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How Do Robotic Lawn Mowers Work

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How Does A Robot Lawn Mower Detect An Obstacle

How Does Automower® Robotic Lawn Mower Work? | Husqvarna

A robotic mowers obstacle detection system can be a side-mounted laser, infrared sensor, or bumper bar.

When the side-mounted laser detects an obstacle up to 60 cm away, the robotic mowers software algorithm directs it to reverse speedily before making another pass or to turn sharply.

If youre still on the fence about whether or not to buy a robotic lawn mower, hopefully, this article has helped sway you in favor of making the purchase.

They are definitely an investment that can save you time and money in the long run.

Not to mention, who doesnt love spending lazy days outside while their robot counterparts take care of all the hard work?

Gardena Smart Sileno Life Robotic Mower

Our rating: 4.3 out of 5

  • Buy the Gardena Smart Sileno Life from

Pros:

  • Excellent value and cheapest mower tested

Cons:

  • Requires largest area around docking station
  • Needs 90cm between boundary wire
  • Both guide and boundary wires need to be self-installed

A simple, low-priced efficient mower, great for trying out robotics in gardens no bigger than 400m². Easily the cheapest mower tested and for a simple efficient entry level mower with a two year warranty we think the 1200R is excellent value for money. It also comes with spare blades. It can cut in two separate areas although you do have to physically pick the mower up and carry it into the second area and then mow it on the manual setting. Alternatively, you can buy a second docking station. The 1200R has no smart connectivity. Security features include PIN code operation, a lift sensor and alarm.

Buy the Flymo 1200R on

Robot Lawn Mower Vs Traditional Lawn Mower

Robot lawnmowers are more uniform when mowing grass because their sensors maintain how long the grass should be uniformly and throughout the space you run the robot on.

Grass that grows unevenly can cause it to get scalped the next time you run a regular mower through it, and keeping the lengths uniform can help you make your lawn look pristine throughout the year.

Regular mowers can sometimes damage the lawn permanently if someone was careless with running the machine, but you wont have that issue with a robot lawnmower.

The robot can maintain the height of the grass even on gradients and dips, which the regular lawnmower might not be able to do as well.

Real mowers, while being inexpensive, arent really great at keeping your lawn healthy-looking unless youre willing to put a lot of time and effort into doing so.

A robot vacuum is perfect for someone who doesnt have that kind of patience or time and wants the best-looking lawn possible.

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John Deere Robot Lawn Mowers

John Deere only offers one robot mower, the Tango E5 Series II. This heavy-duty robot mower looks robust and bulky. It costs more than £1,500 and, for the money, you’ll get a mower that can cut grass come rain or shine and scale inclines of up to 36%.

As you might expect, given the price, the E5 Series II can mow a large plot. 2,200sq m is the maximum size and John Deere says it can run for 90 minutes on a single charge.

Is A Robot Lawn Mower Powerful Enough For My Lawn

How Do Robot Lawn Mowers Work?

Robot lawnmowers are good for any lawn, and when run frequently, they can get rid of weeds as well.

You can also run a robotic mower on any lawn a regular lawnmower can work on since it is almost the same as a regular mower, but it does the mowing by itself.

The lawn capacities that most of these robots can work on can start from 0.25 acres and go up to 1.25 acres for the more expensive models.

Robots that can cut larger lawns have more powerful batteries that let them be out on the lawn cutting for longer periods.

The cutting blades underneath the lawnmower robot also matter the types of lawns and other surfaces you can use the robot on depend on this.

Ultimately, what determines the power of a robot depends on where you use the robot to mow the lawn.

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Battery Life And Charging To Use Ratio

With any battery-powered tool, most people only focus on how much time they get from each charge. And while this figure is important, you should also consider the ratio between the amount required to charge the battery and how long you can use the tool.

For example, you wouldnt buy a drill that required 6 hours of charging but only gave 10 minutes of use per charge. Instead, youd try and look for a unit that gave 30 minutes of use per 3-hour charge.

You should find that a battery lasts for four or five years under normal use.

Do Robot Lawn Mowers Cut To The Edges

All robot lawnmowers will cut close to the lawn edges. However, some robot models will cut nearer the edge than other robot mower models.

Mowers with the blade system in the centre will cut further away than models with offset blade systems. Offset blades allow the robot mower to travel with one wheel on a path or paved area reaching the lawn edges.

Where the mower is cutting up to a hard surface like a raised garden or fence or side of your house then the uncut edge distance will range from 5 to 15cm.

Typically Robot Mowers that have blade systems in the centre will cut between 6-10cm from the edge of the machine. Once you allow for some space for the mower to avoid the hard edge you will get these mowers to cut between 8 and 15cm from the edges.

Mowers that have offset blade systems will cut around 3-5cm from the edge of the machine so you will get these units to leave an uncut edge of between 5 and 10cm against a hard surface.

