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Replace mower or just mower battery?
I bought a Craftsman rechargeable mower (Model 917.386401) in 1998.
Recently it doesn't recharge very well, although it still cuts grass for about 10 minutes, at lower speed than before. I think it's time to replace the battery. The service center guy says it costs $150 plus about $30 shipping. That's still much cheaper than buying a new mower (about $400). One newsgroup message says the battery model may no longer be available and a replacement doesn't fit perfectly. If I want to check the battery with a multimeter, how do I do that? The owner's manual doesn't say whether or how to check the acid level. Is it needed? Could other parts such as the electric motor be near their lifetime? Should I just buy a new mower? Thanks for any advice. Yong Huang Email:yong321ATyahoo.com |
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#3
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Did you call around for a better deal on a replacement battery?
wrote in message oups.com... I bought a Craftsman rechargeable mower (Model 917.386401) in 1998. Recently it doesn't recharge very well, although it still cuts grass for about 10 minutes, at lower speed than before. I think it's time to replace the battery. The service center guy says it costs $150 plus about $30 shipping. That's still much cheaper than buying a new mower (about $400). One newsgroup message says the battery model may no longer be available and a replacement doesn't fit perfectly. If I want to check the battery with a multimeter, how do I do that? The owner's manual doesn't say whether or how to check the acid level. Is it needed? Could other parts such as the electric motor be near their lifetime? Should I just buy a new mower? Thanks for any advice. Yong Huang Email:yong321ATyahoo.com |
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wrote:
I bought a Craftsman rechargeable mower (Model 917.386401) in 1998. Recently it doesn't recharge very well, although it still cuts grass for about 10 minutes, at lower speed than before. I think it's time to replace the battery. The service center guy says it costs $150 plus about $30 shipping. That's still much cheaper than buying a new mower (about $400). One newsgroup message says the battery model may no longer be available and a replacement doesn't fit perfectly. If I want to check the battery with a multimeter, how do I do that? The owner's manual doesn't say whether or how to check the acid level. Is it needed? Could other parts such as the electric motor be near their lifetime? Should I just buy a new mower? Thanks for any advice. Yong Huang Email:yong321ATyahoo.com Yong, Regarding checking the battery, a 7 year old battery is probably in need of a replacement. You didn't mention how it was stored, or other details, but it would not completely be a surprise if it does need replaced. If it's not holding a charge, then checking it with a multimeter probably won't help much other than to verify that it is losing its power. Searching on www.sears.com, I only get 3 "electic" mower choices and each of them are corded. It is possible that the expensive cost to replace the battery is because the product is no longer available. If you'd like to follow up on the battery itself, one option would be to call a battery company rather than the service center. Have the specifications of the battery handy (including dimensions) and see what they can do. Another option is that since Craftsman is a Sears brand, you could call the local store to see if they have any in stock or if you could order one to pick up. I would have a hard time paying $180 for just the battery. If nothing else, if I absolutely had to have an electric mower, I would buy a corded mower with a long extension cord rather than pay that much for a battery on a mower that may have other problems in the near future. Dave |
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wrote:
Regarding checking the battery, a 7 year old battery is probably in need of a replacement. You didn't mention how it was stored, or other details, but it would not completely be a surprise if it does need replaced. If it's not holding a charge, then checking it with a multimeter probably won't help much other than to verify that it is losing its power. Searching on www.sears.com, I only get 3 "electic" mower choices and each of them are corded. It is possible that the expensive cost to replace the battery is because the product is no longer available. If you'd like to follow up on the battery itself, one option would be to call a battery company rather than the service center. Have the specifications of the battery handy (including dimensions) and see what they can do. Another option is that since Craftsman is a Sears brand, you could call the local store to see if they have any in stock or if you could order one to pick up. I would have a hard time paying $180 for just the battery. If nothing else, if I absolutely had to have an electric mower, I would buy a corded mower with a long extension cord rather than pay that much for a battery on a mower that may have other problems in the near future. I agree that paying so much for a battery raises some flags. Searching for a better price is a good idea. But after seven years, $180 for a new battery compares well to the cost of annually servicing a gas engine. Sure, a corded electric mower has even lower maintenance costs, but then you have to deal with that damn cord that's always in the way, or is getting caught on something. Each kind of mower has it's own best application. I'd advise someone who needs to get a new mower to consider all the pros and cons as they relate to their specific situation. I'd never simply say that a corded mower is better than a cordless mower any more than I'd say a sedan is better than a coupe. It all depends on the specific situation. And none of them have zero maintenance costs. To the OP: From what I've been able to find out, the mower you have probably has a Tecumseh motor, so you may want to check with any authorized Tecumseh repair shops in your area, as well as specialized battery stores. -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. Have an outdoor project? Get a Black & Decker power tool:: http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker/ |
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Warren wrote: I agree that paying so much for a battery raises some flags. Searching for a better price is a good idea. But after seven years, $180 for a new battery compares well to the cost of annually servicing a gas engine. Sure, a corded electric mower has even lower maintenance costs, but then you have to deal with that damn cord that's always in the way, or is getting caught on something. Each kind of mower has it's own best application. I'd advise someone who needs to get a new mower to consider all the pros and cons as they relate to their specific situation. I'd never simply say that a corded mower is better than a cordless mower any more than I'd say a sedan is better than a coupe. It all depends on the specific situation. Warren, Where did I say that a corded mower is always better? Dave |
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Treedweller wrote in
: On 13 Aug 2005 09:35:58 -0700, wrote: I bought a Craftsman rechargeable mower (Model 917.386401) in 1998. Recently it doesn't recharge very well, although it still cuts grass for about 10 minutes, at lower speed than before. I think it's time to replace the battery. The service center guy says it costs $150 plus about $30 shipping. That's still much cheaper than buying a new mower (about $400). One newsgroup message says the battery model may no longer be available and a replacement doesn't fit perfectly. If I want to check the battery with a multimeter, how do I do that? The owner's manual doesn't say whether or how to check the acid level. Is it needed? Could other parts such as the electric motor be near their lifetime? Should I just buy a new mower? Thanks for any advice. Yong Huang Email:yong321ATyahoo.com I've seen a sign at Batteries Plus (a chain store--I don't know how far they reach) that they will rebuild a cordless drill battery. Perhaps this would be an option for you battery? k First figure out what kind of battery e.g. lead-acid, sealed lead-acid (SLA) you have and proceed from there. There is a good website for batteries, I think it is www.batteryuniversity.com or something like that. To me $130 for a battery is insane, but cheaper than a H-HW battery (hampster-hampster wheel) and better emissions I bet. Around here, you pay more if you don't bring the old battery (regular lead-acid) to trade-in. SLA and others should recycled at RBRC participating retailers. I went to batteries plus to get a SLA for my trimmer, price was $20 more than same or similarly named website price, but I bought anyway. tempus est pecunia. most cordless stuff will use NiCd, NiMH or lithium, not really cost effective for a large stuff like a mower, but i guess it's possible. |
#10
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Not meaning to sound like a smart aleck, but if you have to replace the
batteries so often and they are so expensive, why not just buy a gas mower? Seems to me that the maintenance costs are much lower. I have an 11 year old cheapo MTD gas mower that has only had one spark plug and two air filters in all that time that was well used for the first ten years. Nowadays it sits allot becaue it is only used for touchups but still... Waste batteries are bad for the environment too... so I am not thinking it's ecology. Why drag a cord around? Kate wrote in message ups.com... : wrote: : I bought a Craftsman rechargeable mower (Model 917.386401) in 1998. : Recently it doesn't recharge very well, although it still cuts grass : for about 10 minutes, at lower speed than before. I think it's time to : replace the battery. The service center guy says it costs $150 plus : about $30 shipping. That's still much cheaper than buying a new mower : (about $400). One newsgroup message says the battery model may no : longer be available and a replacement doesn't fit perfectly. : : If I want to check the battery with a multimeter, how do I do that? The : owner's manual doesn't say whether or how to check the acid level. Is : it needed? Could other parts such as the electric motor be near their : lifetime? Should I just buy a new mower? Thanks for any advice. : : Yong Huang : Email:yong321ATyahoo.com : : Yong, : Regarding checking the battery, a 7 year old battery is probably in : need of a replacement. You didn't mention how it was stored, or other : details, but it would not completely be a surprise if it does need : replaced. If it's not holding a charge, then checking it with a : multimeter probably won't help much other than to verify that it is : losing its power. : : Searching on www.sears.com, I only get 3 "electic" mower choices and : each of them are corded. It is possible that the expensive cost to : replace the battery is because the product is no longer available. : : If you'd like to follow up on the battery itself, one option would be : to call a battery company rather than the service center. Have the : specifications of the battery handy (including dimensions) and see what : they can do. : : Another option is that since Craftsman is a Sears brand, you could call : the local store to see if they have any in stock or if you could order : one to pick up. : : I would have a hard time paying $180 for just the battery. If nothing : else, if I absolutely had to have an electric mower, I would buy a : corded mower with a long extension cord rather than pay that much for a : battery on a mower that may have other problems in the near future. : : Dave : |
#11
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Salty Thumb wrote:
