RYOBI 48V Battery-Powered Ride-On Mower

Absolute waste of money. I've had to contact Ryobi twice now to come out and fix it as it's under warranty. Now the tyre has gone on it and I'm told that the tyre isn't under warranty because it's "an accessory" not part of the mower. Even when it works it can't cut through long grass without stopping every five minutes and you needing to pull the… Read more

grass out from the rotors. It also can't handle the slightest incline without trying to tip over. Definitely would not spend the exorbitant amount of money on this if I had my time again, and will never trust Ryobi after their appalling, rude customer service (if you can even get them on the phone)

Nice looking mower, with one season batteries – Bought December 22 . Hardly used that season. 2023 used only a few times - (less than 20 cycles), ,always on charge. NOV 24 Useable for 15 minutes - down to 2 bars - batteries obviously dead. Now waiting for weeks for any movement regarding service. After reading other reviews I'm getting seriously worried of having wasted $5000 on a good-looking toy with inaccesible built in throwaway batteries. Show details

A real let-down! – What sort of a Mower Centre is Bunnings. They don't carry spares for electric ride-ons, not even a wearable commodity such as blades. Do in a blade and it's a special order in job meaning a 7 to 8 day delivery , a trip to the store to order and another trip to the store to collect. These blades at 2.2mm thickness are wafer thin compared to the normal 4mm for ride-on mowers yet sell around the same price. Caveat emptor. Show details

Ryobi don't care so why should you? – Wow, what a great machine - when it works. Wow, you could do street racing with this baby - if it works. When I bought it, my neighbour was so impressed that he also ordered one after test driving mine. When he got his machine, it was dead-on-arrival. The batteries and charger were replaced. Wow, I thought that I was lucky because I had read many… Read more

horror stories about the batteries dying. About 90% of the negative reviews are about battery failure. Guess what, 6 months and 9.5 hours of use later, the thing died. Ryobi didn't even bother sending a technician around. They said it was the batteries. However, instead of sending their tech-guy around to confirm, I was told that they were out of stock due to the high demand due to the very high failure rate. Wow, if I were Ryobi's CEO, I'd fire the product manager because the battery problem has been known for years. But instead of installing better batteries at the factory for a few dollars more, the big company persists in installing el cheapo - nasty batteries. The money Ryobi has to spend for technicians to come out and loss of reputation doesn't seem to bother Ryobi. Now I have to wait a month or longer before the batteries arrive in Australia and are replaced. That also evidences really bad stock control since we all know that the batteries will fail.

This Mower Needs Redesigning – I bought my 480e in March/April 2023, with bag catcher, and thoroughly read the instructions before operation. This is my reaction: 1) The charger needs a very airy place because it gets quite hot when charging the mower. Not everyone has a car port like area to charge the mower in. 2) Long/ or wire grass flattens the batter quickly: One hour… Read more

cutting at medium cutter height and slow speed range at the most. 3a) Bag catcher attachment is flimsy at best and the rubberised clasps break easily, so spares are essential. 3b) Catcher attachment doesn't fit tightly at mower outlet, full indicator doesn't work, grass blocks up catcher tube. 4) It should be sold as a one bag catcher, not two, with the other bag as a spare. 5) Cleaning after each mow is essential, but the Ryobi blower is not enough for removing grass buildup around the cutter base/cutter motors. The cutter tray needs to be removed completely to remove build up around motor air intake and to clean away wet grass that accumulates around blades/cutting area. Especially when grass is wet. 6) Battery weight makes it impossible to change tyres without heavy jack/small tractor with bucket: Tyres are easily punctured: 8) Why isn't there a Li ion kit available?

