Mower Repair

[sistersue]

Where is a good electric lawn mower repair/service?  Thank you for advice.

[terracore]

I see no answers yet. I'm guessing because most of the electric power equipment companies don't have any service centers in Hawaii. These electric gizmos are nice in that they don't need a lot in the way of maintenance or repairs, but unfortunately that also means that if something happens they are considered bricked because the cost of repairing them exceeds replacing them.

I've resolved some of these issues with my equipment on my own. What kind of mower needs repair/service, and what is the issue?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Is your mower still under warranty? As terracore mentioned there aren’t many electric lawn equipment repair shops around here yet, but - - - 

I had an issue with my Ego weed wacker last year, still under warranty.  I called, described the problem, and attempted my best to imitate the sound it made as it stopped working.  I don’t know whether this helped the guy on the phone diagnose the trouble, but when he couldn’t find a local repair shop listed he sent me a new weed wacker.

[kalianna]

I didnʻʻt want to be the bringer of bad news, but I had a ryobi electric mower and searched this whole side of island and didnʻt find anyone who would repair it.

[MyManao]

I had a.. and searched this whole side of island and didnʻt find..

And therein lies the rub.

I don't have electric farm tools because mine (chain saws, weed whacker, mowers, etc.) are all old, and still running strong. So I haven't had to consider that option, yet. But recently I came close. I needed a Stihl whacker serviced beyond my regular swapping out carbs and such, and now that we have all the choices (Stihl used to only be serviced, for a mountain of cash, by Garden Exchange) I asked around and landed on Steve's Honda, which is also a certified Stihl shop.

I bring this up because before I committed to fixing that whacker I considered replacing it. I figured with a new Stihl of comparable power (mine's a FS200) I'd be good to go for the rest of my life. The one I have now was bought in 2001. But when I looked into it I thought better of the idea and went for keeping the old '200 going..

I bring this up because Stihl now makes an entire line of electric machines.. so (without knowing for sure) I assume that Steve's has technicians that do electric.. whether that helps or not I don't know. But it'd be worth a phone call.. or just dropping by when you're in town..

[HiloJulie]

I don't think either Garden Exchange or Steve's Honda are equipped to service anything electric, as well as finding a sign at Steve's Honda rejecting any new service of ANYTHING for the next several weeks due to a service backlog.

In the last few weeks, I tried to go down the electric weed whacker route but what I found was more confusion than one could imagine. After looking at all the various models Stihl makes of their new battery weed whackers, both at Garden Exchange and Steve's Honda and selecting 2 models to seriously consider buying - even at a $200.00 premium over their gas operated counterparts, imagine my shock when I find out that yes, the weed whacker models I was interested in are in stock and available for sale, but the battery needed to run it - is on a 3 to 6 month back order!

In as much as I am everything pro alternative energy, I can't imagine why Stihl is making battery operated weed whackers - sitting on the shelf ready for sale, with no battery.

It's like buying a brand-new car and finding out it has no tires - and the new tires will take months to get!

Nonetheless, I agree with terracore and HOTPE- try seeing if it's under a warranty and if not, it may be cheaper to just get a new one. If you can get the battery to go with it that is!

[Wao nahele wahine]

Sistersue,

Could you provide more details such as the mower brand and what is wrong?

[terracore]

I didnʻʻt want to be the bringer of bad news, but I had a ryobi electric mower and searched this whole side of island and didnʻt find anyone who would repair it.

Did you post a review saying as much on the Home Depot web site?  Helps if you include pictures and commentary.  The warranty people and the review manipulation people work for different parts of the company and offer different solutions.

Alternatively, if you describe any kind of SAFETY issue they will need to retrieve the device to keep the Consumer Product Safety Commission off their back by offering an exchange.  

I think the problem with the Ryobi mowers is bad sensors.  The safety system is over engineered.  I know on mine it sometimes thinks the handles aren't extended all the way even though they are.  So I have to collapse them and re-extend them for the sensor to "click".  One of these days the sensor will fail and the mower will needlessly brick itself.

In the meantime, this plastic mower has lasted longer than my Honda did, so there's that. There's probably a way to bypass a bad sensor.

[sistersue]

I see no answers yet.  I'm guessing because most of the electric power equipment companies don't have any service centers in Hawaii.  These electric gizmos are nice in that they don't need a lot in the way of maintenance or repairs, but unfortunately that also means that if something happens they are considered bricked because the cost of repairing them exceeds replacing them.

I've resolved some of these issues with my equipment on my own.  What kind of mower needs repair/service, and what is the issue?

I have an EGO mower that has been working great for 4 years.  It still works but needs a new blade.  I'll let you know what Home Depot says about any kind of maintenance.  I guess I'm not used to a mower lasting so long without upkeep or repairs.  Thank you for all your help.

[terracore]

I don't think HD sells any Ego products. I think that's a Lowes thing.