I went to batteries plus to get a SLA for my trimmer, price was $20 more than same or similarly named website price, but I bought anyway. tempus est pecunia. most cordless stuff will use NiCd, NiMH or lithium, not really cost effective for a large stuff like a mower, but i guess it's possible. Thank you, and all others that replied to my message. I found that Batteries Plus is right in town, Houston, TX. I took my batteries in and the guy tested them saying they're fully charged and were also good in load testing. I went ahead and bought new batteries anyway (and left old ones there). Came home and installed them. I finally finished cutting very tall grass! Now the problem I find is that I can't recharge. I plugged the charger into the mower (with new batteries) and plugged in charger power cord. The charger light doesn't show either red or green. I doubt it's my charger because my old batteries were fully charged according to the guy. But I remember if the mower end is unplugged, the charger red light should light up. Now it doesn't. I'm going to bring the charger to the shop tomorrow and see if they can test it. Yong Huang |
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"SVTKate" wrote in
ink.net: Not meaning to sound like a smart aleck, but if you have to replace the batteries so often and they are so expensive, why not just buy a gas mower? Seems to me that the maintenance costs are much lower. Electric mowers are quieter and produce less emissions than a gas mower. Electric power plants produce emissions too, but the emissions are centralized and can be managed more efficiently, athough in practice, I think many power plants just do the minimum required by law. I also don't think electric mowers require oil changes, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs, gas removal/stabilization procedures (when storing the mower) or the accompanying labor involved. I have an 11 year old cheapo MTD gas mower that has only had one spark plug and two air filters in all that time that was well used for the first ten years. Nowadays it sits allot becaue it is only used for touchups but still... Did you not change the oil? What do you use for non-touchup work? Waste batteries are bad for the environment too... so I am not thinking it's ecology. Why drag a cord around? Yes waste batteries in a landfill are bad, which is why you should recycle them. They are heavy and the energy density of a lead-acid battery doesn't compare well with gasoline and yes power cords are a nuisance. If it were all good, you wouldn't need to choose. |
#13
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"Salty Thumb" wrote in message news:ciRMe.15805$%K4.10205@trnddc09... : "SVTKate" wrote in : ink.net: : : Not meaning to sound like a smart aleck, but if you have to replace : the batteries so often and they are so expensive, why not just buy a : gas mower? Seems to me that the maintenance costs are much lower. : : Electric mowers are quieter and produce less emissions than a gas mower. : Electric power plants produce emissions too, but the emissions are : centralized and can be managed more efficiently, athough in practice, I : think many power plants just do the minimum required by law. I also : don't think electric mowers require oil changes, oil filters, air : filters, spark plugs, gas removal/stabilization procedures (when storing : the mower) or the accompanying labor involved. : : I have an 11 year old cheapo MTD gas mower that has only had one : spark plug and two air filters in all that time that was well used for : the first ten years. : Nowadays it sits allot becaue it is only used for touchups but : still... : : Did you not change the oil? Actually maybe a few times... the poor thing has been sadly neglected but keeps on going like a champ. :What do you use for non-touchup work? The MTD was the primary mower when we lived out west, for 9+ years. These days I mow about 6 acres, three with my Husquvarna 22/48 lawn tractor and three with a bush hog attached to the tractor. The MTD is only used down by the pond in places where either of the other two might be unsafe to operate. I wish I had a bigger, zero turn mower. Maybe when the Husky wears out. Oh and I DO maintian the Husky. I baby it like I do my car. How about you, what do you use? : : Waste batteries are bad for the environment too... so I am not : thinking it's ecology. Why drag a cord around? : : Yes waste batteries in a landfill are bad, which is why you should : recycle them. I even recycle my used AA batteries I'm a good girl. They are heavy and the energy density of a lead-acid : battery doesn't compare well with gasoline and yes power cords are a : nuisance. If it were all good, you wouldn't need to choose. Gotcha. I appreciate you treating my query as it was intended, a real desire for another view. : |
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#15
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"SVTKate" wrote in
nk.net: The MTD was the primary mower when we lived out west, for 9+ years. These days I mow about 6 acres, three with my Husquvarna 22/48 lawn tractor and three with a bush hog attached to the tractor. The MTD is only used down by the pond in places where either of the other two might be unsafe to operate. I wish I had a bigger, zero turn mower. Maybe when the Husky wears out. Oh and I DO maintian the Husky. I baby it like I do my car. How about you, what do you use? Right now I am using a Scotts 2000-20 push reel mower. Powered by processed doughnut lard. I've had it for about a year or two and I'm pretty satisfied. Takes less time mow (although I do mow more often) and much less irksome to operate. It doesn't cut cylindrical grass very well, usually knocks it over instead of cutting it. I guess those are rye seed stalks. Usually hit them again at an angle, pull them out by hand, hit them with a weedwhacker later, or just leave them. With my old cheapo gas mower (which also still works) I would just back up and park over them for a few seconds to make sure they got cut. Anyway, I doubt a manual push reel mower is a very good choice for people with 6 acres to mow. ;-) |
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