My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

cornet

Query for Automower owners with two areas separated by a driveway.
The lawn after the driveway represents 20% of the area. I program this as Area 1 and entered the appropriate distance in meters to the end of that area.
What I find is that the mower finds and cuts the area no problem. It returns to the base station no problem for charging at the end of day. However if there is any charge remaining it proceeds to try to cut the invisible grass on the driveway for 5mins then makes it way back to the first area.
Have I programmed it wrong - how do you make it discount/ignore the driveway? I see plenty of videos on YouTube with narrow passages with with no problems.

Shefwedfan

Ok had a chat with local Husqvarna dealer today. They are recommending the 430X and with installation it is coming in at €3300. A bit more than I wanted to spend seeing as Tractor mower is only a year old. They did confirm the area is 2,000 sq m.

They just offered me mower at price in book by Husqvarna, I would have thought they could potentially do a bit of discount on it? or are people just buying at list price?

KCross

How much are they charging for install?

It's not a professional job. It's well explained in the manual and the only tool you need is a hammer and a bit of common sense.

Also, go back a few pages and you will find an link to an online company providing them cheaper.

Shefwedfan

KCross wrote: »

How much are they charging for install?

It's not a professional job. It's well explained in the manual and the only tool you need is a hammer and a bit of common sense.

Also, go back a few pages and you will find an link to an online company providing them cheaper.

€2899 for the mower. I think they mentioned something about 100 delivery:rolleyes: and then €300 for the install of the wire

You talking about eh Swedish company? I see they offer the 115il as well which I am looking to buy....250 I was told today

mayoman1973

£200 they charged me for the install.  2 Men about 2 hrs with machine.  Sounded expensive at the time but I didn't have time myself to do it. Then last week had to put down an extra bit of border wire as just got a corner cleared out that wasn't ready at time of installation.  About 10m of a run.  See trying to get the wire down and hidden properly,  right pain in the ass.  The £200 they charged to lay out the other 350m was money well spent as would have took me forever to do it. Very important you place the border wire the same distance from all obstacles.  Reason being when you finally settle on the distance you want the mower to move past the wire you don't want it missing bits of grass near edge where wire is too far from edge and also don't want it falling off other garden edge where wire is too close to edge

Shefwedfan

mayoman1973 wrote: »

£200 they charged me for the install. 2 Men about 2 hrs with machine. Sounded expensive at the time but I didn't have time myself to do it. Then last week had to put down an extra bit of border wire as just got a corner cleared out that wasn't ready at time of installation. About 10m of a run. See trying to get the wire down and hidden properly, right pain in the ass. The £200 they charged to lay out the other 350m was money well spent as would have took me forever to do it. Very important you place the border wire the same distance from all obstacles. Reason being when you finally settle on the distance you want the mower to move past the wire you don't want it missing bits of grass near edge where wire is too far from edge and also don't want it falling off other garden edge where wire is too close to edge

I would think the same, he was saying I would have circa 500m of wire to install(I think more). I would be a long time going around with a hammer and wire to install that....I dont mind the 300 quid for install

the 3k for mower and delivery is a bit rich.

KCross

Shefwedfan wrote: »

€2899 for the mower. I think they mentioned something about 100 delivery:rolleyes: and then €300 for the install of the wire

You talking about eh Swedish company? I see they offer the 115il as well which I am looking to buy....250 I was told today

This company:
https://www.myrobotcenter.eu/en/husqvarna-automower-430x-2017

I didn't buy from them myself so buyer beware but I think others on here have.

That would be €2600 and install it yourself. It depends on how much you value your time.

mayoman1973 wrote: »

£200 they charged me for the install.  2 Men about 2 hrs with machine.  Sounded expensive at the time but I didn't have time myself to do it. Then last week had to put down an extra bit of border wire as just got a corner cleared out that wasn't ready at time of installation.  About 10m of a run.  See trying to get the wire down and hidden properly,  right pain in the ass.  The £200 they charged to lay out the other 350m was money well spent as would have took me forever to do it. Very important you place the border wire the same distance from all obstacles.  Reason being when you finally settle on the distance you want the mower to move past the wire you don't want it missing bits of grass near edge where wire is too far from edge and also don't want it falling off other garden edge where wire is too close to edge

In the box they give you a ruler that shows you how far out to keep the wire. Its boring work and does take time but you don't have to bury the wire. Just peg it into the grass and the grass will grow up around it after a week or so and then you can't see it anymore. The machine obviously makes it a lot easier and it buries it (which makes adjustments afterwards harder actually). Each to their own but I wouldn't have paid €300 to have it installed. I had it up and running in less than a day and I had 500m of wire to put down.

wexfordman2

Well, thought I throw in an update on my search for a repacement of my ride on.

