Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Remington MPS6017A electric mower

Table of Contents

Important note: if you have a question to ask, please ask it at Lawn Mower Forum, either in the Black & Decker area or the Electric & Battery Operated area at that website. I apologize for being unable to handle individual requests for help posted on this blog or sent by email.
 
                                                                                
 
Today I got a look at another brand of electric lawnmower, the Remington model MPS6017A, that some friends of mine own.  I was called over to investigate a weird screeching noise it was making upon start-up and shut-down.  We traced the problem to a loose nut atop the motor spindle, and simply tightening that nut stopped the noise.

Unfortunately, the battery terminals were badly corroded and one of them broke off.  As the battery seemed to be on its way out (not holding charge as long as it did when new, somewhat over a year ago), replacing it is a good idea anyway.  I'll just take this opportunity to mention that battery-powered mowers should be stopped for recharging whenever the battery charge gets noticeably low, as running down this type of battery does shorten its useful life.  Fortunately, the Remington can run on household 120V in addition to the battery.

Moving on to the main reason why I'm posting today -- this was a good opportunity to see how a different brand, my friends' Remington, compares with the Black and Decker.  While I didn't get a chance to actually use the Remington on a lawn, I did notice differences between the two brands that piqued my interest.

For starters, the Remington uses five small 12V batteries to generate 60Vdc, whereas the Black and Decker uses two larger-sized batteries for 24V. Presumably the higher voltage Remington uses a lower electrical current than the Black and Decker, assuming they run at comparable power levels.

Some things I like better about the Remington are:
  • The battery is easily removable, so that one could quickly swap in a second battery pack when doing larger lawns.
  • The option to use 120 V AC household power when the battery loses its charge.
  • The circuit breaker has a manual reset button.  On the Black and Decker, you have to wait about 30 seconds for the breaker to automatically reset.
  • The lower electric current means that the wires and connectors are smaller, therefore easier to work with in case you need to redo any wiring.
Here is what I like better about my Black and Decker:
  • It has a meter showing when the battery charge is low during mower operation, which the Remington lacks.  This is important for not running the battery charge down too low and damaging the battery.
  • The blade width is slightly more, 19" vs. 17" for the Remington.
  • It looks like there is room to add larger-capacity batteries, if one were so inclined.
  • (added 11 Apr. 2010) The company has not gone out of business, like Remington has, and it is possible to buy replacement parts when necessary.
That's it for now.

21 comments:

  1. Of course, Remington went bankrupt and out of business, but supposedly bought by someone. Don't know if they will get back into the lawn mower business again. Wish I knew how to fix the back wheels of my Remington that are falling off after two summers! Have your friends had any more trouble with theirs? I really like mine, but it's not going to last long at this rate. I will need to figure out a battery replacement, too.

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  2. Too bad about your wheels, they really should hold up longer than two seasons. I believe I have seen replacement lawnmower wheels available at either Ace Hardware, Lowe's, or Home Depot. I don't know if they would be compatible with your mower but you could check it out.

    My friends replaced their battery and last I heard it was running fine. Instead of buying the battery from Remington (which has gone out of business, as you said) they bought five individual 12V, 5 Amp-hour, sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries as can be found here:

    http://shopping.microbattery.com/s.nl/it.A/id.5539/.f

    Note, they did have to wire up connections between the battery terminals themselves in order to get it working.

    Good luck, and thank you for your comment.

    Mark Widmer

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  3. Where can I find replacement batteries and blades for this mower. Company went bankrupt

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  4. For the battery, I guess you have to do what my friends did ... order 5 individual batteries (1st item in the link I posted in comment dated Feb. 15, 2010), AND get connectors at a hardware store or Radio Shack, if the ones on your current battery are not compatible. You would have to attach the connectors to wires in order to make things work (important to be handy with doing wiring if you do this, or see if you have a friend who can do it).

    For the blade, maybe bring your existing blade to a hardware store or home center, show it to a clerk and ask if they have something compatible. (Be careful when actually removing or installing the blade.)

    Hope that helps, sorry I don't know of any easier way to replace these parts.

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  5. I just fixed mine up today and it's better than new! I bought the five replacement batteries, total $70, found in town. Easy to replace - just unhook each and hook up the new. Get Power-Sonic PS-1250 F1 batteries and the connectors are completely compatible. They were already charged up and I immediately mowed the yard.

    For the back wheels which fell off (very poor design and quality), I got 8-inch steel wheels with a 1.5 inch offset hub. I drilled a hole about 1/4 inch from the end of the axle, slid on the new wheels, and put a clip pin through the hole to hold them on. Perfect fix. Well, almost - the Remington originally comes with 9-inch wheels so I now set the height at 3.5 inches to mow at 3 inches.

    I'm a happy camper again.

