Rather than pull batteries I drilled a 13/32” hole above the fill plug and used a 1/4” tubing to re-fill. It fits nicely on the gear oil bottle tip. It’s a little hassle to drill but sets unit up for easy next oil change. I was also replaced my 75Ah batteries with 60ah Can-Bat LifePO4 batteries and installed accurate battery level meter. Batteries weight 18lbs vs 60lbs original. I get over 3 times mowing time.
I used Canbat 60Ah batteries. They are a very good quality battery but there are lots of available and you probably don’t need to spend that much. Really like the battery charger monitor. Gives accurate % battery remaining as well as Voltage and charge and discharge Amps.
Thanks for this helpful video! I'm planning to follow it when I do my 100 hr service in the spring. Will take pics of battery wiring before I disconnect it as my memory isn't as good as yours.
I am not sure why you had to remove all the batteries from the tray. All I did was to pull the tray with the batteries about 95% and I can reach the fill plug easily without removing any battery.
I have no desire to do mechanical maintenance on any thing, but your voice is so wonderfully calming I actually enjoyed this video and at the very least, learned the location of parts. And a freezy pop is a MUST on hot days, and an additional tall frosty glass of sweet tea is also required in my husband's opinion!😂
Hi Heather ! you know I have never had a proper glass of sweet tea, i know they make it way different in some areas, the best we have up here in canuk land is ice tea, mostly just a bunch of artificial flavors and sugar. (very disappointing ) freezy pop is one of my favs so the freezer is usually well stocked for that nice treat! Thanks for stopping in, God bless you and your family.
Brian, thank you for the maintenance reminder. When you get a chance please post the video regarding your new charging system. I noticed different batteries when you pushed the tray back in. I just replaced all four of my original 100ah batteries a couple weeks ago with Mighty Max brand. I got three years out of the originals. Otherwise I’ve been pretty satisfied with the overall performance of the mower. I have the same set up as you.
I went with my own design of a quad Pulse charging system, 4 individual 12 volt chargers that have battery maintenance built in. working absolutely perfectly! will post a video shortly.
Wow what a fantastic video with all the details especially the part about not removing the breather plug. Man, do I wish that I had watched your video before change the gear oil. However, I have lost the breather and cannot find a replacement. Any idea where I could buy a replacement axle breather plug? It cannot be ordered from Ryobi parts without purchasing the complete axle about $450.00
I should read my manual, I didn't think I needed to change the fluid. I seen that you upgraded your batteries, I do admit that pulling the batteries are annoying.
Hi Brian, this video was what I needed! Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how many times I have watched this video!!! I say that because I did exactly what you said not to do. Scenario: I have both the RM480EX and recently the ZT480EX. I poured the gear oil in the differential breathing plug of the ZT480EX accidentally!!! What should I do??? I missed that directive in the beginning of you video…
Not to worry , the breather plug is just that, its a tube. it breaths back and forth allowing atmospheric air to escape when the oil heats up and air to return when the oil cools down, as long as you haven't inadvertently plugged the hole it will be fine. I would just check that the tube is not plugged, if it is, then clear the obstruction , if its clear then you have nothing to worry about. God bless
Brian I accidentally removed the drain plug a few inches towards the front which is below the drive motor. It only drained 175 ml of oil. I then drained from the correct drain plug and removed 135ml of oil for a total of 310ml. Do you know if fill the unit up with 310 ml from the top fill plug will it distribute the oil to both reservoirs. Thanks Paul
Looks like you have a bank of NOCO Genius 10's charging your batteries. I have only one NOCO 10, but was thinking of buying the NOCO Genius Genpro 10x4. It looks like 4 NOCO 10's in one package. Costs about the same as 4 NOCO 10's. Looking forward to your battery charging video.
Hi! Can you give me any advice my ryobi will not move forward or backwards! Batteries all good. It has 100 percent charge. Seat sensor is functioning and blades will spin. Park brake is working. It beeps when I put switch in reverse the reverse red lights up when engaged. It just will not move forward or backwards when I press the pedal! It is next to if not impossible to find anyone to work on these!
sorry, but forgive me for asking,,, is the mower physically plugged in to the charger? if so there is a safety mechanism built in that wont allow it to move forward or reverse without first removing the charge plug.