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Do You Need A Weather

If your garden gets a lot of rain, then it may be worth investing in a mower that can cut grass in wet conditions. Some mowers struggle to cut wet grass, while others return to their dock automatically when the rain starts falling.

Smart robot mowers are tuned in to weather tracking to optimise cutting at the best conditions. The Bosch Indego s+ 500, for example, uses a weather tracking system to cancel the usual cycle if the weather is too bad at the scheduled time for it to cut well.

Stihl Imow 422p Robotic Mower

Watch How Husqvarna Automower® Robotic Lawn Mower Works

Our rating: 4.8 out of 5

Pros:

Cons:

  • Maximum area smaller than others for price

The Automower is quiet and unobtrusive and its three free-hanging blades cut well. It comes with a GPS Smart mowing system which maps the lawn before mowing and keeps track of where it has cut, so it copes well with complicated lawn shapes and narrow passages. It can also tackle slopes up to 40 per cent. It cuts around raised beds by bumping off them but edges were not as neat as others in these areas.

Buy the Husqvarna Automower 315X from Husqvarna

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How Long Does It Take For It To Mow The Lawn

To be fully honest, I find it hard to measure that. Every model has it written down though.

With a rectangle shaped simple patch of grassland of a typical lawn size it probably wouldnt take all that long, maybe an hour. But if you were to add to that flowerbeds and other obstacles, for the robot mower to get to every inch of the area it would take more time. It might almost never reach to some extremely weird labyrinthic places.

But I dont think it matters all that much. From my own experience, by the time I come back from work, everythings cut. And since its scheduled to mow every day, the lawn is basically cut all the time every time.

It Knows Where To Mow

You dont have to worry about the Landroid missing spots or going into areas you dont want it to work. Every Landroid comes with a boundary wire that keeps the mower in the areas where you want it to cut the grass. You can even buy the digital fencing units to exclude additional areas from mowing. This can be good for things like protecting lawn furniture, patios, fire pits and more.

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Natural Fertilization Through Mulching

Due to frequent operation, a robotic mower only cuts off a very small portion of the stalk tips each time. These simply remain directly on the surface and decompose here. This permanently adds natural fertilizer to the soil. In turn, it improves the growth of the lawn plants and strengthens them, reducing the spread of weeds.

For this process to work, lawn clippings must be very short. Otherwise, the decomposition process would take too long and the mulch layer would reduce the aeration of the lawn. For example, weekly mowing with a hand mower is not enough because the tips of the grass blades have already grown too long.

How Often And For How Long Do The Robotic Mowers Mow

Pin on Gazon

Robot Lawnmowers will mow your garden based on the settings programmed, as you can set up the days and the times required. If its raining during a defined mowing time, the robot can be set to return to the charging station and wait until the next scheduled time to mow. They are designed to mow around 1mm to 5mm of grass at a time, so you need your robot mower to work often.

It is important to note that the time for a robotic mower to mow a lawn will vary, as it depends on many factors such as the robot model, type of grass, slopes, battery, size of the garden, etc. The robot does not require human supervision or intervention to do its job, so it can be scheduled to work as many hours as it is required, at any time, day or night, and on any combination of days of the week. The idea is to program the robot to mow at times you would not normally be outside in your yard.

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Battery & Charging Options

Efficient lithium-Ion batteries power your robot lawn mower. This type of battery technology has advanced so much over recent years that it is the energy source of choice for most heavy construction and industrial power tool users.

  • Robot lawn mowers return automatically to the charging station when their batteries run low.

  • They can find the charging station by a pre-programmed path, using the perimeter wire or by following the boundary back.

  • A low-cost full recharge can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours and will power the mower for up to 3 hours.

Rechargeable battery life depends on a number of factors including mower model and the presence of steep slopes and other obstacles on the lawn.

Obviously, if you buy a mower not designed for the size of your lawn then battery life may be inadequate for the task.

How Do I Program A Robot Lawn Mower

Technically speaking, you’ve already made all necessary preparations. Now, it’s simply a matter of programming your robot lawn mower. Usually, you’ll need to fully charge the robot lawn mower in the charging dock, after which you can set up it mowing program. This works differently depending on the type of robot lawn mower. That’s why you should refer to the manual for additional information.

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They Can Work Out Cheaper

Robot lawn mowers generally have a reputation for being very expensive. The cheapest models retail for approximately £400 in the UK and the top of the range domestic models cost about £3,100 in the UK. Prices in other territories are broadly similar. This puts the ticket price of robot lawn mowers higher than conventional rotary lawnmowers, but broadly in line with the more sophisticated cylinder lawn mowers.

However, robot lawn mowers are cheaper to run and have lower maintenance costs. Over the lifetime of the robot lawn mower, it is likely to cost a very similar amount to a conventional lawnmower, and in some instances may work out cheaper. For those people who pay a gardener to cut their lawn, the payback time for purchasing a robot lawnmower can be as little as one year. Ive written an article about how robot mowers can be cheaper than conventional mowers.

