I drove an electric fork truck over 40 years ago when I worked in industry. It had a large swap-able battery that took a small crane. It could run for about 8 hours on a full charge and could pick up about 15,000 lbs. There was always some type of electrical problems with one of them. We called them silent death due to how quiet they were. I worked in a noisy factory making steel truck wheels. They lasted about 5 years before the maintenance became too costly. The large batteries wore out quickly and was dangerous to swap. The company also bought about 10 used electric Cushman warehouse vehicles. Very handy and worked great. They contained two batteries and would last about 8 hours. They charged off of 110 outlets. The outside grounds at the Expo was quite dusty this year. Not only is moisture a problem, but so is lots of dust on these battery powered mowers.
@@dylanherne6093 they were still a sight when I was in my twenties. I also used my first computer on that job. I test drove a tesla last year. Battery technology has come a long way. As the government takes away our coal fired power plants, I am not sure where the electricity will come from to charge all of these electrical gadgets.
I had a 1974 GE E15 Electrak with a 4 foot front mower, and a roto tiller and 4 ft. front blade and it could mow about 5 acres on a full charge. thing weighted about 2500 Lbs. and was really handy for working on my place. I used it until about 1996 and the guy I traded it to still uses it, he added some of the accessories to it.
Thanks, Tim. I appreciate the balanced coverage. I've seen so many negative comments on other outlets about electric equipment. I appreciate your open mind and like me, I want to see it work. I'm very hopeful. I've seen the changes in the EV market, and would very much like to plug in my equipment and never by fuel again. But again, it has to work and it has to work at a reasonable price. I do hope you are able to test this equipment once it comes out. Thanks again.
Tim, I can say that I do work for John Deere. I have worked on the ZTRAK line and I was the first person to put the first part of the all electric Zero turn mower onto the line. I unfortunately can not give any kind of time line or details about the all electric yet, simply because they are still in the testing stages yet.
Thanks Tim! I can’t wait for the front end loader max lift test and experimenting on electric machines! As always great work and I appreciate your approach 👍
Thank you for not politicizing the issue! Sadly far too many can't help themselves in that regard and it gets quite exhausting. As far as I'm concerned innovation is rarely a bad thing in the long run, especially when some of the things being developed can positively impact even the legacy products in different ways.
Electric machines and tools are great, but there's a time and a place for their need. I bought an 80v electric weedwhacker because I got tired of my regular gas unit not wanted to run each season. I also bought an electric chainsaw by the same brand to help cut & trim trees in the yard so I don't bother the neighbors using my regular gas saw. But just because I have an electric chainsaw doesn't make it a replacement for my other gas saws. They are needed for short use while in certain areas for lower noise. :)
Another market where these will fit is for the person that’s not looking for the big expense and or scare of a diesel engine or as u said, close nit communities where having loud equipment can cause problems. The Electric tractor is a great idea and it will work out great. The market is there for these type of vehicles and not just in confines of California.
The electric gator reminds me and my little son (now almost 18) deciding to "more power" his power wheels gator. That little thing screamed up and down the alley until the motor burned up. Good times
Thanks for the video Tim! I am definitely excited to see more electric equipment. I know it won’t work for everyone but definitely cool. I run and oyster farm in Massachusetts and just got the new f-150 lightning. I only have to drive about 10 miles each way to the beach and back from the the shop so range isn’t a problem. I can even tow the boats etc. I hope you get to try out an early 1 series! Thanks!
It’s interesting to see how electric technology is developing, along with new and emerging applications. Thanks for your observations and insight. Blessings.
Isn't this the same inoperable 1RE they've been trotting around at shows for the past 3-4 years? You'd think in that amount of time they would have managed to attach a loader or mower deck to it.
What happens to all batteries when they are disposed of? What happens when the grid goes down? What happens to electric vehicles when they are submerged due to flood? Not trying to be difficult but these are questions I have to ask, and you just answered one of my questions. Thanks Tim.
