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dfrisk

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 12, 2001
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Dennis Frisk
I happened to catch a video this afternoon by Tractor Time with TIM, a regular at the Green Tractor Talk forum or website. He was at some lawn equipment show, and of course Mother Deere had all their latest electric marvels on display, Even while another Manufacturer's stand-up Lithium battery powered stand up zero turn burns to the ground.
I think this is an omen. The current path that the manufacturers are going with imported Lithium batteries, imported from our good friends the Chinese, so they can rape Mother Earth of rare minerals to manufacture these batteries that can spontaneously combust, releasing even more pollution into the environment, all the while they profit greatly at every step of the process. I agree that it appears the planet is warming, as it has been determined it has done before without tens of millions of fossil fuel burning vehicles being accused as the cause. Some people, academics, politicians, and the members of the tin foil hat club are all pushing us into what I think will be a worse outcome.
As many of you have read, General Electric built very successful electric garden tractors from 1969 to 1975 using common lead-acid batteries and the crude electric controls available at that time. Why are companies like Tesla, GM, and hundreds of others struggling trying to reinvent the wheel? I'm pretty sure I'll never live long enough to ever consider buying and driving an electric car, truck, garden tractor, especially if it has Lithium ion batteries. In fact, I have 3 Craftsman Li-io 19.2V batteries that I hope fail quickly and peacefully, I had 4 originally, still have the dead one, according to everything I've read, they can't be recycled.
What MORON has pushed us into this situation? How do we undo the damage this stupid idea has already caused? I'm actually happy that I won't be around to see all the havoc these electric cars will cause. I have to laugh at the stupid laws they pass. When are they going to make it illegal to have an uncontrolled wild fire on your propery? SO when you lose everything, house, cars, boats, properly, the state can fine you for all the carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide you've released into the air, and HERE'S your fine of 25 Million Dollars for all the irreparable damage you caused to OUR planet.
I was a geography major in college. Did you know that where most of you are living, 10,000 years ago, there was a 1000 feet of ice and snow on the ground? This planet has been getting warmer long before we had gasoline and diesel engines!
 
I had a high school biology teacher that told the class, while discussing the ice age and the warming trend that this place we occupy now will return to a desert one day. None of us will live to see it but it will happen. His words are looking more true than ever now days.
 
It is amazing to watch PBS shows on how the earth was formed........................according to their experts, the earth has gone through so many "changes" in the millions of years, What is normal?
One the other night had a section about Europe not having sunlight any brighter than the moon for about a year, due to a volcano blowing in Iceland.
 
Like anything else now if they mass produced an electric garden tractor it would be outrageously expensive like a Tesla. Electric vehicles are for the elite and may never reach the point where they replace fuel burners. More fake news. And look at what's happening now with green energy during the coming global economy/Ukraine debacle, they're reverting back to coal and gas lol. There will be alot of wood stoves burning in europe this winter.
 
There were some old lead-acid battery powered fork trucks doing LOTS of work at IH's FARMALL PLANT when I worked there from 1976 to '81, the batteries were huge, 48 volts seems about right, they would do a lot of work in an 8 to 12 hour shift. And you had a second battery to charge an entire day so you could work the next day.
I'm not completely sold in the Lithium-ion battery, I got 4 19.2V for my Craftsman cordless tool. They charge alright as long as they're warm, they don't like cold. I have one already that won't take a charge, and while they tell you they can be recycled, it probably costs about what a new battery costs, I buy Ni-Cad replacement batteries.
 
I'm not completely sold in the Lithium-ion battery, I got 4 19.2V for my Craftsman cordless tool. They charge alright as long as they're warm, they don't like cold. I have one already that won't take a charge, and while they tell you they can be recycled, it probably costs about what a new battery costs, I buy Ni-Cad replacement batteries.

Your experience with those is unusual. The Li-ion batteries in my current set of tools has outperformed every Ni-Cad or NiMH battery I've previously had, and have lasted many years longer. They also are lighter, charge must faster, and there is basically no voltage dropoff until they are dead.

Most home depot stores have a drop box to recycle worn out Li-ion batteries. No charge.
 
Don't own an EV, but I was considering it when the Escape hybrid first came out. For round town trips an EV'd be great, but if you need some range, straight EV's kinda suck.

The Li-ion battery has helped this but they have their own set of problems. The Li-ion battery is one of the best available for energy density. I'm not sure about the numbers, but I know that you can pack more amp hours into 1 cubic foot of Li-ion batteries than you can the same volume of lead-acid. And the Li-ion is WAY lighter. Both the energy density and weight are crucial factors in an EV.

Li-ion batteries will perform admirably as long as you don't abuse them. Probably the worst thing you can do to them is over-charge them. Most battery Li-ion chargers for tool packs have a battery management system built into them to prevent charging at too high a rate and also charging too long. This is over-charging. However if you are the battery management system, then you better be on your toes. If you over-charge them long enough - they will go BOOM. From the overcharging videos I've seen they burn quite spectacularly, nice bright yellow jet of flame.

