Homelite 20" cordless electric lawn mower UT13122

by Janet
(Portsmouth, Virginia, USA)


The Homelite 20” cordless electric mower is a great lawn mower. The 20” steel cutting deck is small enough to handle any trimming job, yet large enough to handle mowing a small lawn. This mower has easy height adjustment and the large eight inch rear wheels make it very easy to roll. The cordless feature is very nice. There is no need to worry about cutting the cord.


This is a three in one lawn mower. It is a side discharge, bagger and mulching mower. It is very nice to find an electric lawn mower that has all three functions. The side discharge works well when the lawn is over grown or damp. The bagging shoot tends to clog if the lawn is over grown. The mulching features works well unless the lawn is to over grown. When this happens it is very east to cut the grass on a high setting then lower the height and put the mulching plug in; thus eliminating the need to rake when finished.

The fact that it is a electric lawn mower makes starting it a breeze. Simply turn the switch. The 24 volt rechargeable battery provides plenty of power, even in the rough spots. The mower has a steel deck, but is surprising lightweight.
This lawn mower is the easiest to use of any mower I have ever owned. The fact that it has a clean electric motor and still enough power to get the job done makes this lawn mower a winner in my book.

I would recommend this lawn mower to anyone looking for an electric lawn mower or a small lawn mower. It packs a lot of punch in a small, easy to use package.


Comments for Homelite 20" cordless electric lawn mower UT13122

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Aug 20, 2016
Rating
starstarstar
Battery removal not fun!
by: Anonymous

Owned this unit for four years but now the batteries are dead. I've been able to remove 3 of 4 screws to get the housing off then found there were two more deep-set at the front without any heads to remove them. Poor design! I'm now considering breaking the housing (it's plastic) to get to the battery compartment. Any clues on how to get those two front lugs off would be appreciated.

Feb 06, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstar
Last dance with Homelite
by: Anonymous

This is my second Homelite mower. I replaced the battery in t he first one after about 2 years but the replacement didn't last.

This second mower worked well for two years. Then this month, after a winter respite of three months without mowing,I recharger the battery to full and attempted to start the mower and nothing happened. I've tried researching this issue without much success, and the unit is difficult to disassemble to check wiring and connections so I'm done.

Another issue: Homelite does not provide customer service at the 800 number on weekends, the time most customers would need assistance.

Jan 12, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Found issue and replacing batteries.
by: Mohave

I have owned my Homelite for six years and got about two years from the original batteries about one year on each set since then. My manual says nothing about removing the charger when the light turns green so I left it on the charger. My mistake. I just ordered two more batteries and a good 24 volt sensing charger that will allow the battery to be maintained on the charger. I expect to get at least three years on each battery set from now on, which is reasonable since I like the mower and just have an issue with batteries. I suspect I have found the cause of the problems and have taken action.

Sep 10, 2014
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Not a bad mower
by: Anonymous

I had my Homelite 20" cordless mower 5 years and it lasted all 5 years before the battery stoped working. I mowed my yard 1 to 2 times a week. Small front yard. I will give it 5 stars.

May 06, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstar
Great mower owned by many inept owners...
by: Bryan S

I have had my mower for 6 years now and paid about $350 for it. I used it 2x a week to mow about .2 acres of grass each time on one charge. I got 3 full years out of the batteries.

Charge them fully before long term storage and again about halfway through the the winter. DO NOT LEAVE PLUGGED IN. My only complaint, and why it didn't get 5 stars is the weight...those batteries are heavy buggers so it makes loading or unloading without a ramp an ordeal.

Now as to others bad reviews, I just can't fathom how many poor, inept users are apparently out there. EBAY? Ever heard of it? BOTH batteries for $110 SHIPPED.
Can't figure out how they go? Are you kidding? The wiring/hook-ups are GOOF-PROOF, simply put them in the same way you took them out.
Can't figure out what battery to buy? USE THE INTERNET TO CROSS REFERENCE THE BATTERY MODEL...OR simply type "Homelight electric mower battery"...google is your friend. This is NOT rocket science people.

Batteries DO NOT last forever, they have a lifespan. Running them completely dead each time shortens their life. Storing them long term, especially during winter, without a charge will shorten their life. Leaving them on a charger to long or on a charger on to high a setting with shorten their life. Mowing high, or wet grass will discharge them faster as the harder an electric motor works, the faster the discharge rate is (Mow more often and ONLY when dry). Also, keep the blade SHARP, this makes the mower work less hard and therefore, as mentioned, you will get longer battery life. I got 3 full, hard years out of mine somehow when so many others apparently barely get one year. Guess what...it's you, not the batteries.

