# Warning, Blasphemy Inside: Robo mowers are better than reel mowers.



## PainInTheGrass (Oct 14, 2021)

I was riding bikes with kids and in an area I'm not very familiar with. I came across an outstanding lawn. Normally I would never bug someone about such a thing, but as luck would have it the homeowner was out in the yard fussing with his grass (as we tend to do) and I could also see the little charging garage with a robo mower juicing up. I have recently been very much considering a robo mower because frankly I want a great lawn but I'm sick and tired of mowing right when I get home from work or worse, using my precious weekends to do it. So I broke my rule and interrupted this dude's peace/studying of his lawn.

To make a medium story short (and I truly apologize from the bottom of my heart that I don't have pictures to accompany this post), he was basically like me. He had initially decided to get his lawn in domination shape (my words, not his), and even get things really smooth to cut reel low. And he did. And he hated how often he had to mow the thing to keep it low and good looking. So he got a robot mower. Says the HOC is 0.8in on it. I don't care what you say about how tall 0.8in, that's stinking short in my book and it looked AWESOME! Right up there with the best pics I've seen here. He said it looks way better than it did during the reel mower days. He chalks that up to the razor like blades taking off tiny amounts, far more often than would be reasonable for a fully employed person with a wife+kids could/would ever be able to mow.

So, I'm even more sold on robo mowing, it's better than reel mowing for the regular guy who has a busy life but wants to dominate, unless you have a dedicated grounds crew on staff.

I know, I know, straight up heresy in these parts. But damn, I saw it with my own eyes!


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

It's still a ton of expense/setup to optimize the landscaping to compensate for the limitations of the robot. Properties with fences have even more expense/setup. Keep you're eye on the goal, and not your bank balance, and the payoff should be exactly as you describe.

Personally, I'm torn between building a big battery reel for some early-am exercise, or going for the robot route. Extra motivation get my carcass outta bed and make short grass shorter in stealth mode while getting in some exercise wouldn't be so terrible for me.


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## Kiza (Oct 30, 2019)

Dude, they're going to come after you with a pitchfork. Or more specifically, a well made 10-tine, carbon fiber, rubber gripped, perfectly balanced, bedding mulch fork that they bought at an auction for $12, which they took apart for some reason and re-assembled with new grease.


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## csl23 (Jul 22, 2021)

For someone who wants a good lawn but doesn't want to or have the time to commit to the lawn, the robo mower is a great option. But it still doesn't compare to the quality of cut of a greensmower.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Use some growth regulators and you too can sleep in and skip mowing on the weekends.


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## TulsaFan (May 1, 2017)

Kiza said:


> Dude, they're going to come after you with a pitchfork. Or more specifically, a well made 10-tine, carbon fiber, rubber gripped, perfectly balanced, bedding mulch fork that they bought at an auction for $12, which they took apart for some reason and re-assembled with new grease.


Great post!!! :thumbup: I shared it with the wife and it made her laugh out loud.


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## Phxphenom (Aug 19, 2020)

Did you catch which robomower the guy was using?


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## DocTodd (9 mo ago)

I’m 4 weeks into demo’ing the Husq 550 EPOS commercial unit on my lawn, and there is no turning back for me. I like working outside and doing other manual labor as it is a great release from the day job, but laying out in the yard watching the kiddos run and play is more in line of my goals of a big property with a big yard for us to enjoy. YMMV, but I struggle to find those 3 hours just to run the mower twice a week, not to mention taking care of the rest of the property. 

Expensive when I pull the trigger next spring, yeah.…anticipating a bit over $6000 all said and done. The residential units might be cheaper depending on the application, but my property is big and I have zero intent to mess with a boundary wire. The EPOS unit took 2 hours to set up, discuss, and program three mowing zones and about a dozen exclusion/no-mow zones. Since that time, i have only occasional loss of satellite reception in one specific area of the back yard, and one area that it likes to get stuck on a hill between two valve boxes. 



MasterMech said:


> It's still a ton of expense/setup to optimize the landscaping to compensate for the limitations of the robot. Properties with fences have even more expense/setup. Keep you're eye on the goal, and not your bank balance, and the payoff should be exactly as you describe.
> Personally, I'm torn between building a big battery reel for some early-am exercise, or going for the robot route. Extra motivation get my carcass outta bed and make short grass shorter in stealth mode while getting in some exercise wouldn't be so terrible for me.





PainInTheGrass said:


> I was riding bikes…
> So, I'm even more sold on robo mowing, it's better than reel mowing for the regular guy who has a busy life but wants to dominate, unless you have a dedicated grounds crew on staff.
> I know, I know, straight up heresy in these parts. But damn, I saw it with my own eyes!


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

If your gowing lower than 5/8” with the robot you need a very level yard. I had mine down to slightly under 0.5 and it was getting hung up on any slight grading change as the cutting disc has a slight rake. I’m back around 5/8 and everything is good.

Quality of cut rivals the reel but I still prefer the aftercut appearance of the reel. Turf health may be better with the robot but you will be verticutting or scalping to remove some material more often as the grass just gets so dense. Any fungus issues and you probably should mow and bag.


