# New and improved Electric Snow Blower !!!!



## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

Check this out, just stumbled on this video of a guy that converted his snow blower.







Don't want to give out the punch line on this one. Have a look and can discuss afterwards.

Cringe moment ...


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

I'm pretty sure that guy's dead by now. I actually watched that video a couple months ago. It has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. I showed it to some electrician buddies of mine. They were not too pleased with his setup. Personally, I love having the extension cord following you up and down the driveway. ✂


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## oneboltshort (Dec 16, 2019)

Looks like a deleted scene from Christmas Vacation:grin:


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## BlowerMods1 (Jan 11, 2020)

I like the idea myself. Plenty of power just hate the cord. Maybe install an inverter on the machine. No cord. No ethanol problem :thumbsup:


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Water.. 240v.. multiple connections.. what could go wrong.
No larger than an area he had all he needs is a large snow shovel to push the snow out of the way.
The guy likes to tinker it looks like.. No harm there.. but no way would I get within 15 foot of that thing 

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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

I feel the same about corded electric lawn mowers... pretty dumb.

Lots of torque might be better geared higher.


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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Water.. 240v.. multiple connections.. what could go wrong.
> No larger than an area he had all he needs is a large snow shovel to push the snow out of the way.
> The guy likes to tinker it looks like.. No harm there.. but no way would I get within 15 foot of that thing
> 
> Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


My feelings exactly lol

Water.. 240v.. multiple connections.. what could go wrong. lol

Wholly cow !!!! 

And then the coord goes into the auger !!!!! sparks and fun lol

Maybe on SBF we should all pull our efforts together and send his wife some wishes ...


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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

JJG723 said:


> I'm pretty sure that guy's dead by now. I actually watched that video a couple months ago. It has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. I showed it to some electrician buddies of mine. They were not too pleased with his setup. Personally, I love having the extension cord following you up and down the driveway. ✂


lol nice and long extension that you finally miss and get's into the auger !!! lol oops

And his spah motor was not sturdy enough, went down too much and to stop, could do the job, but NEVER EVER buys gas !!!!


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

squid3083 said:


> lol nice and long extension that you finally miss and get's into the auger !!! lol oops
> 
> And his spah motor was not sturdy enough, went down too much and to stop, could do the job, but NEVER EVER buys gas !!!!


He could have tossed a predator on that for way less than what he spent on wiring and boxes.
Notice he had electric vehicles as well.... probably uses an electric grill to Barbeque lol.. petroleum free household there.

"My spa is shot... Think I will pull that nasty gasoline engine off the snowblower and put the spa motor on it!! "



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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

Shovel said:


> He could have tossed a predator on that for way less than what he spent on wiring and boxes.
> Notice he had electric vehicles as well.... probably uses an electric grill to Barbeque lol.. petroleum free household there.
> 
> "My spa is shot... Think I will pull that nasty gasoline engine off the snowblower and put the spa motor on it!! "
> ...


lol nasty gasoline engine with that 220 V cable around water and snow, not sure I would stand next to him.

Maybe he should run his electric mower in the middle of his pool ??? just for fun and excitement !!!


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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

Shovel said:


> He could have tossed a predator on that for way less than what he spent on wiring and boxes.
> Notice he had electric vehicles as well.... probably uses an electric grill to Barbeque lol.. petroleum free household there.
> 
> "My spa is shot... Think I will pull that nasty gasoline engine off the snowblower and put the spa motor on it!! "
> ...


What you don't understand is he will have to take less risks and spend about $5 us of gas in his whole season !!!!!
What a nightmare !!!


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

squid3083 said:


> lol nasty gasoline engine with that 220 V cable around water and snow, not sure I would stand next to him.
> 
> Maybe he should run his electric mower in the middle of his pool ??? just for fun and excitement !!!


Did you notice he was out there alone... Couldn't get the wife to record for him and she wouldn't let the kids outside to watch!!
I expect his idea of a family outing is going to radio shack for the day..



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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Wow...


