(ET) many

["Dean A. Stuckmann" <dstuck lakefield net>]

Hi,
I just got back from a 2 week vacation so some of my subject replies may
seem a bit dated.  

For re-beading/sealing a tire, make sure the rim and tire are free of dirt
and rust.  To help seal it I tried a spray belt dressing once, but that
didn't hold.  Silicone sealer worked great for me on a front that wouldn't
seal.

As for mower range, I think 5 acres may be a bit of a stretch but with 
light
grass and a open field to cut, maybe.  Just driving around my E15 will
cruise around for hours and hours. When my leg was broken, I used it as a
wheel chair at an air show for a few hours and then drove it 13 miles home.
I still had over a third of the pack left.  I think the key is the 
condition
of the mower deck.  Clean deck with sharp blades and good motor bearings.  
I
also believe that a rear discharge deck is more efficient than a side
discharge due to the shorter grass path.  I cut about 1.5 acres and have
quite a few trees to cut under or around. (Lots of zig-zag moves getting
under my windbreak) After that, sometimes I will go and cut over an acre
next door.  When that is done, my conventional 4 year old batteries are
down.  I have found that cutting in D1 gives me better range than D2, even
though I travel with about the same ground speed with both.

I posted the following questions quite a while ago but never really got any
answers.  My machine is "stock" and I change batteries about every 7 years,
so my battery costs are about $50 per year.  What will new controllers, 
high
tech batteries and chargers do for me?  Will I gain 50% range?  Will the
batteries last 10 years?  If I have a $1000 to spend, what should I spend 
it
on to get the biggest bang for the buck?  Will I ever recover the
investment?  

Thanx in advance for any replies
Dean Stuckmann - using E15 for 20 years now.