I’ve been using an Ego self propelled 7.5a for 5 seasons cutting about 1/3acre (1/2acre - the house and landscaping) including edging and trimming. One charge does the whole thing every time. So I know the tech is there and it will surely get better…
It’s possible but it’s more money in the long run, which is why I get why most people won’t do this. Most gas engines will just go almost forever with little maintenance, these batteries have a lifespan and will need replaced, so will the solar panels. It’s not a good option for most BUT is possible in most areas
@@KDlGG well the solar is an extra bonus but the big gain is getting rid of gas. Not sure you’re correct about maintenance, depends on how well made the electric mowers are… but there’s no oil change. They always “start” and you don’t have to buy gas. Charging is cheap even without solar. Btw solar panels last about 30 years…
Being a trailblazer in solar-powered lawn care is awesome, but even better is that you take the time to produce these videos to show it to the world. Bravo. I hope you become wildly successful and hopefully my neighbors in Virginia will start hiring companies using electric yard tools.
Not going to lie, when I saw my area code on your trailer I was amped (pun intended) I'd recommend you to a lot of people based solely of your videos. I do my own yard work and don't need a service, but I know people who do :). Then I saw you only did Titusville and Mims, most of the people I know are in the PSJ/Cocoa/Rockledge area. Still love to see the videos pop up in my feed. keep em' coming!
Yes that would be ideal and honestly I wish there was a way to control for that easily without manually pulling the batteries off the charger when they reach somewhere around that level. EGO designs for maximum runtime rather than longevity which I’m hoping will change as more commercial landscapers move into the space and demand it. I don’t want to be retiring batteries that are 1-3 years old.
@@solarpunksteve yeah...tech will get there. But my advice isn't about a software update... What concerned me about ur batteries is that I saw u coming back to ur trailer and plugging in charger while ur batteries are above 80%..I suggest doing more than 1 lawns and then plugging it in.... Thank you 😊😃
Many are already working on it and some are out there in the field figuring it out just like I am! I'm hoping that by showing it *can* be done, that more give it a try!
I'm looking to start an electric lawn care business in middle TN next year. I'll be starting with push mowers but will be filling my LLC in January. And yes. Solarpunk Steve has inspired me
You did an awesome job. Your very lucky your in Florida. I'm in Michigan and grass season is over for me... Did u hear about the new ego lawnmower and mini bike!!!
Keep up the good work man You're just naughty as I am I like watching her videos thought of doing the exact same thing about 5 years ago when I was in school
Have you thought about raising the height of the trailer panel and adding some sliding tracks beneath? You could pretty easily have 3 panels stacked on the roof. Then slide one out forward over the Tesla , one out left or right depending on the curbside you park on. That would give you 3 total panels worth of surface area. While in motion you would still only have the single panel, but while stationary and working you can have all 3 open and charging.
I would love to do that and it would be a great option for a camper style trailer in my opinion. However I feel like for this use case it would be a lot of extra complexity (and weight) for a small reward. Some properties I only spend 20 minutes on, so to deploy something, even if simple, only to have to pack it away to move to the next house isn’t optimal. If I’m truly running out of battery then the best option I feel is to add storage capacity to the trailer in the form of another LFP battery. Then if solar on the trailer can’t keep up, you just plug in at home and top up the batteries. Also installing solar at the house/business is a lot cheaper per watt than adding it to the trailer, so you could still be solar powered but more economically.
Not sure I know about that, what is it exactly? Just a charger? If so I don't really need more chargers at the moment, but maybe in the future when I take on crew.
Ah ok, yes someone else mentioned this and I just had a look, I'm very happy they want to get serious about the commercial landscape (pun always intended) but honestly it's not practical for the average lawn care professional with how costly their batteries are. Hoping they come down or at the very least offer bulk discounts. Thanks for sending this my way!
@@solarpunksteve used to use ego for my business but the issue I have with ego tools is once the battery starts to get lower the tools aren’t at full power. I switched to Milwaukee it they have their tools programmed to keep full power all through the battery charge
Interesting! None of mine seem to have fade when the battery is getting low, but truthfully I don't often let it get lower than a bar or two since it's easier for me to just throw them on the charger. Does Milwaukee make a good string trimmer or backpack blower? I'd be interested in trying something different at some point to compare it to the EGO stuff.
Thanks! New computer, new learning curve (silly color/HDR issues) and tried to add some music to make it less boring, hopefully people like it and now I can move on to more videos with a better workflow. Thanks for watching!
Your editing is on point, and the side quests are amazing. When I watch your channel it's like im watching a movie, seriously. I usually skip through most videos content, but I watch yours from beginning to end. @@solarpunksteve
Thank you so much! Means a lot. I like editing (although it's crazy time-consuming) and I'm learning more as I go. Figured out how to fix the color grading issues I had with this footage and how to add music to this one finally haha.
