery powers the lawn mower. When the mower diverts power to get up and down steep hills, power to the blade is reduced.

Changing and Charging

Some brands of battery-powered lawn mowers can have batteries swapped on a job site. This minimizes time wasted between charges if you’re stocked on fully charged batteries.

Some models need to be recharged between uses. Charge time depends on the size of the machine and battery. Your manufacturer can provide you with specific instructions based on the mower you purchase.

Cost to Charge

One of the most frequent questions we see about electric mowers is how much it costs to charge vs. fill up on gasoline. Charging cost depends on battery size. Smaller batteries might only take 45-minutes to charge and cost about $0.04 in electricity. That said, some larger commercial mowers require four batteries to operate.

Still, the electricity to gas cost ratio is obviously a benefit. It may cost more as an initial investment to purchase a large battery-powered mower, but the ongoing costs are more affordable than gas mowers in many ways.

Noise Reduction

Gas-powered mowers are noisy. For landscaping companies, loud mowers mean annoyed staff, clients, and neighbors. It also limits the time when work can be done, so the peace isn’t disturbed.

The top battery-powered lawn mowers make very little noise. They also don’t vibrate the way gas mowers do. This makes for a more comfortable ride during long work hours.

Gravely Commercial Electric Mower

Our Choice for Top Battery Powered Lawn Mowers

Choosing the best battery-powered mower means exploring all your options. There are too many popular mowers to list them all. Here are our top battery-powered lawn mower choices of the year:

1. Gravely Pro-Turn EV

This mower features six unique models, ranging in deck size from 48” to 60”. All units host a 16 kWh Li-ion battery and electric transaxle drive system with a ground speed of 11/5.5 mph. At the smaller end of the spectrum, the Pro-Turn EV mows 4.8 acres in an hour, while the larger models mow up to 6.1 acres per hour.

This battery-powered mower uses proprietary spindles with blade slip to reduce potential damage during impact. They also offer large LCD displays to tell your crew when blades are engaged, batteries are low, and other important information.

2. Greenworks Commercial CZ 52R 82V 52” Commercial Ride on Zero Turn Mower

Every mower has its pros and cons. This Greenworks commercial mower has a deck size of 52” and a maximum speed of 10 mph. It’s built for durability with an 8-gauge steel deck. What’s truly spectacular about this model, however, is that it rides up to 14 acres on one battery charge. It also offers fleet app connectivity for real-time GPS reporting.

On the cons side of things, the CZ 52R 82V only includes a 1.7kW charger. A faster, 7.7kW charger is available but must be purchased separately.

3. Mean Green ZTR Riding Mower

The Mean Green battery powered riding mower has a 74” deck and an eight-hour maximum battery time per charge. The mower is powerful, with a high speed of 13 mph. Mean Green compares it to a diesel mower with 40-horsepower.

As far as batteries go, there are three to choose from. The ZTR can be purchased with 14.5 kWh, 22 kWh or 35 kWh batteries.

4. RYOBI 40V HP Brushless 21” Mower

This is a small push mower. While many landscaping companies rely on ride-on machines, push mowers are handy for small yards and small jobs. The RYOBI 40V HP is the master of push mowers in the battery-powered lineup.

A push button starts, and rear-wheel drive makes for convenient lawn care maintenance. The mower is self-propelled and has high-performance traction. It offers 70 minutes of straight run time.

RYOBI built this mower to tackle ¾-acre properties. It uses two 40V batteries and consists of a 21” deck built from polypropylene for lightweight work.

5. Greenworks Commercial 82-Volt 21″ Brushless Push Mower

Greenworks Commercial also offers a push mower with similar specs to the RYOBI model. A heavy-duty steel 21” deck is accompanied by a 5Ah battery. This machine rides 1.5 acres on one charge and uses a three-in-one cutting system. It has settings for mulch and leaf pickup.

A major benefit to this push mower is the commercial-grade brushless motor. A push start makes it simple to operate, while SmartCut technology ensures it doesn’t waste energy when there’s no grass to cut. Grass sensors keep it honest, and keep your team moving quickly to finish commercial jobs.

Hopefully, some of these top battery-powered mowers have what you’re looking for. As California weeds out SORE exhaust by 2024 and with New York following closely behind, it’s beneficial for landscaping companies to make the switch.

Visit Arborgold Online to Learn More

Arborgold designs business software for field-based businesses. We work with companies of all shapes and sizes, improving everything from invoicing to customer engagement. Less stress, less time wasted, and a more streamlined approach to field-based business.

If you’re making the switch from gas to battery, our software can help make the transition a breeze. From adding new tools and machines to inventory to ordering spare parts, chargers, and batteries. Arborgold software has your back.

Maximize crew capacity and schedule battery-powered lawn equipment using Arborgold. Learn more here.