My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

I didn't think of that, but on the other hand, whatever mower I get will have to do the same amount of work, So is there stronger engines or whatever in more expensive ones that make them able for a bigger workload? I'll probably leave it running 5 days a week and switch it off at the weekend so the kids can enjoy the lawn

PuddingBreath wrote: »

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Robotic-Lawnmowers/Gardena-Sileno-1600-Square-Metre-1782407

am i missing something here, seems like a great deal, will probably go for it. i assume it'll do a front and back lawn seperated by tarmac ? it doesn't specify

I followed up with gardena directly themselves to see if I could "drive" this along my tarmac from back to front lawn, (I'm assuming you can bit I don't want to make an ass out of me before spending a grand). I guess I could run the boundary wire across the tarmac or something (some manufacturers ask you to run the wire twice close together to act as a bridge to the new area or so I understood it)

Anyway, their response (German support address) was not great. They basically said they don't do support and to query it with my local distributor. Weird approach in my opinion. I'd expect a manufacturer to be able to answer this. In fact, they have a sort of q and a section on their site.
I've email what I think is the main distributor for Ireland of this addressed in Dublin (as per their website)

murfler wrote: »

Of course the bigger/more expensive robots are speced to work on bigger lawns, they have bigger batteries, some move faster then smaller ones to cover more ground etc. You hardly thought the cheaper/smaller robots are priced as such for no reason and can do the same work as bigger ones without any consequences??

I didn't think anything, i don't know, hence i'm asking questions. what i do think is sometime marketing etc can be a load of bullcrap and companies lie, eg volkswagen and their emissions.

all you've done is give a non answer. I'm guessing people are on here to help eachother out? When i get mine i'll be giving my experiences on here to help others.

what you are saying about batteries doesn't make much sense when you look at this
https://eu.worx.com/landroid/en/robot-lawn-mower/
the 1000m2 rate one has a 4ah battery and the 2000m2 has only a 5ah(25% bigger)for doing twice the size, why not twice the battery size ?

the usa site lists 4 here, some for 1/2 acre, some for 1/4 but all have the same battery.

in fact, i read something yesterday where a different/older model worx rated for 1000m2 had a 2ah battery whereas a lower rated one (700 or 800 m2 can't remember) had a 4ah battery.

PuddingBreath wrote: »

I didn't think anything, i don't know, hence i'm asking questions. what i do think is sometime marketing etc can be a load of bullcrap and companies lie, eg volkswagen and their emissions.

all you've done is give a non answer. I'm guessing people are on here to help eachother out? When i get mine i'll be giving my experiences on here to help others.

what you are saying about batteries doesn't make much sense when you look at this
https://eu.worx.com/landroid/en/robot-lawn-mower/
the 1000m2 rate one has a 4ah battery and the 2000m2 has only a 5ah(25% bigger)for doing twice the size, why not twice the battery size ?

the usa site lists 4 here, some for 1/2 acre, some for 1/4 but all have the same battery.

in fact, i read something yesterday where a different/older model worx rated for 1000m2 had a 2ah battery whereas a lower rated one (700 or 800 m2 can't remember) had a 4ah battery.

It's not just about the battery.
Cutting width, speed, and motor efficiency combine with battery capacity to provide "total coverage of cutting per charge" as a comparison.

Some models in a range will have different motors, cutting widths, etc.

I have over spec'd both my mowers and happy that I have done so.
I don't want the mower out mowing all the time or more than it has to because:
1. I want to be able to use the lawn without worrying about the mower vs kids.
2. there needs to be enough of a buffer to not mow in poor conditions - if it is lashing etc.
3. the time taken "returning to charge" seems like a waste and I would prefer to minimize that. also, the more it is returning, the more it is making a repetitive track on the return.

PuddingBreath wrote: »

I didn't think anything, i don't know, hence i'm asking questions. what i do think is sometime marketing etc can be a load of bullcrap and companies lie, eg volkswagen and their emissions.

all you've done is give a non answer. I'm guessing people are on here to help eachother out? When i get mine i'll be giving my experiences on here to help others.

what you are saying about batteries doesn't make much sense when you look at this
https://eu.worx.com/landroid/en/robot-lawn-mower/
the 1000m2 rate one has a 4ah battery and the 2000m2 has only a 5ah(25% bigger)for doing twice the size, why not twice the battery size ?

the usa site lists 4 here, some for 1/2 acre, some for 1/4 but all have the same battery.

in fact, i read something yesterday where a different/older model worx rated for 1000m2 had a 2ah battery whereas a lower rated one (700 or 800 m2 can't remember) had a 4ah battery.