Definitely doable, but you end up adding complexity, weight, and risk of something getting damaged, and right now it’s enough for my needs as I can always just charge up the onboard battery at the end of the day. But extra solar panels would be a good approach for a camping rig!
Working on it! Bunch of stuff happening recently but I did get a new computer and worked to get a bunch of kinks ironed out but my workflow is much smoother now so that should equate to more juicy content! Hold me to it though!
Yeah, it’s a challenge and I would love to do something about it, but all comes down to the homeowner, what they want to do, and their budget. Currently that Venn diagram isn’t overlapping lol.
Can you do a profit / loss statement video breaking down profit margins and how long it will take to make back the initial equipment investment? Not with theoretical numbers, with actual numbers like how many lawns you can mow before the batteries die and how many months it'll take including paying yourself a salary, insurances maintenance etc before the equipment makes a profit?
Love the videos man. Keep them coming. From the looks of those sidewalks and driveways, you should start offering a pressure washing service. Looks like they get pretty bad in your part of the world.
@@rjt135 Looks like electric pressure washer can give Steve room for some more satisfying content on top of already pleasing Amazing⚡⚡ videos.. I'm excited to see those videos in future. 😁
All things considered more people think electric quipment wont work or wont last yet we see it proven everyday that its worth every dollar you spend on the setup
Steve I love your whole set up! It really is a sign of the times! I wish you lived closer! Curious. I live in a house here in Orlando the same size as a lot of the yards in your videos. Do you charge the same as you did with gas equipment or less because you arent using fuel? I pay my guys $120 a month year round. Thank you! Oh and your bus is awesome! What a great buy and awesome uncle!! Lol
Hey neighbor! So I didn’t come from a gas lawn care setup, started from scratch all-electric. It took me some time to figure out what I should be charging (pun intended) for service. I definitely over estimated people’s willingness to pay a premium (in my area) for electric lawn care, but after some time I managed to attract clients that both enjoyed the electric and also the reliable service. Most are willing to pay more just for a service that shows up every week when they say they are, and the quiet electric side of it is bonus. I’m not far off from your cost on average, but my area is lower income and lots of cheap options for service. Yeah the bus is awesome! And my Uncle! I need to get some of those videos done soon too. Need an editor lol I’ve got too many projects.
I believe there is actually. But a lot of the properties I cut have low-hanging trees so that would be tricky to navigate. I've mowed in the rain, but if it's really bad or lots of lightning I pack up. The storm that was moving in that I showed at the end of the video was going to be very heavy rain plus lightning so that's why I decided to call it for the day.
@@solarpunksteve Yeah Lightning is nothing to mess around with, when I was vacuuming pools and we spotted lightning we waited until it passed since were basically holding up a lightning rod. Also, have you ever thought about collecting the grass clippings? Or would you have to get a different mower.
So in my area and in Florida in general it’s not common to collect the clippings. Things break down so fast here that it’s easy to just leave it on the lawn. I also mow with the mulch plug in so it does a decent job of chopping everything up into smaller pieces and you hardly even see it. I have seen some homeowners bagging, but I’ve never seen a lawn care company do it, at least not around me.
Love your Videos Solar Steve! I had to ride on ego zero turn with e steer but the batteries just didn’t last long enough for one of my clients that had 2 acres and with slopes it was really difficult to do. I had to go back to two 30 inch toro to get it done quicker. I Hope who comes out with a 30 inch mower quick!! I got the so backpack blower 800 cfm and that thing works like a champ👍 it’s fall time in chicago and I go through about 6-7 batteries a day just for the blower but I got a lot of batteries now so I just charge it when I get home. 21 ego I got to and works super good and It can do about 4-5 properties on one 10ah battery. After that I sold my gas 21 toro and couldn’t be happier. 99% of landscapers in chicago still use gas everything. It’s crazy to me Buy I guess they like bring it to get repaired all the time still haha. I’ll try to add some videos of my setup and add Solar to. Keep up the great work man!!!
I am about to start a lawn mowing business and was wondering if this was possible. Never thought of putting solar on the trailer. Definitely going this route.
Anything is possible! My advice is to make sure you really need/want it. Some people like the open trailers over the more expensive enclosed trailers like mine. Even if you do an enclosed trailer or van you might find it more economical to have larger storage capacity and charge up at home. It's definitely cheaper to install solar at your house so that could be how you make it "solar powered" by just offsetting your consumption. That's how I initially started out - just had solar on the house and charged up at home. That being said I do love the whole picture of a solar powered trailer.
