Cub Cadet battery powered lawn mower, update after one year ownership

An update video on how my experiences with the Cub cadet electric 42-in riding lawn mower has gone over the last year since we picked it up.

[@MrArtist7777]

I’ve sold and worked with lithium batteries for many years, you won’t see any significant battery degradation until ~. 3000 cycles, which will be many years of mowing, like 15-20 years, and even then, the battery will still hold 70-80% capacity, and will always charge to 100%. Thanks for the review!

[@lopincol]

I can't cut my lawn with a single charge with a Ryobi 40V battery anymore after 4 years. I think battery degradation is worse than you're telling us.

[@chrishering4800]

After studying lithium battery care and how to get the maximum life, there's a few things that you can do to reduce battery degeneration. Avoid fast charging and discharge and high temps. When not in use store the battery at 50%. 100% and 0% are the hardest on lithium battery longevity. Nice mower.

[@mowcowbell]

Great looking lawn. I've been using a Kobalt (Lowe's) electric push mower for 3 years now. I don't miss having to change oil, add gasoline, pull & yank on starter cords, or breathe noxious exhaust fumes. Something I've noticed with these mowers is keeping the blades sharp makes a big difference in how long it will run on a charge. I'm still on the original blade in my Kobalt. The Kobalt charger dock has a fan built in that cools the battery pack while it charges.

[@Crazypostman]

I have the whole kobalt 40v System! It's great

[@stoneyswolf]

Yes Mr Smith we've diagnosed your problem as bad batteries. The good news we can get them. The bad news it'll be on national backorder and have a total cost of $1500 labor included plus tax.

[@dougkubash8673]

Thanks for a good honest review!!

[@thomascox6466]

Thanks for the video! There’s not a lot of information about these lawn mowers after some usage and complaints seem fairly high, but this video makes me feel more confident for sure.

[@Crazypostman]

I've had it for 1 1/2 years now, no major problems I think it has 120-140 hours on it now. Only a couple of flat tires and The blades are very lightweight to make the battery last longer so if you hit anything like a stump or such you probably just bent the blade. But besides some tire plugs and a couple of sets of blades it's been a good mower.

[@Crazypostman]

My dad rides it everyday to the mailbox so that's why the hours are accumulating quickly even in the winter. They drive it around the yard to help them get around also

[@SA-dl9ox]

This was super informative for me, thank you for making this.

[@Crazypostman]

If you want to watch the 2-year review I just posted it this weekend! But if you don't want to watch it, everything still going fine.

[@cheronpearson4525]

Thanks for the review I have been having a hard time finding reviews on electric mowers a year after first purchase

[@Crazypostman]

Not a professional reviewer, but I tried to do my best to give a reasonable example on how it is. Thanks for the view and the comment :)

[@ChrisBeiting]

My local cub cadet dealer knocked $1800 off the price for me. I guess the old timers in Ohio don’t want electric-well, I was all for it. It comes Monday, I’m pretty excited to get it out there and mow. Seems to be I need to walk the yard for anything that could bend the blades.

[@tonybryant2290]

I love the technology I have 10 acres I gotta wait for progress

[@Crazypostman]

They make models that will mow for 8 hours on a charge but they cost as much as a vehicle 😂 yeah if you actually mow all 10 acres it would take you quite a while on this mower haha. I would say this one can mow 1.5 - 2 acres per charge

[@rw7051]

I like how fast it mows.

[@Crazypostman]

Yeah! We're starting year two now and no major problems or breakdowns were still loving it! The lighter weight blades are easier to bend is really the only downside but you could fix that by being more careful about where you're mowing 😂

[@railblaze7196]

I think I'll keep buying gas for now. I have a battery powered weed eater and I love it but I don't think the technology is quite there yet for the tractors.

[@Crazypostman]

This video is a year old I have a newer updated year two review, If you don't want to watch it, still no problems! So convenient to not have to deal with oil and gas, do still have to change blades haha can't get away from that one

[@svenomick5857]

Very good review cheers Mick Australia.

[@Crazypostman]

I appreciate it! Thanks for the comment I have newer update videos on this mower but to save you time everything is still going good 2 years later no breakdowns or problems

[@MarkR973]

Wow you need a 52 or larger zero turn for that yard !!!

[@Crazypostman]

Started out with the bigger Ryobi zero turn battery mower but Dad didn't like how zero turn operated, he wanted one with a steering wheel so we landed here with the Cub cadet

[@KeeperOfTheSevenKeys.]

Was it considerably colder, wet, and/or thicker grass on this test? If other factors can't explain higher power usage that level of degradation is concerning. To clarify no, it is not from sitting over the winter, Lithium Ion batteries are not like lead acid batteries, they do not suffer degradation from sitting in the cold (they do suffer a reduction in usable energy operating in the cold though.) That battery pack also should have a buffer at the top/bottom of the pack to prevent degradation as full charging/discharging is where most of it occurs, along with from extreme heat. This result makes me concerned Cub Cadet did not take proper care to protect the battery pack's longevity in terms of buffer/thermal management.

[@Crazypostman]

Just about time for me to make a two-year review! Thanks for reminding me! Sneak peek still going.

[@KeeperOfTheSevenKeys.]

