[MartinSE]

Originally Posted by davem4616

When I lived up north in a rural area, and the houses were all on two acre lots...the noise was just as loud, between the snow blowers, the lawn mowers, the power washers, kids having a good time, dirt bikes, etc, etc.....

have you ever been woken up on the 37th floor in a NYC hotel by the police and fire sirens?

it's hot down here...they guys that mow the lawns and replace the roofs need to start early....or risk heat stroke

you might consider picking up a 'white noise' machine if it bothers you a lot

a few years from now, you'll be able to just take out your hearing aids

it's all good....it reminds us that we're alive

I am a native Floridian and as a kid I make spending money mowing lawns with push mowers (no motor). Heat stroke was not a problem. Drink plenty of water and they are fine. It is "uncomfortable" and you do sweat a lot, but it is not dangerous here.

I am fairly certain they start early to pack more lawns into a day.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by MartinSE

Not implying, it is certainly possible, but may not be legal or marketable. Basically, I think it would have to be part of the amenities so everyone had to use it. The crews that take care of the road and other public areas could be expanded to do the houses too.

I just don't think it would go well, I think it would stop some people from buying here if they were forced to use a certain company, etc...

Possible yes, practical - desirable - maintainable - no.

I used to live in a neighborhood that had an HOA that included lawn care. There is no way on God's green earth they can do it in one day. On my cul-de-sac of 20 something homes, they spent several hours in the morning mowing, edging, trimming shrubs, etc, etc, etc... Then they mulched 2 Xs /year, did the leaves several times in the Fall...

My neighborhood was the size of one of the villages (500-600 homes) and the lawn people were there 5 days a week... Granted, the lawns were a bit bigger, but they all used riding equipment...

[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Not that I'm advocating for electric landscape equipment but......what does electric lawn equipment sound like?

About half the decibels of gas equipment.

[Speedie]

Blowers with no mufflers are the worst. Dean

[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by Number 10 GI

Sounds similar to a very large electric fan. A neighbor has one and it is definitely not quiet, not as noisy as a gas mower but it is still quite noticeable. At our previous home I had a 110 current electric blower, I had to wear ear muffs due to the noise it produced.

And Cailfornia thinks their going to gain a lot with noise pollution by going all electric.

[Two Bills]

I have a gas Honda grass mower, and the sound level is not as bad as my neighbors battery powered mower.
It has a high decibel whine/screech.
I take my hearing aids out when that thing is working, but I am quite comfortable wearing them with the gas engine sound.

[John Mayes]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

Noise?
OK here's a question.

What that must be like in Daytona, Sturges, and Leesburg hearing loud cycles for weeks on end?
Now they would have a real reason to bitch about noise and it wouldn't be coming from grooming someone's lawn.

Then again some say it helps the economy.

For Sturgis and Daytona, no one really has a right to bitch since each rally has been going on for 80+ years. Sort of like buying next to an airport and complaining about the noise.

[John Mayes]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I agree. I have said that for years. One simple step that could be taken is to require leaf blowers to be battery-powered, not gas engine powered. I would think that it would even be better to require the grass-cutting professionals to sweep their grass clippings from the residential roads and their customers' driveways. This would cut down on noise greatly.
.......It would be difficult to cut down trees and branches without gasoline-powered chainsaws. But, there may be chainsaw models with large batteries? Loud cars, trucks, and motorcycles are less often around than the professional grass-cutters and would be hard to stop legally. So, we are stuck with them.
.......Many Villages will NEVER care about loud noise because they don't hear well enough to be bothered by it. But, I consider this to be a good thread to make people aware of the problem. And it has gotten 4 pages of interest so far. But, it will NOT change anything in our lifetimes. Maybe some future generation will be smarter and appreciate the deterioration of hearing that loud noise produces. And it causes anxiety that is real, but often not even felt at the conscious level. It has ruined the careers of some musicians and rock and roll artists.
.......In the meantime keep some earplugs available in your pocket.

Do you perform your own lawn maintenance, and if so, do you use only electric devices? If you don’t do your own lawn care, do you insist that anyone you hire use only electric equipment?

[Number 10 GI]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Thanks for the explanation. I never would have known electric equipment would produce any noise at all. I'm thinking of how quiet electric cars are. I have en electric golf cart and it is quiet.......except for the noise the tires produce on the asphalt. Funny, I don't hear tire noise from electric cars around The Villages streets though. Maybe I should listen more carefully. I would imagine electric vehicles's tires make more noise when they are on high speed roads such as the Turnpike.

The electric motors on lawn mowers and blowers operate at very high RPM's that creates a loud whining sound. The blade on the mower is turning at a high RPM that generates a loud electric fan noise. The same with a leaf blower, the turbine is turning at high RPM and generates a loud whining noise. The electric motors on an automobile operate at much lower RPM's so the noise level is much reduced and I would imagine they are better insulated for noise control.

[Number 10 GI]

As far as lawn care companies removing mufflers, I seriously doubt it. The mufflers on the equipment aren't as capable of reducing noise as a motor vehicle muffler. A muffler large enough to be effective would be impractical on the equipment due to the larger size. After a while a muffler will burn out on the mowers and blowers creating even more noise and I would bet they aren't replaced. Most of the lawn care equipment is commercial grade equipment with larger engines that produce more noise than the smaller home use type.

[jdulej]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

And Cailfornia thinks their going to gain a lot with noise pollution by going all electric.

Keep in mind that most electric lawn tools (especially blowers) on the market today were designed and built to be cheap, not quiet. They are basically made in China junk. If you look at your blower choices at Home Depot (or wherever) the electric stuff is the bottom of the pile. Even at that, they are mostly quieter than the gas stuff.
The California mandate will change all that. I said in a way earlier post that in 5 years you'll have a hard time finding gas powered lawn tools, and I stand by that. Plus, most in places like the Villages will insist on those being used.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by MartinSE

I am a native Floridian and as a kid I make spending money mowing lawns with push mowers (no motor). Heat stroke was not a problem. Drink plenty of water and they are fine. It is "uncomfortable" and you do sweat a lot, but it is not dangerous here.

I am fairly certain they start early to pack more lawns into a day.

Should that read “as a kid I made spending money”? Or are you still a kid?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Number 10 GI

The electric motors on lawn mowers and blowers operate at very high RPM's that creates a loud whining sound. The blade on the mower is turning at a high RPM that generates a loud electric fan noise. The same with a leaf blower, the turbine is turning at high RPM and generates a loud whining noise. The electric motors on an automobile operate at much lower RPM's so the noise level is much reduced and I would imagine they are better insulated for noise control.

Thanks for all the information. It is so true .......you learn something every day.

[Dennys37Packard]

It could also be where you’re coming from, not every home your old area is kept up with as much maintenance that people do here or have their yards cut and trimmed as much.

[Engine12]

Originally Posted by Pjontheway

We really like The Villages. Coming here for many, many years.
We have lived here for over 3 years now. The noise, during the day is sometimes crazy! (Loud) powerful lawnmowers in neighborhoods and throughout public areas, powerwashing of houses, remodels, new roofs - just to name a few. Yes! Homes & throughout The Villages need maintenance but never lived in such noise.
Not being negative. I like it here. Wondering if less noisy tools could be used? Or something?

Just wondering, do you cut your own grass with an electric or battery mower, or ever have your house washed to remove dirt, mold, etc ?