@@solarpunksteve Open trailer and the house is the way to go but unfortunately my HOA doesn't allow me to park a trailer Infront of my house or in the driveway. I have a trailer storage facility right next to my house where I will keep it. I will have to go enclosed for two reasons: 1) Security of my equipment since it wont be parked at my house and 2) to keep it out of the rain.
Very good points regarding the enclosed trailer, I thought similar when choosing what trailer was best for me. The ego stuff isn’t easily lockable, or at least the batteries aren’t. So another option is a van if you wanted to be able to park at your house. I saw a really nice compact setup (gas) the other day someone had, it looked great!
The very front lights do not turn off, there are others however that can be turned on or off and I keep them off. But you’re talking maybe 4 or 5 watts total compared to 100s of watts from the blades and drive wheels that haul my butt around.
5 years, no power in my trailer. I charge at clients homes/sites. It’s part of the contract, no matter how you slice it, it’s cheaper than gas. I’ve never once run out of charge/power and only 1 complaint ever. Looking into adding power now to eliminate any future problems. It means I don’t have to worry about raising prices every 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years. I go with 3 year contracts no price jumps guarantee. I’ll go 3-5% every 3 years. Granted I’ve been pretty small but I have no reason to have concern of changes. I also charge extra for anything that slows me down..toys, gear, dog crap. All an extra in the contract, people wanna save money? Don’t make your problems my problems, if so $$$.
Quite a few are trying it, but none that I’ve seen personally in Florida and maybe it has to do with how tall our grass needs to be cut and how stupidly fast it grows in the summer months. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think many robot mowers can cut our saint Augustine grass at 3-4inches (~7.5-10cm) and similar height with Bahia but even harder with the super tall and tough seed stocks. I know recently lots of “tech” RUclips channels started pushing the robo mowers, but then people that actually get them have had a really hard time making them work consistently. Anyway, I’m sure it will change over time and I’m hoping it does, but the culture here is to have a giant plot of nothing but grass and fertilize and water it till it turns dark green and then there’s a sense of pride for doing your own mowing (can’t tell you how many times neighbors of my clients have talked about how they’ll never let someone else mow their grass because the just *love* it so much 🙄). I mean I know someone that literally cleared almost all of their 6 acres just so they could have an unobstructed view out their windows: it’s literally all grass now… I’m rambling, but hopefully it answers your question partly. Lots of it is culture, and unfortunately grass is such a big part of our culture instead of more natural/native landscaping with minimal mowing and grass maintenance. What part of non-America are you in? Hehe
Still charging! Still working so far, although I’ve had one or two flash red a few times but then start working again, so not sure what’s going on there.
I started switching my personal lawn equipment to electric about 3 years ago. I love it. Bought an electric back pack leaf blower but it wasn’t enough power to last for fall leaf blowing (live up north with big maple and oak trees). What would you suggest for electric back pack leaf blower? Ryobi version didn’t cut it but is was the most economical way to explore electric leaf blower.
So I really love my EGO commercial 800cfm backpack blower so far, but it's not cheap at around $800 (with two 6ah batteries). We don't have the fall leaf clean ups that you all do up north, but I'd argue it could do pretty well for the homeowner, but not going to last long enough for a commercial crew to use it all day (at least not on just one set of batteries). The handheld EGO 765cfm that I bought first is a really good (slightly cheaper) option, the only complaint I have with it is here in the hot summers it would shutoff after about 15minutes of straight run-time. I would have to wait ~30 seconds before it would start back up again and it would continually shut off every few minutes. However in the "winter" here in Florida the air temp is low enough the blower just keeps going. Weird but my guess is the motor is just triggering a thermal cutoff and needs time to cool down.
@@solarpunksteve I totally understand. I have a lot of trees and unfortunately it takes me almost 2 hours to clean leaves twice per week for 6 weeks, biggest problem would be how many batteries I’d need to finish the job. And your right about thermal cutoff in summer hot temp but since it’s fall leaves and low temps, I should be good with electric ego back pack right?
You might try pulling around a lawn-sweeper with a dumping leaf-collector to save blower-battery. There are also push lawn-sweepers with leaf-collectors. I need about 4 12ah to do my normal size lazy-yard in full-fall so I see exactly how expensive it could get for a business.
@@SlackerU I thought about that only problem is I have a very steep and un even terrain yard so tractor with sweeper won’t work. Its either hand rake (getting too old for that lol) or backpack leaf blower unfortunately.
@@pdibbs11 The backpack blower has never cut off on me while out during a day, even the record hot summer we went through. That being said I haven't had to run it for more than 15-20 minutes at a time since I'm not doing 2hr long leaf clean ups like you. And I don't use the "turbo" that often since it's pretty powerful in its normal run mode. But your mileage may vary. I don't know your situation, but you could always get rid of the grass around the tree out to the "drip edge" and then just blow the leaves into that space and let them mulch down naturally. If you keep the edged trimmed it can look quite nice. Just my two cents.
