Replacing the Ryobi Electric Riding Lawn Mower's Stupid Batteries with Lithium Ion
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2023
- Ryobi's $4,000 Riding Lawn Mower comes with stupid lead acid batteries that are destined to fail. If you already bought this mower, the best thing you can do is replace them! With Lithium-Ion Batteries!
One note: You may not need to do the key fix that I had to do, these randomly fail and that's what happened to me. Only do this if necessary.
Also: Rather than switching the charger head housing as I did, you can instead break the two plastic tabs inside the Ryobi's charging port, and then the new charger will slide right in with no rewiring required.
Batteries (affiliate): amzn.to/46Ld3er
Battery charger (affiliate): amzn.to/49tlmx9
Make sure to set the battery charger to 48v and 10a/8a.
Battery monitor if you want one: amzn.to/41L5h36 (Affiliate)
A good cart to hold the heavy batteries so mower doesn't tip: (affiliate) amzn.to/49cqQNa
A decent Lithium-Ion Riding lawnmower: amzn.to/3PPZYuo (Affiliate)
The products I use to make videos:
Camera: amzn.to/3XuhmcG (affiliate)
Camera remote: amzn.to/3RAqrwP (affiliate)
wireless microphones: amzn.to/3xnQe4t(affiliate)
Mic charging case: amzn.to/3XsX3N0 (affiliate)
Lavier: amzn.to/3ze2LrD (affiliate)
Tripod: amzn.to/4c0Y4jF (affiliate)
Carbon fiber tripod: amzn.to/4c3JuHY(affiliate)
Teleprompter: amzn.to/3Vv5ZPe (affiliate) - Наука та технологія
If you found this tutorial helpful, would you consider giving me a SuperThanks? Thank you!
I would happily give you a well-deserved SuperThanks, but I don't have a PayPal account, and otherwise it requires that.I save a credit card number to their system, which I will not do. Sorry.
@@TooCule completely understand, thanks for the good thoughts!
Absolutely ! A SUPER THANKS is an understatement!!! This video was the most helpful information that I found on this mower after searching for a week (and even got a chuckle or two 😂😂😂)… told me every single thing that I needed to know, the little ‘fyi’s were EXTREMELY helpful, and I’ve finally got my mower up and running with my DIY lithium battery installation which saved me hundreds of dollars … not to mention over 100 round trip to the closest Ryobi service center! Thank you SO MUCH!!!
I also have a RM480EX and the old SLA batteries died after only 2.5 years. I like the size and capabilities of the mower, it fits in my garage, fits through the gates on my fence, and has been very useful. I even have a tow behind cart, aerator, and leaf sweeper. I was tempted to go back to gas but a decent gas powered rider was going to cost about $3k, and I didn't want to pay $4500 or so for a new lithium machine. I used the links you provided and purchased 4 new LifPo4 batteries and the charger and my mower is now running great again. Thank you for posting this video, the upgrade worked exactly as you had said and it really couldn't have been any easier.
That's absolutely fantastic! And hopefully you got through it with less, "oh shoot, I done dropped all the batteries" than me! 😅
I was one of the first to buy the Ryobi 480. The batteries lasted 2 years. If I had known that this was going last only 2 years after paying 4K, I would’ve bought a gas one for half the price. Ryobi screwed everyone who bought this. All you see now on You Tube, is how to spend another couple grand on how to replace them with lithium batteries. I was told by Ryobi to leave it plugged in during the winter months because I lived in a colder state. They should be sued for omitting performance issues about the batteries in this mower. Gary D.
Agreed! Thankfully, when I purchased, I got a STELLAR price … but I still would have continued searching had I known the batteries were worthless after two seasons. I just found all 4 lithium batteries for under $700 with free delivery and installed myself, thanks to this very helpful video ~ and hopefully extended the life of my mower for MORE than 2 seasons now!! If this still turns out to be an ongoing thing, Ryobi will have not heard the last of me 😡😡
I'm 3 years in and my batteries have no capacity loss. I'd like to do the lithium upgrade regardless, and the prices are dropping significantly
My batteries lasted 3 years.
We're on 3rd year on replacement batteries.
thank you, thank you, thank you. I followed your instructions, got the same batteries and charger. Set everything up, turn the key and EVERYTHING WORKS GREAT!!!
That's wonderful! So glad I could help. These mowers are great, they just need better batteries!
What mode do you use on the charger? Obviously 48V, but there's a lot of options for the mode
I just let the charger decide, unless you are trying to "repair" the old SLA batteries before you install the lithium batteries. Finally, remember lithium batteries will develop a "memory" if you short charge them. I've cut my grass (.50 acres) twice and still haven't had to charge them.
Did you have to mess with the key or it worked as is
@@user-oy6uf6pr9i It's quite possible you won't have to do the key swap. But it's a very frequent issue with this mower, unrelated to the battery swap. Just happened to fail on me while I did the swap.
Thank you so much for posting this video. I was caught be surprise when this year, the fourth season with this mower, I was unable to get more than about 10 minutes of run time on a charge. I found your video, followed your procedure, and now am back in business! I have only mowed once, but I have a challenging hill to mow, and the mower climbs the hill with no problem. It looks however, like i will need to replace the battery monitor and install one that works with LiFePo batteries. The factory monitor (gauge) will always show a full charge until the batteries are exhausted. An appropriate gauge will show the correct percent of remaining charge for lithium batteries. I'm using the AiLi Battery Monitor Voltmeter Ammeter Voltage Current Meter 8-80V 0-100A from Amazon. Thanks again!
Love this video, thanks for making it.
I made a comment asking if you were able to keep the little low mower robot….then I saw the quilt little think toiling away in the background 😂
Yep! I'm working on a follow up video on that one, as the app has been updated quite a bit. (Spoiler alert, one step forward...)
I guess I'm lucky. My RM480e 75ah ran from 2018 to 2024 on the original batteries. $20 CCA battery tester and one $180 local battery took care of things. One battery was horrible, the other three CCA ratings were 600, 700, and 900. I probably should have replaced the dying battery last year but charging the mower a few times was able to get my yard done and I'd weedwack while it was charging.
Yep, you got pretty lucky. Lots of people did not get these batteries to last that long. Average seems about two years.
Its aliiive! Thanks - this video was super clutch.
When you do the four battery swap do you have to occasionally balance them? I read that somewhere and I’m not sure what that means or entails.
Balancing means occasionally (once a year maybe) charging each battery individually to 100%, instead of wired in sequence.
In theory the BMS that's in these batteries should prevent the need for that, but not everyone agrees that they'll actually work well enough to keep things in balance.
I've never balanced mine... nor have I checked if they need balancing. Admittedly I should, just haven't had the time/inclination.
It's common that the key goes bad when you turn it to the on position. Cheap fix is to wire it up to AUX like you did in your video.
thanks for replying. Very helpful!
Thank you so much for his video! I just got my batteries today and plan to do the conversion before this weekend. This is the first time I’ve ever bought a super thanks 😊. Hopefully all goes well and I’ll be back mowing again by the weekend.
Thank you so much for the Super Thanks! It means the world to me.
Good luck with the conversion. It's more tedious than difficult. You got this!
@@anoraker I’m struggling with changing out the plug on the smart charger for the plug on the Ryobi charger. Seems like the configuration should be the non-wired metal connector (which I assume is ground) on the bottom right, the blue, which I assume is hot, on the top, and the brown/beige, which I assume is neutral, on the bottom left. Does that sound right. Hard to get these things to sit in there correctly.
