ELECTRIC Tractor FIRST MOWING! Serious PTO Limitation! 

I really appreciate that you are testing this machine, maybe they will bring you the hydrostatic version when it’s available. For all those saying it’s useless, try to remember how far we’ve come, the tractor is barely over 100 years old from its inception. As someone who’s tractors are a TO20 and MF 202, I get an awful lot of work done with what many would consider useless from these comments. The TO20 with a rear finish mower is my primary yard mower btw and then I trim with a JD riding mower.

No PTO in reverse would be a deal killer, as I use mine more for brush clearing than field mowing. It seems like a constant starting and stopping of a PTO would do terrible wear and tear to all attachments, and the tractor.

The no live PTO is a complete deal breaker for me . I need better speed adjustment while still having full PTO speed and need it in reverse as well for snowblower . Also a little nitpicking but there are internal combustion engines that run backwards for reverse, 2 stroke snowmobiles do that.

Looking forward to seeing the 2nd and 3rd generation of these tractors. I had doubts about what a 1025 could do. You proved it is an awesome lil tractor. Can't wait to see you test these electric tractors fully.

I really appreciate your level of detail in this discussion and your understanding that this is a first generation product. I had a first generation electric car and there were similar types of concerns which have definitely been resolved in more recent electric cars. Now I work on a first-generation electric airplane, and we have to make similar compromises so we can get it out into the market and make it better later.

Excellent review as always. Love to see you put new equipment thru its paces. I worked 27 years in the automatic transmission repair industry and it is fascinating to me to see the same evolution in the agricultural industry that I witnessed (and am still witnessing) in the automotive industry. People do not like change, I am seeing the complaints and pushback now that I did in the automotive industry. Change will come and, like you, I am fascinated to see and be a part of those changes. Thanks, I will keep watching, and keep up the good work.

There are many implements out there that require the PTO to be running even when the tractor is stationary. I happen to have two, a post hole digger and a wood chipper. In these situations this tractor wold be useless to me. Kinda hard to dig a hole when you can't stay still while doing it...same thing for chipping wood...lol

As a compact tractor owner, I really appreciate your informed observations. I, too, see potential with this new platform. It's interesting to watch the development of this tech into practice applications.

I’m glad you are showing the tractor and not the politics of it in my opinion it’s a decent tractor and perfect fit for some operations but definitely not all operations

While this particular unit has shortcomings, it does seem like they’re working on making it better. Electric tractors won’t make sense in many applications, but will be the perfect choice in some specific cases. If the batteries and motors are modular, just think of the possibilities. Instead of adding ballast weights you could add extra batteries that allow extra runtime.

Wouldn't it be great to have an independent electric motor for the PTO .. maybe that's what the Gen 2 has

Lots of good ideas about how to use new tech. Like you I enjoy new ideas and ways to do things and choice about how I do things.

Thanks Tim for keeping up with the new technologies with the new tractors. Keeps me appreciative and grateful for my 90 955 on how easy it is to work on, operate, and the reliability of mechanicals vs new tractors. With 407 hours it’s still in like new condition and will probably out live me.

It makes me chuckle. You talked about future innovations where we don't even have a PTO driving the mower, but electric motors turning the blades directly. That's exactly what I mowed with in the early 1970's. My dad had a General Electric Elec-Trak tractor. Maybe some day we'll be able to achieve 1970's technology. Ha ha.

Tim, Thank you for doing an honest review of this new type of equipment. With your testing better improvements can be developed. I agree with you, no PTO in reverse is a No Go for me too. Dan

I’m excited to see what the future hold for electric cars, trucks, tractor, mowers, all of it. I now a lot a people are against change. But it’s a exciting time to be alive an see what the future holds for all of us.

As you say, an electric-drive 3pl implement would be ideal. They could also overcome the PTO issues by having a dedicated PTO electric motor to drive it at the correct speed regardless of what the tractor is doing otherwise. Naysayers couldn't see the tractor replacing horses...

Well Tim, it appears whoever designed this tractor did not understand how tractors need to work. The limitations on the PTO and transmission would not work for me at all. I understand they are learning, but customers are paying for this tractor so they can learn. That part I don't like at all. Glad you pointed this stuff out.

I love your idea of a diesel-electric setup on a compact/subcompact size tractor; I've argued for such a setup in trucks (particularly heavy duty models) for years.

Impressive low noise level! That means the mower is well designed too. I can see this being great for municipal applications where noise could be an issue or also where zero turn mower’s are used around hospitals and nursing homes.

The PTO would be a deal breaker for me BUT I believe it will get sorted out in future generations. Have no issues with the 'electric' tractor at all

Tim, your closing statements were spot on. I am excited to see the technology come in, there's a LOT about a battery-electric tractor that appeals to me. I also agree that this is an early gen-1, looking forward to seeing what they come up with next. Keep up the good work Tim and Christy!

WOW... I was thinking one of those tractors would be a good fit for us... That PTO is totally unacceptable and it would actually be useless. Thank you for this video!

I'm so glad you have a tech background and aren't afraid of new tech. This is a very interesting series. Keep it up!

I appreciate what they are trying. Definitely not filling my needs but I can see it being helpful for some.

In the mid 70s I bought a used electric lawn tractor. It had a mowing deck, a roto-tiller and a hand trimmer like a Mantis. All plugged into the tractor for their power as each had it's own electric motor or in the case of the deck, three motors. It was powered by a half dozen 6 volt batteries just like a golf cart. It was made by GE and was called an Elec-trak and mine was a 15 horse. It was silent in running except for the whir of the blades when mowing. Some of your suggestions for improvement had been addressed by GE in the same fashion you suggested. There is still an active users group online and they might be a source of further info for the Solectrac people.

Your comment about an electric mower attachment (that plugs into the tractor via an electric cord) is genius! That is thinking outside the box.

This was a decent test for the Solectrac. Interesting notes for what happens with the PTO when the tractor is put in reverse or stops completely. Before I saw today's episode, I happened to catch Josh (Stoney Ridge Farmer) run a 5ft brush cutter on his. I'm still interested in seeing how Solectrac does with their new hydrostatic transmission tractor (listed on their website along with a four point mounted backhoe).

I will say I was skeptical before of this new tech, but I will say after watching your cold weather winter videos and the pto performance videos like this, I like the results, and to be honest I understand most people with alot of daily work or a ground work business may still need to see more runtime to be viable, honestly for the normal guy with a yard and having a smaller compact tractor with a few hours of work at a time is going to be sufficient. I'm impressed so far with the Solectrac.

I have watched your channel for years and like the way you tell it like it is ! I really like learning about the electric tractor too . God bless and keep the videos coming .

Really enjoying this content, and the objective presentation. Thanks. Also, Christie is an amazing drone pilot...really impressive tracking and stability, and I know full well that's a lot harder than it looks! (FYI, I was already typing the above comment when Tim raised the subject of Christie's flying. 👍)

Thank you for showing this off I really appreciate it I'm very interested in the machine I hope they improve it

Tim, i'm soo glad your being honest about this electric tractor, i can't see why they didn't make the PTO 540, like everybody else. i hear what your saying, but i would of studied the standards of other tractors and never have released the bad PTO set up. and your right drive wheels seperate motor to the hydraulic pump motor. so you can stop the hydraulic pump while just travelling.

A few years back, Lowes carried a small lawn tractor that included a generator built in. The mower deck was electric. Cost was around $5,000. Each store had a demo machine. After a few of them were purchased, they disappeared due to electrical problems. Almost a year later, they came back with a new and improved model. They too lasted just a short time. Now every brand is trying to perfect that elusive all electric equipment and shame us into buying them. They are getting better each year, but still have a long way to go. Keep trying them out. They will get there.

I would like you to do a video with the Professor you mentioned. The more technical the discussion, the better!

I love the smell of diesel in the morning!

Enjoying the electric tractor showcasing alot

Thanks Tim, I really enjoy your honesty about the tractor. There are always nay sayers when it comes to any change. Some people just do not handle it well. Remember the change from horse drawn farming to tractor farming? I am not old enough to have witnessed it, but it was real at the time. If the advantages show themselves, progress will happen. Thanks for doing what you do with an open mind. Cheers!

Definitely has potential though. Glad they gave you the chance to test it.

Fascinating video on the Solectrac, I didn't realize the PTO was direct drive with the transmission just like the John Deere 3D series of sub tractors. I'm ready to see it bush hog, I'll keep an eye on my hay field, when it's time to cut then I'll start looking for that bush hogging video 😁

Let’s get started thanks Tim

Love every episode! This one was quite interesting. Diesel electric tractors actually make a lot of sense, in some cases. Electric tractors have been a thing in certain applications for ages, I can see certain applications for electric compact tractors. Inherently lower maintenance, a huge plus to those not mechanically inclined.