Summary:- My garden is seperated into two areas, one abot 800m squared, and the second about 200m sq. There is no grass path between them, either a trip across the front riveway which is tarmac, or a trip around thhe back of the house, which is harcore and a distance of about 80m.

I also insisted that my solution should have app control, any modern apliance such as this should have it.

My existing lawnmower was a ride on about 10 yr old, and in need f some major refurb including a new deck.

Options
I looked at husqvarna, viking and robomow.

Huskvarna and Viking both proposed getting the mowers to cross the driveway to get between both gardens. They both said they would not route it around the back of the house.

I was reluctant to have te mower going across the front driveway, as vehicles entering would be a hazard, and I feaared seeing a couple of grands worth of plastic mower disapear under a car.

The alternative solution was two seperate mowers for each lawn, and the price was comming in at about 3,200 installed for both vendors.

Install price was 300 (both husq and viking had similar install price).

The thing that iritated me about husq is the pricing was not clear, the additional items were pricy, at 100 euro per roll of permiter wire, and 200 euro additional for the remote app.

Robomow
Robomow were the only supplier who said it would be no problem routing the mower around te back of the house, so was the only viable solution as far as i was concerned. The price was for te RS615S AT 2250, plus 450 install, there was absolutely no room for manouvere on pricing.

I was keen to get it installed rather than doing it myself, as this left the onus on the supplier to ensure it worked 100%.

The system was installed yesterday, and as far a routing, finding its way around, between lawns aroun the back of the house, and back to the station etc all looks good. It is concentrating on the main lawn at the moment and appears to be working its way through it noticebly, but will take a week or so to settle in.

Gripe so far:- TBH, the app is next to useless, am very dissapointed in that. It works like this.

It has a gsm module for comms, however, this is only used to send messages that it is either stuck or stolen. If its stuck, its because its not een installed properly, and that should be ironed out quickly enough. If its been stolen, well, nice to know, but feck all you can do about it, and you cannot use the gsm to disable or track it.

The app itself, communicates via bluetooth, to configure it, and control it, but you have to be rigt next to it to do that, and you can do it via the local panel then anyway.

So, to my mind the app is next to useless, I cannot check the mower remotely, I cannot control it remotely, I cant if I m away, change settings, or disable te mowing function etc. It it gets stuck or stolen noting I can do.

KCross

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Huskvarna and Viking both proposed getting the mowers to cross the driveway to get between both gardens. They both said they would not route it around the back of the house.

I was reluctant to have te mower going across the front driveway, as vehicles entering would be a hazard, and I feaared seeing a couple of grands worth of plastic mower disapear under a car.

Why did they not want to go around the back of the house? If Robomow were able to do it there is no reason why the Husq can't do it too.

I understand your concern about the driveway. Less than ideal alright. Could easily back over it.

wexfordman2

KCross wrote: »

Why did they not want to go around the back of the house? If Robomow were able to do it there is no reason why the Husq can't do it too.

I understand your concern about the driveway. Less than ideal alright. Could easily back over it.

Why I dont know, they cited the distance of about 80m as too far for one thing, and I think they were reluctant to go over hardcore, but robomow had no concerns with either.

KCross

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Gripe so far:- TBH, the app is next to useless, am very dissapointed in that. It works like this.

It has a gsm module for comms, however, this is only used to send messages that it is either stuck or stolen. If its stuck, its because its not een installed properly, and that should be ironed out quickly enough. If its been stolen, well, nice to know, but feck all you can do about it, and you cannot use the gsm to disable or track it.

The app itself, communicates via bluetooth, to configure it, and control it, but you have to be rigt next to it to do that, and you can do it via the local panel then anyway.

So, to my mind the app is next to useless, I cannot check the mower remotely, I cannot control it remotely, I cant if I m away, change settings, or disable te mowing function etc. It it gets stuck or stolen noting I can do.

