Wire-Free Robotic Mowers

[Adam_M]

I really quite like the idea of a robotic mower, particularly one that can mow in predictable patters, i.e., straight lines and ideally without guide wires. I'm also a big fan of not needing to install about 2500 feet of wire.

I've got to imagine that the wire-supported systems are pretty much a solved problem now, assuming proper wire installation, but how about the GPS/Wireless ones like Husqvarna's EPOS models or similar?

I also have some grass under trees, so wouldn't have line of sight to the sky. I've heard mixed feedback on how well that works.
Thanks!

[MorpheusPA]

They don't pattern predictably and even the wired ones have to be watched a bit (I work from home so not a problem). I've heard a bit of this and that about the GPS ones, some very good. Some not so good. They tend to have specific drop points where they seem to get lost and the patterning software isn't programmed to get them out of it for some weird reason.

Like the first wire-guided, I'm thinking they're a developing technology. It's going to continue to improve, probably quite quickly.

[Adam_M]

Thanks for the advice! I was hoping you'd chime in because I knew you were on team robot.

What do you mean you have to watch the wired ones a bit?

So - how much of a pain is the wire installation? Given I've got 1/2 mile of guide wire to install if I go that route, do you think it needs to be trenched/buried or would the stakes suffice?

[MorpheusPA]

Oh, they're not perfect, far from it. I'm not a personal fan of my Landroid, actually, and currently give it 2 1/2 stars. It strongly dislikes major issues like...smaller areas of thick grass, tiny bumps in the lawn. Corners. Typical for Germany, there's a German kit to add to the wheels that gives them spikes and helps fix all that, raising the overall score to 4 stars, but I shouldn't have to mod a mower to make it function.

Larger sticks still can get stuck in the blades, but that's going to happen.

Other mowers perform much better. I hear few complaints about Husqvarna models, for instance, but I'd do your research.

Staking the wire is absolutely fine and that's all I did (I have over 1200 feet of perimeter myself)--but I'd suggest getting less dodgy wire than they usually send you. I went with eXtreme Dog Fence 16 Gauge solid wire--low resistance, not likely to break in weather, light mechanical damage, and so on. The other stuff was a nightmare and I learned my lesson with the last robot.

As 16 ga won't fit into the garage of the robot, the "last mile" (last 3' or so) on each end is the spliced bad wire. A bad wire signal is either at that spot, or at the bound spot where the two wires meet near the rose bush. Easy to diagnose.

Overall experience? Positive. Yes, they mow. Yes, I don't have to do the mowing. Yes, that makes me very happy. The apps tend to be pretty basic, but I don't need AI to do the job. Let me schedule the mow through the week, and cancel it when necessary due to droughts or heat or parties. No, I don't mind if I have to go out every 2, 3 days to rescue it from something--again, I work from home, so that's not a huge issue.