I’m thrilled with the results of this conversion. It has higher torque, more power, runs quieter, can run an electric PTO, goes for an hour, has a light bar and USB device charging. Best of all, there’s no exhaust fumes and no gas to pour. Just the sweet smell of a freshly cut lawn.

Some common questions:
- How many amps does it draw while running? IDLING: 10; DRIVING/TOWING (no blades): 12-15; MOWING (weekly maintained grass): 20-25; MOWING (heavy long grass): 28ish; MOWING (heavy crazy jungle overgrown): 30-35
- How long does it last on a charge? About an hour on kinda/sorta maintained lawn.
- The above doesn't make sense! You have 100ah at 48v! Why doesn't it last longer? Well, at 25-30 amps of draw, I run for about an hour before I notice degradation in performance. My batteries are a few years old and SLA batteries start to show lower performance (in my humble experience) around 50-60% and I don't like to push them much further. I'm sure I could run for a couple hours if I'd used lithium, but if I'd done that I wouldn't have had money for anything else and my wife never would have approved :-D

Links to the parts (if I forgot something, leave a comment and I'll add it or find it):
- Motor: Motoenergy 1004. It's a 48v DC motor with terrific torque and a vertical drive shaft that's the same size a lawn tractor. It was designed with the intention of being a direct conversion. You can get them from a few suppliers, sometimes on Amazon, and sometimes eBay. I got mine for about $400. I see them mostly around $600 now.
- 100ah SLA battery (I got mine from a failed EV company that liquidated, but I've bought and used these Mighty Max ones in other projects): https://amzn.to/3868wqF
- 48v heavy duty solenoid (400A): https://amzn.to/2WhwHAc
- 2 gauge wire (can handle 205 amps): https://amzn.to/3sDJAjG
- 6 gauge wire (can handle 115 amps): https://amzn.to/2UEgRPe
- 12 gauge wire (for the 12v stuff): https://amzn.to/3sJZ4mj
- Heat shrink tubing (hint, I only used the black and red, but wish I'd color coded and would do so next time): https://amzn.to/384isRJ
- DC Multifunction Battery Monitor (0-200V, 0-300A): https://amzn.to/3DeEvn8
- Battery Fuel Meter (48v): https://amzn.to/3870D4m
- 12v meter + USB charging: https://amzn.to/3khf2AA
- Terminal blocks: https://amzn.to/3DeEvn8
- Terminal boots: https://amzn.to/3gssiRX
- 48v step down transformer to 12v: https://amzn.to/3sDANyp
- Battery keys: https://amzn.to/2UHwMfR
- Rocker toggle switches: https://amzn.to/3BjqeDV
- 48v golf cart charger (there are other options, but this one was a good balance of quality and price): https://amzn.to/3glUJRt
- Golf cart charge port (female): https://amzn.to/3Da08Vk
- Golf cart charge cord connector (male): https://amzn.to/3mp6cmW
- Light bar (16"): https://amzn.to/3sCPi5y

Links to the tools I use:
- Label maker (so insanely helpful on electric projects): https://amzn.to/3kbd84w
- Test light: https://amzn.to/3gqCjiB
- My favorite multimeter ($30 and works great): https://amzn.to/3zdpVJR
- My hated multimeter ($8, works, but why didn't I just get the good one first?) https://amzn.to/3sDKOvi
- My favorite wire strippers: https://amzn.to/2WiBW22
- My least favorite big crimpers, but they get the job done: https://amzn.to/3B2I7qg
- 10, 12, and 14 gauge crimpers: https://amzn.to/3yfCWBj