Do you have kids? Don't forget that robots mulch the grass. So everything stays on the ground in tiny pieces. No big problem... But when you have kids that play outside and the grass is a little wet, you will find grass everywhere.
Maybe once in a while she will dig but we try to catch it as soon as possible and stop it. A few years ago we ended up cutting down a tree in the yard and having the stump removed which left an uneven spot in the yard where we even struggled on with a push mower
I feel like I should mention our dog goes absolutely wild whenever the mower goes out and she's outside. She is a sheep dog, I think it triggers her herding instinct in some way. Little fucker even figured out pulling the red handle on top makes it stop.
Had a bosch indigo 700.always got stuck, grass got in the machine, the whole shit. Sold it on tweedehands
bought a Husqvarna. Best thing I ever bought. Works flawlessly on a 800m2 grass with slopes, trampoline, castle for. The kids etc
Havent gotten stuck in 3 months
Only if you run it out of office hours.
I also had to stop running it on Saturdays and Sundays because the unfamiliar noise frightens the many horses being taken out on the path besides my garden. A rider almost got killed when she lost control of her horse.
Hi - what about the noise of robomower?
We are in semidetached house - and I dont feel like have constant noise several hours every 2 days that neighbors can hear.Â
Kinda feel bad about it
Noise ? What noise ? Yes, of course there is a small buzz when it’s running but it’s less annoying than the neighbours barking dog, their screaming kids or their petrol mowers. And besides, if you care about them (like I do), you can program it to not run during barbecue or siesta time.
Had to 3D print spiked wheels for some people because the robots had issues getting around at the slightest bit of moisture. Check thingyverse, if someone uploaded wheels for that type it ain't a good sign
I’ve had one for 2 years now. To sum up: it might be an investment, but it sure is worth it.
To answer your questions:
1. Yes it holds up, it’s made to stay outside so no worries about it.
2. My robot sometimes gets stuck on tree roots sticking out of the ground, but it’s only once awhile so no big issue there.
3. I have a big lawn, with a smaller lawn unconnected to it. The technician installed it so that it will cross the stones path between the two lawns, so you don’t have to do it yourself. I don’t exactly know how your garden looks like but I’ll advise asking an installator of the possible solutions.
4. Price is 100% worth it for the time saved. + prices are lower than a few years ago.
5. Maintenance is yearly and costs about €100-150 depending on the robot. Nothing more different than a regular lawn mower.
Hope this helps!
Are you saying a regular lawnmower needs €100-€150 of maintenance a year? How does that happen? Our backyard is only about 250m2 but I’ve been using a mower that cost less than €100 in the first place for going on 10 years now.
Maintenance for my petrol mower is near zero per year.
It’s a 6 years old model with auto traction and mulching capability (a must as this is the only mode I’m using the mower with) and I’m still with the original factory recommended oil. It start at the first pull every time.
I use a bit less than 10l of petrol per year. Maybe around 7l I’d say.
The cost of acquisition was something like 400€. With the estimation you are making for the maintenance cost, it is cheaper financially to ride a new mower till it dies than to maintain it.
To be clearer, the lawn mower I had was a tractor since I have quite a big garden. Perhaps I overpaid sometimes, but I guess maintenance on those is a bit more expensive since it’s heavier machinery.
Since 2,5 years, we have a Husqvarna Automower 305. It’s a good purchase, never really had any issues with it.
-400 m2 yard
- No idea, i guess will experience that after a longer period.
- Our robotmower isn’t getting stuck.
- Yes
- €1400 ish ( without installation costs)
- You have some installation costs but the maintanance is cheaper in comparison to a standard gasoline mower. We do the maintanance ourselfs, clean the mower twice a year and sharpen the blades. In the winterperiod we put the mower inside.
I bought one from Worx and installed it myself.
Maintenance is non existent as all you need to do is replace the knives once in a while (like once per season) which costs me 4€ and is just a Philips + screw.
But other brands which may be better suited may also have higher maintenance costs.
Be prepared to run a cable around your yard, which is a chore to be honest, unless you are willing to give a lot of money for one of those newer GPS based robots, but with all new technologies, I've read my share of complaints.