Part of what you are buying when you buy an electric is convenience. No puling on cords, low noise, no oil changes, no gas station runs, no tune ups. etc. I love mine and will get another when it finally dies for good. All you need is a bit of common sense and remedial mechanical skill to keep one going.

Sorry for being so sarcastic and harsh in writing this but I am so sick of the namby-pamby, hand wringing, and whining and complaining people do either because they are lazy, stupid or lack common sense. If you can't maintain one of these mowers you probably shouldn't be using power equipment in the 1st place for your own safety.

Aug 30, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstar
READ the "Operator"s Manual" for Battery Usage
by: Anonymous

I have a 20" 24 volt Homelite Cordless Mower which I purchased last year. I used it to cut 6,000 sq ft Bermuda lawn all last year. Followed Manual instructions. (It took 15 hrs to completely charge battery last year) I now have, as of Sep 2012, 18,000 sq ft of Bermuda to cut, and was using my Gas Rider to cut it, but because of the Scalping. I have went back to using my Homelite Cordless Mower,(used it approx 12 times this year) which still charges the same as it did when new, (15 hrs for a complete charge) It still cuts 6,000 sq ft on a charge like it did last year. When I use it max, all 18,000 sq ft, I must charge the battery overnight, after 15 hrs, the green light comes on to denote completed charge, unplug it and use it for another 6,000 sq ft.

Jun 17, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Homelite mower batteries
by: Anonymous

Get batteries at Battery World in Edmonton, only cost $55 each.
Can anyone describe how to hook up the batteries?

May 27, 2012
Rating
star
Dead Batteries, No Hope, Wasted Money
by: Anonymous

After a few seasons of use on our tiny city lawn, it's the end of the line for this mower. I did everything right regarding charging, storage, etc,.
Still, at a young age, this rip-off piece of plastic, metal and wire will be free to the first taker. NEVER AGAIN for HOMELITE.

May 11, 2012
Rating
starstar
Works well, but high maintenance.
by: Jim

I like the way my Homelite electric rechargable lawn mower works and the idea of an alternative to gasoline powered lawn mowers, but haven't been able to make it through a summer without paying hundreds of dollars in repairs and batteries. Home Depot is terrible. Most of the employees don't even know they sell these. Homelite directed me to an approved lawn mower shop who just ordered another through the mail (as they cannot fix them) and charged me the shipping which took weeks.

Mar 27, 2012
Rating
star
A Great Mower Until the Batteries Need Replacing
by: Don Clinchy

I want to echo all the negative comments on this page, as I'm having exactly the same experience with the batteries.

I used my mower only a few times each year, so I managed to get three years of use out of the batteries. (Several other cheap plastic parts of the mower disintegrated, however.) Now I need to replace the batteries, but the cheapest replacements I can find cost $150 -- and they won't do me any good, because I can't remove the mower housing due to stripped screws.

Home Depot and Homelite, of course, are no help at all. The manual doesn't even mention battery replacement, so it took me a while to figure out what kind of batteries to buy. But Home Depot doesn't sell the batteries, nor does Homelite. The cheapest replacements I could find from a third-party vendor cost a whopping $150!

I've decided the junk this piece of crap, write Home Depot and Homelite very nasty e-mails, and buy a better quality mower from another company. Shame on both these companies for selling this kind of junk and refusing to own up to their lousy business practices.

Oct 04, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
battery replacement
by: Anonymous

I just replaced my batteries in my homelite lawn mower plugged it in and it works like a dream.

DO NOT leave your charger plugged in it will destroy the batteries I got 4 years out of them.

The first was damaged by my leaving it plugged in.

Take a picture of the connections before replacement and read the owners manual about charging the batteries you will get much longer life out of it.

Sep 06, 2011
Rating
star
DON'T BUY HOME LITE MOWERS
by: Anonymous

I bought my mower from Home Depot one year ago. Like everyone else, I liked it until the batteries went dead in one year (After about only 10 mowings). Home Depot washed their hands of the problems I had with it and could not even tell me where to buy replacement batteries.
I will probably stay with Lowe's from now on, because of the way Home Depot treated me. I will never buy anything from Home Lite again.