We lived in England for a few years and every outlet in the house is 230 volt 50 Hz and total load you could get would be around 32 amps, so around what a dryer would use in the USA I guess, nothing that scary if you have it wired properly.



Yes we had an ELECTRIC HOVER MOWER that was 230 volt for our tiny yard, didn't work that bad and never got scared of the cable as I would start near the house and work side to side and away from the house so the cord was always on the fresh mowed grass. Took a little trial and error but that was the best easiest and least hassling way to deal with a corded mower.


What you have to do with the cord is have the outlet at one side of the driveway and start at that side and always work away from it and you won't have many issues with it being in the way, though I would probably want some sort of springy whip flag (think what you'd need to offroad at sand dunes) with the cord on top so you aren't tripping over it as much.


Also the extension cord we had for our mower was a GFCI or similar so it would kill the power immediately if any short was detected.


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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

notabiker said:


> Wow...
> 
> 
> We lived in England for a few years and every outlet in the house is 230 volt 50 Hz and total load you could get would be around 32 amps, so around what a dryer would use in the USA I guess, nothing that scary if you have it wired properly.
> ...


Understand, did not think about europe 230, but would you go with this big extension cord in the rain water puddles ,and snow ???


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Up front: I have not gotten to watch the video yet. So I haven't gotten to see the multiple connections being discussed. 

But I have a 110V electric snowblower for deck duty. I don't give it a moment's thought. I use a single extension cord, which minimizes extra connections, but there's a (shrouded) connection by the handle. Never had an issue with it. I wouldn't be particularly concerned about needing to use a second cord, if it came to that. 

My cord stays plugged into the house, below the deck, and I have the outlet end up on the deck. After one snowstorm, the exposed outlet end melted its way into a snow pile, and then froze there. No problems, despite both open contacts being exposed and encased in snow/ice. 

Of course, it's clean snow, not salty, which would help reduce conductivity. And it's a GFCI outlet, in case something *did* go wrong. But when getting ready to use the blower, I just plug it in, and don't worry about it, even if there is some snow in the female end of the cord. 

But using cords in snow aren't inherently the kiss of death. 

I'm not trying to minimize things, 220V is no joke! But at least in the US, it's 220V across the hot leads, not to ground (unlike in Europe, I believe). So each wire's potential to ground is 110V, not 220V, which at least helps reduce the risk a bit, I suppose. You'd need to short across specific things to get 220V. A different type of failure (one wire to ground) would still be 110V.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

That is why the Snow Joe Ion is a 40-volt lithium-ion single stage and the Snow Joe ION8024 80 Volt XR 2 stage snowblower. DC current is much safer than A/C and no cords to run over and risk electrocution over. I have a Dewalt XR40 volt spin trim and I love it and I will never go back to gasoline anymore. I also have a cordless Dewalt XR 20 volt drill with a 6 AH battery attached to my Clam Ice auger adapter and it cuts a 6-inch hole in 13+ inches of ice in less than 10 seconds. Don't ridicule a well built Li-ion cordless lawnmower or cordless snow blower like the Snow Joe series. I truly believe that we will look back at small gasoline engines in the next 20 or so years as crude and loud and smelly especially 2 strokes once-powerful cordless Li-ion battery-powered snowblowers and lawnmowers and outdoor power tools like chain saws become more available and affordable.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

RedOctobyr said:


> Up front: I have not gotten to watch the video yet. So I haven't gotten to see the multiple connections being discussed.
> 
> But I have a 110V electric snowblower for deck duty. I don't give it a moment's thought. I use a single extension cord, which minimizes extra connections, but there's a (shrouded) connection by the handle. Never had an issue with it. I wouldn't be particularly concerned about needing to use a second cord, if it came to that.
> 
> ...


Alot of the connections and conversations were actually not on the machine itself..the guy appears to know what he is doing for the most part electrical wise..We are more or less having fun and poking at the entire setup...His speed ranges are backwards..has six reverse and 1 forward speed...it barely throws snow ...has a fortune tied up in the electrical hardware.
He could have tossed on a predator for 100 bucks and been much better off...but then he wouldnt match the theme of his electric cars...I expect the guy just likes to tinker and appears decent at it...we just couldn't help but laugh at it...it works but is lame.