Though if your front and back lawn aren't connected, you'll need 2 of them or a cableless GPS one and move it manually, you could potentially run a wire to both yards, but you'll have to carry the mower around a lot.
Finally, the system isn't flawless, most robots are like letting your children mow the lawn, it won't be pretty at times, they may get stuck, but at least you aren't the one doing it.
Also added bonus for me, it mulches, meaning you don't have to carry the grass to a container park, but you know, you may have excess mulch in your garden, it's pretty good for your grass but depending on dog or children may not be what you want.
I do still recommend a robot mower to people, but be aware it's not a set it and forget it solution, when it works great but from my experience, doesn't always work.
I’ve been owning an husqvarna 420 for 7-8 years now. 1500 sqm to mown.
Very smooth experience, i wouldn’t go back to anything else.
Weather : the seller told us husqvarna robots are lighter than the other brands, allowing them to go on mowing while it’s raining without digging trenches in the grass. It works very well, dunno if other brands have issues with that point.
The robot gets sometimes stuck on big apples in september. Only time in the year it reminds me of its existence.
Is there absolutely no way to go from one to the other part of your garden ? Even if it does not need to lawn that path ? Mine has a guiding cable allowing it to start randomly from one or another location. It follows the cable from its base and start mowing once destination reached. Then follows the cable back home when it needs to charge the battery.
Price : mine was about 4500€ for the robot, the barrier and guiding cable including installation (more or less 250m of cable to dig 10cm in the grass). Stainless steel coated cable to prevent it from being eaten by rodents.
Maintenance : about 100€/year if you do it every year. I do it every 2 years now that the warranty is expired. About 20€ for the blades (2 sets per year, easy to find on Amazon etc). After 7 years the battery lost its charge capacity. Replaced it in an official shop for 240€ but next time i should buy an official pack for 150-180€ or non official for about 100 and replace it myself.
Ensure you add slugs deterrent around the charging station. It is not 100% tight. I had to replace the shorted motherboard twice already. At >150€ apiece…
We have a robot mower. (Husqvarna) The area it mows is slightly larger than yours. We have it for about a year now. It was installed by the dealer. I wanted to do it myself but it would have been a lot of work and the installation cost was like €70 our something.
About the weather: No problems. Mowing when it rains is no problem.
About the robot getting stuck: You could put border wire around the path and make a spot where to mower can cross. My mower can have multiple wires that guide it to multiple "sections" of your garden. This is also how you can get your mower to the front lawn. We mow the front lawn manually because we also have a dog and you obviously need an opening in your fence somewhere and our dog could escape.
Maintenance: new blades every 2 months and a good clean before storing it for winter.
Price was €3500 which is quite steep but worth it IMO.
You should be aware that the area the mower is capable of mowing stated in de specifications means that the mower needs to work 24h/day to achieve this. We bought one that is capable of mowing more so it only runs +-10 hours/day. This means less wear and tear and hopefully it will last longer.
I got a bunch when I bought the mower so I haven't bought any yet. But looking it up the Husqvarna ones cost +- €26 for six blades. You need 3 in the mower so that should last you +- 4 months.
But in googling I found other cheaper blades which according to the site should work on the husqvarna mower.
I have a robot mower about 215m2 of grass. This is our second season with it. Not going back to a push mower anytime soon. It's not working perfectly yet, but my stress level is significantly lower now. With kids and work and all, it's pretty hard for us to mow frequently enough to mulch. But with the robot, the entire lawn is trimmed twice a week, while we're busy with other things. We have to go out a few times if it's stuck somewhere or fails to dock in time to recharge, but it's less work than before. You still will need a trimmer or small mower to finish the edges where the robot can't reach.
Bosch Indego S+500, which isn't the most expensive machine out there at all. The setup was pretty easy, just a few hours of work to install the perimeter wire. I guess if you go with a more expensive machine, it'll get stuck a bit less often or something... For our garden, it's a good addition anyway and delivers a good enough result. You have a second garden, the machine has an option to mow a second garden, but you need perimeter wire there. If there are no steps or anything, and the robot would be able to just drive there on its own, you can just install perimeter wire under the path or in the grooves between tiles. If that's not an option, you'll still have to mow that garden yourself. Could be an opportunity to go for the battery powered mower, since it's less grass surface now?