Aug 26, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
Battery Issues Revisite
by: Anonymous

I too had my 24-volt battery die after leaving it plugged-in to the charger all winter. I was hoping (not thinking) that the charger that came with the mower was a "trickle" charger type that would prevent over-charging and battery death. But then I got smart and bought the $100 dollar replacement battery AND a $30 trickle charger from another manufacturer. I wired the Homelite lawnmover plug to the new 24-volt charger and have not had any problems (even after leaving it plugged in for another winter). The trickle charger simply cuts off after the battery is fully charged. However, just like any other lead-acid battery, I only expect the battery to last 3-4 years before it's shot. We really need the DOE to offer a prize for developing an affordable battery that recharges quickly, lasts for 10-years and doesn't destroy the environmnet with toxic byproducts. There's probably a "Steve Jobs" out there somewhere that could make something beter in his or her garage than the existing batteries that are pretty much the same as the ones used by Benjamin Franklin!

Aug 11, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
rechargeing batteries
by: Anonymous

I had the same problems with power drill batteries and camera batteries. Discovered that the problem was that the batteries overcharged. The charger is supposed to cut out once the desired charge is achieved, but if it keeps on feeding power into the battery, it can burn out.
Solution is to unplug OR disconnect the charger after the recharge time ( 3 hours of 4 or whatever) is reached.

Aug 02, 2011
Rating
starstarstar
Wiring
by: Anonymous

Two years very good service.....then the batteries went dead. Bought two at batteries plus that cost over 100.00 and now still nothing happens.

No one will talk to me, not even Home Depot where I purchased the little "darling". Cannot find anyone that knows how to make it work except the folks at Home Depot will be glad to ship it back to the factory for three weeks or longer and then besides the cost of replacement parts must pay freight and then hire someone to mow my lawn while they are doing their ecpensive repairs.

What a deal....Looks like I must take my business to Loes again.

Jul 24, 2011
Rating
star
Batteries dead after one year
by: John in SA

I bought this mower from Home Depot last year and used it last summer/fall with no problems. I kept the batteries topped off during the winter and made sure it kept a full charge.

However, the batteries now die after 5 minutes of use. This was my first attempt to "go green" with a mower, and it will be my last for awhile. This mower cost almost $300 new, and it is not a worthwhile investment.

Jun 27, 2011
Rating
star
Terrible
by: Anonymous

I have had nothing but trouble with this machine since I purchased it. First the battery died after only 3 months of use. Then the handle broke in several place and I am unable to obtain a replacement because the parts are on "factory backorder" until no earlier than 8/29. I will most assuredly never buy any piece of Homelite equipment again.

Jun 15, 2011
Rating
starstar
Waste of Money
by: Nedry

I loved this lawn mower. Until the two batteries died after only two summers. Replacing the batteries cost about half of the original cost of the lawn mower. Blah!

May 16, 2011
Rating
starstar
Craptastic battery life and instructions
by: David Gannon

Hello.
I loved this mower, at first too.
Cut great, no smell, green, but now....

I see all these comments on lackluster battery life and am echoing all the sentiments.
My main question is - why, when you call the company, do they tell you you need a replacement battery but when you finally get the plastic shell off ( stripped screw later) you realize there are TWO batteries?

I found the replacement battery at Batteries Plus. BUT do i need TWO? that is completely irresponsible for a company to make batteries that only last two years - at $80 a pop?

Outrageous. OR does someone know WHICH of the two we are supposed to replace?

At a loss....
David Gannon

May 02, 2011
Rating
star
ripoff
by: Anonymous

Read the comments and am not surprised. Left on vacation for 2 weeks.. came back to a jungle. Went to work with my little bad boy mower only to have it crap out after 5 minutes. After reading comments I'm hiring a gardner....like my 8 yr old daughter says "it's a RIPOFF!! ".


May 01, 2011
Rating
star
Battery burned out after two seasons.
by: Anonymous

My lawnmower is useless after two years. $125 a season is not what I call acceptable for a lawnmower. I will never buy a product again from Homelite, and I will advise everyone against purchasing one.

I just talked someone out of buying one from Home Depot this weekend, after a futile attempt to find replacement batteries at that dump...

Apr 27, 2011
Rating
star
battery difficulties
by: Anonymous

I will echo previous comments...I enjoyed the lawnmower for 2 years...and now need the replacement battery and can not find one. Of course, Home Depot where I bought it does not carry it. Very disappointing.