1. You recycle or up cycle just like any other material. They are somewhat specialized and will require scaling up though, those would be valid concerns 2. Solar, wind, generators? What do you do when the power goes out at your house? If everything has a battery and can hook into your local home panel you could use them to provide emergency power until the grid is restored. 3 what happens to an internal combustion engine when it's submerged? Most people don't know how to rebuild things themselves so either vehicle would be a total loss. Properly engineered electronics are actually far more submersion resistant than ICE. Submarines, warships etc all use high voltage DC successfully. Grind hard plumbing submerged their Tesla model 3 they are building as an overlanding rig, so far they replaced 1 improperly sealed control module and that was it. I think the biggest issue we'll run into are the manufacturers cutting corners, making the wrong parts cheaply just so things can break or go obsolete and the majority of people will have to throw stuff out and get new.
Tim - great presentation and very informative. I’m actually in the middle of converting an RSX 850I Gator to electric and you wouldn’t believe the huge pile of parts I’ve discarded so far. Like you said about the mower - much simpler. Both my ICE gators are so noisy! Soon I will be able to sneak up on wild pigs.
As an owner of a Kubota Bx25 and a farm kid my whole life, I am excited for electrification of equipment. I look forward to less fluid changes (though I assume hydraulic oil will still be necessary). I would love to not have to yell to my spotter as to depths or obstacles (pipes, conduit ect.). The noise for people around me when I am working as well as the stench of diesel and. The black snot I blow out of my nose at the end of the day. Forklifts have been around for nearly a decade electric, so I don't know why it's taking so long. Thanks for the update!
Tim, thank-you, for this video on electric implements. If you think about it - electric motors are more efficient than combustion and I'm very interested as these evolve! We just bought a fully electric vehicle (car) - it is our commuter vehicle. Before this we had a plug-in hybrid which also was our commuter vehicle - we got the equivalent of 56.7 mpg through 98,000 miles! Not bad! Thanks again!
I'm glad John Deere is finally moving to electric. I'm done with diesel noise and smell. And dragging the diesel cans, home from the gas station. No more 5.50 a gallon fuel for me!
I'm sure JD will have a good electric tractor for homeowners with five or less hours of operations. My 2025R just turned 1004.4 hours... those diesel engines are great.
It's really refreshing to see a nuanced approach to electrification. Yes one side wanting to mandate it I don't agree with, but at the same time the other side is very dismissive and some outright don't think it should exist which is very wrong to me. Electric vehicles and equipment have been around for ages, albeit not on as large of a scale but it has been done. Are there bugs that will need to be addressed? Of course. But the technology is advancing every day and frankly I think we're living in an exciting time with this. To me it's not unlike being around when combustion engines were becoming a big thing. I totally understand the skepticism, but I think people should at least keep an open mind about it.
My mind is open. This electric would not be here except for politics. 1890s had electric cars and gas eventually won on a more open market. 1917 only 22% were internal combustion engines.
I’m surprised JD hasn’t demonstrated electric lawn tractors (x300’s). When you pull out the engine and gas tank there’s plenty of room for batteries the main drive motor doesn’t have to be that big to run the Tuff Torq. You get rid of all the pulleys and belts for the mower deck and run direct drive cutting spindles. Quiet for residential areas, and since the lawn tractors aren’t ground engaging the amp draw won’t suck the batteries dry.
Thanks for sharing, I'm not ready to jump yet, once we realize the impacts the manufacturing of the batteries on the climate and the toll on our infrastructures the plungers will change their thoughts. Take care be safe.
Well done Tim. The electric gator is the OG utv. It has been around so long I actually was surprised the first time I saw one with an internal combustion engine.
Tim, this was a very good video. You are the first person to put some logic into why Deere would be doing this. I saw some other RU-vidrs trying to cover this but they didn't do a good job in my opinion.
The new stacked "pill" battery technology that Dewalt has must be doing some serious discharge.. wow. Imagine these batteries at 10 degrees outside.... Well done video Tim , again !
Thanks for this update. It’s unfortunate that this subject can become divisive. I am a fan of engineering and technology. There are bound to be some hurdles around electrification of equipment but we are seeing progress. I have the large Ego electric chainsaw and several Stihl gas models. I use the Ego far more than the Stihl but would never dream of giving up the Stihl because it does some jobs better. My dump trailers are hydraulic/electric, my daily drivers are Teslas but my work truck is gas. I look forward to an electric tractor but will probably keep my 1025R in addition to the electric tractor -at least until we learn the limitations of electric tractors. An electric zero turn is the next purchase I plan and a Deere option would be great but I will probably buy the Ego because Deere seems a bit behind on this
A lot of companies have electric stuff nowadays. I tend to believe the ones whom have been making these products for a long enough time are mostly gearing towards the ZTR/lawn tractor group. Hope you got to talk with someone from Solectrac during your visit. I think when it comes to anything electric, what would be the best is having something which has batteries you can swap out when they get low. There's one company from Ohio which has a ZTR canopy with solar panels on it, which I find interesting.