Sorry, show was a few weeks ago, I ran into some issues with computers/editing etc. so I'm only getting this video out now, but will be posting the video of the Electrify Expo I was invited to down in Miami later.
I left a number for each yard I did during the day to help viewers keep track while watching. Some people had asked me on another video how many yards I did. So towards the end you should see I called it quits at yard number 12.
Depends, I have some properties that are larger so therefore take longer to mow. For example one of my days is 7 lawns, but it takes me a majority of the day since they are some of the largest properties and furthest away from where I live. So this video you saw was 12 yards, which is around average I would say. I could probably cram 20 in if I had a really tight route density and smaller properties.
I've got to assume it'a selling point, how much quieter it is. That at least, in this always worry about the current fiscal qtr world, is something anyone can see as a benefit. We have our Ford Lightning Charge array based off an EG4 6000ex that I picked up as a refurb, up and running. I'll be posting some vids on it soon. It looks like it's going to work fine. Free fuel in a few years. No, where near your payoff, though. If you haven't already, I know I'd love to see how the financials are working, but understand if that isn't to be made public for a going concern.
Why don't you run power from the Tesla to the trailer so you can charge your equipment on cloudy days? I can't imagine you are also low on battery in the Tesla at the end of the day too.
So Tesla doesn't allow you to pull power from their cars at the moment. Cybertruck is supposed to have this feature (like the F-150 Lightning) but none of these trucks existed when I started the business so this was the most economical way I could think of to make it work. But you are right, I only use 20-30% of my car battery during my days so it would be great to be able to pull from that pack.
I assume your prices are to meet the (assumed)500 cycle rating of the batteries. My 200 cycle drone battery made it to 188 before a connection-failure. For a business you might actually need Smart-batteries that keep count of their cycles like offered for drones, otherwise you're testing depleted-lithium for possibly no-reason.
Yeah it's not my favorite (especially after a rain that washes a bunch of it onto the sidewalk) but quite common in my area here, we don't have that many HOAs with strict rules on grass and such, plus it's just a lower income area so people aren't as willing to spend money on their lawns. Oh well, they still pay!
Absolutely, but it might be good to confer with the your clients first just to make sure they don’t mind you walking around their house before they are awake. And to be fair, there’s still noise produced by the equipment so it’s not totally silent, however I highly doubt you would be getting anywhere close to the decibel limits set in neighborhoods during quiet hours. I should test that out actually.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I love that you’re proving this is possible. Everyone in my neighborhood gets their lawn cut with gas and it loud loud and noxious…
Thanks! Sometimes people just need to see it's possible to try it!
I’ve been using an Ego self propelled 7.5a for 5 seasons cutting about 1/3acre (1/2acre - the house and landscaping) including edging and trimming. One charge does the whole thing every time. So I know the tech is there and it will surely get better…
cry about it female , you was clearly raised by women
It’s possible but it’s more money in the long run, which is why I get why most people won’t do this. Most gas engines will just go almost forever with little maintenance, these batteries have a lifespan and will need replaced, so will the solar panels. It’s not a good option for most BUT is possible in most areas
@@KDlGG well the solar is an extra bonus but the big gain is getting rid of gas.
Not sure you’re correct about maintenance, depends on how well made the electric mowers are… but there’s no oil change. They always “start” and you don’t have to buy gas. Charging is cheap even without solar.
Btw solar panels last about 30 years…
Being a trailblazer in solar-powered lawn care is awesome, but even better is that you take the time to produce these videos to show it to the world. Bravo. I hope you become wildly successful and hopefully my neighbors in Virginia will start hiring companies using electric yard tools.
I’d like to see you show the different deck heights and why you cut it like that. Also how/why you edge walking forwards like that
Good idea! I’ll add that to the list and see if I can’t get something produced detailing those topics!
Great Editing of your video 🤙🏻 greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
Danke Schön! Wie geht’s dir, mein Freund?
@@solarpunksteve Gut. Danke.
Good luck in your business 💪🏻👍🏻
Not going to lie, when I saw my area code on your trailer I was amped (pun intended) I'd recommend you to a lot of people based solely of your videos. I do my own yard work and don't need a service, but I know people who do :). Then I saw you only did Titusville and Mims, most of the people I know are in the PSJ/Cocoa/Rockledge area.
Still love to see the videos pop up in my feed. keep em' coming!
Hey thanks fellow 321-er! Maybe one day I’ll expand down that way, you never know! In the mean time thanks for watching!
Bithlo. The nightmare before Christmas. Florida humor.
