Testing battery-powered mower without a battery

I picked up a Neuton battery-powered lawn mower that came with a dead battery. Before buying a new 24v battery (I would need a pair like this one), I want to do some basic "sanity check" testing to see if the mower itself is good.

How can I test it? My first thought was to use 16 1.5 volt batteries connected din series. Will not provide much current but will probably be able to spin the blade for a second or two. Not a very good solution, so what would be better?



Thx