@@Crazypostman Ha, just preparing for the impending death of our gas mower and doing research on electric ones, stumbled upon your video :)

[@randacnam7321]

Sitting while fully charged will degrade lithium ion cell/s batteries. The trick to storing them is 30% to 50% SOC.

[@Crazypostman]

The manufacturer instructions say to fully charge it before you put away for the winter. I'm thinking there has to be a reason for this because generally what you suggested is the best course of action for lithium batteries

[@randacnam7321]

@@Crazypostman They may be assuming that the mower won't be touched for months and that parasitic draw will drain the battery too low. A better solution is to check on the mower every month or so and top up to 50% as needed.

[@stephensheldon8396]

I will keep my XT1 gas rider

[@JPisTheWord]

Wow. Which area are you located at? That place looks amazing and relaxing

[@Crazypostman]

I'm in Oklahoma

[@monsteroyd]

got to get an xt2 for the seat arms

[@Crazypostman]

That would explain why they were missing 😂

[@sathishshaji1]

Nice pov

[@littalsini2238]

Do you leave the charger connected when not in use?

[@yvongauthier4409]

do you have access to a gas powered riding mower? If so, can you run the electric one with the blades "on" and then start the gas powered mower, wait a bit then turn on the blades! That would definitely show the noise difference.

[@Crazypostman]

Don't have a gas one anymore, all electric now

[@jacknewton661]

Error code S01 ?

[@fiddlerJohn]

Error code S01 means you're sol or SOL. Joking. From the Operator’s manual: "Faults are displayed as four digit codes with the first number (after “E”) relating to the affected subsystem." If the first number (after “E”) is 1 ie, E1yz means VCM Related Faults, E2yz means Left Deck Motor Faults, E3yz means Right Deck Motor Faults, E4yz Center Deck Motor Faults, E6yz Right Drive Motor Faults, E7__, E8__, E9yz are Battery Faults

[@frankzimmerman1133]

How much does it raise ur electric bill ,,to charge up

[@Crazypostman]

About 15 to 20 cents for every 3 hours we mow.

[@timr31908]

How much does the battery cost and will it last for 5 years

[@Crazypostman]

It's lasted 2 years so far, I'll let you know in three more if it lasts 5 years.

[@kayze009]

Unfortunately, at this time you can not buy a battery on your own, you have to go through a dealer, there are two batteries on each mower, and they're 560$ each to replace, however, they come with a 2-year warranty, but from what I've heard, finding a dealer close to you is the hardest part as most will not work on electric mowers.

[@ChrisBeiting]

@@kayze009the battery has a 4 year warranty.

[@marckuglitsch2293]

How does it do on hills?

[@Crazypostman]

Don't have hills, But it shouldn't behave any differently than the 42-in gas powered version of the Cub Cadet. The closest thing I have to a hill would be the ditch in front of my house and it comes out of it just fine.

[@roperv123]

How easy? is it to replace the blade?

[@kayze009]

I have one exactly like this and it's incredibly easy, each blade motor has two 1/4 turn locking power cables that are easy to disconnect, then you just have to remove 3 bow tie cotter pins, and then you can slide the whole deck out easily. It also weighs a couple of pounds less than my gas and you don't have to fuss with a belt. It is also significantly lighter than a gas mower, so you can lift it and prop it if you don't want to remove the deck.

[@tommckinney1489]

Do you charge at 120V or 240V and how long does it take to charge from 5% to 100% ?

[@Crazypostman]

The charger is 120, it takes 4 hours to charge.

[@tommckinney1489]

@@Crazypostman Thanks

[@mrvoyagerm]

Can you adjust the blade speed down for light duty?

[@Crazypostman]

No. The options for this one are on or off

[@kayze009]

The only Cub Cadet electric mower that I'm aware of that you can adjust the speed of the blades is the zero-turn model.

[@mrvoyagerm]

@@kayze009 Thanks

[@Panhead49EL]

I like the idea of electric, but I'm not paying almost $5k for one.

[@Crazypostman]

You're right the price is tough but it's so nice not having to deal with gas or oil! And when you don't have the blades on you're driving around and near silence

[@mackfar27]

Hallejuah is right! The squeak was very annoying.

[@Crazypostman]

Filming a 2-year update tomorrow!

[@mackfar27]

@@Crazypostman Great!

[@Artopunk14]

Why didn't you get the ryobi?

[@Crazypostman]

So I purchased the Ryobi first and it was intended to be the only purchase but this was for my father to use mainly and he's 85 and didn't really like the zero turn ability he just wanted a regular steering wheel. Had it been me I probably would have kept the Ryobi.

[@Crusader1984]

I’m sorry, but if you could not power wash that with the water hose, because down in the south, we have wet grass and in the morning it sticks, and you cannot blow that off even when it dries! They need to go back to the drawing board because it rains and people need to wash their mowers that’s just actual life

[@Crazypostman]

I'm on 3 years with this tractor now I don't really think water in the blade area is going to hurt it much. Mine's gotten wet several times no ill effects yet. One thing to think about since there's no belts this deck is pretty easy to take off to clean the underside if you need to by scraping it out.

[@everythingvideos24]

I would hate something to puncture something in the battery when mowing.

[@Crazypostman]

It's very protected under the hood. I think I showed it in the original review figure before this