I don't have the Husqvarna app but it is also GSM based and the mower has GPS so you can track its location when stolen.

You can also remotely stop/start it. You don't have to be next to it.

Its a pricey optional extra though.

KCross

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Why I dont know, they cited the distance of about 80m as too far for one thing, and I think they were reluctant to go over hardcore, but robomow had no concerns with either.

Sounds like they wanted the easy way out rather than the mower itself being the issue.

I have guide wires going 80m+ so it could have been done.

I suppose one concern with hardcore is to ensure that the wire is protected somewhat and doesn't have sharp stones cutting into it.

wexfordman2

KCross wrote: »

Sounds like they wanted the easy way out rather than the mower itself being the issue.

I have guide wires going 80m+ so it could have been done.

I suppose one concern with hardcore is to ensure that the wire is protected somewhat and doesn't have sharp stones cutting into it.

Well, I have my robomow about a month now and the garden is looking the best its ever looked. I'm genuinely delighted it does a far better job than I ever did.

One major drawback though is the app is Bluetooth only, so to use it you have to be standing right next to it. It has a gsm link as well but thats purely used to send you a message that its stuck or stolen


So, the app is pretty useless yo be honest, you have to be next to the mower to use it, and you can pretty much do everything on tje mower anyway via the keypad, so completely pointless and to be frank..misleading.

It was a significant requirement on my search and I don't think I would have bought it had I rewaloaed how limited it was.


Anyone else with remote connectivity to their mower and how do you find it ?

searay

I bought the husqvarna 450x about 3 weeks ago and am very happy with it. The remote app is brilliant, works from anywhere. Had a few issues with a seesaw on a slide stopping the mower but was alerted straight away. Adjusted the seesaw and all fine now.

Grass has never looked better and it's nice and short all the time.

Had questions about using it with a petsafe fence, but it worked fine right from the start. Kids and dog all used to the mower now.

I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms from not having to mow the loan. I still get the urge to cut the grass when it's been dry for more than 5 hours.

wexfordman2

searay wrote: »

I bought the husqvarna 450x about 3 weeks ago and am very happy with it. The remote app is brilliant, works from anywhere. Had a few issues with a seesaw on a slide stopping the mower but was alerted straight away. Adjusted the seesaw and all fine now.

Grass has never looked better and it's nice and short all the time.

Had questions about using it with a petsafe fence, but it worked fine right from the start. Kids and dog all used to the mower now.

I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms from not having to mow the loan. I still get the urge to cut the grass when it's been dry for more than 5 hours.

Thanks, does your app let you connext, configure and control the mower from anywhere or does it just send you messages ?

On the robomow, the only thing the app will do is notify you if the mower is stuck or stolen, for anything else, you have to be standing next to it ?

searay

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Thanks, does your app let you connext, configure and control the mower from anywhere or does it just send you messages ?

On the robomow, the only thing the app will do is notify you if the mower is stuck or stolen, for anything else, you have to be standing next to it ?

From the app, you can see where it is on the lawn, send it back to the station, change cutting height and change the timer from anywhere. I've played around with a good bit and it really can do it from anywhere.


It also notifies you if it stops for any reason. It was great for sorting out small issues at the start like when one of the wires around a tree was looped in the wrong direction as we could see exactly where it stopped.

I could have gone with the more basic 440 model but the 2 agents I spoke to encouraged me to go for the 450x as the technology is better and I think they were right.

whippet

I have the automower 420 and am thinking of retro fitting the remote App .. has anyone done this ? Does it need to be done by a dealer ?

mayoman1973

I got the upgrade done literally as they were for loading the mower into the van before they dropped it off.  It involves a hardware change where different control board is needed.  Better to leave it to the pros.  Actually I would imaging fiddling with that yourseld would all but void the warranty. All said defo worth getting.  Looking out the window at Freddie making his way about the lawn in the pouring rain you can send him home to his nice dry shed at the touch of a button on your phone.

wexfordman2

searay wrote: »

From the app, you can see where it is on the lawn, send it back to the station, change cutting height and change the timer from anywhere. I've played around with a good bit and it really can do it from anywhere.


It also notifies you if it stops for any reason. It was great for sorting out small issues at the start like when one of the wires around a tree was looped in the wrong direction as we could see exactly where it stopped.

I could have gone with the more basic 440 model but the 2 agents I spoke to encouraged me to go for the 450x as the technology is better and I think they were right.