OK you do what you feel is right. I'm sure Husqy, worx, STIHL etc have higher speced models as a marketing gimmick.

PuddingBreath wrote: »

many thanks, i'll probably have to get extra boundary wire no matter what i do as i want the charger at the back of the house and the mower to travel around to the front and service that area too(smaller of the 2 lawns).

my lawn isn't very steep, i'll be making it a bit smaller over time so it got me thinking about what my needs will be. there's a bit(lot) of work to be done in the back.

my actual final measurements will be around 250m2 in front, maybe around 500/600 in the back, so it's a toss up between a 700 or 1000m2 rated mower.

The worx app has a lawn size calculator feature that uses augmented reality for you to pace around the area. You can use it to plan the total amount of wire required (you can put an island in, etc) and the area.
I used it before installing the mower so it might be helpful as a planning tool.

ArrBee wrote: »

The worx app has a lawn size calculator feature that uses augmented reality for you to pace around the area. You can use it to plan the total amount of wire required (you can put an island in, etc) and the area.
I used it before installing the mower so it might be helpful as a planning tool.

many thanks, i'll install it for a look


i'm down to the following in order of preference


https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/worx-landroid-l1000-wr147-2021


https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/worx-landroid-m700-2.0-wr167e-2021


https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Robotic-Lawnmowers/Gardena-Sileno-1600-Square-Metre-1782407


https://northxsouth.ie/products/mcculloch-rob600-robot-lawn-mower-by-husqvarna-600m?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7KWBwIi48AIVAevtCh1jlwn6EAYYASABEgLicfD_BwE#fo_c=2108&fo_k=166736490ffbe66257143b39c24c05d8&fo_s=gplaie

listermint wrote: »

Yes I've a rob1000 a number of years doing 1150 sq or thereabouts with zero issues or degradation or service fees for it.



Happy customer. Very low cost entry to automated lawn upkeep and I've to do nothing but drink a beer.

many thanks Lister, that's kinda my scenario, i'll be a little over, got loads of other things to sort at the moment so the few hundred quid saved today on the mower will go to good use. if it goes wallop a year early in a few years time it won't matter as we'll have most of the other work done by then hopefully

PuddingBreath wrote: »

I followed up with gardena directly themselves to see if I could "drive" this along my tarmac from back to front lawn, (I'm assuming you can bit I don't want to make an ass out of me before spending a grand). I guess I could run the boundary wire across the tarmac or something (some manufacturers ask you to run the wire twice close together to act as a bridge to the new area or so I understood it)

Anyway, their response (German support address) was not great. They basically said they don't do support and to query it with my local distributor. Weird approach in my opinion. I'd expect a manufacturer to be able to answer this. In fact, they have a sort of q and a section on their site.
I've email what I think is the main distributor for Ireland of this addressed in Dublin (as per their website)

Let me know how you get on.
I have a similar setup, the front and back lawns are separated by a narrow concrete path around 15 yards long and then its 15 yard across the tarmac drive to the front lawn.
The path is only 2.5-3 ft wide.

I'd looked at getting the previous Gardena on offer in Coopstores but was deterred by the layout of my garden.

SocialSpud wrote: »

I'll be getting a lawn ready soon and would like to at least future proof for a robot lawnmower. I'm thinking to at least have a outdoor electrical sockets in the lawn for the dock and put down some boundary cable?

I wouldn’t put in any boundary wire until you are ready as you could change things in the meantime and you don’t want to be pulling it up or adding joiners.

For future proofing ensure you have all the lawn(s) connected. Limit long, narrow sections as much as possible.

And as you said, access to electrical outlet. Put that somewhere central but out of view , if possible.

Try to have sweeping bends rather than 90 degree bends.