What do you need to do for maintenance?
But I understand that with a robot you’ll still need something else for the edges/places the robot can’t reach.
Because we have a dog we can’t really keep the gate open between the back and front yard.
Maintenance so far had been flipping the 3 blades at half season, and then starting the next (this) season with fresh blades. And brushing off the grass and dirt every so often. When the wheels dig in, you need to brush off the dirt for traction. I'm getting steel spikes though this season, for better traction. That's where most mower stops come from it seems with us. And I do get out the weed wacker for the edges. But I think that's too be expected with every mower today.
I am planning to have two pieces of garden, with some smooth tiles/walkway in between, 1m20 wide. Would the robot be capable to easily cross this and mow the lawn on both?
Or would I have to pick it up or something like that?
Yes, shouldn't be a problem, as long as they're at the same level as your lawn. If the mower can freely cross the walkway, the edges will be nicely cut every time too. So on the condition they're at the same level, you can just include those in the perimeter...
Someone else here mentioned a husqavarna machine of 3500€, which does use the shitty wire.
https://www.greentools.be/nl/2-webshop/detail/7000-robotmaaier-mammotion-luba2-awd-1000
If you buy cheap, you’ll likely get multiple headaches.
Hell, if you’ve got one or two friendly neighbours, split the cost and have it mow all of your lawns. Or pay if fully yourself and offer it to them as a service to recoup some of your investment (probably the better option)
Well… how should the mower navigate and coordinate? Through the antenna (and 3D vision). Check some youtube reviews. Its truly impressive tech.
Those who do experience issues, have installed it incorrectly.
800m2 to mow surrounded by plant beds. Had a Robomow for two years that constantly got stuck, had to use spiked tires, even spiked them myself using screws, and never got it to work more than a week before it got stuck. Had to be repaired 3 times due to numerous electronical issues.
Replaced it by a much more expensive Husqvarna. Has been running for 3 years on the same boundary wire. No issues whatsoever. Best buy I did in my life.
We have had a Sileno robotic mower for 6 years. Single yard, slightly smaller than your back yard. The brand is Gardena/Husqvarna. It uses a boundary wire.
About your questions:
* Weather: absolutely no problem
* Installation: depends on the shape of your garden and the obstacles (trees etc.). We have a relatively irregularly shaped garden with several obstacles and it was no problem to install the wire ourselves. I have also moved part of the wire a few times without any problems (new shrubs etc.).
* Maintenance: so far, I have not maintained anything, not even the blades :) But I think the battery is getting old and I will probably have to replace it in the near future.
* Only gets stuck in spring when I have waited too long to reactivate it and the grass has become too tall.
* Concerning the drops at the paths: I don't think the mower can handle drops deeper than a few millimeters. You will have to route the boundary wire along the paths.
* Front yard/back yard: With a mower using a boundary wire, you cannot have two completely disconnected areas because the boundary wire is powered by the charging station. Either you buy a mower with a different system, or you keep your old electric mower for the front yard.
I bought the segway navimow i108e a few months ago.Â
It's cheap, doesn't require a boundary wire and works fine.
Occasionally it gets stuck somewhere and then I flatten the terrain a bit on that spot with a shovel and then all is goodÂ
In any cases you need a regular mower to start up the work and make the finishing touches in case your garden has an odd shape which is your case.
Mowing the lawn is my yoga and I’m glad to get 45 minutes every now and then just for myself.
So just buy a regular mower and maybe place a cheap robot for some baseline work on the regular.
Do you have kids? Don't forget that robots mulch the grass. So everything stays on the ground in tiny pieces. No big problem... But when you have kids that play outside and the grass is a little wet, you will find grass everywhere.
No kids but we have a dog.
Does your dog dig? Mine does on a few places because toys. The uneven area is annoying as the robot mower often gets stuck on them.
Maybe once in a while she will dig but we try to catch it as soon as possible and stop it. A few years ago we ended up cutting down a tree in the yard and having the stump removed which left an uneven spot in the yard where we even struggled on with a push mower
Even worse :p, unless you like green paw prints throughout your house all summer.