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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

GustoGuy said:


> That is why the Snow Joe Ion is a 40-volt lithium-ion single stage and the Snow Joe ION8024 80 Volt XR 2 stage snowblower.


 I just picked up a 2 year old GreenWorks 2600402 Pro 80V for $100. Will get to try it out Thursday if the 6" forecast holds...

80V cordless single stage snow thrower
Motor............................................................................................... 80V brushless motor
Battery type............................................................................................. 80V Lithium-ion
No-load speed................................................................................................ 1,900 RPM
Working width.......................................................................................................... 20 in.
Wheels...................................................................................................................... 7 in.
Weight (without battery)........................................................................................33.5 lbs


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Cool, let us know how it does! I'm skeptical of battery capacities relative to snow removal (a lot of work has to be done), but it will be interesting to get feedback on them. 

There's no question that it would be nice not to juggle a cord when clearing my deck. And I guess in some ways deck duty is maybe ideal for them, in the sense that if you drained a battery and had to recharge, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It won't prevent you from getting to work. Plus it's a modest size area to clear.


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## squid3083 (Jan 20, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Alot of the connections and conversations were actually not on the machine itself..the guy appears to know what he is doing for the most part electrical wise..We are more or less having fun and poking at the entire setup...His speed ranges are backwards..has six reverse and 1 forward speed...it barely throws snow ...has a fortune tied up in the electrical hardware.
> He could have tossed on a predator for 100 bucks and been much better off...but then he wouldnt match the theme of his electric cars...I expect the guy just likes to tinker and appears decent at it...we just couldn't help but laugh at it...it works but is lame.


My point exactly. I used electric lawn mowers in the past. But I would not use them in the rain or puddles. 

So 230v outside mixed with melting snow and puddles, don't feel at ease with 30 amps fuse box.

Rather have gas engine. 

Yes Li-ion is an option. Have seen couple of demos of toros and others. Have seen this youtube guy who uses it commercially with clients. Has lots of spare batterys , but no propulsion, and hes wrecked after a couple of driveways.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

My grandmother had a 110 volt lawnmower. 

Not matter how hard you tried, you sooner or latter cut the cord. What a pain in the wazoo. 

Never so happy as when elecric weed whackers got enough battery power to run without it (at least you did no weed whack your cord but it was a pain, only worse pain is 2 cycle tiny engines)


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

A collection for flowers? Too soon?One thing for sure, you are not racing that!


squid3083 said:


> Shovel said:
> 
> 
> > Water.. 240v.. multiple connections.. what could go wrong.
> ...


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

RC20 said:


> My grandmother had a 110 volt lawnmower.
> 
> Not matter how hard you tried, you sooner or latter cut the cord. What a pain in the wazoo.
> 
> Never so happy as when elecric weed whackers got enough battery power to run without it (at least you did no weed whack your cord but it was a pain, only worse pain is 2 cycle tiny engines)


I tried one...In about five minutes I said I am done.
I could see one(mower) for a very small yard.
No rope to pull.
No carb problems.
No gas jugs.
But yeah that cord gets aggravating in two or three minutes 



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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

JJG723 said:


> I'm pretty sure that guy's dead by now. I actually watched that video a couple months ago. It has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. I showed it to some electrician buddies of mine. They were not too pleased with his setup. Personally, I love having the extension cord following you up and down the driveway. ✂



Ill bet he doesn't have a gfci in the circuit and while 120 will sting your 240 will kill you.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

CarlB said:


> Ill bet he doesn't have a gfci in the circuit and while 120 will sting your 240 will kill you.


110v.will do the job too.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Shovel said:


> I tried one...In about five minutes I said I am done.
> I could see one(mower) for a very small yard.
> No rope to pull.
> No carb problems.
> ...


It depends on your situation, of course. My parents had a 110V mower for their in-city yard. It was perfect for them, not being mechanically inclined. Plug it in, and it "starts" every time. No conversations about stabilizer, draining carbs, how to use the primer and choke, etc. 

