What's more important Volts or Ah?

I'm looking at battery powered lawn mowers and trying to decide which is best.  I've got it narrowed down to the 40 volt Husqavarna with 8 Ah (but 2 batteries so is that 4 Ah per battery?) or the EGo with 56 volts but only 5 Ah.

I need the smallest & lightest mower because it will only be used on the steep sides around my ponds.  It's too big an area for weedeaters.  We've done them for a couple of years but they are murder on the shoulders.

To make it more confusing the DeWalt is 40 volts but might be 6 or 7.5 Ah.

Volts Times Amps Times Hours is more important, not Volts or Ahhh's.

40 X 8 = 320  Husq

56 x 5 = 280   EGo

40 X 7.5 = 300 DeWalt

This means the Husq is the winner, except for the cost of 2 batteries instead of just one.

Does that mean it's more power or that it will last longer?

carguy123 said:

40 X 8 = 320  Husq

56 x 5 = 280   EGo

40 X 7.5 = 300 DeWalt

This means the Husq is the winner, except for the cost of 2 batteries instead of just one.

 

Does that mean it's more power or that it will last longer?

 

One or the other. you now have watt hours, which is power you can apply over a period of time. more watt hours = more power (watts) for the same amount of time or same power for more time.

edit: watt hours is a common unit for the amount of energy used. for example your electric bill charges you per kilowatt hour, or per thousand watt hours.

So you can charge those mowers 3 times for 7.72 cents or whatever. haha.

Two batteries means half the weight you're carrying on that hillside, since you can only use one at a time. Also means you can charge one while using the other.

Also, I should mention that I have a battery powered ryobi mower and I have 2 40v 5ah batteries. I will agree strongly with RossD that having 2 batteries is awesome. Nothing sucks more than being stuck with 5 more minutes of lawn to mow when it is getting dark on a sunday night because your battery is out of power. ask me how I know.

I have a 16" battery mower made by greenworks. 40V and 4A-hr. Used it for a couple years now and it works well for my small yard. Bought it on Amazon. 

The Husq uses both batteries at the same time so you don't have a spare to charge while mowing.

I've got Troy Bilt other accessories and 3 batteries.  I wanted a Troy Bilt Mower (that's why I bought all the TB accessories) but their mower uses a 6 Ah battery and all the accessories uses a 4 Ah and it appears to have a different foot print so they aren't interchangeable.

Is Ah additive?

I haven't been able to find out if the Husq batteries are only 4 Ah but because you're using 2 you get 8 Ah.

parallel or series. if you put two batteries + to - then you double the volts of one battery but ah stays the same (series). if you put them next to each other and connect + to + and - to - then you double the ah but volts stays the same (parallel).

Maybe I'm missing something but if what you care about is the weight of the mower, then why are you looking at the electrical specifications of the mower?  Shouldn't you be looking at the weight specs instead?

No, I'm looking at weight AND power. Trying to get it all. 

They all seem to be about the same weight.  If I'd been able to find one that was significantly lighter then I'd have settled on that regardless of power and just bought a ton of batteries.

They are all 20" mowers.

I've found from buying Ryobi and Kobalt stuff that battery charge time and life is a biggie  The Kobalt 80V mowers are only 2 Ah batteries and reviews on battery life, runtime vs. time before they go bad, is horrible.

Neither is more important as they work in relationship to each other. What you really need to know is how many watts the motor consumes at maximum work.

A quick google:

The Husqvarna 40 volt mower has a 900 watt motor (1.21 HP). At full load it consumes 22.5 amps and would have a runtime of just over 21.3 minutes.

The EGo 56 volt has a 600 watt motor (.8 HP). At full load it consumes 10.7 amps, and would have a runtime of just over 28 minutes.

What would be important to me is if I wanted the more powerful mower. Keep in mind that if you are running the Husqvarna mower at 600 watts (.8 HP) it only consumes 15 amps and would run for 32 minutes.

What you didn't mention is price. I think the Husqvarna sounds like the better mower assuming price point, warranty, ect is similiar.

Robbie said:

parallel or series. if you put two batteries + to - then you double the volts of one battery but ah stays the same (series). if you put them next to each other and connect + to + and - to - then you double the ah but volts stays the same (parallel).

 

Well I found out Husqavarna LIES!!!

Yes they have 2 batteries, but each battery is a 4 Ah battery.  They aren't run in series or parallel, they automatically switch from one battery to the next when the first one runs out of juice. 

At no time are they ever using both batteries so you never get 8 Ah of work out of them, only 4 Ah.

I now own an EGo 56 Volt mower.  We'll see how it works.

An added plus is that it is 5 lbs lighter. That may not seem like much to you, but it might be the difference between my wife being able to do it and me having to do it.  Right now she's planning on using it.

My buddy has the EGo and loves it.

I have a Lawn Boy 22260, last of the 2 strokes, commercial model with a giant tank and ball bearing wheels, not self propelled.  Its wonderful.  Sounds like a mini dirt bike and cuts anything.  

Also have a Toro Timemaster 30.  They get mixed reviews from the commercial guys, but I love mine.  I can do my whole 1/5 acre in about 15 minutes.  Key start because I am lazy.  Its great!

carguy123 said:

Robbie said:

parallel or series. if you put two batteries + to - then you double the volts of one battery but ah stays the same (series). if you put them next to each other and connect + to + and - to - then you double the ah but volts stays the same (parallel).

 

Well I found out Husqavarna LIES!!!

Yes they have 2 batteries, but each battery is a 4 Ah battery.  They aren't run in series or parallel, they automatically switch from one battery to the next when the first one runs out of juice. 

At no time are they ever using both batteries so you never get 8 Ah of work out of them, only 4 Ah.

I now own an EGo 56 Volt mower.  We'll see how it works.

An added plus is that it is 5 lbs lighter. That may not seem like much to you, but it might be the difference between my wife being able to do it and me having to do it.  Right now she's planning on using it.

Technically they didn't lie. two batteries in series each rated at 4Ah would net 8Ah. They actually are doing you one better with a controller that switches from one to the other by not running the batteries out at the same time. My guess would be that you can remove one battery to charge and still run on the existing battery.

Anyway, hope you are happy with your purchase. That's all that really matters.

The other thing that's missing from this discussion is that you're comparing the electrical *input* specifications, not the power output.  That's OK if the tech on the two motors is broadly the same, but it's a bit like comparing fuel tank and injector size between two different engines -- if one is a gas-powered inline 4 and the other is a diesel V8, then you didn't learn much.