After four years of ownership here are some pros and cons – Having written two prior reviews of this ride-on mower I thought it would be useful to do a long term review highlighting the good and the bad of this mower as I find it. The good: No petrol, no oil, no mess. The mower is always ready because it is always left on charge. Very solid build, mine shows no rust after four years. I bought a bagger… Read more

unit for mine because I wanted the clippings to use for mulch around my trees. This works well on dry, shortish grass. Use it otherwise and it will clog. The bagger also costs $400. When used on lawn grass (not too long) it does a lovely job. The bad: My model uses four lead-acid batteries which Ryobi states should always be left on charge, mine were (and still are) but after two years the first lot began to die and had to be replaced under warranty, I had expected to get five years out of them. Bear in mind if you have to buy them then you are looking at several hundred dollars and a hefty job in the change-over. There are many YouTube videos showing owners replacing the lead-acid batteries with lithium-ion batteries. This is fiddly, the old batteries are extremely heavy and you shouldn't have to do it. The ride of the mower is very hard. If you have rough ground then expect some spine-jarring jolts. The very bad: The battery meter on my mower has been replaced three times because of erratic readings. The current one is still unreliable. Sometimes it shows an initial full charge, sometimes three bars and sometimes two bars. This is even when the batteries have been on charge for days and weeks. I have learnt that even when it shows an initial low charge the batteries are in fact full (I hope) and so I ride around and watch for two bars to become one and then I head for the plug. But I don't rely on the meter. So am I disillusioned and would I go back to petrol? I don't want to go back to petrol but I am disappointed with my experience on the Ryobi. Am I ready to buy a new mower? Well at $5000 a pop that's expensive and who would buy my old one? Come to that, what am I going to do with it when it finally and completely dies?

Crap Batteries – I brought one of these crap mowers when they first came out with the expectations that it would last me a few years. But alas it only lasted one and a half years and the batteries need to be replaced. Even after the first 5-6 cuts you could tell it was down in power and did not last as long. Why couldn't Ryobi put decent batteries in, instead they… Read more

went for lead acid batteries. Not at all impressed with Ryobi. I have recently brought a EGO 56V 10.0Ah 107cm (42") Zero Turn Ride On Mower Kit - ZT4204E-L and very impressed with it.

Good mower for average yards – After two and a half years with the Ryobi I thought I might have some insight for others as most of the reviews here are from pretty new owners. Basically it is a great mower. Easy to use and mows really well. The turning circle is great, the controls are easy to use, it is reliable and very quiet when blades aren’t on. when the blades are on it… Read more

is basically a loud propeller sound. I have bad hearing so I always wear hearing protection but you could probably get away without it if you wanted. I would recommend hearing protection though. So what are the negatives I have found. The battery life degrades quicker than I expected. After 21/2 years I am down to about 30-45mins run time depending on the thickness of the grass. I am thinking that in about 6 months I will have to look at new batteries maybe. 3 years is not long enough Ryobi! I have about 2500 metres of lawn and it takes two sessions to mow it. When it was new I could do the whole lawn on half a charge. Now with some age the mower struggles with thick grass. I have a lovely couch lawn which gets quite thick. The blades stall unless you creep along very very slowly or cut only the tips off. The trick is to mow it a lot - think twice a week in the summer growing season in Brisbane. It is a bit rough - do not get one of these if you have a rough lawn or a bad back. The front axle pivot bolt develops a squeak. Easily fixed with some lubricant spray but seriously Ryobi just put a bush or a bearing in there. Being electric you can’t wash it. Sealed motors would be a nice feature. Would I recommend it - I definitely would for anyone who has a lawn up to 1500metres or a bit larger if you like to keep it perfect and mow twice a week. If you let you lawn get long and thick and have a big yard this is not the mower for you. If you like mowing often and keeping everything perfect this mower will suit you to a T. Super easy to use and no belts, oil, petrol etc etc. I gave it three stars but I am a hard marker. It is a good mower and I love it, but for my yard and mowing habits if I had my time over I would stick with petrol.

Surely the way ride-on mowing needs to be done from now on – This Ryobi ride-on is an RM480e. This has (so-far) exceeded my expectations by a long way. I've been using it now for a month and there's very little I don't like. In fact, nothing I don't like, just things i'd prefer it didn't do. Ryobi (at the time of my purchase) was pretty much the only option for battery powered ride-ons. By default,… Read more

the EGO Z6 was the one I was after, but it's not available for another 2 years in Australia. Still, I wanted to get into battery powered tools so damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead anyway!