The 110V electric snowblower I gave them is the same way. Reliable/bulletproof was more useful to them, and justified dealing with the cord.

I'm not saying that's best for everyone, of course. But in some situations it's a great solution.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

RedOctobyr said:


> It depends on your situation, of course. My parents had a 110V mower for their in-city yard. It was perfect for them, not being mechanically inclined. Plug it in, and it "starts" every time. No conversations about stabilizer, draining carbs, how to use the primer and choke, etc.
> 
> The 110V electric snowblower I gave them is the same way. Reliable/bulletproof was more useful to them, and justified dealing with the cord.
> 
> I'm not saying that's best for everyone, of course. But in some situations it's a great solution.


For sure... On the smaller places the cord isn't in the way near as much.. and in the long run can cause less grief. 



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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Heh, and it's not just the mechanically-disinclined that can benefit from corded tools  I used my corded hedge trimmer for the first time in years, it worked flawlessly. If it was a gas engine sitting that long, I wouldn't have taken for granted that it would just work. I have an old corded drill that always works when I need it, without worrying if a NiCD battery has failed, or is charged, etc. 

Corded tools certainly aren't perfect, but they're probably the most reliable type that I own.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

I have both a Bostitch corded and a Li-ion Dewalt XR brushless 20 volt with two 6AH batteries. Both are capable drills. Both have keyless 1/2 inch chucks and can handle my biggest bits. Right now I have my Dewalt mounted to my Clam Ice auger adapter and I am using the bottom half of my old hand auger which is a 6 inch Mora design. With the Dewalt XR 20 volt, I can drill through 13+ inches of ice in less than 10 seconds. I use the corded drill at home and have owned it for a couple of years but I don't always have a nearby outlet to plug in to and well out on the lake ice fishing you simply need a cordless drill or one of those expensive cordless Ice augers that sit for 8+ months out of the years and once the Ice gets thicker than a foot it sucks to drill a hole by hand. I bought some generic 20-volt batteries off of Amazon and they work well in my Dewalt drill and charge just fine with my Dewalt Charger. The brand name Dewalt 20 Volt 6Ah battery is $149.00 and I bought two 6AH batteries on Amazon for $55.00. I also own a 40 Volt XR Dewalt trimmer which cuts through the toughest of weeds and I will never go back to a troublesome gasoline-powered spin trim


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## SnowG (Dec 5, 2014)

CarlB said:


> Ill bet he doesn't have a gfci in the circuit and while 120 will sting your 240 will kill you.


Voltage is NOT the issue. It is AMPS (current) that will kill you. It takes less than 20milliamps (0.2 amps), if I’m remembering correctly. That’s why a static electric charge of thousands of volts isn’t lethal. 120v will kill you if the current is significant.


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## 1652 (Aug 23, 2020)

I cant help but wonder why the impeller must be spinning the correct way but the drive disc is not.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

I'm with* RedOctobyr *on this one, Everything in my home that has a cord on it are the most reliable tools I have, Never an expensive and trouble prone battery issue, or annoying fuel delivery issue. You can leave it in the attic for years and it's ready to go in seconds. I have TWO 1 1/2 ton AC units hooked by cable to 220v service boxes, they sit outside uncovered with piles of snow and ice or drenched with rain, and they never seem to short out? It's very strange, but they are always ready to rock come spring time when they are called upon. Much better than our old Arkla/preway gas chillers and cheaper to operate as well. They'd always have a spider nest in a pilot or the pilot would have to be relit and then there was the constant flushing of the antifreeze coolant. Not to mention they sounded like a Mack truck parked outside your window every time they'd kick on
I have a factory built 2 stage corded 110v blower and I think it's great for the right situation, If I had a small urban drive it would probably be my only blower. Buttery smooth one handed operation, no metal ever touches the ground, and it still tackles the EOD berm. I bet I could do half the drive before a gas blower ever warms to operating temp, To each his own I guess, but the cord doesn't frighten me, it's not some garden snake (though they are annoying on hedge clippers)


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

1652 said:


> I cant help but wonder why the impeller must be spinning the correct way but the drive disc is not.