I hesitate to answer this question, because it's entirely possible for colors to have shifted from one device to another. And your colors don't match up to mine. In my scenario, the old connector was black and white (and green), while the new connector was blue and pink. Black became blue, white became pink.
If you're considering swapping the charger housing, make sure to take pictures of everything so you get it exactly right, and maybe check polarity with tools. Please be very careful, as getting the wiring backward could lead to catastrophic fire.
Or if you want to go the potentially safest route, don't swap the connectors at all. Instead, on the mower look inside the charging port. You'll see two tabs in there that essentially block the new connector from fully seating. You could break those off with pliers and then the stock connector with the new charger should fit.
@@anoraker thanks. I guess my main question is is your black/blue at the top of the triangle plug like mine is? Seems odd
@@anoraker well, I just went ahead and yolo’d it and figured it out by trial and error. The wiring is quite weird. The smart charger you linked will not allow any incorrect wiring. It will either cycle on and off or throw an error. For me personally, I ended up having the ground (non-wired) plug on top of the triangle. The blue ended up on the bottom right and the pink/beige on the bottom left. That orientation is when you’re looking down at the plug with the back of plug facing you. Not at all what I expected since I’m fairly certain that doesn’t line up with what was in the ryobi charger plug, but maybe it shifted when I took it apart. Idk. In any case it’s charging now and it seems to be functioning properly. Thanks. Oh, and I didn’t have the key ignition failure so that’s sweet
In the LiTime manual that came with those batteries, it says the recommended charging current is 20A, is there a reason you recommend 8A? Does this prolong the life of the battery? Could we use the 13A setting on the charger you recommended to charge it faster?
Two reasons I recommend that.
You'll get a longer life out of the battery if you charge and discharge at slower rates, and as expensive as these are that's a good thing in my mind.
But also, in my experience, the charger does a better job of detecting full battery at the slower rate for some reason.
At the 20a setting, you'll get a full recharge in a couple hours. At the slower settings, it'll be done in a day or three (a week on the slowest setting).
Since most people aren't mowing every few hours, the benefit to the higher settings isn't really worth it compared to prolonging battery life.
Did you have trouble with that flat blue plastic connector that sits on top of the batteries? I think I broke it somehow.
If you liked this DIY project, check out another DIY video where I ripped apart a busted smartphone and turned it into cool artwork:
ua-cam.com/video/N4f3_Herl1U/v-deo.html
I wonder if it is necessary to use a device (such as the LiTime 48V Battery Equalizer) to keep the batteries in the series balanced? Have you tested your setup to confirm that the batteries stay balanced?
I haven’t though I guess I should just to be able to answer this question with definite evidence.
Balancing is a good idea to extend batter life. In theory the BMS built into these batteries should do that job for you without any extra work. But I do know some people don’t trust it and bought the additional equipment to balance if needed.
I have 1 model older and getting to the batteries is more frustrating to get to and replace than the fact that it would not start when I went to use it! You do so much research on these things due to the cost and when something like this happens, it makes me want to "Office Space" the 🤬 thing!
I feel that. The anger I felt when I relaxed the dumb batteries that were in these things. All the review I read and not one mentioned it!
You look like a younger Bob Odenkirk! Haha thanks for the video, I have a RM480e that I bought in 2020 which has a shot battery now.
Same! I'm looking to do the exact repair, and this video really helps!! Thank you!
This is the video I wished I had when I was figuring out how to do the swap. Glad to help!
Just ran through and it worked like a charm for me!
how long should charge take? with this setup
That’s awesome!
Followed this and a couple other videos to convert the 42 inch ZTR variant to lithium. We ended up with 6 seasons and 100.2 hours of use on our SLA batteries, so much better than most I’ve seen. Can’t wait to see how much longer these batteries last, mower already performs an insane amount better than before due to the lighter weight and the blade motors don’t bog near as much. I opted to switch the connectors on the chargers so I didn’t have to modify the charge port.
Would the original battery monitor work with the lithium batteries or have to get the recommended one?
The original monitor won't give you accurate readings, it's essentially tuned for lead acid batteries which drops at a different rate.
I've lived without since I don't need a full charge to cut my entire yard, but I'm getting ready to go ahead and install one anyway and plan to film the process.
From what I can see so far... it's a lot easier to do it all at once. Installing this after the fact mans getting the battery tray back out again.
Do you keep the mower connected at all time? If not how long will it take for the batteries to be fully charged? Tk
I don't keep them connected all the time.
As far as how long... on the settings I recommend, about 8 hours. So I plug in the night before I'm going to mow.
The charger I can recommend can charge up faster, but the batteries last longer if you charge them slower.
thanks for replying. Very helpful!
So did my own swap today. I went with the Chins instead, and I did the charge swap. Although the new prongs have to be adjusted/played with, since the older ones had a stopper on the end of them. However, everything seems to be charging, except the green LED doesn't light up anymore, is that normal?
Yep, that's perfectly normal! The new charger will give you feedback on how it's doing anyway, and more info than the green light ever did really.
@@anoraker so, yesterday and this morning the mower was running fine. However, I got a flat tire mowing this morning and ran to the store to get a plug kit for the tire, once I finished doing that fix and hopped on to turn the mower on it wouldn't turn back on. The battery was at 49% from what I could tell on the app, but it's not turning on. I attempted to see if it was the key switch and that did nothing either.
Hi. How many hours did you have on your batteries before they failed? Mine are almost toast and only 28 hours on them. Hmmmm. And a year later, how are the lithium doing?
I'm not sure on the exact hours. A couple of seasons worth of mowing, which with my yard doesn't take long. I started noticing issues after the first season.
The lithium batteries are doing great. I posted a video showing getting them out of my shed from winter, having not been plugged in at all. Started right up.
I was going to order the LiTime batteries but the company said they did not recommend them for Ryobi and that they had issues with that usage that the batteries stopped taking a charge after some 6 months? (even using the correct battery charger) ? How are your LiTime batteries performing over time?
I've had mine in for three months now without problem. I guess I'll let you know in three more months, but I've seen others use these batteries for longer than that.
LiTime said that their batteries stopped taking a charge after about 6 months and they could not recommend or warranty their batties for this use..hmm Meanwhile, now my batteries don't seem to be charging and I can not trouble shoot till I get back to Hawaii in about 3 weeks. It seems that by wiggling the key, it can allow the charging to start? Some kind of failsafe circuiit maybe mal functioning? Mower is approaching 2 years old.. Shipping is a bitch to Hawaii so I want to get the right product.@@anoraker
Just saw this! It’s possible the batteries are still good but the key switch went bad. I talked about rewiring the key in the video, it’s super easy. I’d start there.
Definitely an upgrade, the weight of the batteries makes a difference also.
Last year the Kik-a-watt said it cost $20 for the year, maybe it will be 10 since I'm getting 2 cuts per charge🤞
Just recently bought a house and one of these were waiting in the shed… I wondered why, days later of trying to get it to work I now know why.
It's a great mower once you get it all fixed up!
Scoring it for free at least lessons the blow. Ideal situation!
@@anorakerOh absolutely!
Any difference between 30ah,100ah and 250ah? Prices is the first. Whats recommended for the mowed?
Prices, sizes, and ability to withstand current load. 30ah will be too small and unable to run the mower. 250ah can run the mower, but likely won't fit quite right.
100ah will be a 1-to-1 fit and work easily, assuming you have the same mower I do (a few models use different batteries).
On the new charger plug,is black the same as the new blue one, and white is the same as the old pink one?
I hesitate to answer that question, because it's entirely possible for colors to have shifted from one device to another. And your colors don't match up to mine. In my scenario, the old connector was black and white (and green), while the new connector was blue and pink. Black became blue, white became pink.
If you're considering swapping the charger housing, make sure to take pictures of everything so you get it exactly right, and maybe check polarity with tools. Please be very careful, as getting the wiring backward could lead to catastrophic fire.
Or if you want to go the potentially safest route, don't swap the connectors at all. Instead, on the mower look inside the charging port. You'll see two tabs in there that essentially block the new connector from fully seating. You could break those off with pliers and then the stock connector with the new charger should fit.
is the battery charger on your link is required when i change to lithium battery? or i still can use the same charger that came with the Ryobi? and i found out that not all of the battery are dead only one of the four. can i only replace the one that is a dead battery with lithium battery instead of all the four? thanks.
Don’t mix lithium and lead acid. They drain at different rates, and it’ll be bad.
The Ryobi charger won’t properly charge lithium unfortunately. Again, they charge at different rates and the Ryobi is tuned for lead acid.
You can definitely replace sealed lead acid with sealed lead acid. I totally agree with the content creator though, don't ever mix different chemistries. You can order individual replacements from home depot but they might take a week or two.
Oh yes, definitely. It'd be "cheaper up front" to replace the one dead batter with another sealed lead acid battery, and that'd be fine.
Except that eventually you'll be back to the same problem of lead acid being a terrible choice that will eventually die.
Don't mix. All one or the other.
Thank you!
Hello, just did the replacement, thanks for the info. Regarding charging- I am using same charger as you, how do you recommend charging these? Do you keep it plugged into the charger when not using? Should you charge them after each use? Or just charge when they are low? Thanks again
I charge as needed and no I don’t keep it plugged in all the time. In fact I left it unplugged all winter and it turned on fine when I got it out of storage.
Lithium ion tends to last longest when kept between 60 and 80% as much as possible.
Thanks, do you know how long it takes to charge? We mowed today and plugged in the charger and it was on the 40% bar, it has been charging for 5+ hours and the charger is only showing that is up to the 60% bar.
@@bighurt71 Hrm. Do you have the charger set to 48v and 10a/8a? The first charge WAS the longest, but since I don't usually get low, I don't have to charge all that long these days.
Just changed the batteries, follow along with the video. I do have one question, I did not have to change the switch from turning the key to the right to turning to the left, still works perfect. However, the new battery charger you suggested only comes with two prongs, rather than 3 like the Ryobi original were should the two prongs go?
Right, so you may not have to do the key turn changeover, yeah. I should make that more clear in my description. This is something that randomly fails a lot with these mowers, and when that happens that's how to fix it.
Regarding the charger... it's hard for me to answer that question because the colors change every so often with the charger I recommend. Basically you're going to make it match how it was when you first took the housing off, and the third "missing" prong will just be empty.
If you haven't gone that far yet, there's an EASIER solution. Rather than rewire anything, put the housing back on your new charger that it came with. The reason it doesn't fit inside the Ryobi mower (and you would have to do the head swap) is because inside the charging port on the mower is two plastic tabs that keep the new charger from seating properly. So instead of rewiring it, you can just break those tabs off with some pliars or something and the new charger will just fit.
I have a Ryobi 480e riding mower which use 75AH batteries. Can I replace them with the 100AH lithium battery you described in this video? Thanks!
Yep! The only difference between your mower and mine is the batteries that went into it.
Yes you can but the battery spacers need to be adjusted
I just finished mine and had to make a big adjustment to the battery spacers. Other that that, follow this video 1 for 1 and it'll be good as new
Post battery change, does the original charging cable works to charge the mower?
@@chrism5455 You'll need to buy the charger listed in the video description. Then, you need to take the old charger's plastic tip and fit it onto the new charger. It's 4 screws and pretty easy
Thank you for the write up! Can you explain the pre charge circuit? I did the conversion and all it will do is click, which is a main contactor. Nothing else. If I unplug and plug back in I can get the click again with the key turned on. Put the original batteries back in and all works as it should. Thank you for any help.
The batteries I recommend shouldn't need one... but some LiPo batteries can't handle the inrush current and it trips the BMS units, in which case you need a pre-charge circuit to slow the process and keep the BMS from tripping. You'll usually hear a click. It's starting to sound like you may need one.
Check the voltage at the bottom two pins of the charging port, if less than 52v your bms is shutting off and you will need a precharge circuit, but if it's 48v or higher, your key switch may be the problem and you can try moving it to AUX as in my video.
If you need a pre-charger here's a gentleman who builds pre-made automated ones for a reasonable price:
ua-cam.com/video/jNEGhhh3dMo/v-deo.html
facebook.com/groups/2756962307675482/?ref=share_group_link
@@anoraker Thank you. After the solenoid click checking the battery voltage at the charger port is 40vdc compared to 54 vdc before.
I live in Canada and my mower is at my cottage where we don't heat the garage through the winter. I've used my RM480e for a summer and a half at this point. My batteries were fine in the fall, but I'm worried about them leaving them in the cold (plugged and charging). Last winter I took the batteries out and kept them in a warmer area. I didn't charge them but they still worked fine last summer. So I'm nervous and will be anxious to see if everything works in the spring. I do have the key problem and will be making the switch to the Aux position in the spring. Hopefully that's all I need to do this year. Thanks for the video and links to the items you went with.
You're very welcome! Good luck! Hopefully the key fix is all you need.
Mine is 4 years old. I more or less expected the batteries to go flat after some years, so I'm not super disappointed that it now happened. I live in Sweden, and the recent winters were quite moderate, I guess that helped. But this year, we got some severe ice age from November to March. That obviously killed the batteries, even though they were plugged in all the time.
The most crazy thing is that - at least for us in Sweden - the original lead acid replacement batteries cost twice as much as the LiFePO4 batteries I ordered from Amazon.
I love my RM480E. Petrol sucks. Ryobi have lithium ion versions now, but they are insanely expensive and if their tool batteries are anything to go by, they die in a few years also. With the RM480 versions, lifepo4 replacement batteries are actually cheaper than the newer lithium ion mower batteries. My mower is only 20 months old now. Bought it used. But my yard only takes 30 - 40 minutes to mow.
I think their mower lithium batteries will do better than the tools, it's a different setup and use case.
But yes, in my case, it was cheaper to just buy these batteries and upgrade my mower than to buy yet another (lithium) mower.
Did you use the same batteries from this video to replace the batteries in your rm480e?
@@danieljermynpcfl9951 I haven't replaced the original lead acid batteries yet. I hope to get another 2 years out of them.
Petrol only sucks for layman who don't understand engines and/or refuse to try to learn about them. If you can test for spark, for fuel flow, and compression .. the mystery disappears.
It's not just the not wanting to learn about them, it's about the mess it is to work on them, the smell of petrol makes my head hurt and I hate changing the oil and winterizing, electric is to the point where it's not quite as powerful but the convenience makes up for it in my use case
This is awesome. It would've been nice If I had found this before I bought replacement lead acid batteries. At least my warranty is reimbursing 50% of the cost. I may sell this mower after I replace the batteries. But, at least I know how to put the new "destined to fail" batteries in. :) Cheers
Thanks!
I have the RY48130 (50ah 30" riding mower) and the dimensions from the origional specs say they are 5.53' wide..The Li Time replacements are 6.53. Is there a spacer that I could remove to fit the Li Time 50ah batteries in the tray? Otherwise it looks like they will be too wide to fit.I am guessing you had the 75ah model?
I have the 75ah model, yes. I don't think the batteries I recommended will fit your model. I think this might fit, but doublecheck to be sure: amzn.to/40IjvkC (affiliate link).
Those are 5.3" wide (fits) x 7.1" high (maybe not? existing are 6.7 in high .Depth is 9.1 (existing is 8.82, but may be adjustable) so the height might be a problem at maybe 1/2' higher.
LiTime did not recommend their batteries for Ryobi riding mower. Not sure about ECO Worthy Meanwhile my batteries still working, I was just looking ahead. The mower is in Hawaii and I am not, till Jan. at which time I can pull them out, make better measurements..But Black friday deals will be gone, and they will not ship to Hawaii, so better to order to a mainland address and relay them. hmm
I've had a device called a Power Pulse hooked up to my Ryobi since day 1. Now on third year and batteries are still performing like they did when I first got it.
I've seen other videos where they also replaced the Ryobi gage which indicates the battery charge. Is this necessary? Does the stock gage work with these lithium batteries?
The stock gauge won't accurately track the Lithium battery, as it's designed for lead acid batteries which disperses at a different rate.
It's not something that bothers me though, as I'm able to mow my entire lawn with half the charge the batteries provide... so I'll never really need to know how low I'm getting. I'll plug in before it hits zero.
@@anorakerIs there any work around if you want an accurate gauge?
@@bp5435 You can buy and install the gauge I linked. I don't have a guide for the install yet... I recently ordered one and plan to make a video, but not sure how soon that will be.
@@anoraker Thank you sir. I will keep an eye out for it if you do the install. I guess I was overthinking it and the gauge may be plug and play? I’m curious about fitment compared to original, and making sure it is installed properly.
@@bp5435 There's some work involved in wiring it up to the new batteries, but I don't know exactly what as I've found very little guidance. Apparently the instructions helps if you're handy.
It is little bigger than the current guage, so you may need a step bit and a drill to get the right fit.
Do I need to replace all 4 batteries?
These Li-Ion batteries are so expensive. Any cheaper brand alternatives out there youd recommend that would also work? Why’d you pick this brand?
Yes, you'll need to replace all four batteries... never mix battery types, that'll be really really bad.
I do admit these are expensive, and you can potentially spend less. However, the ones that cost less have other issues to contend with:
1) They may not be the same exact size and shape as your current batteries, increasing the difficulty of install.
2) They may not be able to handle the current draw, meaning you'll need to spend extra money to build a pre-charge circuit and install that, negating cost savings.
I chose instead to go with this brand and price to avoid those difficulties. And right now they're on sale for cheaper than when I bought them!
Question. How did you revive the old batteries? Did you have to unhook the batteries and charge them individually?
Yep. That's how I was familiar enough to do this install. I had already taken the batteries out once (this comes up in the video a bit).
Pulled them out and trickle charged them one by one. It revived them for a short while... but they ended up dying again. At least it bought me a couple months to save for the replacement batteries I guess.
@@anoraker thanks for the speedy reply. That's exactly what I'm hoping to do. Just enough time to save up for a somewhat costly repair. Thanks for the info. Very helpful video.
The easiest way to get to the batteries without having to pull the whole pack out is to remove the top plastic cover - not just the access panel under the seat, but the whole top cover. You can then charge them one at a time with a 12v charger. It is not necessary to disconnect them from each other, though it's always a goid idea to pull the main plug.
Thanks for the video, I was able to successfully replace mine in my RY48ZTR100. Did have one additional cable to connect that wasn't on yours, but finally figured it out. I do have a question about charging the batteries. Do you just plug it in and leave it, or do you only charge for a certain amount of time? Is there a concern in overcharging?
That's amazing! Odd that there was an additional cable, glad you got it figured out.
No concern with overcharging necessarily, these batteries and chargers are smart about that. But I leave mine unplugged a lot of the time for storage/space reasons.
I have your model but the 75AH version ( i don't think that matters?) what extra wire did you have to connect? I am looking to perform this swap within the next month.
@@jessesmolen7910 In my video, you'll see my connecting a wire from the back of the batteries to another connector at about the 09:45 mark. It looks like the Zero turn has a more complicated wire setup for this: there's a splitter involved and you need to run it to multiple wires. I'd take pictures of the setup as you are removing the batteries so you get it right.
@@anoraker Will do! Thanks for the response.
@@jessesmolen7910 Can't really miss it, you'll see it with the other battery connections. You'll have to undo the connection to remove the old batteries. I had seen it but thought maybe it wasn't needed, but it definitely was.
Thank you for the video and instructions. My 480e batteries just went out on me (2000 year model). Making the switch to lithium...I bought the battery charger recommended in the details of your video. I'm trying to install my 480e charger plug onto the new charger...the 480e charger has three wires and the new charger only has 2. Is the third not needed?
Hello! Glad to help!
The third wire isn't truly necessary (depending a bit on opinion). It serves two functions. It enables the blinking "charging" light on the mower, not so necessary with the nature of this charger. And it turns on a charging lockout... basically keeps you from turning on the mower and driving away while it's plugged in. Some people may see that as a super necessary safety feature, I don't. That said, you could use some resistors and a bit of soldering to re-enable the third pin if you were so inclined.
@@anoraker the batteries arrive next week. I'll let you know how it goes!
@@bsargentrian Good luck! I'll be pulling my lawn mower out of storage soon and doing a follow up on how they held up.
Successful transition to the lithium batteries. I did have to modify the battery tray a bit for the new batteries to fit, as they were wider than the original. I had to remove the center divider, which thankfully was only fastened by double sided tape and removed the forward spacer completely. But all in all, great project. And the key switch worked without having to use the AUX. Thanks again.
That's great to hear! Yeah, I chose the batteries I did just for the 1-to-1 fit, but if you don't mind the extra work saving money makes sense to me.
Keep an eye on the key switch. It's my understanding that they just have a tendency to die randomly. If it stops working one day, try that first.@@bsargentrian
Hi, I have a Ryobi RY48130 (the 48V Brushless 30 in. 50 Ah Battery Electric Rear Engine Riding Mower), which is the smaller version of what you have. Do you know if mine and yours are the same batteries or if the ones you linked will work in the RY48130? Of course, Ryobi gives no info on this anywhere... Thanks for your help!
Hello! No, you'll need different batteries. These should work for your mower:
amzn.to/3UUQfWx (affiliate)
That listing is just two batteries, and you need four batteries total.
Unfortunately, the process to make the swap happen will be noticeably different than my video, there's a bunch of internal differences.
@@anoraker Do these batteries use the same battery charger that you linked above? Or a different one? I'll definitely buy through the affiliate link if you have one. Thanks again!
@@EmberTodd You can use the battery charger I linked above. But you'll have to do some modifications to plug it into your mower.
The easiest option is to break the plastic tabs inside the charging port of your mower, as they'll prevent the linked charger from seating correctly.
Did you had to add LiFEPO4 battery balancer? Same company sells one
I haven't, although to be transparent I haven't tested to see if my batteries have remained in balance.
In theory the BMS in these unit should keep things in check. But I've seen some people swear balancing is necessary once a year.
Just followed the video for my rm480e and it went great! Batteries came pre-charged. What mode do i need to use for the charger when charging it?
That's awesome! Set the mode to "10A/8A" and you should be golden!
@@anoraker 48v setting I assume?
@@danieljermynpcfl9951 That's correct!
@@anoraker You're the man thanks again!
does the battery gauge still work?
Not really. It's designed to measure lead acid batteries which discharge at a different rate.
My yard small enough that with the batteries I ordered I could mow it three times and still have charge left over, so it's not been a big deal for me.
But I went ahead and ordered a new gauge and plan to create a guide for installing.... if it ever stops raining in my area.
Thanks for sharing. My Ryobi is on its third year and still working fine. I've not had any issues with the batteries yet, but think I'll replace them with the lithium batteries when the time comes. Might be a dumb question - but wondering if the reduced weight makes any difference when you are cutting? My backyard is a steep hill. My old gas riding mower used to have issues getting up the hill (it needed some repair work) - the Ryobi generally has no issue as long as the hill as very dry. Wondering if the reduced weight would be better or worse...will have to find out when I have to replace I suppose. (I'm debating about trying out a robot mower - the Luba 2 looks great).
Reduced weight is a blessing and a curse. Less weight means the batteries don't have to work as hard to drive the motors, so probably gain range for it.
But yeah, there's a bit less traction without that weight. I have fairly flat ground, so I haven't had to try it on a steep hill. I'd say... try it with just the battery swap, and if can't make it add some weight to the mower.
Can't speak to the Luba 2 mower, but I can tell you do not buy the Ecoflow robot lawn mower. I reviewed it (you can see in my channel), and did not like it.
Hey I just left a similar comment after watching this video, @chrisrider does your bog down to going really slow when going up the steep incline? Mine does and then when it gets to the flatter parts even if I am letting off the gas some its like it is still attempting to delivery all that current to the motor and it starts to speed back up really fast
@@MrCasper1271 No, mine does go a little slower going up a hill but it is comparable to a gas riding mower. One of my front tires must have a leak- if I don’t fill it before using it, it gets stuck. Going to replace the tire soon.
@@ChrisRider I had to replace my tire this season I had the same thing on my rear tire, had a tube put in the new one so even if the bead breaks it won't leak
Yea mine slows to like almost a crawl but my back yard has some very steep spots
Thanks for the video. I need to convert mine soon as I can no longer complete mowing my lawn in one charge. I’m thinking of going for a 48v 50 ah instead. Any thoughts?
I haven't tried it... but as long as the dimensions are correct, I think it'd work. But you won't get the same "distance" out of the batteries. So whether you should do this depends on the size of your yard. If the mower couldn't do it all in one when you first bought it, it really won't be able to after the conversion to "smaller batteries."
Mine is the 50AH battery model, which I like because I am all off grid charging from my house battery pack (24V 200ah system) and the larger batteries really suck the juice out. Still researching best option to replace my batteries after less than two years, though it may not be my batteries as I can not really trouble shoot (pull the batteries out and check each one) till I get back to Hawaii where they are. I just know what my caretaker tells me, that they are not charging. Many thigs to check (charger, ingnition key faulty, charging sensor in back faulty, corroded contacts)
@@anoraker
I have watched a bunch of videos on swapping out the batteries. Yours seems like the easiest as you are using batteries that fit perfectly, so I think I will give this a go. This will be my first time attempting something like this. When do you plan on doing a video on installing the new monitor? I would like to do it all at the same time, so I know what % I am at to know when to charge it.
From what i have read from your replies I should only charge at a certain %? What do you recommend? Then I leave it unplugged otherwise and during winter months. I live in Michigan so my uninsulated shed will get hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Is it fine to leave the batteries in the mower over the winter?
Thanks for the video! I will use your affiliate links. I also have a different model the 42" Zero Turn. From the product pages they look to use the same batteries though! I did see someone say there was another wire to connect for my model I am going to comment on his post to see what he did!
Hey thanks for watching!
Yes, going with a "one to one" battery size replacement makes this SO much easier. And yes they should work for your zero turn model. I saw your comment about wiring, and attempted to answer based on what I've seen... hopefully the other commenter gets back to you too.
I don't know how soon I'll get the monitor video out, it's on my todo list.. but it's been raining non-stop for what seems like months now, making it difficult. As soon as possible!
As for charging: I don't actively attempt to follow this advice but, most Lithium Ion batteries will "last longer" (as in, maintain their full charge capabilities) if you regularly keep them around 60 to 80%... this is why most smartphones don't constantly charge over night, but instead "smart charge" by dropping to 80%... and then charging back up to 100% when you regularly wake up. So if you're worried about longevity, you could try to stick to that... just get to 100% on the day you plan to mow.
As for me? That's basically what I do. I plug in the morning I plan to mow, then don't bother to plug in after I'm done (unless it's particularly low for some reason).
I left my mower in an uninsulated shed and not plugged in over the (very cold) winter without any issues (I just posted a video showing me pulling the mower out from that shed for the very first time if you want to see). As for during the summer, I've kept it in the garage for convenience. The manufacturer recommends that the batteries shouldn't be stored at temperatures above 122 degrees F. So it depends on just how hot your shed gets in the summer.
Let me know how it goes! And thanks for using the affiliate links, that helps support the channel so I can make videos like these. That and the Super Thanks option.
Good luck!
what battery model is it?
I'm not sure what you're asking exactly.
1000x merci!
I'm thinking about making the switch. What was the reason for reversing the key to the AUX switch? I saw someone say it goes out randomly, is that from the lithium or another issue? Thanks.
It goes out randomly. In truth I think I may have shorted it during the install. You may not need to do this.
I have no regrets so far!
@@anoraker Thanks.
Great video, I've had this mower for 2 years now in the Northeast and my batteries are still going strong at this time
However there is one quite annoying thing this mower has done since day one, my back yard has quite an incline, some spots are about 15% incline, the mower slows to a crawl when going up the hill. Not sure if you have anything similar but did the weight reduction change the way the mower accelerated? It also does this odd thing where once it gets to flatter parts of the lawn even if I let off the gas some it really accelerates a lot, I'm used to it so I know what to do but it was very strange at first it's like it is still attempting to deliver the increased current
But regardless I'm interested if the acceleration changes due to the reduced weight and thank you!
Alas, my yard is pretty flat with the exception of a gully for water drainage in the front. Nothing that steep.
I've never experienced this behavior before or after making the change. I wouldn't say it's "faster" overall with the reduced weight, but it's faster to accelerate. Which makes sense, it's the motors that determine top speed and that hasn't changed. But with less weight, there's less to fight in getting up to that top speed.
With that steep a hill... I might actually add some weight back to the mower just for the sake of traction, honestly.
@@anoraker yea that makes sense, I am going to hold off until the batteries fail to do any upgrades but I def will look into this when the time inevitably comes for sure!
I have some hills in my yard. As my original lead acid batteries started failing, I experienced what you’re describing. I think the steepness causes the voltage to drop a bit (speculation). Eventually, my batteries got so bad that my mower would throw itself into reverse while on a hill. I suspect that there’s a voltage limiter that kicks in when you switch to reverse and that’s how the mower knows to go into reverse. So I suspect, as I was trying to climb the hills, the battery voltage dropped to below whatever that limit is and that’s why it would throw itself into reverse. If that starts happening to you, it likely means your batteries are on their way out.
Hey so thanks for this video, it was very helpful. How has it ran thus far? Any issues or still running great?
It ran great through the rest of the summer. I currently have snow on the ground, so not running at the moment. I plan to do a, "did it survive the winter?" follow up. But so far, so good. I even managed to move it around last week to make some room in the shed. Started up fine, though I did not run the blades.
@@anorakerdo you leave the lithium plugged in all winter too
@@user-oy6uf6pr9i I do not! I left it completely unplugged in a shed over winter. Started right up without issue, you can see me drag it out of the shed and try in one of my new videos.
Thanks for the video. I see you posted it 7 months ago... any issues since? Are the batteries charging to full each time?
I am deciding if I drop $2k on the batteries + charger you mentioned vs $500 on replacement batteries (the same the Ryobi use). I am in Canada, so things cost a bit more. Before I spend 4x as much to move to Lithium Ion, I wanted to see if you are happy 7 months later. Thx
It lasted the rest of the season without issue. Unfortunately, it's been non-stop rain every since it warmed up in my area. The good news is, it's finally been dry long enough that I can break it out tomorrow. I plan to film a video where I drag the mower out, then try to turn it on all on camera. But I'll let you know if it starts up!
Good news! I got it out today, and it turned on and mowed without any issue! Despite being in a storage shed without power all winter long. Very happy. Will post a follow up video soon.
I'm thinking of getting one of these since I'm getting tired of push mowers. It seems though that all of that work makes up for oil changes & other maintenance, on gas models,which to me,is alot less overall effort than battery changes? I would like to see others experience posted as comparison?
Personally, unless you can find one of these for sale used and cheap, I would skip all this work and get a mower that's already lithium-ion.
I'd probably buy this model if I could do everything over today:
amzn.to/3PPZYuo (Affiliate)
(I don't really like Ryobi's newer actually lithium mowers because they use a weird joystick for a steering)
What batteries did you use to replace?
Hi! They are linked in the description, along with other optionals. But here yah go:
Batteries (affiliate): amzn.to/46Ld3er
Battery charger: (affiliate): amzn.to/49tlmx9
Man, your mower looks like it been to combat 😂
The great lawn wars of 2021 will haunt me till the end of my days....
@@anoraker I was actually amazed how clean your battery tray was all things considered. Outside made it look like it was raining mud last week.
@@andguent Hahaha, yeah.
I have one of those yards that can collect water but not look like it. So once in a while, I think "it's been two weeks since it rained, should be safe" only to find out that this time, it was not.
Efforts to drain/etc. to take care of it have been thwarted by neighbors cutting down trees. Had the problem solved... they cut trees.. it returns. Ah well.
Hope you can help, I got the batteries and the charger from amazon that you had linked. However, the charger was for 36 or 48 volt li-ion batteries, and the battery link was for 12 volt. So, changed out batteries, did the rewiring, mowed yard, went to charge, and it said batteries full. Did more research, it appeared that I needed the P35 charger. Ordered, hooked everything up, and the charger blew! I have no idea what to do now, batteries are out of juice but don't know how to charge. Sure hope you can tell me what to do.
Wiring up 4 x 12V batteries in series will equal 48v.
@@equilibrium117ah, thank you, so I have the right charger, but when we plug it up, it says the batteries are full, but they are not. Any ideas?
Right wired in series these are essentially 48v, so the charger I linked is correct, just make sure you set it to 48v and 10a/8a.
That said, I've seen a few reports that this charger occasionally arrives "bad" out of the box and will always report batteries are full when they are not. That might be the case for you, so I'd consider getting it exchanged.
@@anoraker Followed your instructions on how to set and it worked. Thanks so much!!
Hi guys, I had my batteries replaced as set out in the video. It worked great once I got the charger set correctly. Charger is set to 48 volt. ,I'm having problems with charging. Finally, I got it to charge. Mowed my back yard, and then it just died. It is totally dead, no reserve or warning. It worked great for about a month or two. Any thoughts on why it is just dying. I have the same batteries and charger as in the video. My neighbor did the swap and wiring. I'm frustrated as I am not handy and there is no one in my area who works on Ryobi electric riding mowers. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
If you have a multimeter can you check what voltage is in the batteries by touching your leads to the two bottom connectors of the charging port in the back of the mower? If you still turn your key to “on” to power the mower on, have you tried the key ignition failure fix? Are you charging at 10/8a or 18/13a?
@chaddesch4 which is it supposed to be set on. I think that might be the issue. Mine is set on 5a/5a. Should it be set on 10a/8a or 18a/13a? Thank you!!
@@robinearly5956 Either 10/8 or 18/13 will work, but 10/8 seems to work better.
@@robinearly5956 just a quick caveat - it will likely take 12+ hours to charge if the batteries have been run all the way down. So don’t be concerned if it’s running for a while.
Ok, I have it set on 18/13a and it seems to be charging. Thanks Chad.
Where can you buy the batteries?
You can buy them here:
Batteries (affiliate): amzn.to/46Ld3er
Battery charger: (affiliate): amzn.to/49tlmx9
Make sure to set the battery charger to 48v and 10a/8a.
Thanks for such a nice video. I did order both the (4) LiFePo4 batteries and 36v, 48v smart charger. However, the product manual on page 13 has 3 steps for Voltage Balancing Before Connection:
1. Fully charge batteries separately
2. Connect batteries 1 by 1 in parallel, and leave them together for 12 - 24 hours
3. They can then be connected in series or parallel
Did you use 2 different smart chargers? Or did you skip the balancing?
Again, thanks for posting such a nice video.
Mike
I did not bother with balancing, and you probably won’t have to either. I’ve seen lots of arguments with for and against bothering, but I’ve not seen anyone skip and regret unless the problem was the battery itself that required a precharge circuit. The batteries I linked shouldn’t call for that.
I could be wrong, but I suspect the batteries will balance themselves and that may be why the first charge takes so long. I think that they’ll balance while they’re fully charged and sitting unused in between mowings. I’m thinking that balancing is more necessary when you have batteries that are constantly in service and don’t have an opportunity to sit for a long time in series doing nothing.
Got this mower in 2017 and had the batteries replaced under warranty just after 3 years at the beginning on my 4th cutting season. Bought the 75AH setup and replaced with 100AH and paid the difference since it was covered by the warranty.
Now at my 7th season and I am getting maybe 20 minutes of cut time. Seems I will have to replace the batteries every 3 years and I think they are $1700 shipped. Not ready to replace it yet but will be going with an EGO this time. My father has the zero turn he got for $2600 new or something crazy. The batteries are more than that for that mower alone but it was returned to the store due to a faulty seat switch so he lucked out.
Not sure if I want to risk the LifPo4 batteries or just pay the $1700 and get 3 more years for sure.
I have no regrets so far. I’m getting ready to break out the mower this weekend to see how it survived the winter unplugged and stored in my shed. Will let you know!
Will the gauge on the mower still work?
No it will stay full until the new batteries are under about 15%
As mentioned above, you'll need a new gauge if you want something accurate. The current gauge is tuned to Lead Acid which discharges at a different rate than Lithium Ion.
Can you use a tesla mobile charger? it has the same fitting, looks like.
I did this also, but last week I took the battery tray out, individually charged each of my lithium ion individually, put it back in and plugged in the charger just to check and POP!
After that loud pop, now it is 100% dead. The main fuse on the battery (125) is good, so that didn't pop, so what did I just do lol?
Oh well, it ran really well last year haha.
I replaced my Ryobi riding mower lead acid batteries with these lithium batteries and recommended charger. So far, I've noticed I'm nearly stalling out often if the blades face too much resistance. Sometimes only 5-10 minutes into a session. This was previously an issue with the lead acid when the batteries were near empty, but my charger is saying the new lithium batteries are near fully charged whenever I do charge.
If your batteries are fully charged there's no reason they wouldn't be able to keep the blades going. You could try balancing them just in case though... and I suppose there's a possibility that either the batteries or the charger is defective (what's your charger settings by the way? should be 48v and 10a/8a).
Seems unlikely that you have a motor issue, as that usually presents within seconds of turning on the blades. But I'm assuming you've at least checked that the deck is clear and the blades turn freely when the mower is off (take the key out!)?
@@anoraker I've been using 5a rather than 10a on the charger. Blades seem to be freely spinning, but I may take the deck off to inspect. I did change the blades about one year ago.
@@johnsoccer9v start with using 10a and seeing if that changes things.
@@anoraker thanks, I'll give that a try
How long should these batteries last?
Manufacturer will tell you ten years, but a more conservative estimate is five... probably longer if you maintain it well.
If the only thing you needed to change was the batteries and they were a direct fit, why did you change the charger and why did you change the charging LED readout?
The charger that comes with the Ryobi is tuned to charge Lead Acid batteries at a different rate than Lithium batteries can handle.
I haven't changed the LED readout but I plan to just to make a video about it. The reasoning is similar: the LED readout "assumes" a particular drop rate that Lead Acid is known for... but Lithium discharges at a different rate, so the built-in reader won't be accurate.
That's not a big deal for me, as now the mower can take care of my entire yard on half a charge. So I didn't go out of my way to update that part right away.
Thanks for the video! You got my mower converted. Now just trying to figure out how to make the mower use the full battery capacity. Seems to die at 30% capacity. I suspect something on the controller...?
I think you’re running into the mower trying to give you enough juice to make it back to the charger. Mine shuts off the blades so I can get back to the charger.
I’m trying to figure out work around for an accurate reading on the gauge.
Well, I switched it over, it runs but the battery charger tells me they are full, the updated monitor only show 62% at only 52ah instead of 100ah,. Any thoughts
Did you calibrate the monitor?
What do you have the charger settings set to?
No I haven't, I missed that completely, have to get a magnifying glass to complete that part.
Charger set to 48v
Ah yeah. The monitor has to be calibrated, you do that when the batteries are full, essentially teaching it "this is 100%."
Your charger is probably correct.
Right, I had to find the manual online so I could actually read it, it's now set at 100% and the ah actually show up at 100 now. Thanks
How did you go about installing the monitor? Was there an instructional video you found to help you?
How did the new batteries cost?
About a $1,000 at the time. But right now they are on sale for cheaper. Check my description for the link.
i don't have a huge back yard, may be less than half an acre. can i just try to use 2 of the batteries instead of 4 ? to reduce the cost, of course.
That SHOULD work, yes. Depending on your exact model of mower. Most of them require minimum continuous 30A and a max discharge of 90A... but a couple (I think the zero turn models?) call for a higher minimum. I have about the same amount of land as you, and with the four batteries I can mow lawn about four times without needing a new charge, though it's all flat.
What I'd probably recommend is getting this set: amzn.to/3z1c8uF (affiliate).
You'll get the same result as buying 2 of the batteries I recommended, and you won't have to deal with figuring out how to brace it all with the extra empty space.. and it's still about half as much. Hope that helps!
@@anoraker thank you!! i have an RM480ex. would that work on these batteries you suggested? anything else i should consider while charging these?
@@ramgoli7353 Yes, these should work for that mower perfectly.
The same charger I linked will still work as well. For the sake of easiness and safety, I don't recommend swapping the housing heads as I recommended in the video... as the manufacturer has changed the wiring some.
Instead, look inside the charging port on the mower (were you seat the charger).. you'll find two tabs in there that'll keep the new charger from sliding in properly. It's easy to break those with some pliers and then the new charger will fit perfectly.
I have Ryobi RY48130 what batteries do you recommend?
@@stingy2022 Hello! These should work for your mower:
amzn.to/3Xmu3Xb (affiliate)
Make sure it's selected to the 4 pack when you add to cart.
Unfortunately, the process to make the swap happen will be noticeably different than my video, there's a bunch of internal differences.
Great video and very helpful. The very end is a bit much.
Glad to help!
... zero regrets about the ending. 😅
I have put the new batteries in and when I turn the key to on position the battery gauge light up all the way then everything dies just a second later. It happens sporadically, maybe one in 3-4 tries. The fix is to unplug and re-plug the main 50v terminal ( under the seat above the batteries) and replug it back. Then hope it works. Changing the terminals on the key didn't do anything. It looks like something is being reset when I replug the big terminal. If anyone has an idea what to try it would be greatly appreciated.
I am having the same exact issue . Were you able to find a solution ?
So the charger you linked was a smart charger, both a lead acid battery charger ( with battery repair mode) and lithium ion charger . So as my batteries were not that dead yet I had the great idea to use that new charger and its battery repair mode. Writhing one use the batteries quit and upon removal they were about ready to pop, all melted and bulging. So that kinda sucked. Meanwhile now we are installing new lithium ion batteries (50ah Ego worthy) as I have the 50ah 30” mower.
Fingers crossed
That battery repair mode CAN work... if the batteries aren't too far gone. Sounds like they were in this case. Even then, the batteries will eventually die. That's what happened to me. I managed to get a few more months by repairing the batteries.
Will these work with the rm300e version?
I don't have that model. A quick look around suggests the process to replace is very different (there's no slide out tray, you remove the cover under the seat). But the batteries at least look the same... I think. Not positive.
@@anoraker Thanks for replying. I really appreciate that. The 50ah models look like a closer size fit. Did you do two 100ah batteries to compensate for the for lead acid batteries, or did you do four?
@@aminshabazztv Ok, I took a much closer look and did some research. Yeah, the batteries I linked aren't going to fit, yours are much smaller.
It looks like most people with your mower are using this battery: amzn.to/3EQPhBZ (affiliate).
Like I said, the process for your mower is VERY different from mine. If you have Facebook, I'd look for the Ryobi Riders facebook group, a few people there have made the conversion.
Will the charger swap out work the same as the 480 version?
So 7 months later...is it still working?
I was planning to get it out this weekend to test exactly that... and it decided to rain non-stop, and will through Wednesday apparently.
Hopefully I can break out the mower next weekend, and make a follow up video.
The batteries you installed and also those you included in the description are not Lithium Ion (Li-ion) as you state in your title. They are lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), very different...
Fair enough in that calling them LiFePo4 would have been more accurate.
So those lead acid batteries that come with the mower are not deep cycle? Why not?
I'm sure Ryobi would list any number of reasons that claim this was the best option.
But I'm pretty sure the real answer is, "it cost us less while we charged you more."
They are Leoch deep cycle sealed batteries and damn good ones. I have a zero turn Ryobi with a 100amp pack. After 4 years of abusive mowing out in the sticks, I would say it's still 80%. The batteries are only $160 each and totally recyclable. I may go back with LifePo but these have been good and are still going.
Although Leoch says they can be pulled down to 30% without harming them, a more common number is 50% like you say and this is a weakness of lead acid chemistry. HOWEVER what is also true is that the mower only uses that top 50% and is calibrated to show depletion on the meter when the batts are actually @ 12v so not harmed at all. Also I do not agree with float charging these batteries and have never done that. I mow then charge and put the mower up and don't plug it in.
I love this mower and hope to never buy another mower belt or spindle as long as I live.
@@alansims4344 I'm glad they've worked well for you! Alas, for a LOT of people with these Ryobi mowers, it's not been a good experience at all, in part because it's easy to go, "oh they promise to mow X acre, that's how much I have..." and thus you're using too much energy and damaging the batteries.
There are giant Reddit threads and Facebook groups dedicated to the subject from so many people ending up with dead batteries.
Still, in the right circumstance, they can be good! Glad that fits you! Because the mower itself is fantastic.
@@alansims4344 hello $160 is really cheap - can you share a link - I need my 2nd one in 3 years and I was looking at $239 again - I would like $160
can you help me ????? thanks
Where is the link for the battiers and charger
In the description. But here you go!
Batteries (affiliate): amzn.to/46Ld3er
Battery charger: (affiliate): amzn.to/49tlmx9
Make sure to set the battery charger to 48v and 10a/8a.
Battery monitor if you want one: amzn.to/41L5h36 (Affiliate)
Like the video this is the way forward. No lead acid battery have been aviable for 5 months now and there is such a pent up demand I doubt I would ever see the batteries before they are sold out again. The only producers for lead acid batteries is in China.
Great video and tutorial. I loved my Ryobi and then hated it! I followed all your instructions and did the conversion. The charger worked great, 100% charge and a day later I took the mower out and did a cut that lasted for an hour and half. Cleaned the blades and when I went to start the mower back up to put it away it was dead, nothing. I hooked up the charger and it says off. I am wondering if is the ignition, I rewired it as you specified, is it the charger, is it the batteries, or the wiring? Why would it work perfectly for one cutting and then be completely dead ? I am mystified and now I hate my Ryobi again. Any and all suggestions welcome and thanks again for the help and the video. Kerry D.
What are your charger settings? Should be 48v 8a, and then a charge will take several hours.
@@anoraker Thank you fro the reply. My settings were 48v 8a and I got a full charge , according to the charger window, after several hours. Took the mower out, cut the grass. Cleaned the blades etc. and then when I went to start up the mower to return to the garage it was completely dead. I then turned on the charger and inserted into the charging port and got nothing, the charger window says off. So, after one good charge and one mowing run, it seems that the mower has no power, or charge? I can't figure it out, is it the batteries, the charger or the key? or all of the above?
I figured out the problem. Apparently when I rewired the ignition key I did not fully insert the tab into the clip and it must have shaken loose. Once I reasserted the tab I was able to start the mower. Thanks again for the help, the excellent tutorial and video.
@@kerrydavis-qk3fw awesome! So glad to hear you figured out the problem!
The battery wasn't the dumb thing, it's how they were charged that was dumb. If they included a way to balance the batteries they would have lasted much longer.
Maybe. Probably not though. Lead acid doesn't take well to near-full discharge... and mowing a decent sized yard does exactly that.
i am trying to sell mine and your nasty comments are not helping .. but the fun ride at the end is awesome ... (thanks()
Uh... all I said is that Ryobi's battery choice is stupid, and I stand by that. That's the whole point of the conversion! Good luck selling yours for what I imagine is a pretty good reason.
@@anoraker :) I was half joking ...
I don't get the key thing. What has the key to do with the batteries? Is it possible that the key lock is just broken, and that's why the mower didn't make a single beep when the old batteries were still in place? I don't actually believe they were that dead.
My mower still fires up and runs some minutes on each charge. But it's pretty useless as a mower.
I have ordered LiFePO4 batteries and a charger, and I hope your great video will help me to get my little yellow boy back to the green.
They key thing was more or less unfortunate timing. Somewhere between when my batteries died and when I installed the new batteries, my key switch failed. This apparently happens ALL the time with these Ryobi units (so much so that many people are replacing them with push button switches), so I included the information in case anyone else has it happen.
@anoraker I see. Until now, my key has been working flawlessly all the time. But at least I know what I can expect in the near future, I guess.
Thank you for your help. Much appreciated.
The batteries say "Do not use it to run Golf Cart" isn't a lawn mower essentially the same?
A lot of golf carts call for a substantial continuous discharge ( 500CCA or more) which these batteries can't handle. Riding lawnmowers don't have anywhere near the same requirements.
my 300e just died so gonna get the epoch kit XD should last a lot longer...
I had no idea the mower have to stay plug in during the winter
Yep, thanks to using what lead acid batteries. Same thing as if you don't drive your car all winter long.
This is why EGO is the BEST on the market.
I've heard good things about EGO!
Ego has ion battery. Has 500 cycles vs phosphate has 2000 minimum
That's why they're $2000 more
I made the switch and I'm still stuck. Everything works, lights display blades beeping you name it. Just wont move. Oh my switch works normal although i did cut it over to see if it would work on the Aux line still no go.
Was it able to move forward before you made the swap?
WIll the blades stay on for five minutes in forward and reverse?
If you remove the right side panel, does the wiring still look good?
Need more info to diagnose, unfortunately.
Thanks for the response.
No it wasn't moving before the swap that's what prompted the swap. I tried moving the key wires, same result.
Haven't tried leaving the blades running. I will attempt that tomorrow once I pull it out the garage.
I have an Exmark zero turn that is about 20 years old. Still runs like a champ. I have a hunch that all electric mowers will have been long since recycled by the time they are 10 years old.
If they are, it's because no one decided to replace the batteries. ... no, that's not going to happen. Lithium-ion mowers are coming out quickly now, and unlike my mower, replacing the batteries is extremely easy. They're essentially hot swappable. You could even have a second set of batteries to keep them mower going if you want.
Electric Mowers have fewer parts that need maintenance, in the end they will last longer.
Is your Exmark Zero electric?
@@anorakerLess maintenance points means just more throw away. Having worked on the Ryobi and a gas equivalent that Ryobi will not outlast say a Snapper rider..
@@MUUKOW3 Not sure how you're making that claim. Fewer maintenance points means fewer failure points. And the things that can fail can be replaced.
@@anoraker I actually run a service center that's how. I service those for customers . If they were failure free I wouldn't see them. I think they are great for certain people but they still definitely have limitations also. I worked on the original Toro battery riders from the 60's everthing was serviceable on them from lubing motor bearings to repaing chargers . The biggest issue with those was weight because the relied on golf cart batteries.
I purchased a 2006 Ariens 19hp gasoline mower in 2006. in 2009 I took it to my school and tested it on a Emissions Analyzer. Emissions were lower than most cars. I've only spent a total of $150.00 on maintence items. My mower cost me $1800 new. Cuts grass great! Doesn't use a drop of oil! So it's paid for itself 10x' over!!!!
That's nice. Still like my electric rider.
It’s amazing all the butthurt comments hating electric mowers. My god I got this mower 4 years ago with no problems and have an ego snowblower and chainsaw. Gas was such a pain nothing but constant maintenance.
It’s like some tribal moron thing to hate on electric anything
The only reason is because the plan is to force people off gas and onto batteries. It isn't the batteries they hate so much as taking away their choice.
I'll NEVER use a battery for anything besides my few FPV drones. My reasons are solid due to RC modelling experience but the biggest force propelling me to retain gas is a protest against limiting my choices.
A gas mower, maintenance and gasoline to operate, would’ve cost me less than it costs to replace the batteries in this mower for as much as it’s been used. I’m happy for you that yours has lasted longer than others. I wish I could say the same thing. Mine lasted for 2.5 years. I used to be able to mow my lawn twice over if I wanted to before charging it. Now I have to charge it at least five times over several days just to get the whole lawn done.
It would have been nice to see you at least engage the blades. That said, it's nice to see off the shelf conversions of these things, but I don't understand why the drop in replacement batteries don't just take the standard charger and use a charge controller in each of the battery packs to make it hassle free. Also, why the key switch didn't work as well in its factory configuration is baffling.
Ah yeah, I should have thought to engage the blades. It works exactly the same, fwiw as far as that's concerned... and I can mow the full yard with MORE energy leftover than I had before.
The common explanation for why the stock charger won't work is that it's "progammed" for how lead acid batteries charge, and Li-On charges at a different enough rate to cause problems.
.. I've seen lots of explanations for the key question... and all of them don't make sense to me... and they conflict. It IS baffling... but it works.