I made a decision in 2021 to get rid of everything that used petrol in my workshop. Ride-on, push-mower, chainsaw, blower .. you name it. Time to get into battery powered everything. As part of that tech refresh, I had to invest in a new ride-on to replace my aging Cub Cadet LT1042. This has been a decent machine over 10-15 years or so but now it's a beaten up thing punished by the harsh property I was on (bumpy, hard clay based soil, weeds of every kind, occasional slopes and lots of manicured curves and trees in the way). New property is very sloped (In the Dandenong Ranges), little weed-life, 2 acres of rolling kinds of grassy hillocks on the slope and quite a few huge gum trees dotted around the place. So in other words, a new machine had to be able to be ridden on "dangerous" slopes in all directions and have the energy to go uphills that are steep and slippery in wet seasons. I wasn't sure at all if a battery powered ride-on would cut it compared to the Cub Cadet which had proven it could.

After reading reviews and watching videos online, I was became more confident that people thought highly of the machines but as in nearly every thing I read and watched - the properties just weren't harsh enough. Sure they can mow in straight lines on flat surfaces or nice rolling meadows of nice grass. What can't ? Those reviews are very hard to put into an Aussie bush block context. So here's what I found :

First - this thing is HEAVY. 272kg. had to get it delivered on the back of a Bunnings organised crane truck to my house. Not a chance I was going to get it into or on top of any trailer. It comes packaged on a metal pallet, with arms that hold it down very tight. Lots of unpacking and unwrapping to do and it takes a while (see online videos if that interests you). Heavy is good for being on slopes. The machine doesn't feel like it will blow over when i'm mowing sideways, sitting at an angle on the seat. Not recommended driving method i'll add, but I have to do it given the terrain.

Second - It is so peaky! Controls are simple and instructions are ample, it all makes sense. Standard stuff - turn a key, display comes on with battery information, pull the blade engage knob and away they spin. The accelerator pedal is very touchy when you first use it. Compared to the Cub Cadet, this things just leaps away. The Tesla of ride-ons! So when you play around with it a bit, you get the feel for the pace it turns on. Blitzes the Cub both in non blade use and cutting mode for speed. Big positive.

Third - you can mow backwards. Not all ride-ons do this. My Cub did and I didn't want to lose that. Hit the specific button (safety feature) and it just works. If you don't hit the button, the blades cut out. The reverse signal beep IS annoying however. Very loud. I watched a video online on how to disable or dull it down - this is something I will do and other owners will as well. Needs a volume switch.

Fourth - It handles the slopes beautifully. It never feels like it's struggling at all, it just ascends the big hills and bumps beautifully. We love it. The only thing that is kind of bothersome is when the torque kicks in and it digs up the slope a bit. If you have mossy / grassy areas, ours show some skid marks on turns and on climbs. When descending, the torque once again is so good you feel like you're braking all the way if you just let it roll but it will slip occasionally on the wetter ground and skid once more. Something that will be particular to your property i'm thinking, not a design issue.

Fifth - It's fun to ride. It's promoted as both a mower and a useful yard cart. We use it for both. So easy to drive everyone enjoys it. We hitch the big plastic tub trailer and drag large mulch loads around the place. Once again, it does so without any complaint about load whatsoever. It's almost like nothing is attached. It's fairly comfortable in the race chair, feels a little hard on the bumps but you don't need to change anything. It also has an awesome turning circle. I don't know what a zero-turn is like but I feel like I wouldn't need one.

Sixth - The complete lack of comparable maintenance to a petrol driven one is simply magic. No petrol, oil, filters and BELTS. That equates to no stink, no mess, no fumes, no chemicals on the hands and so much less noise, less injuries (replacing deck belts). There's just no comparison. Comes with a big power unit that you stick on the wall and then plug (Tesla style) into the back of the mower behind the seat.

Seventh - It's claimed to run the battery for 2 hours or 2 acres. This so far is proving pretty true give or take 10 minutes or so. But the marketing is clearly for a flat paddock so I wasn't expecting it to be this good, but it's getting close. I haven't tried to run this down in a power-out exercise as I might end up at the bottom of a big hill and there's no option to push this thing up there!