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## Eradicator (Jul 19, 2021)

I love your courage Pain! I've been sold since the second Mow last year! Again, you didn't specify the model but on some like mine, there is a moving, self adjusting deck so it eliminates scalping.


I own 2 now-discontinued RS612's, one for the back and one for the front. I have gardens, fully fenced, a driveway it crosses on its own to get to a subzone, trees and mid-yard planters.....................The laying of the wire with all zones was a total of 4-5 hours setup for 15,000total sf and I spent most of it laying down....it really wasn't a big deal....just some time. 



Doc has deeper pockets than I do<LOL>!! Doc will also LOVE it!

I don't think I would have taken the plunge at list price though....they are way overpriced, for me. I didn't want to mess with gates so I got two machines. I only paid 700ea-brand new in the boxes +50ea shipping. So for 1500, I have two self operating yard robots...Hose A and Hose B. These are still available on fleabay every so often. I would NOT buy a used unit.



I have never seen it look better.....imagine going to the barber shop every other day or so????


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

DocTodd said:


> I’m 4 weeks into demo’ing the Husq 550 EPOS commercial unit on my lawn, and there is no turning back for me. I like working outside and doing other manual labor as it is a great release from the day job, but laying out in the yard watching the kiddos run and play is more in line of my goals of a big property with a big yard for us to enjoy. YMMV, but I struggle to find those 3 hours just to run the mower twice a week, not to mention taking care of the rest of the property.
> 
> Expensive when I pull the trigger next spring, yeah.…anticipating a bit over $6000 all said and done. The residential units might be cheaper depending on the application, but my property is big and I have zero intent to mess with a boundary wire. The EPOS unit took 2 hours to set up, discuss, and program three mowing zones and about a dozen exclusion/no-mow zones. Since that time, i have only occasional loss of satellite reception in one specific area of the back yard, and one area that it likes to get stuck on a hill between two valve boxes.


How many square feet are you cutting with the 550? And what type of grass, HOC? I was doing some research on that model and it intrigued me. Kinda bummed me out when I found out you still have to buy the transmitter station that runs around $800 if I recall. I just don't want to mess with boundary wires as my yard is a little complicated. Does it do well around obstacles still?


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## DocTodd (9 mo ago)

killacam said:


> How many square feet are you cutting with the 550? And what type of grass, HOC? I was doing some research on that model and it intrigued me. Kinda bummed me out when I found out you still have to buy the transmitter station that runs around $800 if I recall. I just don't want to mess with boundary wires as my yard is a little complicated. Does it do well around obstacles still?


I’ve got just under an acre of Tahoma 31 bermuda. I’ve maintained it around 3” HOC this year due to the lawn being super bumpy (level next season) and because I’ve mowed with a 61” zero turn that scalps pretty easily. It covers my lawn easily as far as I can tell. Also, the dealer only had a 550h available to demo, so that worked out perfectly since I’ve had higher HOC. Plan is to get the standard mower next season and plan to maintain sub 1”, and possibly add the fairway kit once leveling job is complete. Patterned mowing next year may allow me to mow 4+ acres of my 5 acre property which would be a total game changer for me. I have zero desire and time to mess with a boundary wire. It has done well around obstacles, loses signal periodically in one specific area of my back yard, and occasionally gets stuck if it gets too close to one of a couple valve boxes.


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## Eradicator (Jul 19, 2021)

I understand that most guys don't want to mess with the boundary wire but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I am also over 60 for reference, this isn't a 22 year old kid saying it's easy, it's an old guy like you! LOL I lay my wire ON TOP of the grass, then staked it down every 2-3 feet. The wire disappeared within a couple of weeks. The first time you overseed, you'll never see it again. You simply take the space-template to make sure you stay consistently off any obstacles, about 10" for my model. I have a curb out front and it will run the length(110') with one wheel on the curb, doing a great job at the road! Going around the planter boxes was simple and other obstacles, I just let it bounce off of with no harm to the machine or trees. I also bounces off mulch piled around trees so if you've landscaped, there will be less that needs to be excluded. 

I care for two lawns.
At this house I cut Firecracker tall fesc to 2.5 inches in the spring, extending to 3.5"hoc for the hot summer. 2 weeks ago I screwed it down to 1.5" for my overseed time...all done with robots. This year I switched to the Turf saver and Watersaver strains for overseed at 10lb per thou...we'll see how they do. I mainly got the new strains for our other home where I installed underground sprinklers last week on the Eastern Shore where 'sand" is the substrate of the day there. We had top soil shipped in after installing the heads. It's already germinating! My yard here is in much better shape here and is at the "needs maintenance only" stage. When I move to the other home in a couple years, we will prob rent this home but the robots will be going with us!

The Pattern mowing is already accomplished by at least one manufacturer and as Doc says, is a game changer for those who are willing to pay the entry price. For those us us less inclined or poorer<LOL>, there are still viable options out there. 