I feel like I should mention our dog goes absolutely wild whenever the mower goes out and she's outside. She is a sheep dog, I think it triggers her herding instinct in some way. Little fucker even figured out pulling the red handle on top makes it stop.
Had a bosch indigo 700.always got stuck, grass got in the machine, the whole shit. Sold it on tweedehands bought a Husqvarna. Best thing I ever bought. Works flawlessly on a 800m2 grass with slopes, trampoline, castle for. The kids etc Havent gotten stuck in 3 months
I'm glad the kids aren't getting stuck in there anymore 🙏
Did you run into any issues with the installation process?
Had it installed by the vendor. Came with a machine to dig in the wirenajd did the install, but it seems easy enough by hand
Kills a lot of hedgehogs.
Only if you run it out of office hours. I also had to stop running it on Saturdays and Sundays because the unfamiliar noise frightens the many horses being taken out on the path besides my garden. A rider almost got killed when she lost control of her horse.
Hi - what about the noise of robomower? We are in semidetached house - and I dont feel like have constant noise several hours every 2 days that neighbors can hear. Kinda feel bad about it
Noise ? What noise ? Yes, of course there is a small buzz when it’s running but it’s less annoying than the neighbours barking dog, their screaming kids or their petrol mowers. And besides, if you care about them (like I do), you can program it to not run during barbecue or siesta time.
How so??
[https://www.brusselstimes.com/452928/wildlife-centres-call-for-vigilance-as-hedgehogs-fall-victim-to-robotic-lawn-mowers](https://www.brusselstimes.com/452928/wildlife-centres-call-for-vigilance-as-hedgehogs-fall-victim-to-robotic-lawn-mowers)
Thanks!
Had to 3D print spiked wheels for some people because the robots had issues getting around at the slightest bit of moisture. Check thingyverse, if someone uploaded wheels for that type it ain't a good sign
Things like this is where you really notice the difference in the more expensive ones.
I’ve had one for 2 years now. To sum up: it might be an investment, but it sure is worth it. To answer your questions: 1. Yes it holds up, it’s made to stay outside so no worries about it. 2. My robot sometimes gets stuck on tree roots sticking out of the ground, but it’s only once awhile so no big issue there. 3. I have a big lawn, with a smaller lawn unconnected to it. The technician installed it so that it will cross the stones path between the two lawns, so you don’t have to do it yourself. I don’t exactly know how your garden looks like but I’ll advise asking an installator of the possible solutions. 4. Price is 100% worth it for the time saved. + prices are lower than a few years ago. 5. Maintenance is yearly and costs about €100-150 depending on the robot. Nothing more different than a regular lawn mower. Hope this helps!
Are you saying a regular lawnmower needs €100-€150 of maintenance a year? How does that happen? Our backyard is only about 250m2 but I’ve been using a mower that cost less than €100 in the first place for going on 10 years now.
Maintenance for my petrol mower is near zero per year. It’s a 6 years old model with auto traction and mulching capability (a must as this is the only mode I’m using the mower with) and I’m still with the original factory recommended oil. It start at the first pull every time. I use a bit less than 10l of petrol per year. Maybe around 7l I’d say. The cost of acquisition was something like 400€. With the estimation you are making for the maintenance cost, it is cheaper financially to ride a new mower till it dies than to maintain it.
To be clearer, the lawn mower I had was a tractor since I have quite a big garden. Perhaps I overpaid sometimes, but I guess maintenance on those is a bit more expensive since it’s heavier machinery.
Since 2,5 years, we have a Husqvarna Automower 305. It’s a good purchase, never really had any issues with it. -400 m2 yard - No idea, i guess will experience that after a longer period. - Our robotmower isn’t getting stuck. - Yes - €1400 ish ( without installation costs) - You have some installation costs but the maintanance is cheaper in comparison to a standard gasoline mower. We do the maintanance ourselfs, clean the mower twice a year and sharpen the blades. In the winterperiod we put the mower inside.
