Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
5 years ago Ryobi released their first battery-powered riding mower, the RM480E. It featured a lead-acid battery and a 38-inch stamped steel deck. That was followed by a Ryobi RY48ZTR100 48-inch zero turn mower and, eventually, the 54-inch brushless ZT with a fabricated deck. So what’s the big news for today? Ryobi has brought three new lithium-ion battery-powered zero-turn riding lawn mowers powered by a brand new 80V lithium-ion suitcase-style battery. They also use a new iDrive (Intelligent Drive) joystick drive control.
Let’s start with the models and deck sizes. Ryobi 80V Zero Turn Mowers include 30-, 42-, and 54-inch decks and feature a lot of innovation.
Right off the bat you can’t help but notice these mowers don’t use either a steering wheel or lap bars. Instead, Ryobi spent over a year developing a single iDrive joystick that lets you maneuver the mower quickly and easily.
We get it—people typically hate change. However, we gave it a try—in fact, we rode this mower for quite a while…and I have to say, the joystick works REALLY really well. If you like playing video games you’re going to feel right at home. If you haven’t, Ryobi dialed in the sensitivity and control so that we were able to run through slaloms, maintain straight lines, and even execute 360-degree turns in place without much of a learning curve.
You pull up on a red knob to activate the blades—just as you would with a gas zero turn. It’s also keyed, so not just anyone can jump on and start it up.
Deck height is adjustable using a side pull lever from 1.5 to 4.5 inches. You also get LED headlights that activate with the push of a button underneath the LCD panel. Finally, a USB port lets you recharge your smartphone or other electronics as needed. And, yes, you get a couple of cup-holders.
If you listened closely, you’ll remember we said this mower operated off an 80V battery. Actually, it operates off more than one. Each 80V pack resembles a small suitcase and features 100 individual battery cells. A small LCD screen next to the handle shows you the percentage of charge remaining.
The 42-inch and 54-inch models support up to three 80V batteries and four 40V auxiliary batteries. The 30-inch mower supports two 80V batteries and two 40V auxiliary batteries.
Each Ryobi 80V Lithium-ion battery pack operates at 72 nominal volts and specs out at 10Ah (amp-hours). That gives it a capacity of 720 Wh (watt-hours). Each 12Ah 40V battery pack yields 432 Wh once you factor in the 36V nominal voltage.
Do the math, and you can fully load either a Z42Li or Z54Li with 3,888 Wh of lithium-ion battery power!
Where the older lead-acid battery-powered mowers took a long time to charge, the new 30-, 42-, and 54-inch zero turns use a 120V external fast charger that you can mount on your garage or shed wall. It charges these zero-turn mowers in 2, 3, and 4 hours respectively. That’s super quick—and yes, it charges both the 80V batteries and the 40V batteries at the same time.
Even if you don’t plan to use the 40V ports to extend run-time it might make sense to make use of the fast charger for the rest of your handheld 40V power tools.
So how do the Ryobi 80V riding mowers mix 40V and 80V batteries together? That’s a great question. While the mowers prioritize the 80V packs for operation, they use any additional 40V packs to add more runtime.
And lest you think it needs to operate these 40V batteries in pairs—it doesn’t. Ryobi uses electronics to step up their 40V packs to 80Vs and deliver the required voltage. That means you can add just a single 40V battery and extend your runtime.
If that weren’t enough, Ryobi also updated the control system on these mowers. Now, an LCD screen lets you independently configure Low, Medium, and High drive and blade speeds. The screen shows you the remaining runtime and battery life. It also displays whether the vehicle is in Drive or whether the center-mounted golf cart-style parking brake is engaged.
As we mentioned earlier, we rode this mower, and so did several of our colleagues from the media. The air-ride seat suspension on the 42-inch and 54-inch models makes for a very comfortable ride. A dial on the front lets you adjust for your weight—which worked well since I weighed significantly less than one of the gentlemen testing the mower before I sat in the seat.
Ryobi continued the use of a fabricated steel deck on the 54-inch mower, but the 30-inch and 42-inch models use a stamped steel design. The blades on the 54-inch mower also utilize a cross-cut design very similar to what you find on their premium walk-behind mowers. That means you have six blades in the 54-inch model. The result is an extra-fine cut that grabs a lot more grass during bagging and leaves finer clippings when mulching.
Ryobi plans to offer several bagging systems and release them alongside the mowers. Notably, they included a “Bagger Boost” system. Bagger Boost works with both the 80V HP 30″ Lithium Electric Zero Turn Riding Mower and the 80V HP 42″ Lithium Electric Zero Turn Riding Mower:
The Bagger Boost button is located on the control panel for both the 30” and 42” ZTRs. With just the press of a button, Bagger Boost sends a powerful gust of 700 CFM into the bagger chute. This helps clear out clogs and clumps of grass. This keeps you from having to stop mowing and manually clear out the chute.
The Ryobi Bagger Boost baggers will be sold separately as an accessory online only. You will also be able to buy a bagger option that does not feature Bagger Boost. Pricing has not yet been confirmed but should be solidified closer to when these units launch on Home Depot online in the Spring of 2022.
When looking at all three models, we can see some pretty clear reasons for getting each. For example, the Ryobi Z30Li 30-inch mower fits through most gates and presents a great solution for delivering a rider that fits where most zero turns can’t. Ryobi even designed the bagging system to fit completely within the width of the body so it doesn’t expand the footprint. The side-discharge grass chute is made from rubber and won’t damage your shed or gates when you get too close. At $4,000, this mower should provide a solid solution for anyone trying to get a battery-powered zero turn mower that can tackle properties up to an acre in size.
Stepping up to the 42-inch Ryobi Z42Li, you get a great mid-tier product with all of the same great controls and features of the 54-inch but with a stamped deck and reduced deck size. The $5,000 retail price gives you double the mowing range—up to 2 acres. You also get an additional 80V battery and two more 40V battery ports for extending your runtime.
Finally, the $6,000 flagship Z54Li brings a 54-inch fabricated deck that, combined with the trio of 80V batteries nets you up to 4-acres of grass-cutting.
We have to admit, we’re kind of excited about these mowers—not because we haven’t seen anything like this before, but because manufacturers like Ryobi are starting to drive the industry forward in a new direction. A joystick steering wheel? Air ride seat suspension? Between innovative new features and familiar features we’ve come to expect from gas products, manufacturers are really starting to produce products that require a very small learning curve and tons of benefits to consumers looking to make the transition into battery-powered products.
As for how much they cost, Ryobi plans to sell the Z30Li, Z42Li, and Z54Li at $4000, $5000, and $6000 respectively. All three mowers should be available in the Spring of 2022. While not inexpensive, you’re getting a lot of mower and battery capacity for the price. We look forward to doing even more performance testing on these mowers when we get them in-house later this year.
When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
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Yes when will we be able to purchase these Ryobi Z54Li 80V Zero-turn. I am ready to “BUY”
WHERE can I go to see and test drive
It’s Spring, grass is growing, I need a new mower. WHEN will these be available.
Clint, do these new mowers all have an available bagging system and if so what are the details, cost? TIA
It sounds like the 40V batteries work in the Ryobi 40V tools. It appears that the 80V batteries are removable. Is there any mention of availability of extra batteries to swap out or any other tools that use 80V batteries (or a backpack?).
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros