Robot lawn mower

Robotic Mowers are becoming popular as the world of AI and Robots continues to evolve. They are a great addition to Smart Homes. Similar to how the dishwasher became essential in homes today. It is only a matter of time before all homes in the USA have one. City Parks are even using them to cut their grass! How cool is that!

In this article we will cover topics from understanding where to get Military/Veteran discounts, common obstacles to look out for, best robot lawn mowers and more.

Best Robot Lawn Mowers!

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Robot lawn mower:

A Robot Lawnmower is similar to robot vacuums except for the yard. It can help reduce the amount of time spent each week tending to it making most robotic mowers perfect for most smart home and most suburban lawns. From receiving notifications to creating work schedules – everybody should look into their options on obtaining one for themselves.

You can say goodbye to the laborious task of mowing the lawn yourself. Say goodbye to: Mosquitoes. Purchasing fuel. Heat exhaustion. Dehydration. Sunburns. Allergies. Repairing your gas Lawn Mower and other issues that come with mowing. Instead you can devote the time saved for other important tasks. I gladly spend time saved cleaning my house or making home repairs, reading books, working on computers, or other similar tasks. How will you decide to spend your extra time?

Military and Veteran Discounts:

Active Military members and Veterans can receive a discount when purchasing items from Lowe’s. To get the Lowe’s discount you will need to create a customer account with Lowe’s and then let them know that you are actie duty or a vet. This can be done all online through their website. 

Lowe’s link to the Husqvarna Automower 115H

Pros & Cons:

• Pros:
  • Robotic Lawn Mowers help Saves Time & Energy
  • Low Noise Levels! I hear my neighbors gas mower and rarely hear mine.
  • Can mow your lawn on a schedule.
  • Low Maintenance: No fuel, no oil, no oil filters.
  • Great for a small yard and even medium sized yards.
• Cons:
  • Robot lawn mowers cost is still high – Though worth the price!
  • Mowers have difficulty with yards with rough terrain.
  • Cannot sense weird obstacles such as twigs, small rocks, cords, small animals.

Before each use:

Ensure that you check the area in which the mower will be cutting. This is to ensure there are no twigs or small critters. I found a baby bird that fell out of its nest during one of my checks. I was able to postpone my robot from cutting my grass till I moved the bird to safety.

What types of yards are Robot lawn mowers good for?

Robot Lawn Mowers are great for yards that are flat and level. If there are too many holes in the yard then the mower may get stuck often and if the slope in the yard is too high for the mower then it will not be able to mow. If your yard has a slope then ensure to check that the robot lawn mower can handle that slope. However, some slopes will be too great for all robot lawn mowers on the market at the time of writing this article.

Yards that are not broken up are usually great. This because they are usually one complete patch of grass without a driveway that divides it into sections, like most front yards.

If your lawn is extremely small and broken into many parts then it may not be worth having one. This is because you would have to set the perimeter wire in each patch of grass and then move the Home to each section of grass to mow. It just would not be worth the time for yards like this.

Sensitive Obstacles:

At this time robot lawn mowers are not very smart an will attempt to mow everywhere within the wire perimeter. However, there may be some places that the robot does not need to go such as: Under a raised shed, in a flower garden, near a propane tank, ect. To stop the robot from accessing these locations you can simply place large rocks as a barrier around such objects.

Perimeter or Boundary wire:

Many robot mowers require a Perimeter wire set up to determine the mowing area. It works by creating a boundary around the edge your lawn that the robot mower can then detect and use as a guide to staying within the designated area. This helps to ensure that Robotic Mowers does not navigate outside of your desired area, making it more efficient and secure. Many Robotic Lawn Mowers use the wire as a track so that the mower can return to the charging station all on its own.

Installing the Boundary Wire:

Each system will be different so be sure to read the instructions. But, there are two different ways to install the boundary wire: Above ground and under ground.

Above Ground:

Installing the perimeter wire above ground may save you time during the initial install but this method is not worth it. Before you install the wire above ground you need to first mow the grass really short. This will help ensure that the wire is not pushed up by grass. If the wire is not as flat to the ground as possible and taught by using the ground stakes then the wire will get caught up in the lawn mowers blades and will cut the wire. This will force the owner to then splice the wire and the more splices in the perimeter wire the greater the chances of a disconnect forcing the owner to attempt to find the disconnect in the wire to fix it. This can become very time consuming.

Underground:

Installing the perimeter wire under ground will take more time during the initial install but is a much better method than staking the wire to the ground. This is because by burring the wire under ground you help protect the wire from becoming cut so the perimeter wire can stay as one long piece of wire that does not have any cuts in it. You will need a shovel and possibly a buddy to help bury the wire. Be sure to install the wire about a foot away from any obstacles as many robot lawn mowers will use the wire to return to the charging base.

Rough Terrain:

Rough Terrain can cause issues.  From rocks, high inclines, gopher mounds, to holes. Ensure there are no obstacles that can stop the robotic mower. Also, lawns that have patches of dirt where no grass grows can cause issues.

GPS Tracking:

Some New Robot mowers work by using GPS Tracking to assist in determine the mowing area. Often, these robotic mowers require a GPS Tracking Antenna to be installed alongside a Boundary wire. The Antenna are usually not very large and they will require a power-source.

Keep in mind that the Average Robot Mower does is NOT GPS assisted. Robot Lawn mowers that are GPS assisted generally can mow more square feet than robotic mowers that use the Boundary wire alone.

Theft security via GPS:

High-end Lawn Robot models may have built in GPS for theft protection. GPS provides the exact location of robot lawn mowers in the case that it is stolen and will display it using the designed phone app. This allows you the chance to recover it from thieves or find it if it is stuck in a weird location.

Password Protection:

Many Robot lawn mowers only have a password for protection which is required anytime the panel on the mower is accessed. The password is a basic pin code and will help ensure that if this unit is stolen that it cannot be used by others.

Battery life:

All the mowers will have a battery and to help ensure the battery lives for as long as possible it is good to re-locate the robot lawn mower to a safe location during major storms and when the temperature drops below freezing.

Phone App:

Most robot lawn mowers will have a Phone App provided by the company. They provides a simple, and powerful, method to control the mower. From Starting to stopping the mower and in-between.

The app will also receive messages such as when rain is sensed or when the unit is stuck. Current battery charge percentage. Command the Mower to return to the charging station. Set/Change a mowing schedule. Check for Updates and more. Below are some photos of the phone app that my mower uses.

 

 

Guest Access:

When you have a house sitter make sure you create them a guest account to your robotic mowers. The phone app allows for guests to control robot mowers by using their own phone app. Some robot lawn mowers may not have this option.

 

Mowing Schedule:

Most Mowers will allow for Scheduled Mowing to be set up by using the phone app. The mowing schedule can even be set up to mow the lawn every day if desired.

 

Tip: Ensure robotic lawn mower App works with your phone:

Some robot lawn mowers do not have apps that function well with certain cellphone brands. In my experience I had a robot lawn mower that the phone app did not work with my Samsung Note+. I ended up returning that unit due to other issues that could not be resolved.

Rain sensor:

As most will know – Cutting wet grass is not fun. Mowers use the rain sensor to detect inclement weather conditions or water saturation in the grass. Robot Mowers will return to the charging station if the atmosphere is too moist.

One thing to remember is that the dirt in most lawns will become soft after a good rainfall. It is best to wait until the ground has dried up a little so that the ground will be hardened up before starting your Robot mower.

The mower can, and will, get stuck in soft dirt after a good rainfall. But if it does get stuck the phone app will send a notification.

Weather Proof:

All of the robot lawn mowers that I have read up on state that they are Weather proof. This is actually not true in some cases. I purchased a robot lawn mower that had the charging contacts exposed to the weather outside. During a heavy storm the charging contacts got too wet and fried the robot lawn mower even though its description said that the unit was water proof. Ensure the charging contacts are located on the inside of the mower to help protect against water damage. Also, look into purchasing a small house to cover the robot lawn mower to protect it from Water, sun and heat damage.

Bumper sensor:

The bumper sensor ensures that the mower stops if it encounters an obstacle – Ensure all obstacles in the mowing perimeter are either solid or protected via heavy obstacles such as rocks. In my case, I have a propane tank that I use rocks to protect the hose entering the ground. Otherwise, the Robotic Mower would bump against it and that would make me nervous.

Each lawn will be different so be sure to take a look around your yard to identify possible issues that it may have when it bumps into things. Check for any pipes, tree roots, small rocks, or other similar obstacles that could be caught in the blade.

Lift and Tilt Sensors:

The lift sensor is designed to detect when the mower has been lifted off the ground, which helps to prevent people from coming into contact with the grass blades for safety purposes. The lift sensor also detects if the Robotic Mower is stuck in soft dirt or if there is an obstacle that is tangled in the wheels causing it to pause until the obstacle is cleared. The mower will then notify you via app notification.

Be sure to check you yard for any holes, dips, or soft dirt that could prove difficult terrain for the Robotic Mower. I have had a gopher dig up my yard at one point and the Lawn Mower got suck on one of the piles of dirt.

Gyroscope:

The gyroscope allows the robot mower to detect changes in terrain and adjust its speed accordingly, making it perfect for slopes up to 37% incline for the AYI 3/4 Acre unit. If the Robot Lawn Mower comes up to a slope that is too seep then it will turn around to continue its job where it is able to.

The gyroscope also helps to keep the robot mower steady while it is moving, assisting it in Multiple Patterns of mowing.

Mowing Patterns: Spiral Mowing, Edge Cut, Random.

Spiral mowing is where the mower will cut the grass while following a spiral

Edge Cut is where the Robotic mower will follow the wire around the mowing area and cuts along the wires path. This allows the mower to get as close as possible to weed-eating as possible but does not eliminate the need of weed-eating.

Random is a method of cutting the grass where the mower will work in a straight line until it comes across the perimeter wire, where it will then pick another random direction to mow and repeat this method.

Cutting blades:

Most Robot Lawn Mowers comes with blades (Photo above) that are easy to install and replace. They are pivoting razor blades attached to a cutting disc on the bottom. Each blade takes one screw to mount – making maintenance a breeze. The blades are also relatively inexpensive, so you won’t have to break the bank when replacing them.

Tips for purchasing other Robot Mowers:

Another robotic lawn mower I purchased was the MowRo 24. This unit had its charging contacts located on the outside of its shell . This exposes the charge contacts to the elements. Rain, dirt, mud and who knows what else would be able to come in contact with the charging contacts.

The website stated that the MowRo 24 was resistant to weather. However, the charging contacts received electrical damage during the first rain storm it was in. The electrical damage made it so that the mower would not charge.

So if purchasing another model of robotic lawn mower. Verify the charging contacts are protected by the shell of the mower. Another option would be to purchase, or build, a small house to protect it. Similar to a dog house except for your Robotic. I would avoid any mower with external charging contacts all together!

Conclusion:

While it can be difficult to determine which is the best robot lawn mower for your situation. I personally love my AYI 2/3 Acre Robot Lawn Mower. While I work on house repairs, or my business. I cannot imagine not having a robot lawn mower now. Even after only a few weeks of having one. Lawnmowers robot.