Picking a Robotic Mower

The place for discussions about mowers, stripers, edgers, weeders, etc.
NJDan
Posts: 75
Joined: February 19th, 2017, 11:10 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by NJDan » November 26th, 2021, 4:03 pm

MorpheusPA wrote:
November 26th, 2021, 12:25 pm
The edges are one hundred percent flawless at garden edge and curb edge and she'll go right to the edge on both (to use the word edge to excess). The processing on that is perfect, and I haven't actually used the edger since I got the new mower--I haven't had to.

She has an edge program that I've set to run on Saturday and Tuesday, which rides the wire (set at the property edges) and cuts just that, then turns into the lawn and cuts the remainder of the lawn until the battery runs out and it heads home to recharge. If I feel the edges are looking shaggy, I simply pull up the app and hit the "Edge Routine" button. She'll go, mow the edge, and go home again.

So there, setup is the key. I had to move the wire at the curb once to get it right, but once I got it correct, the edges were perfect.

The ONLY use of my mower this year post-Olivia has been to mow in the garden mass (2,000 square feet of annual gardens) and some leaves that Olivia didn't handle, which were minimal.

I'm winterizing her today, so after this, I'll probably have one last mow with the Toro here and there to mow in some leaves. While most of the neighborhood is de-leafed, I extend summer here. My trees still have leaves. Dying leaves, and they won't last the shot of snow we have coming in, but they do have leaves.
Thanks for the comments, morph. I guess in the back of my mind I'm thinking about the robot instead of buying another traditional mower. I have the winter to mull it over. I think I'll start a new thread on it after doing some research.

NJDan
Posts: 75
Joined: February 19th, 2017, 11:10 pm
Location: Northern NJ
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by NJDan » November 27th, 2021, 1:56 pm

MorpheusPA wrote:
November 26th, 2021, 12:25 pm
The edges are one hundred percent flawless at garden edge and curb edge and she'll go right to the edge on both (to use the word edge to excess). The processing on that is perfect, and I haven't actually used the edger since I got the new mower--I haven't had to.

She has an edge program that I've set to run on Saturday and Tuesday, which rides the wire (set at the property edges) and cuts just that, then turns into the lawn and cuts the remainder of the lawn until the battery runs out and it heads home to recharge. If I feel the edges are looking shaggy, I simply pull up the app and hit the "Edge Routine" button. She'll go, mow the edge, and go home again.

So there, setup is the key. I had to move the wire at the curb once to get it right, but once I got it correct, the edges were perfect.

The ONLY use of my mower this year post-Olivia has been to mow in the garden mass (2,000 square feet of annual gardens) and some leaves that Olivia didn't handle, which were minimal.

I'm winterizing her today, so after this, I'll probably have one last mow with the Toro here and there to mow in some leaves. While most of the neighborhood is de-leafed, I extend summer here. My trees still have leaves. Dying leaves, and they won't last the shot of snow we have coming in, but they do have leaves.
I've been reading a lot and watching youtube about robot mowers. I'm starting to lean toward getting one rather than replacing my dead Honda HRX. About the edging thing: I'm confused about how it edges near an uneven belgian block curb. Do the wheels have to ride on the curb as when I use the Honda or can the wheels still be on the lawn while the blades cut all the way to the edge?

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by MorpheusPA » November 29th, 2021, 11:28 am

https://www.darienasphalt.com/belgiumblockcurbing

If that's a Belgian block curb, she's (well, mine's named Olivia) going to be able to cut really close to the edge, but I think you're going to have to use an edger to get right up to the edge on that. Very careful wire placement and you could probably get her to cut to the paver, with some experimentation. The photo also shows an isolated island, which is quite another challenge, although less of one. I have a big island and didn't have any trouble wiring around it.

Unevenness is less of a challenge. My front edge isn't great (thanks, Township) and she doesn't blink.

I will say that it doesn't really get you out of having another mower. But it means you can have the Home Depot special and it'll do fine for ages because you'll only use it for cleaning things up and grinding larger things into smaller things. My HD Special is now turning 17 and still works great.

I have to say, we're impressed enough with robotics to be adding a Roomba to our collection at this point. Heretofore, the reviews weren't quite good enough. Now, they are. Along with WiFi-enabled colored and multi-tonal white lighting and a bunch of other stuff. We are not early adopters (ask Andy; I fought him on LED lights for years, now I don't use anything else. It wasn't that the tech was bad, it was that it hadn't matured yet).

User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by MorpheusPA » November 29th, 2021, 11:50 am

I winterized Olivia this weekend, which was pretty easy. The garage is built to stay outdoors all year, so that's simple.

I unplugged the transformer and brought that in, wrapped the garage power end in plastic and rubber banded that (it self-seals, but let's not take any chances), and bundled it all up behind the garage. The garage itself forms part of the wind break for my crepe myrtle and can't be seen from the house very easily. You could certainly bring the garage in if you wanted.