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  6. I have a Remington cordless 17 inch lawnmower. The batteries are not holding charge anymore, so I had to buy new ones from batteries Plus. I forgot to write down how the old ones were connected, so now I don't know how to connect the new ones. Can someone help me connect them? Thanks

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  7. have this same mower trying to find a swicth for it

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  8. standing in front of mower put the frist wire to leftside of the red side on frist row then black to red on outside on second row then go across black to red two more times then down to redside on frist row then put black on post ravi

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  9. Thanks very much Biggen. It worked! Thanks for saving my lawnmover.
    Ravi

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  10. I have the Remington MPS6017A and it will not work under battery power any more. It will work with the power cord on both of the power cord settings and the batteries still charge (they are at 67 volts). I looked inside at the electronics and the switch that enables the power cord operations is the only thing I can see that could need replacing as it also allows the battery power to work when disengaged. Do you have any ideas what could be the issue?

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  11. I just bought one of these from a flea market and noticed it does not work at all in corded mode. I know it is getting connection because I was able to charge the batteries, although they still lack enough power to cut the grass. I also noticed the blade was chewed up a bit, couple of gouges.

    The key does not come out nor does it stay down when in operation, could that be part of the problem?

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  12. I got one of these free on craigslist. It dosent have a key so I took the key assy. apart and super glued the spring loaded cam in place so it activates the power switch. Also the power selector dial was not making full contact with the power switch underneath it for 120v so I again super glued a thin strip of wood on top of the switch to make better contact now all is well. I will test the battery situation out next and may go for the suggested replacements if the thing cuts OK.

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  13. have had one for about 3 years, have replaced the batteries once and it runs great under battery power but will not run under 120. Took it apart looked at everything and all seems OK, tried to activate the 120 switch manually and still no luck, anybody have any troubleshooting tips I might try?

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  14. So......would those of you who have used the remington say I should buy it if I find one? (for a very small yard but like having both corded/cordless options)

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  15. Mine has stopped working in it's entirety. Very annoying as it was expensive and I barely got 2+ seasons out of it. I have a small enough yard where working with it in corded mode is OK with me. But it no longer works like that. It needed to have the dial turned from corded to corded/boost and sometimes it would run, but then it would slow down and stop, sometimes power up again if I pulled the mower backward. I took the cover off, blew out all the dust and crud, checked the connections and switches the best I could, but nothing seems to fix it, at least at the level that I am able to fix things. Does anyone work on this model?

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  16. Great tips in this site. It will help me to fix it. I found A Remington Cordless MPS6017A on the curb / garbage. Looking for a schematic and Service Manual. Missing the "key". I will make a "key" using plexy / plastic.

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  17. Anonymous (29 May 2012)....Found one of these machines today at a local second hand store. Trying to locate a Battery cost for it just in case I need it. Surfing Google brought me to all of this valuable information. I googled again for a Schematic as I was a little confused at the Battery modifications listed above. Found the following link that was very helpful:

    http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/user-manuals/MPS6017A-Remington-Parts-ELECTRIC+MOWER-manual

    Can be printed in PDF Format. I reviewed the Manual, found Pages 1 - 18 in English, and the actual Schematics you'll want to print, are pages 53-63. A little time and 4 cents a sheet at your local printer with a $ 2.89 Coil Binding cost will most definitely keep you up to speed whenever you need it! (Hope this helps!) As for me and my little lawn (like a football field for my Dachshunds), this originally priced $419 mower for a mere $ 35 at the local Second Hand store that wholly supports are local Food Bank, is a small price to pay for such a great machine. Especially when you have all the Remington Repair Specialists (listed above with comments of their own) at your fingertips! Good Luck to you, and thanks to all the blogs! I appreciate your knowledge and helping me to make a conscience decision about my purchase! Sandi

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  18. does Remington make an electric mower that just plugs into a wall socket?

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  19. Yes, they (or the company that bought them out) do. So does Black and Decker and presumably other companies too.

    Here are links to two plug-in mowers at amazon:

    http://www.amazon.com/Remington-18A-212A783-Electric-Discharge-Mulching/dp/B003JN49HA
    http://www.amazon.com/patio-lawn-garden/dp/B00005AKZI

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  20. My Remington battery mower is an 18A-212B. From day 1 when it was new, whether or not it holds a charge varies widely between 1 and
    3 green lights from 1 charge to the next. I took it under warranty to an authorized repair service. He said I have to squeeze the plug prongs together and then force the plug into the wall receptacle. I tried that on 2 different receptacles, each in a different room. I charge between 12 and 72 hours. No difference! I'm trying to avoid going back to a gas engine mower. Any ideas?

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  21. Important note:

    If you have a question to ask, please ask it at Lawn Mower Forum, either in the Black & Decker area or the Electric & Battery Operated area at that website. I apologize for being unable to handle individual requests for help posted on this blog or sent by email.

    Link to Lawn Mower Forum's main page: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/forum.php

    From there you'll find the Black & Decker section (under "Brand Specific Forums" and the Electric & Battery Operated section.

    Best regards,

    Mark

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