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Re: (ET) ET running costs

While I agree the running cost of the ET's is low (that's one reason why I'm building one) you also have to take in the expense of the batteries. A new set of batteries today cost around 900 dollars. The people I've talked to say that they get around 8 years on a set of batteries but for those of you who don't know lead acid batteries are rated by cycles and the number of cycles is determined by the depth of discharge. What that means is if you keep you depth of discharge low your batteries will go through more cycles before they need to be replaced so those of you with smaller lawns and tractor use will have batteries that last much longer. But let's say the average batteries will last 8 years, that's 900/8 or $112.50 you have to add to the cost of fuel per year, even if you charge from your PV array like I do. Of course the added benefit of cleaner air, low noise and the numerous ICE problems that plague other owners are gone and I've yet to find an ICE engine that didn't need filters, oil and spark plug changes, never mind those winter starts that don't start! 
Rob
-----Original Message----- From: elec-trak-request cosmos phy tufts edu 
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Subject: Elec-trak Digest, Vol 11, Issue 7

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Today's Topics:

  1. Re:  36 to 14V (PH)
  2. Re:  36 to 14V (Pieter Litchfield)
  3. Re:  chainsaw chain (Tim Humphrey)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2013 08:20:07 -0800 (PST)
From: PH <pholzsc yahoo com>
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu, Christopher Zach
<cz alembic crystel com>
Subject: Re: (ET) 36 to 14V
Message-ID:
<1357402807 27040 YahooMailClassic web125105 mail ne1 yahoo com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

Hi Chris,
I agree the cost of ET ownership is very low.
According to my kill-a-watt, my E-185 uses on average about 1 or 2 kWh per week or 10 to 20 cents. My neighbor uses about $10 worth of gas just to mow his acre, versus my 20 cents for my 1.5 acre!
If the news got out about our ET's low cost, people might start sealing our toys. 

Happy plowing,
Paul Holzschuher
Lebanon Ohio



--- On Thu, 1/3/13, Christopher Zach <cz alembic crystel com> wrote:


From: Christopher Zach <cz alembic crystel com>
Subject: Re: (ET) 36 to 14V
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Date: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 11:17 AM
On 1/3/2013 10:04 AM, RJ Kanary
wrote:
>
>
>? ? ???My batteries will start
their 13th year of service in April.At
> less than $.07 per kWh,the cost to use and maintain the
tractor during
> the off-season is of little consequence.The nearly
$500.00 spent on
> the set has amortised out quite nicely.

You're funny. Since I use solar to charge the E20 (but not
the E15; I should set it up to charge on solar) I use pretty
close to nothing to run it.

Compare that to the 15.5hp Craftsman which I use to vacuum
leaves and such. I've had to fill the 2.5 gallon gas can
*three* times this fall to get up all the leaves. Three
trips to the gas station, not to mention the cost of gas.

Doing that every week? Man life really must be lousy for
those with gas tractors. Takes half an hour to load up the
gas can, put it in the car, drive over, stand there pumping
gas, put the cap back on, put it back in the car, drive
back, get home, etc...

What a pain.


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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2013 12:59:01 -0500
From: "Pieter Litchfield" <pieter_litch yahoo com>
To: "Elec-Trak Tractor" <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Subject: Re: (ET) 36 to 14V
Message-ID: <003501cdeb6e$5816c6b0$08445410$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

If your neighbor is using $10 per acre, at $4.00 per gallon he is using 2.5
gallons to mow 1 acre.  His mower must be broken to do this!  I mow 1/2 
acre
of flat lawn with a walk behind (push) gas mower that uses 1 qt of gas to 
do
the 1/2 acre, or about $1.00.  I also use a John Deere 4120 40HP diesel
utility tractor to mow meadow grasses, and I use 5 gallons per day, and mow
several acres per day with a brush hog rotary, a job that the ET just
doesn't have the power to do at all.  I would guess that the utility 
tractor
uses about 2 qts of diesel per acre.  This does not invalidate your point
about the cost of fuels, but I think the actual cost of gas & diesel usage
may be much lower than $10 per acre.

-----Original Message-----
From: PH [mailto:pholzsc yahoo com]
Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 11:20 AM
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu; Christopher Zach
Subject: Re: (ET) 36 to 14V

Hi Chris,
I agree the cost of ET ownership is very low.
According to my kill-a-watt, my E-185 uses on average about 1 or 2 kWh per
week or 10 to 20 cents.
My neighbor uses about $10 worth of gas just to mow his acre, versus my 20
cents for my 1.5 acre!

If the news got out about our ET's low cost, people might start sealing our
toys.

Happy plowing,
Paul Holzschuher
Lebanon Ohio



--- On Thu, 1/3/13, Christopher Zach <cz alembic crystel com> wrote:


From: Christopher Zach <cz alembic crystel com>
Subject: Re: (ET) 36 to 14V
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Date: Thursday, January 3, 2013, 11:17 AM On 1/3/2013 10:04 AM, RJ
Kanary
wrote:
>
>
>? ? ???My batteries will start
their 13th year of service in April.At
> less than $.07 per kWh,the cost to use and maintain the
tractor during
> the off-season is of little consequence.The nearly
$500.00 spent on
> the set has amortised out quite nicely.

You're funny. Since I use solar to charge the E20 (but not the E15; I
should set it up to charge on solar) I use pretty close to nothing to
run it.

Compare that to the 15.5hp Craftsman which I use to vacuum leaves and
such. I've had to fill the 2.5 gallon gas can
*three* times this fall to get up all the leaves. Three trips to the
gas station, not to mention the cost of gas.

Doing that every week? Man life really must be lousy for those with
gas tractors. Takes half an hour to load up the gas can, put it in the
car, drive over, stand there pumping gas, put the cap back on, put it
back in the car, drive back, get home, etc...

What a pain.


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------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2013 19:38:52 -0500
From: Tim Humphrey <hump evgrin com>
To: "elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu" <Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Subject: Re: (ET) chainsaw chain
Message-ID:
<CAHhc_9K+oXbgQNtDPihUAidCMUwo-S7rt=_syJkQNF_1Kih-gQ mail gmail com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

... and push the oiler about every 4 seconds. These are not automatic oiler
saws, there is no option, you have to oil.


On Sat, Dec 22, 2012 at 4:37 PM, Neil Dennis <wombatt gmail com> wrote:


When I was servicing saws, our rule was that the chain had to slack enough
so when you lifted at the center of the bar the "cogs" at the lfit point
would just clear the blade.  One thing, as you cut when the chain warms up
it gets looser.

wombat

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