Being open minded makes your review interesting, thoughts of what is to come. Thanks for sharing. It's not all bad

I use US Topo Maps when I mow to track the distance I cover. I got the app for hiking, but I like the tracking in miles for mowing on my tractor. I mowed about 2.5-3 acres the other day covering 10.56 miles, avg 2mph, 2h 54m 38s. I was mowing around a lot of items which slowed the mowing. and I did move a mulch pile from 2 piles next to each other into a single pile as part of the mowing

Great video but I'm not sold on it, with all the disadvantages . Thank you Tim for all the great infoe.👍

Hi Tim Like you said it’s the first generation electric tractor that being said what you show were they are changing the transmission to hydrostatic will make a big improvement where they can run the electric motor at a constant speed to drive a hydraulic pump to do all the speed changes for ground work and keep the Pto going will just have wait and see what they come up with. Christi. Is doing good for not flown for 3 months Keep up the good work Robert

Wow that pto is 1950s tech needs an independent pto. Figured it would drain the battery in pto especially since your running wide need an independent throttle. Thank you for test an electric tractor your answering lots of my questions

Thanks for an honest review, to many others only show the good stuff. I am sure this tractor is a perfect fit for some people and they will enjoy having it. I think I could do 70% of what I need to with it. But that means I would have to have a diesel around anyways to do the rest. Kinda pointless.

Tim, I enjoy you telling us all the parts and conditions as well as the positive features and the negative aspects. This tractor's future generations make the tractor more capable of what our diesel tractors out there. Hopefully the hydostat transmission make help.

I really appreciate your observations, and the explanations of the “whys” behind the negative and positive aspects from a user standpoint. I like to know the reasons “why” something is the way it is. Thanks again for you candid observations, and continuing journey of the technology. Blessings.

The distributor and the viewers of your channel are fortunate to have you work with these new machines. As one of my main uses is brush hogging, I will need a PTO that works in reverse. Our 1025R Is going strong now and we can wait for options that will work for us. Electric could be ideal because we are putting up a lot of solar for our barn, home and cars. I would love for them to swap out this unit for the hydrostatic model so that we can see if that might be a good option. Thanks again for your work on our behalf

Tough but fair, seems like a good deal for everyone involved, and more helpful as well. Fascinating

Totally agree with you Tim about the PTO obsolescence not elimination for tractors. It may take a few years but replacing PTO-driven implements and/or attachments with electric-driven ones is probably the future. Look at skid steer or track loaders with hydraulic attachments for example.

Thanks for giving this type of tractor some visibility. We have lots of electric forklifts at our factory, and they're PERFECT for that role. I'm really looking forward to their V2 and V3. How about an E-Vinny? ;-)

Lovely Tractor 👍

Cool new concept! Going to watch this technology evolve.

Thanks for your honesty!!!!!! I didn't realize where this company is at in its development of a electric tractor. I too like the idea of an electric tractor but, for me, I would want to connect it with a tiller. A direct drive PTO would be beyond frustrating in that application. It will be interesting how they will address this PTO issues in the future.

Awesome! I like it. Thanks for the informative video. They are just going to keep getting better. I’m all about less hassle. People use to frown on Ego tools and now those same people are buying them.

It does seem odd that some fundamentals are not working as should. Tractors have been around a few years they have countless templates to work from. It’s almost like they never operated a conventional tractor and built an electric one from scratch including all functionality. I’m in no way against electric tractors and hope this is just a first generation issue, although I still feel that the fundamentals should have been right from day one. It would be very interesting to know what limitations might have been in place that they couldn’t solve so the first generation has some fundamental compromises. I still look forward to these electric tractor videos!

I'm looking forward to electric loader mounted attachments like a snowblower for a 1025r! Wouldn't that be cool! Really interesting thoughts on a hybrid of electric over diesel. I think it's been around quite a while (trains), but it would be awesome to see this in a compact tractor environment.

Fascinating machine. Thanks for showcasing it. The honest review and thoughtful discussion of the mechanics are great.

Thanks Tim for the good video!

I can see some applications for this tractor, campgrounds, golf courses and neighborhoods yes but for me I'ld feel like I was on my nephew's power wheels . Not to mention finding someone knowledgeable about these tractors when you need it.

Can not say thank you enough for the information that you supply.

Thankyou for breaking down how this tractor works. While I am not a big fan of this whole push that everything needs be electrified in x years I am very interested to see how different companies are going about achieving that.