2:30 Attention to detail on those signs, nice
😉
Hey Steve a piece of advice for you......keep the battery charge b/w 30 and 80% for longer battery life
Yes that would be ideal and honestly I wish there was a way to control for that easily without manually pulling the batteries off the charger when they reach somewhere around that level. EGO designs for maximum runtime rather than longevity which I’m hoping will change as more commercial landscapers move into the space and demand it. I don’t want to be retiring batteries that are 1-3 years old.
@@solarpunksteve yeah...tech will get there. But my advice isn't about a software update...
What concerned me about ur batteries is that I saw u coming back to ur trailer and plugging in charger while ur batteries are above 80%..I suggest doing more than 1 lawns and then plugging it in.... Thank you 😊😃
If you were in TN, I’d hire you to take care of my lawn. I hope you inspire a slew of people to build the electric lawn care niche across the country.
Many are already working on it and some are out there in the field figuring it out just like I am! I'm hoping that by showing it *can* be done, that more give it a try!
I'm looking to start an electric lawn care business in middle TN next year. I'll be starting with push mowers but will be filling my LLC in January. And yes. Solarpunk Steve has inspired me
@@esics8123 I got 2 acres in Nashville, HMU
I like what you're doing! I hope your youtube helps you expand your business!
Thanks! I hope so too! So far it's been interesting.
@2:27 those street signs 👍👍
You did an awesome job. Your very lucky your in Florida. I'm in Michigan and grass season is over for me... Did u hear about the new ego lawnmower and mini bike!!!
Now this is cool✔️💯💪🏽
Thanks! Was fun to build!
Keep up the good work man You're just naughty as I am I like watching her videos thought of doing the exact same thing about 5 years ago when I was in school
Thanks!
Excellent content, Steve. Love the editing! Keep it up. Cheers from 🦘
Thanks mate!
Have you thought about raising the height of the trailer panel and adding some sliding tracks beneath? You could pretty easily have 3 panels stacked on the roof. Then slide one out forward over the Tesla , one out left or right depending on the curbside you park on. That would give you 3 total panels worth of surface area. While in motion you would still only have the single panel, but while stationary and working you can have all 3 open and charging.
I would love to do that and it would be a great option for a camper style trailer in my opinion. However I feel like for this use case it would be a lot of extra complexity (and weight) for a small reward. Some properties I only spend 20 minutes on, so to deploy something, even if simple, only to have to pack it away to move to the next house isn’t optimal. If I’m truly running out of battery then the best option I feel is to add storage capacity to the trailer in the form of another LFP battery. Then if solar on the trailer can’t keep up, you just plug in at home and top up the batteries. Also installing solar at the house/business is a lot cheaper per watt than adding it to the trailer, so you could still be solar powered but more economically.
or you could boror some juice from the tesla @@solarpunksteve
Saw a bit of the BUS!
Snuck it in there!
KEEP CRUSHING IT STEVE!
loving the content fella keep it up
Love it!
Thanks, it was fun to film!
Love your videos man!!! Such a cool setup. Will you be getting egos new 3 bay expandable charger?
Not sure I know about that, what is it exactly? Just a charger? If so I don't really need more chargers at the moment, but maybe in the future when I take on crew.
@@solarpunksteve ruclips.net/video/78pYJVcGiiY/видео.htmlsi=lSLfPDddQ50DqpR_
Ah ok, yes someone else mentioned this and I just had a look, I'm very happy they want to get serious about the commercial landscape (pun always intended) but honestly it's not practical for the average lawn care professional with how costly their batteries are. Hoping they come down or at the very least offer bulk discounts. Thanks for sending this my way!
@@solarpunksteve used to use ego for my business but the issue I have with ego tools is once the battery starts to get lower the tools aren’t at full power. I switched to Milwaukee it they have their tools programmed to keep full power all through the battery charge
Interesting! None of mine seem to have fade when the battery is getting low, but truthfully I don't often let it get lower than a bar or two since it's easier for me to just throw them on the charger. Does Milwaukee make a good string trimmer or backpack blower? I'd be interested in trying something different at some point to compare it to the EGO stuff.
Great video bro!
Thanks! New computer, new learning curve (silly color/HDR issues) and tried to add some music to make it less boring, hopefully people like it and now I can move on to more videos with a better workflow. Thanks for watching!
Your editing is on point, and the side quests are amazing. When I watch your channel it's like im watching a movie, seriously. I usually skip through most videos content, but I watch yours from beginning to end. @@solarpunksteve
Thank you so much! Means a lot. I like editing (although it's crazy time-consuming) and I'm learning more as I go. Figured out how to fix the color grading issues I had with this footage and how to add music to this one finally haha.
Another great video brother. Hope you have a great thanksgiving. Blessings to you my friend 🤙😎🤙😎🔋💪
Thanks!
Rearview camera with that large trailer? Have you covered how that works/fails in a previous video?
