Where's my damn robot mower?

[rcjordan]

>I can nurse it through

That's the general review status of Worx devices  ...a big box brand that won't hold up.  I was hoping that they had tried to shake that image and beef up a $1200 mower, but the reviews point to 'still shoddy consumer crap.'

[rcjordan]

<+>
I'm also watching this project.  The nav system makes the most sense to me and would likely provide increased coverage since it isn't moming a random pattern.

Ardumower GPS RTK Kits GNSS
https://www.marotronics.de/Ardumower-GPS-RTK-Kits-GNSS

If there was a US plug-n-play package for $1500-ish, I'd buy it now.

[rcjordan]

<warp>

Strong German(?) Chinese entry into the EU/US market.

I'd buy it except for one flaw --it is app controlled. If the company goes belly-up then the mower is a $3k brick.

MAMMOTION LUBA AWD 5000, Perimeter Wire Free Robotic Lawn Mower for 1.25 Acres Lawn 75% Slope, APP Control with Virtual Boundaries, All-Wheel Drive, Multi-Zone Management

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BXP9K279

[littleman]

Hey RC, I saw this while doing a campus tour for my third oldest and thought of you.

Apparently they have a whole line of them now:
https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/
https://www.husqvarna.com/us/industries-and-solutions/golf/#robotic-golf-course-mowers

[rcjordan]

Yeah, I think the Husqvarna line is top seller now.  The 430x would be the nearest to the Luba I posted above but it is rated at .8 acre. It requires a boundary wire (not a deal-breaker for me) but -IIRC- it mows a random pattern which wastes a lot of time & battery.  *And* there are blog reviews saying that they have "gotcha" prices for repair parts.

Aside: Besides being a PITA to install and maintain, boundary wires can be lighting magnets --frying the wires, the charging station, the mower, and house wiring.

+
Last year, I had a ground strike in the front yard follow the ISP coax into the house and fry some of my network cables, the home automation computer, and assorted other electronics.  Not fun.

[rcjordan]

Husqvarna does have an RTK-GPS mower that is comparable to the Luba, but it is $6k.

AUTOMOWER® 450XH EPOS™ bundle with reference station | Husqvarna US

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-450xh-epos/

[ergophobe]

>> but it is $6k.

That is precisely why the future in not evenly distributed.

[Damian]

Ha I was thinking of this thread ..good to see it still exists. Thought you might like to see this radio guided slope mower I"m waiting for,  it's on the boat from China to here.
It's on tracks, has a snow blade and is piloted with a remote (no automation). About $3000 including shipping.



https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004682111923.html

[rcjordan]

PiMowBot -= the smart π-Mower-Robot =-

http://pimowbot.tgd-consulting.de/


Raspberry Pi Mows Your Lawn So You Don't Have To

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-mower-mows-your-yard


The total price of a PiMowBot including all required components is between 250,- and 300,- EUR, depending on type and number of components/sensors.

[grnidone]

I am honestly curious to know if most men would want to purchase a robot lawn mower.  Because from what I've seen, most non-farmer men LOVE to mow the lawn as long as they can do it on a riding lawn mower.

It's a loud machine that they get to drive in the great outdoors.  They accomplish something that they can look at and say "I did that...look at the cool patterns I cut into the lawn."  And there is something about that that strokes their testosterone level.

I'm not ragging on it...but I have to wonder if a robot cutting machine would actually give men this satisfaction.

(I exclude farmers in this because they are usually too damn tired of riding big machines outdoors and working outside all the time that they assign this awful task to someone else.  Usually their kids.)

[rcjordan]

>wonder if a robot cutting machine would actually give men this satisfaction


Your concerns about robomowers is valid.  Many tractor-style riding mowers are a stamped metal piece-o-junk even when new and the great majority of those are slow and no fun.

I hate mowing the grass, but I have to admit that speedy, zero-turn, joystick-steering are kinda fun.

I'm going to eventually do a robomower just for the techie, nerdy fun.  But I'm also expecting it to be more PITA than time-saver with maintenance, adjusting the mowing target areas, blade height, obstacles, boundaries, etc.

[Brad]

Hedgehogs threatened by robot mowers, German activists warn

https://www.dw.com/en/hedgehogs-threatened-by-robot-mowers-german-activists-warn/a-70160521

[ergophobe]

As I like to say, for every solution, there's a problem.

[Rumbas]

Got a husqvarna robot mower for the summer house. Best damn investment I've done in years. The grass looks soo nice

[grnidone]

Rumbas, which one did you get? My lawn mower guy is out of commission and I know myself: I won't do it.