Apr 26, 2011
Rating
star
Going green? Think again.
by: Anonymous

I have to say I was very pleased with this lawn mower for the first mowing season. It is incredibly light, light enough that my wife used it frequently. This is where the pros stop and the cons begin. I will never purchase another homelite product again. One winter was all it took to ruin the battery. I'm a motorcycle guy so I am aware of how the battery needs to be kept over a winter. None the less this spring the battery refuses to hold a charge. After searching six different automotive and battery stores I finally made the choice to just throw it away. A good mower must be reliable for many years. After doing some extensive research on the finding this battery, I finally ended up on the site that produces these batteries. Even then I still had problems finding the exact battery that was used in my lawn mower. Apparently product codes have changed. Sorry for the rant...
Long story short don't buy this mower...if you wanna be green get a goat.


Feb 23, 2011
Rating
star
Homelite mower sucks.
by: Anonymous

I must echo the comments of another dissatisfied customer. The battery died within two years and getting the plastic case removed is a nightmare. Three of the screws stripped and a trip to Home Depot confirmed that they do not sell replacement batteries. But of course they had screw removal kit for $20 which allowed me to remove the plastic top. I then discovered that Homelite does not sell replacement batteries for the mower leaving the consumer stuck with trying to find some vendor that will provide two comparable 12v batteries that will fit into the mower. Pure frustration.

Oct 08, 2010
Rating
star
Don't Buy It
by: Anonymous

I have a Homelite Cordless 20" mower. It worked fine for about two years then the batteries died. No warranty of course. The originals were from China and finding replacements has been difficult. Homelite and Home Depot, where I bought the mower, don't sell the batteries. They aren't even mentioned in the manual. The batteries (two 12V batteries) must have certain dimensions and terminals to fit properly. I found one guy who can order them for about $150+. I'm still looking.....

My neighbor has a Black & Decker cordless mower very similar to mine. His works much better and the batteries are still going strong. I've also noticed that replacement batteries for his mower are available. I should have bought a Black & Decker.

Sep 05, 2010
Rating
star
Piece of crap on every level
by: Kenneth Ray

I don't know where to start. The lawn mower's great, for the first year or so.

Then, the battery dies, and you have to disassemble the miserable piece of crap in order to replace it. Obviously, in retrospect, Homelite realized how poorly engineered the mower was, since they redesigned the unit in 2008 to make removing the battery easy.

But, if you're reading this, you're probably stuck, as I am, by the earlier model Which requires you to remove the plastic housing to get at the batteries.

That sounds easy enough, but the cover's held in place by 6 bolts which, in order to save twenty or thirty cents per unit, are made of the softest metal imaginable. A couple of them unscrew with no problem. But, the heads of one or two or three are going to get chewed up by a Phillips screwdriver. That entails going to Sears Roebuck and spending fifty or sixty bucks on a bolt extractor.

Once you get the cover off, you find that Homelite got the batteries from some obscure 3rd world battery maker that probably dumps toxic waste into the Yalu River.

All this wouldn't be a problem if Homelite made it easy to find replacement batteries. But, when you leaf through their manual, you find no reference to battery replacement. Their website is of little or no assistance.

I loved the idea of buying an electric lawn mower. I loved the idea of going green. But, right now, I figure that buying a goat and turning him loose in my yard would have been a superior solution to this piece of sh@t that Homelite's passing off as a lawn mower.

Kenneth Ray




May 08, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstar
Pretty powerful and easy to adjust
by: Tom Ray

I love this lawnmower. It is a green economy these days and I wanted something that would eliminate the need for gas, and this thing is just absolutely great.

It is small, but it is big enough to do the job right. It seems to be pretty powerful and it does not bog down or anything like that, even when I am using the mulch feature. It is also the easiest lawnmower I have ever had when it comes to adjusting the height of the cut.

The height control lever adjusts all of the wheels at once! (Instead of one at a time like the other mowers I have used). It DOES have a cord, so it is unlike some of the other electric models which are rechargeable and have a battery BUT it does have a neat little cord clip so it is really easy to manage the cord while you are cutting.

Besides, batteries are really over-rated. I can?t really say enough good things about this mower. It is a step above my old reel type push mower, in that it has a lot more power, and the 'suction' of a horizontal blade mower, but without all the downsides of a gasoline engine. It seems to be a lot less maintenance than my old gas powered mower.

The only downside of the mower is the bag because it is a little small, and I have to keep emptying it, but other than that it is a great machine and I hope to get years of use from it!

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