Very inspiring. What if you put some more solar panels on the sides you might have power on cloudy days then
Definitely doable, but you end up adding complexity, weight, and risk of something getting damaged, and right now it’s enough for my needs as I can always just charge up the onboard battery at the end of the day. But extra solar panels would be a good approach for a camping rig!
I hope more juicy content is gonna be coming up soon, keep it up!
Working on it! Bunch of stuff happening recently but I did get a new computer and worked to get a bunch of kinks ironed out but my workflow is much smoother now so that should equate to more juicy content! Hold me to it though!
awesome!
Hey thank you! It was fun trying to film it all!
2:20 gotta put some soil on top of that and level it out.
Yeah, it’s a challenge and I would love to do something about it, but all comes down to the homeowner, what they want to do, and their budget. Currently that Venn diagram isn’t overlapping lol.
Can you do a profit / loss statement video breaking down profit margins and how long it will take to make back the initial equipment investment? Not with theoretical numbers, with actual numbers like how many lawns you can mow before the batteries die and how many months it'll take including paying yourself a salary, insurances maintenance etc before the equipment makes a profit?
Keep the videos coming!!
Have you considered installing a second LiFePo main battery for those completely cloudy days with no rain?
Electric lawn mower ❤
Love the videos man. Keep them coming. From the looks of those sidewalks and driveways, you should start offering a pressure washing service. Looks like they get pretty bad in your part of the world.
That’s very true, and I could technically get an electric pressure washer and just plug it in to the trailer! New business model right there.
@@solarpunkstevejust get an extension chord and plug into the outlets of the houses. You’re already using their water. What’s a little electric.
@@solarpunksteve EGO just added a pressure washer to their lineup.
@@rjt135 Looks like electric pressure washer can give Steve room for some more satisfying content on top of already pleasing Amazing⚡⚡ videos..
I'm excited to see those videos in future. 😁
All things considered more people think electric quipment wont work or wont last yet we see it proven everyday that its worth every dollar you spend on the setup
Steve I love your whole set up! It really is a sign of the times! I wish you lived closer! Curious. I live in a house here in Orlando the same size as a lot of the yards in your videos. Do you charge the same as you did with gas equipment or less because you arent using fuel? I pay my guys $120 a month year round. Thank you! Oh and your bus is awesome! What a great buy and awesome uncle!! Lol
Hey neighbor! So I didn’t come from a gas lawn care setup, started from scratch all-electric. It took me some time to figure out what I should be charging (pun intended) for service. I definitely over estimated people’s willingness to pay a premium (in my area) for electric lawn care, but after some time I managed to attract clients that both enjoyed the electric and also the reliable service. Most are willing to pay more just for a service that shows up every week when they say they are, and the quiet electric side of it is bonus. I’m not far off from your cost on average, but my area is lower income and lots of cheap options for service.
Yeah the bus is awesome! And my Uncle! I need to get some of those videos done soon too. Need an editor lol I’ve got too many projects.
Be cool if there was an umbrella like thing that you could put on the ride on mower for the rain
I believe there is actually. But a lot of the properties I cut have low-hanging trees so that would be tricky to navigate. I've mowed in the rain, but if it's really bad or lots of lightning I pack up. The storm that was moving in that I showed at the end of the video was going to be very heavy rain plus lightning so that's why I decided to call it for the day.
@@solarpunksteve Yeah Lightning is nothing to mess around with, when I was vacuuming pools and we spotted lightning we waited until it passed since were basically holding up a lightning rod. Also, have you ever thought about collecting the grass clippings? Or would you have to get a different mower.
So in my area and in Florida in general it’s not common to collect the clippings. Things break down so fast here that it’s easy to just leave it on the lawn. I also mow with the mulch plug in so it does a decent job of chopping everything up into smaller pieces and you hardly even see it. I have seen some homeowners bagging, but I’ve never seen a lawn care company do it, at least not around me.
@@solarpunksteve Makes sense to me, thanks. Keep up the good work and happy Thanksgiving.
The powerboost f150 since it's an on board generator would help extend it but that defeats the purpose of all electric.
Love your Videos Solar Steve! I had to ride on ego zero turn with e steer but the batteries just didn’t last long enough for one of my clients that had 2 acres and with slopes it was really difficult to do. I had to go back to two 30 inch toro to get it done quicker. I Hope who comes out with a 30 inch mower quick!! I got the so backpack blower 800 cfm and that thing works like a champ👍 it’s fall time in chicago and I go through about 6-7 batteries a day just for the blower but I got a lot of batteries now so I just charge it when I get home. 21 ego I got to and works super good and It can do about 4-5 properties on one 10ah battery. After that I sold my gas 21 toro and couldn’t be happier. 99% of landscapers in chicago still use gas everything. It’s crazy to me Buy I guess they like bring it to get repaired all the time still haha. I’ll try to add some videos of my setup and add Solar to. Keep up the great work man!!!