I can understand why some people feel the need to ban things like gas lawn mowers and automobiles in smog-ridden cities, but those are probably the same people that don't want wind turbines, or Industrial PV arrays because they disturb the natural beauty of the environment. And then they wonder why their AC doesn't work well in a brown-out. Hopefully people a little more in touch with reality will prevail.
 
The latest issue of Heritage Iron, a collectable ag tractor monthly magazine I got the latest issue last week has a year by year historical news section, and one of the news stories I knew nothing about was NEW IDEA, A short line ag equipment manufacturer released 4 sizes of ELECTRIC garden tractors in August 1973, in 8, 10, 12, & 14 hp. 36 volt batteries and motors, and like the GE Electrac smaller remote motors quik-attached to powered attachments except the mid-mount belly mower. New Idea was well known for both mounted and pull type corn pickers and what all else they made I don't know.
These Lithium ion batteries made from raw materials ONLY mined by China still sounds like a stupid thing to do to me.
 
These Lithium ion batteries made from raw materials ONLY mined by China still sounds like a stupid thing to do to me.
My apologies. Lithium is also "available" in Canada. Unfortunately, with the Prime Minister we have, he's extremely obstructionist to opening new mines. Just how the %$#@ does he think we can be only selling electric vehicles in 7 years?!! You can't HAVE your cake, AND eat it, too!
 
I saw a couple of shows, One where the Global Warming is a HOAX, The national weather service takes tempetures from highly calibrated thermometers,PROBLEM IS,,instead of being located in NATUAL SETTINGS such as feilds,woods, lakes, They are located NEAR brick buildings,asphaut parking lots, and other places that RETAIN HEAT!!!! The other artical mentions how in order to make ONE TESAL BATTERY,,A payloader workind one 8 hour shift in a mine burns 800 gallons of desiel fuel,NOT counting the dump truck to haul the mined material,and the trucks to haul the battery parts to the factories.....I'm disabled and use a BATTERY POWERED mobility schooter that i can't even get out of my neighborhood (hills) and have to replace batteries(2 packs,2 batteries each) EVERY 6 MONTHS.....SORRY I'M STICKING WITH MY 1972 CUB CADET 108 WITH IT'S 10HP,SMOKE BILLOWING,FIRE BREATHING,ENGINE SCREMING,SINGLE THUMPER ENGINE!!............sorry about the spelling,,it's 6 AM,and I'M PISSED....LOL
 

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Rey, only fools believe we can switch to total elec in a few short yrs..Think world wide:ships,planes,trains,trucks,heavy equipment,tractors are all relevent to food supply ,and all use petro based fuels,the list goes on and on...
I'm with you on that!! Electric vehicles are NOT practical "only vehicle" in the rural prairies. Too many times we need to go several hours' drive, with little extra time to top up a battery or plan the time and place to do so. As a second vehicle to commute 10 miles to work, ONLY if the price is very reasonable, otherwise it would still be cheaper to use an old beater and pay for gas.
 
Beside cars,they want to switch everthing to electric, ban gas stoves,switch to electric heat, the grid can't handle that, AND THIS WAY THE GOVERMENT CAN SHUT OFF YOUR ELECTRIC CAUSING YOU TO STARVE & FREEZE TO DEATH IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THEM !!!!!.......
 
I saw a couple of shows, One where the Global Warming is a HOAX, The national weather service takes tempetures from highly calibrated thermometers,PROBLEM IS,,instead of being located in NATUAL SETTINGS such as feilds,woods, lakes, They are located NEAR brick buildings,asphaut parking lots, and other places that RETAIN HEAT!!!! The other artical mentions how in order to make ONE TESAL BATTERY,,A payloader workind one 8 hour shift in a mine burns 800 gallons of desiel fuel,NOT counting the dump truck to haul the mined material,and the trucks to haul the battery parts to the factories.....I'm disabled and use a BATTERY POWERED mobility schooter that i can't even get out of my neighborhood (hills) and have to replace batteries(2 packs,2 batteries each) EVERY 6 MONTHS.....SORRY I'M STICKING WITH MY 1972 CUB CADET 108 WITH IT'S 10HP,SMOKE BILLOWING,FIRE BREATHING,ENGINE SCREMING,SINGLE THUMPER ENGINE!!............sorry about the spelling,,it's 6 AM,and I'M PISSED....LOL
Simple answer to "Global warming" from a Biblical perspective, in my humble opinion.
Mankind has done nothing and can do nothing to change that which the Lord God, our Creator has already set in motion.
Genesis 8:22 - While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night
shall not cease.
Deuteronomy 32:22 - For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
 
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