Thanks for the tutorial. I'm at 49 hours in mine. But ran into a snag. As soon as I go forward it stops and then beeps till I let off the gas. Same with reverse. The blades won't turn either while I'm neutral. It's full charged too. Any suggestions?
not being there to help you and diagnose the problems it sounds like you have a bad battery cell in the battery pack, What I would recommend is : 1.make sure the mower isn't plugged in to the charger. 2.make sure the emerg brake is off. if the problem still persists then you may have a bad battery. please test your batteries individually. remove and charge and then test each battery separately , you will need to use a 12 volt charger and a 12 volt battery load tester , if all the batteries have the same amphour test rating and they test good, then move on to testing the electronics , if you have a bad battery in the battery pack you will need to repair ( desulfate ) the bad battery or replace it . The charge meter on the mower does not have the ability to detect a bad battery as it only measures voltage over time, and can easily give a false reading of the state of the battery pack charge level.
Hello, ryobi zt480ex won't run the blades more than a minute even when the batteries are 100%. It’s about 3 years old but I could mow only the first season. Any suggestions please?
Hi Marvin Sounds like you have a bad battery cell in the battery pack, What I would recommend is : remove charge and test each battery separately , you will need to use a 12 volt charger and a 12 volt battery load tester , if all the batteries have the same amphour test rating,,, then move on to testing the electronics , if you have a bad battery in the battery pack you will need to repair ( desulfate ) the bad battery or replace it . The charge meter on the mower does not have the ability to detect a bad battery as it only measures voltage over time, and can easily give a false reading of the state of the battery pack charge level.
Yes, absolutely I have been doing that for years ! , I don't directly spray the motors - 2 under the deck and 1 drive motor in front of the left wheel or the control panel .
I'm sick of my one year old Ryobi 42 in. 100 Ah Battery Electric Riding Zero Turn Mower. Wont charge even though batteries are new. Any advice on how to possibly recoup some money by getting rid of it???
@@offgridwanabe good question, I personally would not because Li cells do not like cooler weather, lots of people use this mower with a snow blade attachment in the winter to push snow and Li cells would fail miserably . But for moderate to warm weather Li iron cells would be an expensive but reasonable choice.
@@solarbrianyvonne LifePo4 cells would work. Funny how it it is my 56 volt Ego snowbolwer is Lithium ion and winter doesn't bother it but I do charge the batteries in the warm.
I bought my mower and got no more than 2 years out of the batteries. They are the 75 amp hour batteries. I removed the cell covers and found there was no acid in the batteries. The cells were sealed so don’t know how they could have been dry. Added acid and did a 200 amp charge for 15 minute intervals with an hour in-between and they got a bit more life but not like new. I only have an acre and I still can’t get it done on one charge. So I am going to replace them with 100 amp hour batteries and hopefully that will solve my problems for a few years. Of course that’s another $1000 dollars to the mower but that’s the price of technology! My house is solar so at least I never pay to charge it! Thanks for the videos.
Changing Transaxle Oil - SAE 30 vs GL80W90 Ok, so not so hypothetically speaking - what would be the consequences of putting SAE 30 Engine oil in the gearbox instead of GL4 80W90?
total destruction of the differential gears i am afraid , the pressure points on a planetary gear is extremely small by comparison the pressure points on a engine are large, and because of this difference and a few others, engine oil is made for lubricating combustion engines ( hi temp low pressure) whereas gear oil is made for gear on gear applications ( low temp Hi pressure )
@@solarbrianyvonne ouch - potentially costly mistake. The 30W was only in the differential for a few hours and the mower has not been run or moved yet. I drained the 30W and will attempt to flush once or twice with GL4 80/90 and report back.
Rather than pull batteries I drilled a 13/32” hole above the fill plug and used a 1/4” tubing to re-fill. It fits nicely on the gear oil bottle tip. It’s a little hassle to drill but sets unit up for easy next oil change.
I was also replaced my 75Ah batteries with 60ah Can-Bat LifePO4 batteries and installed accurate battery level meter. Batteries weight 18lbs vs 60lbs original. I get over 3 times mowing time.
Where exactly did you drill the hole? How did you get past the batteries? Thanks!
Do you have any info on those LiPo batteries you used? Very curious about doing this to my unit eventually. Cheers!
I used Canbat 60Ah batteries. They are a very good quality battery but there are lots of available and you probably don’t need to spend that much. Really like the battery charger monitor. Gives accurate % battery remaining as well as Voltage and charge and discharge Amps.
Great instructional video, thank you!!! All your videos are unique, and very informative. I watch every video you make.
Awesome! Thank you!
Thanks for this helpful video! I'm planning to follow it when I do my 100 hr service in the spring. Will take pics of battery wiring before I disconnect it as my memory isn't as good as yours.
Always undo the fill plug first. Just in case you find out you can’t get it off
Smart!
Agree 100% and do not remove the axle breather plug either. If its damaged or lost, you have a difficult time finding a replacement.
