I can't say I'm surprised.

https://news.yahoo.com/california-law-eventually-ban-gas-005229320.html

 

Ya I saw that today. Told My wife I will rip out my lawn , before I buy a electric mower.

 

I have an electric weed whacker. Works great. I raced Rc cars so from an early age I knew the potential of electric motors. With today's battery's tech . Battery powered lawn mowers within reason albeit probably are the best value for the typical idiot home owner. And with speed controlers that can sense load you won't get that crappy bog when your lawn is wet or too tall. Just my 2 cents. Now if you have 3 acres than yeah you need a v twin Dixie chopper or something with some oomph

 

A quote from the article: "a broad category that includes generators, lawn equipment and pressure washers"
All opinions about replacing gas powered lawn equipment with electric aside, banning gas powered generators in a state that has been in the news recently for large scale blackouts and fires does not make much sense to me.

 

Yeah, regarding generators that is completely idiotic.

 

I've always used a push mower because I don't like the noise and smell of small gas engines.

My only experience with electric mowers was it took 4 charges to cut 1/16 acre in 1998. But a friend of my wife bought a modern electric mower and she cuts her 1/3 acre lawn on one charge.

I now have 2/3 acre but bought a similar electric. It took 2 batteries worth of charge to cut it (I bought an extra battery). I have zero complaints about power. I also got a blade/string trimmer and blower that use the same battery.

All are so quiet that I don't need ear protection.

Look into it. The technology has improved to the point where it's now realistic to own an electric.

 

The electrics may do it, but for how long? Can I keep it for 20 years?

My Stihl chainsaw is so old it says "Made in West Germany." I fire it up, and a brass band starts playing German marches on the next street over. Point it at a tree and it screams "Stirb du überwuchertes Unkraut für das Vaterland!!!" as it tears through it.

Personally, I think these lefties are just scared of power tools.

 

I’m still using my 1981 Toro lawn mower that I inherited from my father in law 30 years ago. I like it for the reason it doesn’t have that safety cut off when you let go of the handle bar, I don’t intend to replace it anytime soon. No electrics for me other than my electric razor, and if they made gas powered ones I’d have one.

 

My dad bought one of these new in 1979 and still going strong. I got a low hour one in 2004 and also still going strong. I don't see a battery powered one lasting that long and still work like new. My dads has mowed 3 acres for decades and mowed a 30 acre cow pasture one time a year for decades.

 

There is very little in California government that makes any sense.

 

How long until our cars are banned from the streets? Once they decide to make a issue of these old dirty burning cars it could happen in days.

 

Didn't California outlaw 2-cycles years ago?

Come to think of it, maybe they are. Never known many who used them.

A funny aside- Lady down the road leans left and is big on gun control. Or was till a copperhead bit her puppy last week. She got out the shotgun and blew the snake to smithereens! Even I usually rely on a good sharp hoe or bush axe for snake dispatch...

Now back to our show...

Sooner or later it will dawn on people that making a nice place to live too expensive to live in results in population loss.

Also wonder how this will affect California's agriculture industry, and the rest of the country that depends on California produce. This is one that will whack everyone else with higher prices. Any of y'all been grocery shopping lately? Produce is already more expensive due to covid consequences.

 

California doesn't already have a ban on two-stroke engines. Some lakes and waterways do have bans in place for two-stroke personal watercraft, though.

I purchased Milwaukee battery-powered weed trimmer and leaf blower this spring. Man, why didn't I do this sooner? I bought them in a kit with the larger battery and charger, and couldn't be happier. More than enough juice to completely trim the entire yard, and the leaf blower is just as, if not more, powerful as my old gas Craftsman. Not having to screw around with getting those yard tools running each season made it totally worth it. From a noise perspective, they are much quieter than gas, but I still wear my ear protection anyway. My mother-in-law has owned a battery push mower for a few years, and the lighter weight works really well for her. Plenty of battery power.

My old trusty gas trimmer is currently for sale, and I just got another one running and tuned properly to give to my brother-in-law as an in-kind trade for the parts Yard Bug rider that he gave me two weekends ago. Since my gas trimmer at the cottage runs so well, I will keep using that one. It was free. Come to think of it, I have never purchased a gas trimmer, I have always picked them out of people's garbage. Clean the carb, adjust the low & high mix screws, new primer bulbs and gas lines, and good to go.

I question how well the writer of the article researched this before just spitting something out. There isn't any mention as to if the ban will be two or four-stroke small engines. Would that have been too much to look into? Actually, maybe the writer doesn't even know the difference. How the hell are they going to ban motors used in generators?? And, have any of you guys ever used an electric pressure washer? Those things are garbage.

 

Hmm, we purchased two electric Husqvarna Automowers in 2015 and this was one of our best buys ever ,
lawn looks much better than the tractor cutting and no moss. To use the tractor it took a couple of hours
and now we can take a motorcycle ride or something else instead for boring lawncutting.

It should be intresting to se when electric lawncutters become a reallity on golf courses , the lawn cutter
i drove one summer used 7000 liters of diesel alone and there where many different machinery running
on gas and diesel.

 

I personally hate nearly every two stroke made, pick them first please. I swear the two in my Jonsered were the only decent ones I have owned. I hate the 2 strokes smell on the water. We have to use electric trolling motors on our reservoir. I just switched to a Ryobi battery mower, already have a plug in and cordless weed eater, our yard is small. It uses the same 18V battery my drill, impact and other tools. The 4 amp batteries, about 6 batteries are needed. The awesome 9 amp batteries, barely 2 are needed. Our gas mower sits outside, every cable rotted out of it. The drive cable going was the final straw, super heavy without it. The new battery mower easily folds up and can be stored down stairs. I also sold my gas snow blower, it would not start unless above freezing, really awesome🙄. I picked up a battery 40 volt with dual power, also 120 volt electric plug in snow thrower. I can do most of a heavy snow with just the battery. Unless you live on an acerage, electric is the way to go.

 

Some of us do have acreage...

I used a corded electric weedeater and leaf blower for years but I got tired of dragging 200 feet of drop cord behind me everytime I did the trim work. Bought a Stihl trimmer and blower four years ago, their 1st step commercial grade. Why didn't I do that years ago?! I do still use the electric blower to clean off the mower and blow water out of crevices after I wash vehicles.

I'll give it to the battery stuff. It's light-years ahead of what was available when I bought the Stihls, but I see no reason to replace perfectly serviceable tools. Buddy has some off-brand 80v blower that he got off Amazon. He brought it up here to show me and it works great to blow out foundation vent wells and blow water off vehicles. DK if it could last long enough to blow off this yard though.

Elms have been dropping leaves furiously last few days. Time to get out Andreas' marvelous toys! I sure as hell ain't gonna RAKE this 2-1/2 acres!😺