(ET) RE: B&D cordless mower

["Dave Reuter" <david reuter iavinc com>]

For you all that have the Black&Decker cordless mower.

I was looking into trouble shooting a friends lawnmower that he said seemed
to have less capacity than it did the year before.
After looking at it there was nothing obvious wrong with it such as bad
batteries, or brushes, etc. The only thing I noticed was carbon build up on
the commutator, it was packed with grass in the housing, and the blades
might be dull. I concluded with my friends machine that his batteries even
though tested good were just starting to show their age. I told him that
cleaning the commutator and the under side of the mower will help energy
losses when it was running and to keep his blade sharp.

I talked to a service center (phone number at end of note) and they
indicated  a few things that reduces capacity quickly. They also said that
they only expect a 4 to 5 year life out of the battery pack. So if your
beginning your 3rd year you might see capacity changes if your system is
not well maintained.

Here is summary of what the service center said causes the capacity to dip.
1) unbalance blades runs it down quicker
2) you should file the cutting edge every 3 to 4 cuttings if you are
mulching.
3) The housing should remain free of build up, otherwise this pulls the
batteries down quicker
4) If you do not keep the unit plugged into the charger, especially in the
winter it shortens the life of the batteries. The charger is meant to
trickle charge after the battery is brought back to full charge. They
suggest to leave the charger plugged in when ever you are not using the
mower.
5) There is a warranty recall on the controller board for some models. See
recall below.
6) The carbon build up on the commutator is not be a problem, it is common
due to the resistive brake system, however it could add resistance to the
motor so keeping the commutator clean can help.

The batteries in his unit were:
Hawker/Genesis battery - G16EP part number 0768-2007 (16 Ahr)

This service center sold the batteries in pairs only at $109 a set. They
ended up being the lowest cost I could find in my quick search via the
internet.

The Service Center was:
DeWalt Factory Service
8067 North Wayne Road
Westland, MI
734-427-1570


His mower was model CMM1000. Note some of the units have a recall on the
controller board. Check here for the details on the recall.
<<<
Consumers with Black & Decker mower should call Black & Decker toll-free at
(866) 229-5570 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or
log onto the company's web site at
www.blackanddecker.com
or
http://www.blackanddecker.com/CustomerService/DocumentView.aspx?DOC_ID=CS_SA_Default

to receive information on the free repair.
>>>

Hope that helps someone.  If anyone hears of a use cordless looking for a
home send me a note. I am looking for one myself.

Dave Reuter