Older compact frame blowers had a bad habit of using a camshaft PTO for the disk drive. The impeller would spin with engine rotation and the drive rotation would spin in the opposite.


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## 1652 (Aug 23, 2020)

HillnGullyRider said:


> Older compact frame blowers had a bad habit of using a camshaft PTO for the disk drive. The impeller would spin with engine rotation and the drive rotation would spin in the opposite.


Thankyou, that makes sense.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

When I'm clearing my property... I have enough obstacles to worry about than to deal with a cord following me around. That could never handle what I have to do.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

orangputeh said:


> a lot of people ask me about the greenworks so looking forward to your report card.





RedOctobyr said:


> Cool, let us know how it does! I'm skeptical of battery capacities relative to snow removal (a lot of work has to be done), but it will be interesting to get feedback on them.


My grade: A+ 
Did 8" of heavy snow on the deck and still have all 3 bars left on the battery.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Cool! How big is the deck, and/or how long would you estimate you were running it? 

I've used my corded Toro for clearing the deck when there's probably 18" on it. 

It was well above the intake, I'd have to go forward, then back up and go again, to get the stuff that went over the top of the machine the first time. The poor thing was working its little heart out for probably a half hour, shoving it into the snow. 

I definitely see the appeal of not having to manage a cord, especially since our outlet is below the deck, which makes it cumbersome. But I'd be nervous about giving up that ability to run it as hard & long as needed.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

RedOctobyr said:


> Cool! How big is the deck


12x18... Maybe 10 minutes run time? I've got 2 batteries, so I can swap them and run almost continuously. They run over 30 minutes and rapid recharge in about the same amount of time.


RedOctobyr said:


> I've used my corded Toro for clearing the deck when there's probably 18" on it.
> It was well above the intake, I'd have to go forward, then back up and go again, to get the stuff that went over the top of the machine the first time. The poor thing was working its little heart out for probably a half hour, shoving it into the snow.


I've done that much before with the SnowJoe I had before the Greenworks, but it was pretty fluffy. The stuff in the photo below was higher than the auger housing and about the same consistency as today's 8". I try to do it before it gets bucket high now.


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

Shovel said:


> the guy appears to know what he is doing for the most part electrical wise..We are more or less having fun and poking at the entire setup...


I disagree. Any electrician would laugh at what he has done. First off, did his charger have GFI protection? I don't know, but his home made adapter follows no code requirements.l And, as already said many times, the potential for injury is too high for my taste.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

WrenchIt said:


> I disagree. Any electrician would laugh at what he has done. First off, did his charger have GFI protection? I don't know, but his home made adapter follows no code requirements.l And, as already said many times, the potential for injury is too high for my taste.


I don't deem it safe...however he did get his contraption to operate 

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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Shovel said:


> however he did get his contraption to operate


I would submit that my Greenworks (net investment $80 after sale of SnowJoe) appears to throw snow farther... Just sayin'


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

tabora said:


> I would submit that my Greenworks (net investment $80 after sale of SnowJoe) appears to throw snow farther... Just sayin'


Funny thing about Greenworks, I'd never heard of them until the end of last summer. My wife loves electric lawnmowers - no pull start, no recalcitrant engine that WILL NOT start, quieter, often lighter, no smelly gasoline to mess with, etc. Last fall she saw an ad for a used Greenworks (corded) mower. Forty bux, the underside of the deck was rusted, a bit of Loctite Extend, followed by epoxy and paint and the thing is GREAT! Seems nobody is selling corded mowers any more. Extension cord management, as pointed out already, is everything. In 30 years, I think she cut the cord once - not a bad record.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

WrenchIt said:


> Extension cord management, as pointed out already, is everything. In 30 years, I think she cut the cord once - not a bad record.


An excellent record! My MIL had a corded mower and she had a laundry basket full of extension cord victims. I've made a lot of good, shorter ones from the "remains".


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