I am not sure why you had to remove all the batteries from the tray. All I did was to pull the tray with the batteries about 95% and I can reach the fill plug easily without removing any battery.
I have no desire to do mechanical maintenance on any thing, but your voice is so wonderfully calming I actually enjoyed this video and at the very least, learned the location of parts. And a freezy pop is a MUST on hot days, and an additional tall frosty glass of sweet tea is also required in my husband's opinion!😂
Hi Heather ! you know I have never had a proper glass of sweet tea, i know they make it way different in some areas, the best we have up here in canuk land is ice tea, mostly just a bunch of artificial flavors and sugar. (very disappointing )
freezy pop is one of my favs so the freezer is usually well stocked for that nice treat!
Thanks for stopping in, God bless you and your family.
@@solarbrianyvonne ha ha...yeah well I tease my husband that his sweet tea could be put in a hummingbird feeder!😝 God bless you and your family too.❤️
Brian, thank you for the maintenance reminder. When you get a chance please post the video regarding your new charging system. I noticed different batteries when you pushed the tray back in. I just replaced all four of my original 100ah batteries a couple weeks ago with Mighty Max brand. I got three years out of the originals. Otherwise I’ve been pretty satisfied with the overall performance of the mower. I have the same set up as you.
I went with my own design of a quad Pulse charging system, 4 individual 12 volt chargers that have battery maintenance built in. working absolutely perfectly!
will post a video shortly.
new charging system video uploaded
@@solarbrianyvonne How did your garage solar heater work out?
Where's the step 2 solar heater video. And how come comments turned off on part one?
Another great video! thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nicely explained! Thanks!
What happened with Solar Furnace Build Part 2. I understand you are NOT telling us what to do. You are sharing what you did. Thank you.
Great video, thanks!
You're welcome!
Wow what a fantastic video with all the details especially the part about not removing the breather plug. Man, do I wish that I had watched your video before change the gear oil. However, I have lost the breather and cannot find a replacement. Any idea where I could buy a replacement axle breather plug? It cannot be ordered from Ryobi parts without purchasing the complete axle about $450.00
I should read my manual, I didn't think I needed to change the fluid. I seen that you upgraded your batteries, I do admit that pulling the batteries are annoying.
thanks for stopping in
Hi Brian, this video was what I needed! Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how many times I have watched this video!!!
I say that because I did exactly what you said not to do.
Scenario: I have both the RM480EX and recently the ZT480EX. I poured the gear oil in the differential breathing plug of the ZT480EX accidentally!!! What should I do??? I missed that directive in the beginning of you video…
Not to worry , the breather plug is just that, its a tube. it breaths back and forth allowing atmospheric air to escape when the oil heats up and air to return when the oil cools down, as long as you haven't inadvertently plugged the hole it will be fine. I would just check that the tube is not plugged, if it is, then clear the obstruction , if its clear then you have nothing to worry about. God bless
Thank you for responding so quickly Brian. The follow up question is how would I tell if I “plugged the hole”? (Carson)
where is the build a solar furnace part two as promised?
Brian I accidentally removed the drain plug a few inches towards the front which is below the drive motor. It only drained 175 ml of oil. I then drained from the correct drain plug and removed 135ml of oil for a total of 310ml. Do you know if fill the unit up with 310 ml from the top fill plug will it distribute the oil to both reservoirs.
Thanks
Paul
I have 75Ah batteries upgraded to 60Ah LiFePO4 and they allow room to drill the hole. You may not be able to do this with 100Ah batteries.
Great video. Is the freeze pop a critical step?
Yes ! but only on hot days! the Freeze pop helps keep your mind calm and cool so you can finish the job! Lol
Looks like you have a bank of NOCO Genius 10's charging your batteries. I have only one NOCO 10, but was thinking of buying the NOCO Genius Genpro 10x4. It looks like 4 NOCO 10's in one package. Costs about the same as 4 NOCO 10's. Looking forward to your battery charging video.
Hi Roy
Yes I have installed 4 separate 12 volt chargers that have a float Pulse built in .
video coming this week
@@solarbrianyvonne when would that video be posted back again? Was waiting for it.
What happened to your solar furnace build part 2 video? Comments were turned off on part one video so had to leave comment/question here.
Hey Brian. Where's the second installment of the solar heater?
The first video was a year ago. Are you still editing it?
Hi! Can you give me any advice my ryobi will not move forward or backwards! Batteries all good. It has 100 percent charge. Seat sensor is functioning and blades will spin. Park brake is working. It beeps when I put switch in reverse the reverse red lights up when engaged. It just will not move forward or backwards when I press the pedal! It is next to if not impossible to find anyone to work on these!
sorry, but forgive me for asking,,, is the mower physically plugged in to the charger? if so there is a safety mechanism built in that wont allow it to move forward or reverse without first removing the charge plug.