The high initial cost of robot lawn mowers may deter some people until the costs decrease further, but in many cases they are already comparable with conventional mowers. The price of robot mowers has been falling slowly and steadily over the last 10 years and is likely to continue to do so, but at a slower pace.

Electric Motors And Batteries

How Does An Automower® Robotic Lawn Mower Work? | Husqvarna

The first thing youll notice about a robot lawn mower is that its pretty much silent. With the exception of a gentle whirring coming from the blades, these machines make pretty much no noise at all.

This is because they run on electric motors that have rechargeable batteries. Not unlike the electric vehicles currently hitting the roads, such as the many Tesla models out there, robot mowers require no gas at all, and they also give off zero emissions, which is nice for the planet.

Of course, what this means is that you need to pay attention to the charge level of your mowers battery. This is usually easy, though, since it does it itself. When it senses it has a low battery, it will return to its charging station, recharge, and then continue cutting when its got the battery to do so.

One downside is that these batteries usually take several hours or more to charge. So, if you need to cut the grass and the battery is low, youre pretty much out of luck. But this situation shouldnt really ever happen if you let the mower do its thing.

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What Are The Robotic Mower Cutting Patterns

All Robot Mowers operate in a similar way of cutting your lawn. There are different cutting patterns and some robotic mowers use multiple or all three methods below:

Straight Cut The robot mower will mow in a straight line until it hits an obstacle or boundary wire, then turn to a different direction and continue with the pattern.

Spiral Cut If the mower sense that the grass is thick or long, It will start the spiral cutting pattern as shown in the adjacent picture.

GPS Assist The robot mower will create a virtual map of the area and break it up into small squares. This feature lets the robot know which areas have been mowed and which need to be mowed, as well as where they left off in the last mowing session. Additionally, some robot mowers use the information to start the spiral cut method in the centre of each small square.

How Does The Robotic Lawn Mower Work

Most robots mow the lawn by travelling around in a random pattern inside the work area. Some cut the grass by mowing the lawn back and forth in a controlled manner, just as you would if you cut it with a regular lawn mower.

Under the robot is a rotating disk either equipped with a knife or three smaller blades that cuts the grass. The small cut off pieces of grass decompose fast and become nutrition for your lawn.

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Do You Really Need A Robot Lawn Mower

If you want to keep an immaculately maintained lawn with relatively little exertion on your part, yes. This is an advancement in garden appliances that genuinely takes some of the hard graft out of cultivating your outside space and creating an alfresco sanctuary

Its neat, does its job in all but the most extreme weathers, gives you back those hours spent trying to tame the threatening jungle into something that resembles a bowling green, and puts itself away at the end of the task. Thats all time you can spend with the family or doing other chores that you dont have a robot helper for.

Most Robomowers Wont Cut The Edges Of Your Grass Perfectly

Worx Robotic Mower Landroid WR150 Review

Unfortunately there are a few drawbacks of robot lawn mowers due to the current technology used to detect the edge of the lawn.

Whilst robot lawn mowers will cut right up to the edge of your lawn where it meets paved areas, they will not usually able to do this next to flower beds or ponds. The robot lawn mower will leave a narrow strip of uncut grass. You will then have to manually trim the edges with an edge trimmer. This doesnt have to be done very often, and I usually do it about once every four weeks.

This is a significant negative aspect of the current generation of robot lawn mowers and one you should be aware of before making a purchase. It should be noted that certain models are better at doing edges than others. Typically the cutting technology from Robomow robot lawn mowers is better suited to getting closer to the edge of your grass. However I still dont think it negates the need to trim your edges.

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The Actual Mowing Gets A Mixed Review

Consumer Reports gave robo-mowers a spin, and gave them a mixed review.

Peter Sawchuck, chief lawn mower tester for Consumer Reports, put it this way in the video below:

First, theyre expensive. Second, they take more time than you might expect to install, monitor and maintain. Its not a matter of set it and forget it, but it certainly does relieve you of the burden of mowing the lawn yourself, and it does give an adequate quality of cut.

Compared to a gas-powered Honda mower, Consumer Reports and its partners from Cornell University found the robot mowers tended to rip, rather than cut, grass blades.

What were looking for is for the grass to look like it has been cut with a pair of scissors a nice, sharp, clean edge, said Brett Welch, a technician in Cornells turfgrass program.

Holding a handful of grass blades cut by a robot mower, he said, What we see going on is a bit of tearing, theres some fraying going on, a little bit of brown tip. When its cut rough, it adds to stress, its going to dry your grass out, its more susceptible to disease.

The gas-powered mower gave a cleaner, more scissor-like cut, he said.

Another shortcoming the Consumer Reports testers found: The robots need a level lawn. If there are ruts or holes, the mowers can get stuck and just spin their wheels.

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