Yes ❤🃏
Electric ⚡
I am about to start a lawn mowing business and was wondering if this was possible. Never thought of putting solar on the trailer. Definitely going this route.
Anything is possible! My advice is to make sure you really need/want it. Some people like the open trailers over the more expensive enclosed trailers like mine. Even if you do an enclosed trailer or van you might find it more economical to have larger storage capacity and charge up at home. It's definitely cheaper to install solar at your house so that could be how you make it "solar powered" by just offsetting your consumption. That's how I initially started out - just had solar on the house and charged up at home. That being said I do love the whole picture of a solar powered trailer.
@@solarpunksteve Open trailer and the house is the way to go but unfortunately my HOA doesn't allow me to park a trailer Infront of my house or in the driveway. I have a trailer storage facility right next to my house where I will keep it. I will have to go enclosed for two reasons: 1) Security of my equipment since it wont be parked at my house and 2) to keep it out of the rain.
Very good points regarding the enclosed trailer, I thought similar when choosing what trailer was best for me. The ego stuff isn’t easily lockable, or at least the batteries aren’t.
So another option is a van if you wanted to be able to park at your house. I saw a really nice compact setup (gas) the other day someone had, it looked great!
@@solarpunksteve That might be an option as well. I'll check it out
can you turn the front LED Lights off on the rider? I know it isn't much but save some energy over time.
The very front lights do not turn off, there are others however that can be turned on or off and I keep them off. But you’re talking maybe 4 or 5 watts total compared to 100s of watts from the blades and drive wheels that haul my butt around.
5 years, no power in my trailer. I charge at clients homes/sites. It’s part of the contract, no matter how you slice it, it’s cheaper than gas. I’ve never once run out of charge/power and only 1 complaint ever. Looking into adding power now to eliminate any future problems. It means I don’t have to worry about raising prices every 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years. I go with 3 year contracts no price jumps guarantee. I’ll go 3-5% every 3 years. Granted I’ve been pretty small but I have no reason to have concern of changes. I also charge extra for anything that slows me down..toys, gear, dog crap. All an extra in the contract, people wanna save money? Don’t make your problems my problems, if so $$$.
Thanks for the vid. As a non American I’d like to understand why homeowners don’t buy a robot. Less expensive on long term view. Am I wrong ?
Quite a few are trying it, but none that I’ve seen personally in Florida and maybe it has to do with how tall our grass needs to be cut and how stupidly fast it grows in the summer months. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think many robot mowers can cut our saint Augustine grass at 3-4inches (~7.5-10cm) and similar height with Bahia but even harder with the super tall and tough seed stocks.
I know recently lots of “tech” RUclips channels started pushing the robo mowers, but then people that actually get them have had a really hard time making them work consistently. Anyway, I’m sure it will change over time and I’m hoping it does, but the culture here is to have a giant plot of nothing but grass and fertilize and water it till it turns dark green and then there’s a sense of pride for doing your own mowing (can’t tell you how many times neighbors of my clients have talked about how they’ll never let someone else mow their grass because the just *love* it so much 🙄). I mean I know someone that literally cleared almost all of their 6 acres just so they could have an unobstructed view out their windows: it’s literally all grass now… I’m rambling, but hopefully it answers your question partly. Lots of it is culture, and unfortunately grass is such a big part of our culture instead of more natural/native landscaping with minimal mowing and grass maintenance.
What part of non-America are you in? Hehe
@@solarpunksteve I'm in Europe >>> Belgium. And the robot i saw are cutting +- 2,5 inches. It's far less that the HOC of your customers.
How are the Ego batteries holding up under daily recharging and the Florida heat?
Still charging! Still working so far, although I’ve had one or two flash red a few times but then start working again, so not sure what’s going on there.
I started switching my personal lawn equipment to electric about 3 years ago. I love it. Bought an electric back pack leaf blower but it wasn’t enough power to last for fall leaf blowing (live up north with big maple and oak trees). What would you suggest for electric back pack leaf blower? Ryobi version didn’t cut it but is was the most economical way to explore electric leaf blower.
So I really love my EGO commercial 800cfm backpack blower so far, but it's not cheap at around $800 (with two 6ah batteries). We don't have the fall leaf clean ups that you all do up north, but I'd argue it could do pretty well for the homeowner, but not going to last long enough for a commercial crew to use it all day (at least not on just one set of batteries). The handheld EGO 765cfm that I bought first is a really good (slightly cheaper) option, the only complaint I have with it is here in the hot summers it would shutoff after about 15minutes of straight run-time. I would have to wait ~30 seconds before it would start back up again and it would continually shut off every few minutes. However in the "winter" here in Florida the air temp is low enough the blower just keeps going. Weird but my guess is the motor is just triggering a thermal cutoff and needs time to cool down.
