Cordless / Battery Powered Electric Snowblower

For more information about this device and continued updates, please see my blog at: http://electronicrevolt.com

Snow Joe electric snowblower converted to run on 25s2p lipo cells (105V max 93V nominal, 10Ah) I found this at a local thrift store, unused for $50 and couldn't resist. It uses a "universal" motor so very little was actually required to actually get this running other than wiring up a custom battery harness.I know it's excessive, but make sure to watch in high def 1080p!

Averages between 5 - 12A, around 16A peak. This gives about 1-11/2 hours of runtime depending on snow depth and pack.

I didn't think to make the video until after the driveway and sidewalk were finished so I thought I would clear a spot in the backyard for my four-legged friend (I don't always snowblow our entire lawn). The base layer had been melted and refrozen a couple times so it was very solid - no problem for a high-torque electric!

The entire thing weighs about 30lbs - very maneuverable and easy to lift in/out of vehicles, up/down steps, etc. There are lots of other benefits as well - no starting, no gas, no oil, uses only a few cents of electricity per use.

This is the battery that I put together for use on an 8kW max electric mountainbike that goes 55mph when everything isn't covered in snow - expect a vdeo of that as soon as summer arrives. In the video it is inside of a rack-mount bike bag and then wrapped in a garbage bag for waterproofing. I considered putting the battery inside the housing as there is plenty of room, but it is ventilated and too much snow gets in to make this practical.

I also use the individual battery cells in other configurations for a leafblower, hedge trimmer, line trimmer, camping lantern, R/C, etc etc etc. Since Lipos have a finite lifespan I figure you might as well try to get the most out of them while you can!

All charging is done off of a DIY solar setup sourced mostly from Ebay. It is 130 watts and more than enough to meet all of my charging needs for less than $2/watt total investment)

Let me know if there is any interest in seeing the other electric tools or any how-to's and I might put something together.

Vive la révolution électrique!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Electric
• Snowblower
• snow
• blower
• battery
• lipo
• cordless

[vivitar45]

snow shovel be about the same time and easyer to store and dosent need to be recharged

[rocketgsx]

@vivitar45

I'm guessing you live somewhere in the far far south and have never had to shovel before. I'm in my mid-20's and in pretty good shape and if there is more than an inch or two of powder on the ground, there is no comparison. The video is a little deceiving because I am ramming through old snowpack and ice just to demonstrate. The electric motor easily outperforms and <$300 gas snowblower I have ever tried (and I got it for a song and already had the batteries).

[itlldoktm]

Yeah, give it to the neighbours!

[rocketgsx]

@itlldoktm Yeah, I didn't even realize I was sending it over the fence until watching the video back. I guess they can't be too pissed because I just finished clearing their sidewalk though!

[elysiumabovo]

You figured out a way to make this electric snowblower a cordless unit? I just ordered a Toro the other day and would love a how-to video of how to put together an energy efficient battery for it.

[rocketgsx]

@elysiumabovo - It is not too hard to put the battery together, I will put up a tutorial video in the near future. I'm not familiar with the toro model and the motor it uses - it might not be as easy as with this one. The batteries are coming down in price but still pretty expensive. If you use them for lots of things though, you maximize their potential and minimize costs!

[uncychris]

@rocketgsx Hi, I'm interested in how you built this battery snowblower. Did you ever get round to putting up a tutorial video?

[andr3wj0n3s99]

we dont have a Snow Blower but last year we got 4 ft of snow some areas in my yard had up to 7 ft... it was ridiculous! lol

[1denece]

I would love to see that electrical conversion to battery on the snow Joe 6221 cord machine. However, I know somebody out there has a simple conversion to bypass that safety button you have to push before pulling back on the throttle. Please help me out. I'm afraid to screw it up for fear that it wouldn't work when I got done altering the button.

[1denece]

Somebody please show me a good way to get around that safety button on the side that you have to push before pulling the trigger. What a pain. This is on the snow joe SJ621.

[1denece]

Like to see how you converted that as I have a snow joe 13 amp, 18 inch, which I assume this is. It looks just like it. Please put out a video to change this to battery plus there must be some conversion to get around that safety button on the side. That is a real pain in the butt.

[sirmasterpimp]

Works better than my 2 cycle ariens snowblower.......Darn shame too, only used that snowblower 2 seasons and it let me down every time. The main blower was down this winter, its a old 70's gilson 4 cycle single phase.....That thing throws some serious snow.

[sambar]

Thats awesome, it'd be great to see a how to video on the battery and its applications. Must applaud you on your efforts, looking forward to some DIY's.