Olivia herself got carried inside (weight, 15 pounds or so without the battery) and put in the cellar. She's about two-thirds the size of a standard mower deck, so she only needs a small space. I brushed her off, cleaned off the rust-fungus that was sitting bright orange all over her, and changed the blades (which were dull). Time consumed, about 30 minutes. Most of that was resharpening and cleaning the old blades, oiling them, and storing them. At around $2-$4 per set of blades, changed every 2 to 3 months, you could certainly throw the old ones out if you want. I merely hate wasting pieces of usable steel and spent the time to resharpen.

When changing the blades, I strongly suggest spraying the tiniest bit of White Lithium on the screws. They seem to get a bit gummy. I also coated the blades since they're being stored for the winter.

I charged the battery to 3.8 volts per cell (19.1v battery charge, high end nominal), and stored that in the cellar as well. I'll check the charge on it from time to time, but don't expect much change. 3.6-3.8v per cell is the point where very little stress is exerted on the cell over time and it's the perfect point for storage.

So, compared to Myrtle (the Robomower 850), about the same. Easy to store. With a lithium battery, one or two more considerations to be had, but nothing serious.

(Quick note on lithium battery storage)

Fully charging it in the mower would set it to around 4.0 volts per cell, which wouldn't have been a problem. Fully charging it in the manual charger sends it to 4.18 volts per cell, which is more of a problem for storage, but I store cool at 60 degrees, so again, no huge issue. Room temperature storage is also fine at any of these voltages; 3.7 +/- 0.1 just assures the longest lifespan. Never let a lithium battery run dry in storage; better fully charged than not charged.

KingLion
Posts: 5
Joined: December 21st, 2020, 6:43 am
Location: St.Louis
Grass Type: Rye grass
Lawn Size: Not Specified
Level: Not Specified

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by KingLion » January 8th, 2022, 8:42 am

MorpheusPA wrote:
August 2nd, 2021, 1:36 pm
Myrtle died after more than a decade of service. It was a good death. OK, it wasn't, but I'm going with the positive. Right now, I'm mowing it with a Toro, which is fine, but my time available is about to change.

So we're looking for a new robotic mower. I've been overestimating our lawn size a bit, mostly because it keeps shrinking due to the gardens increasing in size (2.5K and rising) and my setting it large to begin with. Call it 8,500 square feet.

We've narrowed it to two models:

Worx WR155--Capable of 1/2 Acre [21K square feet], 20V, 6 Ah battery). Batteries available at Home Depot (2 or 4 Ah versions), or can be ordered online or through Amazon. App gets pretty poor ratings, but they all do. Disc blade, lasts 2 months on 1/2 acre. Looks like I can sharpen it myself to last the whole season on 1/2 acre, or about 2 seasons on mine. Garage available. Onboard control pad. Can handle 20 degree (35%) slope (I have nothing worse than a five degree slope). Rain sensor.

Husqvarna 115H--Capable of 0.4 Acre [about 16K square feet], 2A battery. Specialty battery, more expensive and I couldn't find it easily. Can handle a 30% slope ('bout 17 degrees). Disc blade, same as the Worx. Garage available. Controllable through the app. Rain sensor.

Prices are practically identical.

Practical difference: That 2A battery on the Husqvarna means it'll have to run more often, recharge more often, and die three times faster, a problem I had with Myrtle's batteries (which, unfortunately, were lead-acid). If the battery replacement were one third the price, that wouldn't matter, but it isn't, it's about the same, and the battery management doesn't seem particularly intelligent (it doesn't do an 80-20 run because it simply can't). You'll get 300 to 500 full charges out of a lithium battery at full stroke and that's it.

Due to the battery difference (the Worx is seriously cheaper) and availability (Worx is everywhere) and the fact that we already have other Worx products (that impress us with their quality) and batteries (that we like) that could be popped into the mowers(likethese reviewed) if necessary for additional run time or in case of a battery death, we're leaning hard toward the Worx. While using our other batteries would mean killing a 2A or using our 2A batteries, it's a practical difference of knowing we're making the sacrifice rather than being forced into it. Battery replacement on the Worx is also a snap, and can be changed on the fly for multiple mows a day if you want, and the batteries charged safely in any Worx plug-in charger. Which we already have.

If anybody else has a good model they want to share, please feel free, or other considerations (like you got the Worx and don't like it for some reason). It's best to know before we do this...
Sorry for the misunderstanding, what did you choose finally?


User avatar
MorpheusPA
Posts: 18129
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 7:32 pm
Location: Zone 6 (Eastern PA)
Grass Type: Elite KBG
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Advanced

Re: Picking a Robotic Mower

Post by MorpheusPA » January 8th, 2022, 11:46 am

The Worx WR155. Not without confusion and mishap and some reservations. Overall, it gets a positive review, but could handle minor errors itself better without calling for help.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests