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Re: (ET) Reliable, heavy-duty electric tractor?



Good timing, as I was just starting to think about trail mowing this past weekend. My new property has some old "roads" (ruts) used when some logging was done. I'd like to keep the thorny brush cut down. But I know the regular ET mowing deck (front- or mid- mount) isn't up to the abuse, very uneven ground, rocks, roots, etc. So now that I know "trail mowers" are a specific type of device, I'll just have to start looking for one to convert to electric power <g>

As for the original question, I think that the Electric Ox, like an ET with oem mowing deck, is meant for relatively smooth lawns. Not trails. Ditto for the Zero Turn unit (which also is a way off at this point as it is still a prototype looking for a manufacturer). The Gorilla could drive along the trail, but I don't know of any existing mowing attachments for it... and apparently the entire company is up for sale (as it has been listed on eBay twice recently).

So, since this is the ElecTrak list, I'd have to say use an ET and find a way to adapt an appropriate trail mower. :-)


Pieter wrote:
It may be a sacrilege to this group, but I use a 14 hp DR brush hog, an old Gravely walk-behind, and a 40HP John Deere utility tractor with PTO drive brush hog to mow trails. By my standards, the front deck on the 15 and the mid deck on the 12 are certainly not trail mowers, nor do I know of a tow behind electric trail mower. Swisher makes some powered tow behind trail mowers for ATVs and garden tractors that could be used as trail mowers (if you don't have an objection to a gasoline engine in tow).

At 01:42 PM 1/24/2006, Steve Gaarder wrote:

Our gas tractor just died, and we're wondering about a replacement.  I
really want to get another electric - we have an E-15 also - but I have to
convince some skeptics.  The key issue is reliability - people are nervous
about the age of the Elec-traks.  The next issue is ruggedness for mowing
trails - the E-15's front deck does not do this well.



--
Jim Coate
1970's Elec-Trak's
1998 Chevy S-10 NiMH BEV
1997 Chevy S-10 NGV Bi-Fuel
http://www.eeevee.com