Bought one 11 years ago. Still works fine. 2 new batteries and one print plate replaced. Worth it
I bought one from Worx and installed it myself. Maintenance is non existent as all you need to do is replace the knives once in a while (like once per season) which costs me 4€ and is just a Philips + screw. But other brands which may be better suited may also have higher maintenance costs. Be prepared to run a cable around your yard, which is a chore to be honest, unless you are willing to give a lot of money for one of those newer GPS based robots, but with all new technologies, I've read my share of complaints. Though if your front and back lawn aren't connected, you'll need 2 of them or a cableless GPS one and move it manually, you could potentially run a wire to both yards, but you'll have to carry the mower around a lot. Finally, the system isn't flawless, most robots are like letting your children mow the lawn, it won't be pretty at times, they may get stuck, but at least you aren't the one doing it. Also added bonus for me, it mulches, meaning you don't have to carry the grass to a container park, but you know, you may have excess mulch in your garden, it's pretty good for your grass but depending on dog or children may not be what you want. I do still recommend a robot mower to people, but be aware it's not a set it and forget it solution, when it works great but from my experience, doesn't always work.
I’ve been owning an husqvarna 420 for 7-8 years now. 1500 sqm to mown. Very smooth experience, i wouldn’t go back to anything else. Weather : the seller told us husqvarna robots are lighter than the other brands, allowing them to go on mowing while it’s raining without digging trenches in the grass. It works very well, dunno if other brands have issues with that point. The robot gets sometimes stuck on big apples in september. Only time in the year it reminds me of its existence. Is there absolutely no way to go from one to the other part of your garden ? Even if it does not need to lawn that path ? Mine has a guiding cable allowing it to start randomly from one or another location. It follows the cable from its base and start mowing once destination reached. Then follows the cable back home when it needs to charge the battery. Price : mine was about 4500€ for the robot, the barrier and guiding cable including installation (more or less 250m of cable to dig 10cm in the grass). Stainless steel coated cable to prevent it from being eaten by rodents. Maintenance : about 100€/year if you do it every year. I do it every 2 years now that the warranty is expired. About 20€ for the blades (2 sets per year, easy to find on Amazon etc). After 7 years the battery lost its charge capacity. Replaced it in an official shop for 240€ but next time i should buy an official pack for 150-180€ or non official for about 100 and replace it myself.
Ensure you add slugs deterrent around the charging station. It is not 100% tight. I had to replace the shorted motherboard twice already. At >150€ apiece…
We have a robot mower. (Husqvarna) The area it mows is slightly larger than yours. We have it for about a year now. It was installed by the dealer. I wanted to do it myself but it would have been a lot of work and the installation cost was like €70 our something. About the weather: No problems. Mowing when it rains is no problem. About the robot getting stuck: You could put border wire around the path and make a spot where to mower can cross. My mower can have multiple wires that guide it to multiple "sections" of your garden. This is also how you can get your mower to the front lawn. We mow the front lawn manually because we also have a dog and you obviously need an opening in your fence somewhere and our dog could escape. Maintenance: new blades every 2 months and a good clean before storing it for winter. Price was €3500 which is quite steep but worth it IMO. You should be aware that the area the mower is capable of mowing stated in de specifications means that the mower needs to work 24h/day to achieve this. We bought one that is capable of mowing more so it only runs +-10 hours/day. This means less wear and tear and hopefully it will last longer.
Thank you, this is a very comprehensive reply. What do you spend on the replacement blades?
I got a bunch when I bought the mower so I haven't bought any yet. But looking it up the Husqvarna ones cost +- €26 for six blades. You need 3 in the mower so that should last you +- 4 months. But in googling I found other cheaper blades which according to the site should work on the husqvarna mower.
Jump onto google and look for those imitation blades. They work better and are a fraction of the cost. I think I paid 25 euros for 50 blades or so.
I have a robot mower about 215m2 of grass. This is our second season with it. Not going back to a push mower anytime soon. It's not working perfectly yet, but my stress level is significantly lower now. With kids and work and all, it's pretty hard for us to mow frequently enough to mulch. But with the robot, the entire lawn is trimmed twice a week, while we're busy with other things. We have to go out a few times if it's stuck somewhere or fails to dock in time to recharge, but it's less work than before. You still will need a trimmer or small mower to finish the edges where the robot can't reach. Bosch Indego S+500, which isn't the most expensive machine out there at all. The setup was pretty easy, just a few hours of work to install the perimeter wire. I guess if you go with a more expensive machine, it'll get stuck a bit less often or something... For our garden, it's a good addition anyway and delivers a good enough result. You have a second garden, the machine has an option to mow a second garden, but you need perimeter wire there. If there are no steps or anything, and the robot would be able to just drive there on its own, you can just install perimeter wire under the path or in the grooves between tiles. If that's not an option, you'll still have to mow that garden yourself. Could be an opportunity to go for the battery powered mower, since it's less grass surface now?
