Re: (ET) Dismal failure

["Max Hall" <maxmatic gmail com>]

Sorry to hear the news, Jeremy! I lost a reverse relay in the middle of a big job two years ago, and that really bugged me.

This time: Outside of Boston we had 6" of really dense, dry, granular snow... not too bad for an ET's thrower.

I melted a battery post, though, dammit. (I neglected my usual habit
of  inspection!) And at one point I lost one of the big bolts that
holds the bearing for the auger on the thrower... oops! Clanky, bangy,
scary.... but no damage and easy to fix.

Also, it being an E20, the switch box sticks horribly. I have to reach
down with a hand and push up on the "pull" lever that goes from box to
pedal, and wiggle endlessly to get it to return to full off. Ooof!
Slows you way down. (Maybe that's my tractor's way of insisting on
cooling time and battery rebound.)

But all fixable.

I can't be in a hurry with my ET, but, at least right now, it's still better than shoveling or working an ICE. 

Happy throwing to all,
and good health to us and our e-beasts
-Max

On 2/15/07, Jeremy Gagliardi com <jeremy gagliardi com> wrote:

Well, I haven't posted in a while, but I feel like it after what I experienced
yesterday.  Call this an airing out, if you will.  Caution, I'm not on my usual
bandwagon.

My tractor is currently only in service in the winter now (it isn't able to
handle mowing anymore, since I moved to a hilly, landscaped lot in suburbia).
So, here my tractor has been sitting in my garage for well over a year without
use, but plugged in with Landis controller the entire time.

First, the batteries were very discharged.  I couldn't even get it up to full
speed before the whole thing just quit.  Me thinks the controller didn't kick
in enough.  I had to put it on a "quick" 20-minute manual charge just to get
things going.  After use, I put it on a full manual charge.

But, now here's the really horrible part.  I have the dozer blade on for
plowing snow.  The crossbar is off so the blade can spring up whenever it
encounters an obstacle.  Guess what happened?  This snow wouldn't budge one
bit.  The blade just kept springing up.  Plus, the rear tires (with chains)
would just spin out of control.

I got the dang thing stuck, in 2" deep snow no less, more than 3 times.  I had
to get my wife to push while I drove in LL twice.

My wife & I then spent the next hour chiseling a one-shovel width path down
the sidewalks to comply with city ordinance.  We didn't even feel like getting
to the driveway.  We weren't happy.

To be fair, the snow was hard packed, but on the other hand only 2" deep.
Meanwhile, the neighbors ICE snow throwers were handling things just fine.  I
felt particularly "behind the curve" after that.  Kind of like when I splurged
$500 for a brand new Newton electric walk behind mower, got everything setup,
charged the battery, and...saw how utterly horrible it performed in actual
use.  It only took me 2 months to ditch the Newton and hire a lawn service.

--
Jeremy Gagliardi
E20
Potomac, Md

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