Robot lawnmowers - pros & cons & experiences
- Thread starter Setanta12
- Start date
- Grass needs to be at a reasonable height to begin with.
- Always the threat of it "growing legs and running away" (more expensive models come with alarm and GPS I think)
- If the garden ( lawn ) isn't flat / level'ish, might have issues
- if you have multiple separate grass areas, then manually need to move it around.
- Outdoor / secure / powered area needed.
If you are getting one, make sure you also get a good comfortable outdoor chair and foot stool, so you can just sit back & relax and enjoy the garden
- Always the threat of it "growing legs and running away" (more expensive models come with alarm and GPS I think)
- If the garden ( lawn ) isn't flat / level'ish, might have issues
- if you have multiple separate grass areas, then manually need to move it around.
- Outdoor / secure / powered area needed.
If you are getting one, make sure you also get a good comfortable outdoor chair and foot stool, so you can just sit back & relax and enjoy the garden
Ceist Beag
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Prices I've heard are more in the 3k-4k range.
Start at €599 here [broken link removed]
A friend has one in a very big garden that is quite hilly, seems to work well and as said above there’s something very therapeutic about watching it putter around!
Blackrock1
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depends on your use case, if you have a straighforward garden they are great and really improve the quality of the lawn. for anything small the flymo 1200r (rebranded husqvarna) is fine and pretty cheap at £400 or so.
only issue i have is that it doesnt go right to the edge so you still need to strim
only issue i have is that it doesnt go right to the edge so you still need to strim
nonsense will cut wet or dry. I’ve Had one since March this year cutting just over half an acre. An absolute dream. There’s a great thread on boards.ie withhundreds of pages of info on every possible question. I stuck to husqvarna as they are the top machines at the moment. just beware you may have a little stremming to around edges
Blackrock1
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you leave it out for 6 or 7 months and it cuts every few days regardless of the weather
That just means you need to redesign your garden.
Some have rain sensors and don't cut when wet
You don't have to manually move them. The expensive ones can move from one lawn to the next, once there is access. But If across tarmac etc you do have to lay wire under it.- Grass needs to be at a reasonable height to begin with.
- Always the threat of it "growing legs and running away" (more expensive models come with alarm and GPS I think)
- If the garden ( lawn ) isn't flat / level'ish, might have issues
- if you have multiple separate grass areas, then manually need to move it around.
- Outdoor / secure / powered area needed.
If you are getting one, make sure you also get a good comfortable outdoor chair and foot stool, so you can just sit back & relax and enjoy the garden
Some people even build tunnels under walls/fences to make a path for them between lawns
Can take a long time to cut grass. But you can generally schedule at times that will not bother you.
A bit of work to install.
Finding good spot for charging station can be tricky.
You don't get stripes.
Toys/stuff left on the lawn?
Although deemed safe and have safety features, id still be a bit nervous about pets and kids.
I have nightmares about a robotic lawnmower just spreading dog This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language everywhere ... with the dog chasing after it.
Black Sheep
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A restaurant near us has one of these (robots) doing its thing on the lawn. Seems to provide a great source of entertainment to the customers while having coffee/food on their patio
lledlledlled
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Advantage: you no longer have the inconvenience of cutting your lawn
Disadvantage: you no longer get the exercise from cutting your lawn
Disadvantage: you no longer get the exercise from cutting your lawn
Someone I know has a Husqvarna one for the past 4+ years - Has been operating like a dream.
The comment above re wet grass is nonsense. This little beauty runs night and day, leaves the lawns looking like a putting green 12 months of the year (No winter time 'rough' look)
Yes they are therapeutic as mentioned above - A nice little entertaining novelty to have around!
The running costs are tiny - The electricity v petrol comparison is very favourable, hugely so. Ditto servicing costs which should be nil bar a new battery after 4-5 years (guessing here?)
The only two negatives I'm aware of are it will struggle with leaf fall in autumn - You'll need a plan to clear these. (leaf blower +raking, or else borrow a push mower with a bag or something)
Another minor thing is that like mulching you'll have tiny pits of cut grass that can be tracked into the house on footwear etc (hardly worth mentioning)
One key piece of advice is to get the guide wires professionally installed as part of the deal when you're buying - They have a machine that cuts/lifts a flap of turf up, embeds the wire and then replaces it again - This is key as the wires and damage to same are the main cause of headaches with these - greater risk if you self install.
- When my tractor mower dies I'll be buying one, most likely Husqvarna as there's a few in the family now and they're very well recommended (Think they pioneered these?) - I've no business connection to this brand.
The comment above re wet grass is nonsense. This little beauty runs night and day, leaves the lawns looking like a putting green 12 months of the year (No winter time 'rough' look)
Yes they are therapeutic as mentioned above - A nice little entertaining novelty to have around!
The running costs are tiny - The electricity v petrol comparison is very favourable, hugely so. Ditto servicing costs which should be nil bar a new battery after 4-5 years (guessing here?)
The only two negatives I'm aware of are it will struggle with leaf fall in autumn - You'll need a plan to clear these. (leaf blower +raking, or else borrow a push mower with a bag or something)
Another minor thing is that like mulching you'll have tiny pits of cut grass that can be tracked into the house on footwear etc (hardly worth mentioning)
One key piece of advice is to get the guide wires professionally installed as part of the deal when you're buying - They have a machine that cuts/lifts a flap of turf up, embeds the wire and then replaces it again - This is key as the wires and damage to same are the main cause of headaches with these - greater risk if you self install.
- When my tractor mower dies I'll be buying one, most likely Husqvarna as there's a few in the family now and they're very well recommended (Think they pioneered these?) - I've no business connection to this brand.
mccoypat94
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Yes highly recommend the Husqvarna model , cuts very well changed my life I work 70 hours a week with young family so time is precious, those 5 hours per week cutting in the summertime are worth the investment, along with the running and maintenance costs of my old banger Viking