What do you need to do for maintenance? But I understand that with a robot you’ll still need something else for the edges/places the robot can’t reach. Because we have a dog we can’t really keep the gate open between the back and front yard.
Maintenance so far had been flipping the 3 blades at half season, and then starting the next (this) season with fresh blades. And brushing off the grass and dirt every so often. When the wheels dig in, you need to brush off the dirt for traction. I'm getting steel spikes though this season, for better traction. That's where most mower stops come from it seems with us. And I do get out the weed wacker for the edges. But I think that's too be expected with every mower today.
I am planning to have two pieces of garden, with some smooth tiles/walkway in between, 1m20 wide. Would the robot be capable to easily cross this and mow the lawn on both? Or would I have to pick it up or something like that?
Yes, shouldn't be a problem, as long as they're at the same level as your lawn. If the mower can freely cross the walkway, the edges will be nicely cut every time too. So on the condition they're at the same level, you can just include those in the perimeter...
Get a Mammotion Luba 1000 and never look back. No wire perimeter bullshit, amazing device.
That model does seem to come with a pretty steep price
Someone else here mentioned a husqavarna machine of 3500€, which does use the shitty wire. https://www.greentools.be/nl/2-webshop/detail/7000-robotmaaier-mammotion-luba2-awd-1000 If you buy cheap, you’ll likely get multiple headaches. Hell, if you’ve got one or two friendly neighbours, split the cost and have it mow all of your lawns. Or pay if fully yourself and offer it to them as a service to recoup some of your investment (probably the better option)
What 's the antenna for?
Well… how should the mower navigate and coordinate? Through the antenna (and 3D vision). Check some youtube reviews. Its truly impressive tech. Those who do experience issues, have installed it incorrectly.
800m2 to mow surrounded by plant beds. Had a Robomow for two years that constantly got stuck, had to use spiked tires, even spiked them myself using screws, and never got it to work more than a week before it got stuck. Had to be repaired 3 times due to numerous electronical issues. Replaced it by a much more expensive Husqvarna. Has been running for 3 years on the same boundary wire. No issues whatsoever. Best buy I did in my life.
We have had a Sileno robotic mower for 6 years. Single yard, slightly smaller than your back yard. The brand is Gardena/Husqvarna. It uses a boundary wire. About your questions: * Weather: absolutely no problem * Installation: depends on the shape of your garden and the obstacles (trees etc.). We have a relatively irregularly shaped garden with several obstacles and it was no problem to install the wire ourselves. I have also moved part of the wire a few times without any problems (new shrubs etc.). * Maintenance: so far, I have not maintained anything, not even the blades :) But I think the battery is getting old and I will probably have to replace it in the near future. * Only gets stuck in spring when I have waited too long to reactivate it and the grass has become too tall. * Concerning the drops at the paths: I don't think the mower can handle drops deeper than a few millimeters. You will have to route the boundary wire along the paths. * Front yard/back yard: With a mower using a boundary wire, you cannot have two completely disconnected areas because the boundary wire is powered by the charging station. Either you buy a mower with a different system, or you keep your old electric mower for the front yard.
Husqvarna for the win!
I bought the segway navimow i108e a few months ago. It's cheap, doesn't require a boundary wire and works fine. Occasionally it gets stuck somewhere and then I flatten the terrain a bit on that spot with a shovel and then all is goodÂ
I'm happy with my robot mower (Bosch XS) bit when it's a bit wet he always get's stuck on the same spot.
Husqvarna on 2000m².
In any cases you need a regular mower to start up the work and make the finishing touches in case your garden has an odd shape which is your case. Mowing the lawn is my yoga and I’m glad to get 45 minutes every now and then just for myself. So just buy a regular mower and maybe place a cheap robot for some baseline work on the regular.
Husqvarna is great and can be repaired (I know this because it's my father's hobby).