That sounds like a logical approach to how an app should work. Robomow have it ar5eway round, its pretty much useless.

While the lawnmower itself is perfect, I have no complaints so far with respect to its mowing ability, the app itself is woefull, and simply a waste of money. If remote connectivity is a requirement folks, do not go near robomow.

mayoman1973

hard to know why robomow don't use similar software to husqvarna as I'm pretty sure the software is not written exclusively for husky mowers.

wexfordman2

mayoman1973 wrote: »

hard to know why robomow don't use similar software to husqvarna as I'm pretty sure the software is not written exclusively for husky mowers.

Im wondering is it a cost saving excercise, the gsm module in it has a sim, which they abviously pay for over a three yr period, so I assume there is an agenda to keep data throughput low, so perhaps this is one of the reasons ?


Either way, a pretty crappy app tbh, and no logical reason for it.

i will be lodging a complaint to the, and also with ref to the advertising, as there brochure does not in anyway make it look like the app is that limited.

Irish_rat

Thinking of the flymo 1200, how do you go about having power outside. Will I need to wire a socket on the outside of the house or shed? Living in a standard semi d

Water John

With all robotic lawnmowers, the docking/charging station, will need to be hard wired, without a plug, to the fuseboard.
I presume you could go with an outside plug, if you were going to move house in a few years.

Interesting choice, almost all here have gone with Robomow or Husquarna. I'd like to read about other options people have gone for.

KCross

Water John wrote: »

With all robotic lawnmowers, the docking/charging station, will need to be hard wired, without a plug, to the fuseboard.

What do you mean by that?

The docking station simply has a transformer with a 3 pin plug that you plug in anywhere you can. Its not hard wired to the fuse board!

bauney

Hi all,
First off, i really enjoy the posts in this thread. I am looking for opinions on my own situation please.
 I am in the market to get a robot lawnmower for my garden. 
My garden is under 1000 sqaure meters which is flat and continous. I may potentially increase my lawn by another 1000 meters (different story) in coming years. I don't need a GSM module. I don't have limited money :-( Willing to spend around 2k.
From my research to date, one of the most suitable (spec and cost) mower on the market for my situation seems to be the Husqvarna 420.
What are the other equivalent automowers? Perhaps its the Husqvarna marketing but its the main mower talked about on online in my opinion. I see Robomower too mentioned alot. 
I see these mowers are available online from UK for much cheaper prices. Has anyone bought them this way?
I would be handy enough at doing bits and bobs around the house, but is the self installation of these mowers managable? e.g. permiter wire layout, housing of base unit. Or will I inevitably start pulling my hair out?
Also, most of this purchases include option to buy 10,30, 100 blades. Would you recommend buying these aswell?
Is there any good time of the year to chat to lawnmower provider incase newer auto mower models are released for new season, resulting in better price? presume not.
Sorry of all the questions, which are probably already answered in this thread.

wexfordman2

bauney wrote: »

Hi all,
First off, i really enjoy the posts in this thread. I am looking for opinions on my own situation please.
 I am in the market to get a robot lawnmower for my garden. 
My garden is under 1000 sqaure meters which is flat and continous. I may potentially increase my lawn by another 1000 meters (different story) in coming years. I don't need a GSM module. I don't have limited money :-( Willing to spend around 2k.
From my research to date, one of the most suitable (spec and cost) mower on the market for my situation seems to be the Husqvarna 420.
What are the other equivalent automowers? Perhaps its the Husqvarna marketing but its the main mower talked about on online in my opinion. I see Robomower too mentioned alot. 
I see these mowers are available online from UK for much cheaper prices. Has anyone bought them this way?
I would be handy enough at doing bits and bobs around the house, but is the self installation of these mowers managable? e.g. permiter wire layout, housing of base unit. Or will I inevitably start pulling my hair out?
Also, most of this purchases include option to buy 10,30, 100 blades. Would you recommend buying these aswell?
Is there any good time of the year to chat to lawnmower provider incase newer auto mower models are released for new season, resulting in better price? presume not.
Sorry of all the questions, which are probably already answered in this thread.

Self install is not technically, bit it is time consuming. I got mine installed by the seller, but mainly because my install was more complex getting between two gardens and I wanted them to stand over the install.