DO your RESEARCH! I learned that the only difference in the Robobmow RS line, was the battery size....THAT's IT! Most of the makers build these all on their same frame, use the same size motors across the line, etc....make sure you are getting value. I looks at parts diagrams and learned they all used the same part numbers! To me, the larger battery did not justify the $600 spread in list price, I just send mine out a little more often! Once I settled on one or two models, I began searching price....The RS612 listed at $1800.....I got two, brand new in the box for a lot less, just take your time.


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## clbphllps (Aug 20, 2019)

I lost the tweet but saw a Husqvarna doing pattern mowing. Is that a feature in development or has it been released on EPOS? Folks that know me know I love mowing but you can bet I'm getting one of these. The quality of cut can be insane, check these paspalum photos I took at UGA Griffon:


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

DocTodd said:


> I’ve got just under an acre of Tahoma 31 bermuda. I’ve maintained it around 3” HOC this year due to the lawn being super bumpy (level next season) and because I’ve mowed with a 61” zero turn that scalps pretty easily. It covers my lawn easily as far as I can tell. Also, the dealer only had a 550h available to demo, so that worked out perfectly since I’ve had higher HOC. Plan is to get the standard mower next season and plan to maintain sub 1”, and possibly add the fairway kit once leveling job is complete. Patterned mowing next year may allow me to mow 4+ acres of my 5 acre property which would be a total game changer for me. I have zero desire and time to mess with a boundary wire. It has done well around obstacles, loses signal periodically in one specific area of my back yard, and occasionally gets stuck if it gets too close to one of a couple valve boxes.


That sounds like a good plan. That's awesome you were able to demo one before purchasing. I want to wait and see what the toro offering is next spring before I bite the bullet.


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## killacam (May 4, 2017)

Eradicator said:


> I understand that most guys don't want to mess with the boundary wire but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I am also over 60 for reference, this isn't a 22 year old kid saying it's easy, it's an old guy like you! LOL I lay my wire ON TOP of the grass, then staked it down every 2-3 feet. The wire disappeared within a couple of weeks. The first time you overseed, you'll never see it again. You simply take the space-template to make sure you stay consistently off any obstacles, about 10" for my model. I have a curb out front and it will run the length(110') with one wheel on the curb, doing a great job at the road! Going around the planter boxes was simple and other obstacles, I just let it bounce off of with no harm to the machine or trees. I also bounces off mulch piled around trees so if you've landscaped, there will be less that needs to be excluded.
> 
> I care for two lawns.
> At this house I cut Firecracker tall fesc to 2.5 inches in the spring, extending to 3.5"hoc for the hot summer. 2 weeks ago I screwed it down to 1.5" for my overseed time...all done with robots. This year I switched to the Turf saver and Watersaver strains for overseed at 10lb per thou...we'll see how they do. I mainly got the new strains for our other home where I installed underground sprinklers last week on the Eastern Shore where 'sand" is the substrate of the day there. We had top soil shipped in after installing the heads. It's already germinating! My yard here is in much better shape here and is at the "needs maintenance only" stage. When I move to the other home in a couple years, we will prob rent this home but the robots will be going with us!
> ...


Laying it on top of the grass may work for taller cut cool season guys but reel mowed warm season grass sub .5" that's just not going to be feasible.


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## Eradicator (Jul 19, 2021)

killacam said:


> Laying it on top of the grass may work for taller cut cool season guys but reel mowed warm season grass sub .5" that's just not going to be feasible.


 You are of course correct, we generally cut ours to 2-3" so it's never been an issue but with HOC's so low, you will need to insert it underground.


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## Boy_meets_lawn (Sep 27, 2020)

I trenched my cable 4” so I don’t have to worry about it when aerating or verticutting. I used a thick jacketed large gauge dog fence wire as the generic stuff that came with the mower was thin, cheap and prone to breakages. Had a wireless system been available at the time I would have bought it for the simplicity of installation.


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## DocTodd (9 mo ago)

Good news: Looks like Husqvarna has released the NERA line which will be the residential version of the EPOS line. They are quoting upto 5000 m^2 (~54k sq ft or ~1.25 acre) coverage area. Husqvarna NERA

Sad news: my demo of the 550 epos unit is coming to a close this afternoon. I have only ran the unit once this week, and we are forecasted to drop down to the mid 30’s this coming week. As such, I doubt I’ll have to mow anymore the rest of the season. I have been really happy with the demo unit, and even happier that I have been able to have more family time without worrying about neglecting the yard. I’m very excited to see how the NERA unit and the Toro unit compare next spring.


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## DocTodd (9 mo ago)

That’s the ECHO unit, isn’t it? Amazing pics!



clbphllps said:


> I lost the tweet but saw a Husqvarna doing pattern mowing. Is that a feature in development or has it been released on EPOS? Folks that know me know I love mowing but you can bet I'm getting one of these. The quality of cut can be insane, check these paspalum photos I took at UGA Griffon:
> View attachment 883
> 
> View attachment 882
> ...


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## clbphllps (Aug 20, 2019)

DocTodd said:


> That’s the ECHO unit, isn’t it? Amazing pics!


Looks like it, with a solar panel. Thing was on point


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