Page 27 - ALG Issue 4 2024

COMMUNITY
Long damp grass was handled with ease
How do they perform in practice?
The theory is all very well, but I wanted to see how battery tools might perform in practice, and if they really are a practical option for allotment holders.
I trialled a lawn mower, hedge trimmer and leaf vacuum from Stiga . I was able to compare these with my existing petrol-driven equivalents, and the results are very encouraging. I have not carried out exhaustive comparative tests with tools from other manufacturers.
In all cases, being able to just press
a button and go is a delight.There was ample power in all the tools to perform as well as their petrol equivalents. All the tools were quieter than petrol models.
With the mower, I did the first cut
of the season on 2 friends’ lawns.The grass was long and damp, and I removed 14 full grass boxes (60 litres each). I
cut about 350m2 on a single charge. The stated range of 1050m2 would be achievable with normal seasonal cutting. I grow a lot of green manures, and the mower made light work of cutting down grazing rye.
The mower was much lighter than my existing petrol mower and easier to load into the car to take to the allotment. No
nasty smell of petrol either. I could put the mower on its side to clean the deck with no danger of fuel spillage.
The leaf sucker shredded leaves effectively, great for speeding up leaf mould decay. It was much quieter than my 2-stroke model, and so much easier to start.
The hedge trimmer tackled even quite thick holly branches. Battery life was excellent. I think I would run out of steam before the battery.
Disclaimer:The National Allotment Society does not specifically endorse any of the products mentioned
...and after.
Conclusion
There are good reasons for switching from petrol to battery tools, and
there are tools to suit all needs. My research has convinced me that battery technology has developed to a point where battery tools will perform every bit as well as their petrol equivalents, and are a practical alternative on allotments.
Ian Litton, Milverton New Allotment Association Ltd, Leamington Spa
Stihl’s AK30 battery takes 205 minutes to recharge with their 1.6A charger; 60 minutes with their 6.5A charger.
Dealer Network
It helps to have a dealer nearby who can carry out standard servicing. Make sure they are authorised to install firmware upgrades on your tools.
Stiga claim that the efficiency of their battery lawn mowers has improved 30% over time, simply by applying firmware upgrades to existing machines.
Features of Interest to Allotment Associations
Some allotment associations have tools for site maintenance, or to hire out to allotment members. Some manufacturers offer features to help manage a fleet
of tools in these circumstances. Stihl Connected keeps an automatic log of battery life and tool maintenance status. Makita Sync Lock uses pin codes to link specific batteries to specific tools, and to disable the use of those tools and batteries without the pin code. It is even possible
to set up schedules and to disable tools outside those schedules.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener | Issue 4 2024 | 27