If your planning on extending your lawn to 2000 sq metres, then thats the lawn size you should dimension for, and I found that most dealers recommend going above that again.

KCross

bauney wrote: »

Hi all,
First off, i really enjoy the posts in this thread. I am looking for opinions on my own situation please.
 I am in the market to get a robot lawnmower for my garden. 
My garden is under 1000 sqaure meters which is flat and continous. I may potentially increase my lawn by another 1000 meters (different story) in coming years. I don't need a GSM module. I don't have limited money :-( Willing to spend around 2k.
From my research to date, one of the most suitable (spec and cost) mower on the market for my situation seems to be the Husqvarna 420.
What are the other equivalent automowers? Perhaps its the Husqvarna marketing but its the main mower talked about on online in my opinion. I see Robomower too mentioned alot. 
I see these mowers are available online from UK for much cheaper prices. Has anyone bought them this way?
I would be handy enough at doing bits and bobs around the house, but is the self installation of these mowers managable? e.g. permiter wire layout, housing of base unit. Or will I inevitably start pulling my hair out?
Also, most of this purchases include option to buy 10,30, 100 blades. Would you recommend buying these aswell?
Is there any good time of the year to chat to lawnmower provider incase newer auto mower models are released for new season, resulting in better price? presume not.
Sorry of all the questions, which are probably already answered in this thread.

I looked at a few others as well. See my post here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=91372720&postcount=36

You need to choose carefully. Some don't have guide wires, some won't do larger lawns etc.

I'd agree with wexfordman2, you need to size the mower for the expansion so I'd say its the 430X you need otherwise you will be getting stung for the trade-in in a few years. Buy it once now and that will do you long term.

Also agree with wexfordman2 about install. Not difficult just time consuming (< 1 day depending on size). Its fairly well explained in the instructions. If its a simple square and not a lot of items that have to be wired around (soft flower beds etc) then its relatively easy. Anything solid like a tree or raised bed that can't be driven over will be fine and can be ignored.

The hardest piece is how you get power to the docking station. The transformer needs to be protected from weather so it can't be just left on the ground outside.

If you do buy make sure you get enough perimeter wire for the 2000sqm as its expensive to buy after. Negotiate it as part of the sale.

For the Husqvarna's you will use about 9 blades a season. They are relatively cheap online(9 for €20 or thereabouts, cheaper if you buy spurious ones). You don't have to buy from the dealer unless they are at a very good price.


And just for transparency, I've had some reliability issues, which were all fixed under warranty. e.g. Power Supply blew twice, bearing on mower and docking station control unit. They tell me it was a power surge and I can't agree/disagree with them as its impossible for me to tell. They recommend putting a surge protector on the transformer.

searay

I think you should extend the lawn before buying and consider how you lay it out to make it mower friendly and reduce maintenance. Things like putting kerbs in flat and flowerbeds with paving around them could save you strumming.

Husqvarna are the market leaders and have a good network of dealers to support it. I had 2 come out and look at my garden and price the supply and installation. It was more complex because there are 2 lawns separated by tarmac.

They use a machine to bury the cables which I think speeds it up. The 2 agents priced the mowers and installation separately and one was much cheaper on installing than the other, and I went with him.

I don't think I'd have saved much by buying over the internet, maybe a few hundred euro but I saved my time and had peace of mind that it was done right.

Zzippy

Well our free trial with the Husqvarna 430X is finished, and it's a massive thumbs up from us. We had to upload 10 video reviews over the summer, and once they were done we get to keep the automower - job done, and there is no way we're giving it back! Have to say it is a game changer - the lawn looks fantastic, always the same length, weeds are much reduced. No worrying about getting time to cut it, or the weather, or where to put the clippings.

I read a study recently that examined the claim that money doesn't make you happy. It basically found that people who spent money on things that gave them more free time were indeed happier. Instead of spending time on chores or tedious things, they had more time to spend on things they enjoyed. That is definitely the No. 1 advantage of a robotic mower. In our case, I've had so much more time to spend with the new baby this summer that I would have otherwise spent outside cutting grass. To be perfectly honest, if Husqvarna took the mower back, I'd go straight out and buy one anyway, that's how brilliant we reckon it is.

Water John

I haven't one yet, but I think anyone with the lawn that requires a ride on lawnmower would be nuts to buy one nowadays when the robot would do it better and free up time.