# Robotic Mowers



## wiredawg (Apr 6, 2018)

Saw this yesterday at my local Lowes for $1599.00 (with installaion) I think the Model is 115H.


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## Still learnin (Sep 9, 2017)

Interesting concept. For those who mow several times a week, I can see this being awesome. I don't the quality of cut is even 25% as good though. But I have no clue. 
I had/have a robot vacuum. It lasted a few years before it started getting stuck and quality just generally declined. Wonder if this would do the same.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

I suppose the stripes would look something like this? :lol:

@OD on Grass


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## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

Hah, I would think the same, total random spaghetti but they know how OCD lawn keepers are...so it looks like they've tried to tackle that problem


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## NewLawnJon (Aug 3, 2018)

From my understanding of the Husqvarna mowers is they have razor blades that are easy to replace, and are super sharp to give a good quality of cut. I think there are different programs you can use to either have it mow in a pattern, or random (stripes to an extend vs no marks).

For those who don't have the time, or don't want to mow they are a good option since the more you mow usually the healthier the grass.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

My neighbor has a robot mower. It is a total random pattern and it uses a weeder eater string to mow. The lawns looks beat up all the time.


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

This one looks like it would do a good job

https://www.cubcadetturf.com/rg3/


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## Clover13 (Mar 25, 2019)

Anything called RG3 is definitely questionable


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## Shindoman (Apr 22, 2018)

Clover13 said:


> Anything called RG3 is definitely questionable


 :lol:


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

Shindoman said:


> This one looks like it would do a good job
> 
> https://www.cubcadetturf.com/rg3/


$45,000. Let's all pitch in and get one we can share. :lol:


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## OD on Grass (Nov 1, 2018)

Ware said:


> I suppose the stripes would look something like this? :lol:
> 
> @OD on Grass


 :lol: :lol: :lol:

That cub cadet tho!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Shindoman said:


> This one looks like it would do a good job
> 
> https://www.cubcadetturf.com/rg3/


Just noticed they have a link for a company that makes heads. Too :thumbup:

http://www.advancedtt.com


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## wiredawg (Apr 6, 2018)

I really want to see it live in action. And on different grass types. Most neighborhoods around my parts are either bermuda, centipede, or seasonal weeds...LOL My neighbor hates cutting grass even got a preteen/teen, more than old enough to cut grass and really it would only take him 15-20 minutes to do their front area (and that would be taking his time). Maybe, I can convince him to get one...LOL


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## TheSwede (Jul 10, 2018)

NewLawnJon said:


> From my understanding of the Husqvarna mowers is they have razor blades that are easy to replace, and are super sharp to give a good quality of cut. I think there are different programs you can use to either have it mow in a pattern, or random (stripes to an extend vs no marks).
> 
> For those who don't have the time, or don't want to mow they are a good option since the more you mow usually the healthier the grass.


OK, since I have actually been involved in the development of the Husqvarna robotic mowers (many moons ago now, but the basic operation hasn't changed much the last 10 years) I'll try my best to give you my $0.02 about robotic mowers:

Huqvarna and most other manufacturers use blades similar to razor blades. I would put the relative quality of a lawn mowed with a decent robomower inbetween a lawn mowed with a decent reel mower a couple times a week and a decent rotary used say once a week.

The ability to negotiate obstacles and mow slopes vary greatly between manufacturers. I would say that the undisputed leader in mowing steep slopes and ability to find a way out from a difficult spot is still Husqvarna.

Most robomowers do a "random walk" of the lawn, basically moving forward until they detect a boundary wire or bump into an obstacle. This has the drawback of making the mowing a statistical/probability problem -If the mower moves randomly over the lawn, so it will always be slightly unevenly cut, and depending on the layout of the lawn geometry, parts of it may be cut more often than others. The only (?) robot on the market that do some sort of structured mowing is the Bosch Indego. It only does structured mowing, but alters the mowing pattern to make the lawn as evenly cut as possible.

The way the robomower finds its way back to the charging station is also something that should be taken into consideration. Husqvarna pioneered the robotic mower in the early 1990s and they have an impressive number of patents protecting their products. Huwqvarna mowers use sepparate, fanned out guide wire(s) to find its way back to the charging station. Other manufacturers have their robomowers find and follow the boudary wire back to the charging station. The result of following the boudary wire as opposed to one or more guide wires is that the traffic along the guide wire will create wheel tracks in the lawn along the boundary wire.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

Seems like it would get stolen. For that amount of money, I would need to watch it the entire time its cutting to be sure nobody picked it up and ran off with it. Im sure its unusable without the charging hub/station, but that wont stop a thief.