If it was just about engineering and technology it would not be divisive!! It is my opinion that all this push for electric would not be there at all without the political component.
Hi Tim I have the z370r it's a good mower I mowed 3 acker no problem and made it back home it's a 42 butt that was all I could find I like it God bless
Good solid review. What I really appreciate is the calmness, adult, professionalism of your video. There is so much uninformed hype, comments to this topic. I personally look forward to an electric Zero Turn and Gator. I can easily do away with gas, the smell and the LOUDNESS. I also appreciate your mentioning that Deere is NOT moving away from diesel. There will always be choices, options.
Our Neighbor upgraded from electric to gas powered lawn tractor. The battery quite on her electric push mower and she wanted to ride anyway. So she got an electric rider. That particular brand was no good out of the box and only mowed the lawn once or twice. She made them take it back and got a gas rider that she loves. It IS loud but it only takes her about 15 minutes to mow the whole lawn. and it always works!!!
@skutch Blobaum You forget that these battery power things just do not work as well on the whole. I do not know your experience but my experience with machines is considerable. I do not like the push to electric at many levels and all you got to say is that nothing is perfect. I know that nothing is perfect: battery powered mowers and cars are even less perfect. and the political part is downright evil, but that is all I will say on the politics on TTWT's RU-vid site. I do not even like computers running vehicles because an engine has to be perfect to run or a sensor will shut it down. I would like a diesel engine that has NO electric parts at all, not even an electric starter!!!
I would love to see a diesel-electric tractor. This technology is used in lots of heavy equipment already. Use the diesel as an electric generator so that you can run as many hours in a day as you’d like while also benefiting from electric technology like the independent mower spindles or electric drive with loads of torque. I think a much larger customer base including myself would consider a machine like this.
@skutch Blobaum The political and ecological are joined for reasons that have nothing to do with the ecological. It is clear that we do not see things the same way! The politics of this are straight up evil from my point of view.
I already saw the 1RE at agritechnica in 2019. so iam not so sure that it is soooo far away from not being a prototype anymore....whatever....thank you for this overview of these electric machines and the facts that some of them are not that far away from production.:)
At work I went from using an electric forklift to a propane one. Through daily use, I can say without a doubt the electric was way better. Now I am comparing the brand new electric to a propane that was made before I was born but it’s still functioning properly. But the accuracy and finesse I find on the electric is far superior to the propane. I think if Deere can get this right, loader work on that 1 series could be great for many applications. If it works well they could move it into some of the larger models as well. But I think hotswap batteries would need to be a must because “all day batteries” are just a sales gimmick!
Thanks Tim, really appreciate the balanced presentation on the EVs. BTW...not sure how you managed to get through the ZTR part...that guy in the background was really staring you hard!!! 😉🤣👍
What the most annoying sound? I'm from California!! Amount of money thrown at these projects are astronomical. I can't see it for my blinders Tim! I'm so sorry!! At this point there are no economical answer for such non sense. California's i feel sorry for them. I can't see how legally they can take their engines away. That is not the America to me! Some can't afford such a change!!!!! It does not make economical since and it don't make logical. This is a mere silly question for those that want a throw money at a item more then once in machine life and find it in a dump once its end of life cycle occurs. Let's take cordless drills. It is just as cheap buy new drill then replace batteries. It tells me people don't care how far/ their purchases last! Thank you for sharing Tim.
In general there is a lot of research in farm and heavy equipment in electrification ranging from complete Electric to below the head gasket/above new fuels, to electric motors working on replacing hydraulics. Interesting times.
Now for your viewing pleasure in our outside demonstration area! A brand new Dewalt mower going up in flames! Don't be alarmed, its just a part of the show!