I’m sure that there were nay-sayers when we went from horses to steam engines or even early tractors…Oh how far we’ve come… It’s not personally for me…But you brought up some great points about potential (plug in implements)…sign me up. Haha

Great video Tim as always! I'm with you I am fascinated to see how the electric technology is advancing. I don't like the politics side either I think there's an argument that it's worse for the environment with the issues with Cobalt mining and the like. However there's a lot to be said about not having to do as much maintenance. No oil changes no spark plugs no belts... At least for the small EGO like machines they have proven that there is a place for them in the market and as time goes on I think it will get even better. However I still think there will always be a place for gas and Diesel as well. I still love my cordless drill at all my cordless tools and I definitely don't want to go back to corded ever again, however there is a time where I pull out my corded hammer drill when I need to drill a large hole in masonry. Keep up the great work! God bless you guys! PS You may need to get some NASCAR stickers on that thing for as fast as it was mowing lol😂

Your insight is always appreciated. Looks like a learning curve from the ground up. The kinks will gwt worked out. Thanks for the video.

They need a second motor just to spin the pto so the mower works when you need it to work

Tim, I appreciate your detail and open mindedness on the new things. I’m a die hard ICE guy and will probably be one of the last adopters. That said I like the innovations and I definitely see a lot of potential electric powertrains in the SCUT/CUT world. Especially for indoor applications and smaller suburban/homeowner application. The ICE/Electric Drive is something I have thought about a lot recently and I’m really surprised it isn’t talked about more in some applications. I know it has been used for years in large mining equipment (big haul trucks and loaders), so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the tech trickle down to smaller stuff. Also, one last note, I’d definitely love to see your friend come on for some in depth technology discussion. This Rose alum would appreciate it. 😀

The drone operator is doing great!

Fun fact. Modern 2 stroke Snowmobiles actually do spin the motor in reverse to go backwards. Push a button and the engine briefly dies and immediately restarts in the other direction.

They need more feedback like this, so they can bring it up to standard with the diesel tractors. Wondering what the "fuel" savings will be realistically. No oil filters no fuel filters, maybe your Engineer can help with that. Great demo.

You get the criticism because you are the star of the show, haha. Fame has its price.

Well.... it's a pretty tractor. Like you said.... it's out for use, and honest reviews like yours will help them evolve it into something hopefully better.

I am not sold on the electric tractor. Cost on front end verses a diesel tractor. Not sold on the speed variations. It might be great for some. Not me. Might be some day but not in my life time. Thanks for sharing this illustration of the features on this solectrac tractor. The next generation might be improved.

If nobody had "wasted" their time on the early tractors we'd still be stuck with horses. Your farm can feed horses and it can make electricity. Good job.

Another thought when you brought up having attachments like an electric driven mower. We’re at the stage in development similar to the early tractors in the 1930s. They were built to accommodate horse drawn plows etc because that was the norm at the time. We’re in a similar stage now where we’ll start to see electric attachments phased in over time as electric tractors become more prevalent

You touched on several truthful insights.

The PTO running issues would not work on my farm. There are times when I need the PTO to run when backing. Backing into tight spots when running the brush cutter for instance. I can see where the tractor would be good for large clear areas for grass cutting. I can see possible uses for the tractor. I like the idea of the mower has its own electric motors.

Tim might consider buying a 5 gang reel mower to mow a huge yard. Plus it's self propelled too which would be good for a EV tractor.

The whine could be cold hydraulic fluid. When my lawn tractor is cold the hydrostatic trans is loud. When it warms up it’s quiet. Just a thought

Definitely nice that it’s quite. I think they have there place. I use my tractor maybe 50 hours a year. So battery would not work for me it life time investment for me. Great work with that’s drone

Hey Tim! That’s actually not quite true that all combustion engines always run in one direction. Not really tractor related but on the 2016 Polaris Switchback AxYs snowmobiles when you hit the reverse button the engine will actually shut itself off, then automatically restart running in the opposite rotation and that’s how it backs up.

My take on this is the technology isn’t there. I could see the benefits of an electric tractor in certain applications like working in a building or a subdivision neighborhood. I could also see the frustration of trying to beat the weather to get a job done and the battery running out whereas a diesel can have more fuel added and keep it running

My favorite part is mentioning the John Deere electric version, at least solectrack is risking and opening itself for criticism.

Honestly though even the biggest of failures are part of learning to hopefully learn to success

I think this was a great video. The first airplane built isn’t what is flying now and the tractors have to start somewhere too. I do like how quiet it is and for the right job it will work better. For loader work or grading a driveway it might excel over a loud diesel.

Like you said, a diesel-electric combo tractor and implements with electric motors doing the work would be an awesome development. Plus, talk about an emergency generator to connect to your house or such during a power outage. Tillers, rotary and flail mowers, and so many more implements having the power of full torgue at zero RPMs would really be cool to see. Batteries will probably never be ready or able to become the primary energy source (not mentioning anything about the logistics of getting the electricity needed to recharge them or the time required) for any long in-field use tractor (or heavy trucks and pickups) role but luckily we have the proven power of diesel-electric anyways. Time will tell how things pan out.