@@solarpunksteve I totally understand. I have a lot of trees and unfortunately it takes me almost 2 hours to clean leaves twice per week for 6 weeks, biggest problem would be how many batteries I’d need to finish the job. And your right about thermal cutoff in summer hot temp but since it’s fall leaves and low temps, I should be good with electric ego back pack right?
You might try pulling around a lawn-sweeper with a dumping leaf-collector to save blower-battery. There are also push lawn-sweepers with leaf-collectors. I need about 4 12ah to do my normal size lazy-yard in full-fall so I see exactly how expensive it could get for a business.
@@SlackerU I thought about that only problem is I have a very steep and un even terrain yard so tractor with sweeper won’t work. Its either hand rake (getting too old for that lol) or backpack leaf blower unfortunately.
@@pdibbs11 The backpack blower has never cut off on me while out during a day, even the record hot summer we went through. That being said I haven't had to run it for more than 15-20 minutes at a time since I'm not doing 2hr long leaf clean ups like you. And I don't use the "turbo" that often since it's pretty powerful in its normal run mode. But your mileage may vary. I don't know your situation, but you could always get rid of the grass around the tree out to the "drip edge" and then just blow the leaves into that space and let them mulch down naturally. If you keep the edged trimmed it can look quite nice. Just my two cents.
What show is this weekend? or is this a past video?
Sorry, show was a few weeks ago, I ran into some issues with computers/editing etc. so I'm only getting this video out now, but will be posting the video of the Electrify Expo I was invited to down in Miami later.
Hey Steve, great setup!! Are you getting the cybertruck? More storage, more powet?
Would love to, and I have a very early reservation, but not sure it's in the budget right now. We shall see!
@@solarpunksteve or the rivian haha :p
Wy is there a 9 left under in the corner
I left a number for each yard I did during the day to help viewers keep track while watching. Some people had asked me on another video how many yards I did. So towards the end you should see I called it quits at yard number 12.
next step, charging the tesla with solar as well
Haha yeah I’ve actually got solar on the house roof, so technically it is charged with solar!
@@solarpunksteve nice!
How many lawns do you cut a day on average?
Depends, I have some properties that are larger so therefore take longer to mow. For example one of my days is 7 lawns, but it takes me a majority of the day since they are some of the largest properties and furthest away from where I live. So this video you saw was 12 yards, which is around average I would say. I could probably cram 20 in if I had a really tight route density and smaller properties.
I've got to assume it'a selling point, how much quieter it is. That at least, in this always worry about the current fiscal qtr world, is something anyone can see as a benefit. We have our Ford Lightning Charge array based off an EG4 6000ex that I picked up as a refurb, up and running. I'll be posting some vids on it soon. It looks like it's going to work fine. Free fuel in a few years. No, where near your payoff, though. If you haven't already, I know I'd love to see how the financials are working, but understand if that isn't to be made public for a going concern.
Why don't you run power from the Tesla to the trailer so you can charge your equipment on cloudy days? I can't imagine you are also low on battery in the Tesla at the end of the day too.
So Tesla doesn't allow you to pull power from their cars at the moment. Cybertruck is supposed to have this feature (like the F-150 Lightning) but none of these trucks existed when I started the business so this was the most economical way I could think of to make it work. But you are right, I only use 20-30% of my car battery during my days so it would be great to be able to pull from that pack.
Ah I just assumed there was at least a 400w 120v plug somewhere inside the Tesla.@@solarpunksteve
Does the ego have an hour meter?
It does, yes.
@@solarpunksteve ....... What's it at?
@@matt45540 Around 140hrs I believe.
I assume your prices are to meet the (assumed)500 cycle rating of the batteries. My 200 cycle drone battery made it to 188 before a connection-failure. For a business you might actually need Smart-batteries that keep count of their cycles like offered for drones, otherwise you're testing depleted-lithium for possibly no-reason.
Like and Subscribe dr was a nice touch
😉
This isn’t possible, without some soft grandmas hands.
I hate sandy properties they are so dusty
Yeah it's not my favorite (especially after a rain that washes a bunch of it onto the sidewalk) but quite common in my area here, we don't have that many HOAs with strict rules on grass and such, plus it's just a lower income area so people aren't as willing to spend money on their lawns. Oh well, they still pay!
Gas
Can you start work earlier
since electric makes less noise ?
Absolutely, but it might be good to confer with the your clients first just to make sure they don’t mind you walking around their house before they are awake. And to be fair, there’s still noise produced by the equipment so it’s not totally silent, however I highly doubt you would be getting anywhere close to the decibel limits set in neighborhoods during quiet hours. I should test that out actually.