Great video. I still think there should be gasoline versions of these vehicles. Just my opinion. Gasoline is about 50 cents per litre cheaper here than diesel fuel. That may not always be, but that’s what is at the moment. The Diesel engine block could be configured to burn gasoline. Been done before on older farm tractors. Again, just my opinion. I’ve never owned a diesel powered anything in my time. But would like too. Just to compare.
One slight correction: If it is not in working order, it is not a prototype. Some of those may be full size "models" but, if non-working, they aren't prototypes. The problem with electric vehicles, beside the occasional fire that can't be put out, will still be how to increase range/work output, while decreasing refueling time(without the increase in fire hazard), and building an infrastructure that can support the increased demand of the electricity to run all of these things certain #tyrants have mandated. The Texas grid failure was an example of "shooting oneself in the foot" in that all of the residential and commercial "climate control", formerly known as central air & heat, went to all electric. Many mild Winters did not strain the grid, but one heavy freeze crushed it. Electric heat is much more consumptive than cooling. Wind and solar are intermittent at best and unless EVERYTHING is going to transition to battery power, there are many hot or cold, dark nights ahead. Converting farmland from grains/fruits/vegetables to solar and wind only adds hunger to the shivering in the dark. I think we are painting ourselves into a corner with this rapid "mandated" transition, that should only have been a supplement or partial alternative, and the paint never dries because it is that sticky trap goo we're laying.🐀🧀💀 New York recently banned natural gas for heating and cooking. That won't end well.
I’m not sold by what I’ve seen by today’s date. I’ve got most of Toro’s 60V line of tools. All of them are top notch, including the snowblower, but it is limited when the snow gets dense and wet. If I didn’t have my tractor for heavy snow removal, I’d have big gas snowblower. 5am, 3-5 inches , the 60V is worthy, quiet and ideal when most are sleeping.
You’re going to see a lot of people hating and i own a 1025r but hot damn that 1RE looks great and you’re going to see a lot of people who wouldn’t buy a tractor by one because it’ll be quiet and powerful , they can use it in there HOA
A backhoe on a near silent electric hydraulic system whether it's a dedicated excavator or a tractor is exactly what you want for burying things at 3am. I'm sure these will be a life sentence saver for many in the new Green Wild West of Cali.
how would you like to be sitting on that thing when the battery went? Guy next door had a lawnmower battery blow up in his face when he unhooked the battery charger. Lucky he didn't loose his eyes. That was just a little battery on a ZERO TURN.
If they're worried about polluting do they know how much it takes to make one lithium battery what do you do with it when it's done it's a good idea but I think I'll stick with diesel don't have to carry a portable generator with me LOL thanks from Gary doing a good job Tim
There a place for everything, even EV. Everyone has their opinion and $.03 opinion is that at populated events, indoor statiums, and in cities and suburbs will thrive better than in rural America.
If you would get one of those. You should definitely keep your hands on your Johnny tractor's. If you ever would loose your power at your home you would be out of luck if you needed. And the tractor 🚜 needs to be charged. Also the electric ones don't run as long as the conventional fuel ones do. They would be good for the homeowners who has their mini homestead. From what I have heard that it takes more firefighting than a conventional one. Also the companies don't tell you what the cost is for the replacement of the battery life. I am very impressed by your comments on this issue of electric equipment. 👌
We had a GE Elec-Trak back in the 70's worked great until the batteries died. Then was too expensive to replace them. The down side of the direct drive blades is that if you hit something bad, you bend the shaft on the motor. I think electric is perfect for compact or sub compact tractors, all of the extra weight of the batteries is a feature for a tractor.
An electric tractor would have to be made a lot better then the ones I have seen for low maintenance to be true. Maybe that is what we can get from a John Deere electric tractor....
It's all about energy density. A diesel tractor has a high energy density as compared to an electric version which is why a diesel version will run a lot longer in a day of work. Once energy density is closer between the two energy sources, electric tractors will become more common place.