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## TheSwede (Jul 10, 2018)

bp2878 said:


> Seems like it would get stolen. For that amount of money, I would need to watch it the entire time its cutting to be sure nobody picked it up and ran off with it. Im sure its unusable without the charging hub/station, but that wont stop a thief.


Robotic mowers have quite sofisticated anti-theft mechanisms that render them useless if picked-up or removed from the lawn. They are protected by pincodes that you need to enter every time the access panel is opened. If it is picked up from the lawn, sensors will detect that and it will lock down the mower and sound an alarm and notify the owner through the app. Many of the more sophisticated ones have GPS trackers and 4G modems onboard so they can be tracked down if stolen.

All in all, robotic mower theft is very rare because they are worthless and not worth any money without the pincode.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

TheSwede said:


> bp2878 said:
> 
> 
> > Seems like it would get stolen. For that amount of money, I would need to watch it the entire time its cutting to be sure nobody picked it up and ran off with it. Im sure its unusable without the charging hub/station, but that wont stop a thief.
> ...


Stuff doesn't always have to be useful to be stolen. Sometimes if it's not nailed down, it will get taken for the sake of being taken. One of my neighbors had their car broken into and someone stole a hoodie from the back seat. Another person on the ring app showed someone stealing their hose from their front yard. This isn't in a bad part of town, it just happens. I can only imagine someone seeing a lawn mower and just taking it. It wouldn't profit them much but it would be expensive to replace for the homeowner. I'd want some sort of Lojack on that thing.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Bermuda_Newbie said:


> TheSwede said:
> 
> 
> > bp2878 said:
> ...


Many of them have exactly that.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

bp2878 said:


> Seems like it would get stolen. For that amount of money, I would need to watch it the entire time its cutting to be sure nobody picked it up and ran off with it. Im sure its unusable without the charging hub/station, but that wont stop a thief.





Bermuda_Newbie said:


> Stuff doesn't always have to be useful to be stolen. Sometimes if it's not nailed down, it will get taken for the sake of being taken. One of my neighbors had their car broken into and someone stole a hoodie from the back seat. Another person on the ring app showed someone stealing their hose from their front yard. This isn't in a bad part of town, it just happens. I can only imagine someone seeing a lawn mower and just taking it. It wouldn't profit them much but it would be expensive to replace for the homeowner. I'd want some sort of Lojack on that thing.


Exactly. We have too many thieves prowling my neighborhood because it's known to be a decent middle class neighborhood with stuff to steal. It doesn't help that we have a lot of idiots that park their cars on the driveway or street and don't lock them or leave their garage doors open so now thieves are just prowling looking for an opportunity. If I had a robo mower mowing my front lawn it's very likely it will get stolen at some point. The GPS may help recover it but there's no guarantee the thieves haven't damaged it by the time it's recovered.


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## hefegrass (Mar 20, 2019)

My $400 robot vacuum uses an algorithm to figure out efficient lines on a floorplan and allow me to set boundaries, i would think they can figure out how to add similar capability to a robot mower. An app allows you to see where its been and have it go do specific areas if youd like. I think there will be some really advanced robot mowers coming very soon.


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## The Anti-Rebel (Feb 16, 2019)

http://www.turfhacker.com/2019/05/1-week-impression-of-husqvarna.html


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Fairway autonomous 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA4r5fgQUQU

Cub cadet robotic greens mower. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPibtLfYEWQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSshryi4SqM

And a fairway designed to be autonomous (OSUturfman link)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrVPYFTp6zM


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## Marlon (Jun 25, 2019)

My issue with the Husqvarna is with their slope rating: 40 deg uphill max and 24 deg downhill max. WTH? The uphill rating is utterly useless. Therefore, if part of your lawn hits 24 deg or higher, move on. I am getting a 315x demo for $1300 USD but my slope is above 24 deg. Dang.

Any other suggestions?


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## LawnOrder (Sep 29, 2019)

.
There are already a couple of fully autonomous farm tractors (and at least one combine) utilising AgOpenGPS software technology, with mapping accuracy down to about an inch and a quarter.

Pro: will mow _precisely_ how and where you tell it to.

Con: 22 ton lawnmower may compress soil slightly.
.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Reel mow on GPS.

Conv with wife: "Honey, it will mow the lawn everyday with perfect lines. Think of all the time I will have to do the laundry."

https://twitter.com/jasondandrea/status/1178996020023308288


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