Eighth - It's mowing through everything we are throwing at it without much of a problem. This is medium height grass of all kinds (nothing like serrated tussock or anything here though), sticks by the thousands and inch think branches you can't see, wet and dry grass, piles of leaves (gum and exotics).. you name it, kills it all. A couple of times i've ventured into something too big or found a tree stump / root and the blades cut out immediately. You get surprised by it. But this is a good thing in my view as the Cub Cadet would just keep trying to cut everything! That's when you break stuff and it gets dangerous. A much better / safer option to cut the deck blades out, backup and assess.

Things i'd prefer : Bigger deck - need the next model up for that the Ryobi Zero turn.. Was quite a bit more expensive though. Volume control for reverse as opposed to hacking into covers to locate and mute the thing. Non-fixed battery. The EGO Z6 will carry 4 of the interchangeable batteries that you use in the other garden tools they have. This Ryobi has a monster single fixed battery. I care because if I ever run the machine out of battery on our big slope, there's no easy way to get power to it. The charging unit must be unhitched from the wall and taken to it on a very long cable and even then.. would it work properly.

Summary - love it. Awesome for big articulated Aussie bush blocks which have real grass and lots to mulch on the way.

Sexy little mower, easy to use and so quiet – I purchased the mower last month and only just got it. It took me quite some time to remove the frame it came on (packaging), but assembling seat and steering wheel was simple and quick. The mower is literally silent while blades are disengaged and it’s easy to operate. I wish the pedals were next to each other like in a car, but it’s something I… Read more

will get used to. The suspension could be a bit better, but apart from that it’s a great little machine and very easy to maintain. No petrol, no oil, spark plugs or belt to deal with - no mess! I can’t comment on the battery life just yet but I’m super happy with the performance so far.

Near Perfect – Generally speaking I would agree with the previous two reviewers. The mower is highly maneuverable and cuts well albeit struggling a little with lush growth. I've had mine for two weeks now and have mowed twice. The cut was very even. The ride is a bit hard. I like the fact I can use it to tow a cart so that I can easily move mulch, tools,… Read more

plants etc down the yard.

I watched every YouTube video I could find and, like the YouTubers, find it is a good mower but disagree that it can cut very long grass and that it hardly uses any battery power. However it is good enough for what I have to cut.

One point I'd like to mention not covered elsewhere is that the mower is delivered on a very sturdy steel frame or open crate. Ryobi recommend this be discarded after assembling the mower which seems an awful waste. I read one person who said he made a mini garage for the mower from the crate. I could not throw away such a plentiful supply of useful steel and so I've converted mine into a garden work bench.

Great concept however – I bought this mower over a month ago and i thought I would write about my experience thus far. I purchased it from Bunnings Coffs Harbour. My home is on a couple acres of diverse terrain including rough grass and also lawns, lots of trees. We receive average of 2 meters of rainfall at Bonville per year and with warm sub tropical temperatures we… Read more

can grow grass. The mower is good, very good. It is easy to use and turns really well and has more speed and driving power than many larger mowers. The deck is easy to adjust and the mowing experience is excellent and stress free, no belts, fuel, oil, no noisy motor and even when the deck is engaged its no load. The seat is good and offers good support however with the smaller rear wheels the machine is extremely bumpy i let the tyres down to allow for the rough ride but its not much better. The machine has no Heel and Toe mechanism and reverse is facilitated by flicking a switch on the control panel, its fiddly and the switch is flimsy, it actually came off twice while i was mowing. also exiting the mower from the right side you can catch on the control panel, its a metal and plastic rectangle. Mowing long grass even at slow speeds can stop the blades, they seem under powered for the job, any petrol mower even smaller will cut longer grass. Ryobi suggest not to mow wet grass which makes it very difficult on the North Coast, its either raining or has been raining and if the grass grows too much then the Ryobi cant mow the grass, it leaves lots of grass just pushed over when its long. The side shute is way to wide and if you hit a shrub or obstacle it can bend back and contact the rear tyre, its flimsy. Charging is easy and if you have solar its free fuel. Ryobi suggest to leave the mower on charge when not in use and I have done that and my battery lasts for way more than I expected. Its good but its limited, I like the green power concept and will continue to use the mower with all this considered because there is always a compomise.