I think electric powered equipment (everything from weedeaters to skidsteers) really has its place in the market its in. Look at power tools 20 years ago almost everything was corded and pneumatic tools everywhere, now almost no one uses a electric drill or circular saw or sawzall and cordless impact guns have replaced air powerd impacts for most applications. I think the same is true for equipment, is it going to be a one size fits all perfect for everyone? No but it is definitely going to be a great fit for some people and is going to serve very well in those certain applications. Like the electric mini excavator that can be powered by a generator perfect for any type of indoor demo work or the electric skidsteer same for indoor demo or clean up indoor livestock pens where you don't want the fumes around the animals
In New England, Eversouce has decided NOT to buy power from any coal plants which means all NAT gas for making electricity. It also meant that rates went up 100% This means that diesel, at $5 a gallon is still cheaper to operate, here anyway.
I've seen an battery powered excavator on a couple of jobs. I think it was a 35 hp class. Ran all day digging 18" wide 3' trench in clay/ shale. It also was able to remove the concrete slab pieces that I saw cut,8" thick. Have to say I was impressed. It had no manufacturing markings. It was rented.
Great.....but there's only ONE reason for the whole Global Warming Scam: MONEY and FORCED PURCHASES OF WHAT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE. Consumer preference/choice is of no consequence anymore, as everything is being mandated/forced onto us. You are being priced out of fossil fuels, to buy their money-making/environmentally disastrous (disposal) crap. They are totally against nuclear power because of "disposal" issues, but the EV's are a cash-rich environment (taxpayers will be forced to subsidize it all), and where there's money to be made, YOU will pay.
@@powrguy1696 This machine has nothing to do with global warming. The job was in a pharmaceutical plant, inside. My flat saw that I used to cut the concrete slab was powered by 480v 3phase. Nothing to do with that lefty bull💩.
2028 new gas powered generators will be band in CA! Gas powered mowers will be banned in 2024 so there is a window where they can do that!! Solar Generators after that I guess, although I hate to call those generators.
I am interested to see how the electric tractors progress and who ends up using them. However on a small lawn right now I would get a robot mower. That is electric but it is small battery and automatic charging. I have not had one and I know there are a few challenges to using one but they do seem to work overall and have the extra benefit of not having to personally be there to mow the lawn at all. I believe that there are some gas/diesel ones coming for larger lawns. I don't think those have hit the market yet.
Electric is the way of the future. Less pollution, less noise, less parts to fail, less maintenance, and could be charged while working. Glad to see JD being a front runner in this arena.
@@ljacres6538 Electric is the way of the future not because it makes sense but because it is being mandated by government for political reasons. JD does not appear to me to be the leader in the all electric arena. Pollution seems to be more of a matter of location and type rather than "less"
LJ, please reply to the issues and questions rather than engage in name calling. Plenty of room for respectful debate here on these issues. Thanks! Tim
Battery production is carbon intensive, and the grid still has substantial carbon emissions and will for some time. So, for there to be an environmental benefit (aside of noise), the use cases need to offset a significant diesel or gas consumption demand, not just a few hours here or there. I can see the smaller units being desirable for homeowners, but that isn't where the emissions are so there might be a net negative for the environment given the sunk energy/emissions of manufacturing combined with the carbon emissions of the grid.
Have Ego and others doing battery zero turns. Would be wise to get that out the earliest to compete. These batteries catching fire and exploding, do we want to keep these in a garage? Hopefully when everyone is forced to buy these the technology will be more safe! Hunting and an electric UTV would be nice for some!
"Dear customer; we notice your KW usage is greater than the neighbors in your area. Please limit the usage of your electric tractor to save the planet." All about control baby!
Buy one and then after about a 100 hours of use you can pay more than the original tractor cost to replace the battery, assuming it hasn't caught fire by then.
@@mattromain7177 Are they lead acid batteries? Do you ever run the power all the way out of the batteries? I can see those big fork truck batteries lasting a long time in some situations.
@skutch Blobaum FACT is that batteries have a finite life, and they are VERY EXPENSIVE to replace (of course, we'll just have taxpayers SUBSIDIZE the "green energy" B.S., as always, and they won't know how inefficient the REAL cost structure is)....people like you buy into Fake News.
@skutch Blobaum Guess that's why they do it. You ever look at used compact tractors? Without fail they always have low hours because people seldom use them so 100 hours can easily be years of to Ime passing.
Not sure how those would work on a Canadian Construction site at -30C all day and -40C all night that would shorten battery life somewhat - not something I would buy