There are definitely too many deal breakers in the current design, but I'm looking forward to seeing their next iterations. I bought a brand new Kubota L3302 and RTV-X1120, because there was nothing comparable that's electric. It was a bit upsetting, because I really didn't want to stay with engines -- I've been doing an electric switch over the past few years and love our Tesla Model X, as well as all of our electric tools, which were previous gas-powered, such as a chainsaw. Hopefully in the next five years or so we can see some competitive and affordable electric tractors and UTVs.

Thanks for this. As-is, that PTO is a dealbreaker. Makes a transmission driven PTO with overrunning clutch look like luxury… I agree with the idea of having the drive at the wheels rather than a single electric motor. Otherwise do a straight transmission like for a diesel engine that spins one way, and shuttle forward to reverse (or do hydrostatic, which you said is coming). The runtime doesn’t work for serious weekend warriors either. I work my tractor evenings (no problem) and full day Saturdays (battery can’t do it) during the spring and summer.

I was one of the first people in North America to purchase one of these tractors. Those PTO limitations are one of the primary reasons why I returned it just a couple days later. However to be clear the "limitation" here is the PTO is transmission driven. Transmission driven PTOs were phased out on combustion tractors back in the late 50s because of how DANGEROUS they are. I couldn't tell if you had a slip clutch installed on your PTO: But if not: The inertia of the blades of the mower will "push" the tractor and make it take longer to stop. This dangerous situation is why transmission drive PTOs were phased out over 50 years ago. It's not useful and it's not safe. What they should have done is used two separate motors: One to drive the wheels and one to drive the PTO. Or at least offer a "dual motor" option as an upgrade so they could still offer a lower price point for this limited model but still offer the more expensive option for those who do a lot of mowing, tilling, etc where you need to be able to vary your ground speed while maintaining a constant PTO speed. I don't think Hydrostat is the answer: Hydraulics are VERY inefficient. And with a battery powered tractor that's going to cause a huge hit to runtime. I also don't like that they use open center hydraulics. Closed center is more more energy efficient because with closed center the pump only runs when there's "demand" for hydraulics. Open center requires the pump to run constantly which causes that constant whine. The basic problem with this tractor is they took a diesel powered Farmtrac 25, and they slapped an electric motor into it. It wasn't designed from the ground up to be electric and it shows. I'd love to have an electric tractor so I really hope they work this stuff out soon.

Loosing pto in reverse, may because of an overrunning coupler in the pto driveline. Most transmission driven pto's have that built in now, compared to 40 years ago where you had to add it to the pto shaft. An overrunning clutch is basically a sprag, where it drives one way, and freewheels in the opposite direction. It prevents the pto implement from driving the tractor when power is removed.

I'm not sure if it's been commented already, but the ground PTO, I would think, is for efficiency reasons. They're probably making use of the built up momentum of the tractor to keep the PTO from draining the battery under load. Also, Independent motors on the mower might make sense, provide the power draw doesn't exceed the ground PTO approach. A bush hog / rotary brush mower, likely wouldn't work as well. Nor maybe a rototiller attachment or bailer, despite requiring a live / Independent pto anyway.

Curious tiller application! As I'm looking at doing garden and I see yours there. The development through you on this is pretty good idea. They are getting the info out. I agree with on making things better.

give it a few years I guess... Keep in mind different attachments will draw different amounts of draw on the battery, such as a tiller or rear mounted blower would chew up the charge quicker than say a snowplow. Also keep in mind extreme heat or cold play a big factor in run time. Ill stick with my JD 2025R

personally, if i were a solectrac employee, i would welcome the criticism of a new machine so i would know what i would need to work with or improve on for the next generation of equipment

I think you’re doing a great job covering what the real world strengthens and weaknesses are on this platform. I’m just happy that I still have a choice as a consumer to purchase what I want, I’ll take issue if it ever becomes forced through regulation or law.

You made some very good points regarding innovation tim! Great video look forward to a technical deep dive.

There is a simple setup that makes it so an input shaft can spin in either direction yet still the output only spins in one direction. It required the shafts to be connected by one-way bearings or an overrun clutch. It also required the connection of the shafts by a chain and a gear setup. the gear would cause the opposite rotation and the chain in the same direction. the one-way clutches kept from running both at the same time. Also seems like they could use a multi-speed PTO to make the transmission speeds more useful.