KCross wrote: »

I wouldn’t put in any boundary wire until you are ready as you could change things in the meantime and you don’t want to be pulling it up or adding joiners.

For future proofing ensure you have all the lawn(s) connected. Limit long, narrow sections as much as possible.

And as you said, access to electrical outlet. Put that somewhere central but out of view , if possible.

Try to have sweeping bends rather than 90 degree bends.

Great thanks for the advice. I'll be having one single rectangle lawn so should be ok. I might build a mini garage for it when the I actually get one.

SocialSpud wrote: »

I'll be getting a lawn ready soon and would like to at least future proof for a robot lawnmower. I'm thinking to at least have a outdoor electrical sockets in the lawn for the dock and put down some boundary cable?

KCross wrote: »

I wouldn’t put in any boundary wire until you are ready as you could change things in the meantime and you don’t want to be pulling it up or adding joiners.

For future proofing ensure you have all the lawn(s) connected. Limit long, narrow sections as much as possible.

And as you said, access to electrical outlet. Put that somewhere central but out of view , if possible.

Try to have sweeping bends rather than 90 degree bends.

Great advice above - I'd also add that when you're choosing kerbing to go for something like the below where your kerb is level with the grass and its not too narrow.

This gives you an ideal automower scenario where you can cut right to the edge with no need for strimming or burning off grass at edges with weedkiller.

There has to be a bit of depth to the kerb to allow the mower to get in from its various angles of approach etc. and not have the outside wheel go off the kerb - wish mine were an inch or two wider.

PuddingBreath wrote: »

sound, nice not passive aggressive reply there again.

if you think all these companies are run by some charity that is selling these at cost/break even to ensure best value for the customer then i have some bad news for you...

the tooth fary isn't real ....

Pudding you've said that you'll be back on here afterwards giving your advice to help others on the thread...... What about the people who come on here but clearly couldn't be bothered to read any of the thread - Will you be taking them through it all from scratch in baby steps too?

Gardena resell a pile of everything under that brand from hoses to watering cans - They also sell a number of rebadged Husqvarna Automowers which are probably a good buy as far as I can tell (no personal experience) I can well imagine that their Customer support had no clue what you were asking them as they wouldn't be trained in any of it I'm sure.

This thread is a mine of excellent advice from a lot of people who have shared their thoughts and experiences to help others - Make a cup of tea and give it an hour or two and you'll have an excellent grounding on this topic and will be informed enough to buy the mower best suited to your site.

I've the same mower as Listermint recommended above (also rebadged Husqvarna)and I think its a legendary machine.

Maybe late to the party with this one,but spraying the underneath of Luigi with WD-40 has been a game changer. Grass doesn’t stick as much still needs a clean but it’s a hell of a lot easier to do.

Just thought I’d share

SocialSpud wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, good to know this now before it's too late. Is this your own lawn?

No sadly - I've the more standard kerb laid on flat from before Automowers entered my thinking!

I must post a photo of an unfortunate lesson learned that may save others some time, hassle and ultimately disappointment.

I had a "genius" idea to buy tiny cable clips and secure my perimeter loop to the edge of the kerb about 2 cm down and cover with soil.

Plan was to make sure I got the perfect edge cut then using the "drive past wire" menu on the mower to fine tune the distance the mower went onto the kerb before backing off.

All was fine 97.9% of the time, mower approached, wheels rolled smoothly onto kerb, clean cut achieved.

Issue was that if the Mower approached almost parallel to the wire, hard to explain but a side-on approach almost going in the direction of the wire then the outside wheel would drop off the kerb.

Back to square one - Was almost a nice idea.

PS - I had started off on this plan originally due to the fact that the kerbs were bedded in concrete and it was very hard to pin the wire down in the usual way using the plastic pins - I'd be interested to hear if any of you have come up with an alternative that works well for this.

I'll throw up a photo this evening - the plan might work for other mowers..

Thanks for that - Actually I needed to go looking for my guide wire there recently and couldn't find it anywhere along 80 metres of a run when it had just been pinned down on the surface with no burying.

Was genuinely shocked at what only 6 weeks of grass growth did to lock it down and cover every sign of it - It really gets swallowed up by the grass roots.

By this logic a wire that's buried any distance in the soil should be very secure.