Mine is doing the same thing, except it beeps till I take my foot off the gas. And no it's not plugged in. My batteries are bad though.
Same issue. Has anyone been able to diagnose the problem? Who would you go to for help without shipping it to a Ryobi service center?
Thanks for the tutorial. I'm at 49 hours in mine. But ran into a snag. As soon as I go forward it stops and then beeps till I let off the gas. Same with reverse. The blades won't turn either while I'm neutral. It's full charged too. Any suggestions?
not being there to help you and diagnose the problems it sounds like you have
a bad battery cell in the battery pack,
What I would recommend is :
1.make sure the mower isn't plugged in to the charger.
2.make sure the emerg brake is off.
if the problem still persists then you may have a bad battery.
please test your batteries individually.
remove and charge and then test each battery separately , you will need to use a 12 volt charger and a 12 volt battery load tester , if all the batteries have the same amphour test rating and they test good, then move on to testing the electronics , if you have a bad battery in the battery pack you will need to repair ( desulfate ) the bad battery or replace it .
The charge meter on the mower does not have the ability to detect a bad battery as it only measures voltage over time, and can easily give a false reading of the state of the battery pack charge level.
Hello, ryobi zt480ex won't run the blades more than a minute even when the batteries are 100%.
It’s about 3 years old but I could mow only the first season.
Any suggestions please?
Hi Marvin
Sounds like you have a bad battery cell in the battery pack,
What I would recommend is :
remove charge and test each battery separately , you will need to use a 12 volt charger and a 12 volt battery load tester , if all the batteries have the same amphour test rating,,, then move on to testing the electronics , if you have a bad battery in the battery pack you will need to repair ( desulfate ) the bad battery or replace it .
The charge meter on the mower does not have the ability to detect a bad battery as it only measures voltage over time, and can easily give a false reading of the state of the battery pack charge level.
Hi Brian, Can this mower be pressure washed ?
Yes, absolutely I have been doing that for years ! , I don't directly spray the motors - 2 under the deck and 1 drive motor in front of the left wheel or the control panel .
I'm sick of my one year old Ryobi 42 in. 100 Ah Battery Electric Riding Zero Turn Mower. Wont charge even though batteries are new. Any advice on how to possibly recoup some money by getting rid of it???
if you were close to me I would buy it but I am sure we live too far apart.
sorry I have no suggestions for you.
WHERE IS PART 2 OF THE SOLAR FURNACE BUILD???
Where’s part two to your free heat build?
I think I would replace with Lithium as the price has come down.
I know of a few people who have pimped out their mower with a battery upgrade.
best of luck.
@@solarbrianyvonne Other than the price do you think there is any disadvantage?
@@offgridwanabe good question, I personally would not because Li cells do not like cooler weather, lots of people use this mower with a snow blade attachment in the winter to push snow and Li cells would fail miserably .
But for moderate to warm weather Li iron cells would be an expensive but reasonable choice.
@@solarbrianyvonne LifePo4 cells would work. Funny how it it is my 56 volt Ego snowbolwer is Lithium ion and winter doesn't bother it but I do charge the batteries in the warm.
I bought my mower and got no more than 2 years out of the batteries. They are the 75 amp hour batteries. I removed the cell covers and found there was no acid in the batteries. The cells were sealed so don’t know how they could have been dry. Added acid and did a 200 amp charge for 15 minute intervals with an hour in-between and they got a bit more life but not like new. I only have an acre and I still can’t get it done on one charge. So I am going to replace them with 100 amp hour batteries and hopefully that will solve my problems for a few years. Of course that’s another $1000 dollars to the mower but that’s the price of technology! My house is solar so at least I never pay to charge it! Thanks for the videos.
Changing Transaxle Oil - SAE 30 vs GL80W90
Ok, so not so hypothetically speaking - what would be the consequences of putting SAE 30 Engine oil in the gearbox instead of GL4 80W90?
total destruction of the differential gears i am afraid , the pressure points on a planetary gear is extremely small by comparison the pressure points on a engine are large, and because of this difference and a few others, engine oil is made for lubricating combustion engines ( hi temp low pressure) whereas gear oil is made for gear on gear applications ( low temp Hi pressure )
@@solarbrianyvonne ouch - potentially costly mistake. The 30W was only in the differential for a few hours and the mower has not been run or moved yet.
I drained the 30W and will attempt to flush once or twice with GL4 80/90 and report back.