Review Of The Mean Green sk-48 stalker

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3 years ago

Review Of Mean Green Mowers, Pros & Cons

Review of the Mean Green Mowers SK-48 Stalker by Green Mowers. We used this mower for three sessions for this review to tell the pros and cons of this Mean Green 48 in.

Pros,

1, Batter Life,

The Mean Green Mower battery life depends on how you use it, the terrain, and the conditions. On one charge with two batteries and the blade speed set to high while using the blower attachment, we found the Mean Green Mower can confidently handle 20+ homes with an average of about 7,000 to 10,000+ sqft per home of healthy Wisconsin cool-season turf with weekly and bi-weekly services. For open fields from weekly maintenance and with the blade and drive speed set to high, we found it can handle 6.5 to 8.5 acres of healthy cool-season turf or a runtime between 5 to 6 hours. They advertise with up to 10 acres and a 7-hour runtime however using this mower with the blade speed set on low for most or even half of the day is not practical in the real world commercially. Also using the blower attachment often does have a noticeable difference in runtime.

2, Grip & Hills,

The grip is good due to the center of gravity, the extra torque, and no free-rolling. The Mean Green Mowers stand-ons have a better center of gravity than any other gas stand-on. There is no free-rolling effect going down a hill. For example, if you let go of the controls going down a hill it will stop where it stands. It is much more stable on hills than hydraulics especially going down a hill.

3, Durability,

We found the Mean Green mower to be very durable. This mower continued to run after hitting large rocks the size of grapefruit with the blades, hitting rebar once with the blades, and with an employee throwing it into a bolder pit. We are pleased with the durability.

4, Eco-friendly,

This Mean Green Mower has 24 hp, according to an EPA study, a gas 25 hp mower puts out the same amount of emissions as 4,839 miles of car pollution each hour the blades are running.

5, Tip Speed,

The Mean Green Mowers blade's RPMs hold up very well. You can accelerate full power into thick grass and the RPMs hold up. They will never lose more than 5% RPM in normal conditions of 5.5 inches or under of cool season grass.

More,

Fewer gas stations.
Twice as quiet as gas.
An automatic parking brake.
Costs about $3 or less to fully charge it.
Batteries are rated at 4500 hours with individual cells to fix if needed.
You can carry bagged seed, mulch, and soil on top of the battery compartment.
You can transport them on an open trailer through the rain with the main power switch turned off.

Cons,

1, Blades,

The blades start up slower than a gas mower. All Mean Greens come with a low lift blade for better battery life. There will be more stranglers than usual for over 5 inches of grass or wet grass. You need to make sure the deck is as low as possible without making clumps of clippings to get a good cut. There is something nice that comes out of this as the grass gets mulched up better and it only shoots the grass out less than 100 ft. Which makes it much easier to not put the grass clippings where you don't want them to be.

2, Drive Controls,

Mean Green Mower's newer models have much better and improved drives. However, there will still be a heavy learning curve coming from hydraulics, it does take some time to get used to. The Mean Green SK-48 stalker drives are less forgiving and touchy going in a straight line. Accelerating from a stop is difficult keeping it straight until it reaches the speed you want. You need to correct and adjust way sooner than hydraulics. After you get used to it straight lines are not a problem it just takes more focus and skill however bumps can through your line off more easily. I can still one-hand it just fine and it's still more precise than hydraulics on low drive speed.

3, Upfront Cost,

The Mean Green SK-48 stalker is about 8,000 more expensive than a 25hp Scag V-Ride however from the gas savings, this mower pays the difference up itself. Overall life cost will average about the same however Mean Green Mowers have less maintenance and the battery life should last 4500 hours which will outlast the frame to use again.

4, Drive controller replacement,

If the drive controller brakes down it can be as high as 2k to fix. This is the only part that you can not put in yourself as it needs to be programmed by the dealer. Every other part is easy to troubleshoot and replace for a reasonable amount. For example, each blade motor is $300 and takes 15min to replace.

More,

- You can not mow in mid to heavy rain.
- Can't wash it completely without removing the batteries.
- The tires wear out way faster because of the non-rolling effect, the extra grip, and the extra torque.