My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

joebre

Ok, it seems that one front lawn area will be nearly impossible to get to.
My areas are 350m2 rear lawn and 100m2 front lawn that I can make accessible.
Total area of 450m2.
What factor do you allow in calculating for the proper mower.
The Husqvarna 105 will do up to 600m2 and the 310 & 315 models will do up to 1,000m2.


P.S. Just saw the calculator on the site. I inserted 600m2 and large slopes @6-40) and it suggested the 310 and 315 models.
Has anybody got either of these models ?

Borzoi

Zzippy wrote: »

Wow, what size lawns and how long do you have it set to cut for every week?

Approx 4000m2, fairly complex with lots of islands.
During summer I let it run 24/7 - Could probably cut that back, but generally leave it so. The lawn is super ðŸ˜

septicsac

insular1 wrote: »

Just wanted to add my experience with Gardena Sileno as haven't seen anyone else with one and I had a couple issues that may help someone else with their set up. Thanks to all on this thread as it was a big help.

Purchased late last year in a sale from myrobotcentre.eu Gardena Sileno R100 (I think). Capable of doing up to 1000m2 for 700euro so was perfect for me. Arrived before Christmas but only took it out of the box at the start of march as had no intention of setting up until the garden had dried a bit. It's basically a rebadged husqvarna that fits somewhere between the 305 and 315 but a good bit cheaper. Most of the component's are Husqvarna and the base station is Husqvarna branded.

Was impressed with myrobotcentre as when I unboxed it the base station was cracked and even though it was about 4 months since I ordered they just asked me to send a pic of the damage and immediately shipped me a new one. New one arrived and it was also cracked in a different place and again they dispatched another new one within 24hrs. They didn't even want me to post the broken ones back so ill hold onto them for spares. They also give a 5 year guarantee.

While waiting for the base stations to arrive I set up the boundary wire and within the week and a bit it took for it to arrive the wire was already mostly bedded in.

When I first set it up with the station it was giving me the blue light boundary wire error so I followed the wire and found a break, possiblity rabbits, and repaired it, but the the error persisted. Got a lend of an AM radio to trace the wire and it worked a charm but I was able to detect a signal the full length of the wire so didnt know what the issue was.

Finally realised that part of the boundary wire ran along side our neighbors field which he has electric fence around. On the AM radio could hear the distinct click of the current in the electric fence as well as the more faint buzzing of the boundary wire. So I moved the boundary wire a few feet away to where the electric fence couldn't be heard on the AM radio any more and I got no more boundary issues! Must have been signal interference or something.

Anyway delighted with little "Grassy" as the kids have named her. Grass is very long in parts as it took me so long to set up. I didn't bother strimming or cutting it first but she takes a good skelp off it with every pass and although after one day cutting it's looking a bit ragged I can see it getting more evened out every time I pass.

Happy so far and will update if I get any other issues. Also if anyone needs spare parts for a base station let me know!

I have the Husky 450x and have electric fences up in different places during the year, including crossing guide wires etc and never had any interference at all, mine are buried maybe that makes a difference?

septicsac

joebre wrote: »

Ok, it seems that one front lawn area will be nearly impossible to get to.
My areas are 350m2 rear lawn and 100m2 front lawn that I can make accessible.
Total area of 450m2.
What factor do you allow in calculating for the proper mower.
The Husqvarna 105 will do up to 600m2 and the 310 & 315 models will do up to 1,000m2.


P.S. Just saw the calculator on the site. I inserted 600m2 and large slopes @6-40) and it suggested the 310 and 315 models.
Has anybody got either of these models ?

I had mine installed by a dealer and he, like any other dealers I spoke to, all recommended going up a mower i.e. if you have an area of 450m2 then go for the next mower up, not the one for 450m but maybe one that does 600m2. When I did my calculations for my lawn the calculator suggested the 430X, but all dealers said go for the 450X, moves faster, designed to cut larger areas, so less pressure on mower etc.
Have no experience of modles you asked about, but very happy with Husquavarna in general.

Ketron

Borzoi wrote: »

Approx 4000m2, fairly complex with lots of islands.
During summer I let it run 24/7 - Could probably cut that back, but generally leave it so. The lawn is super ðŸ˜

How many cycles are on your batteries? I have mine going 24/7 with the weather timer on medium. Slightly larger area at around 4400m2, just started using it this year and am on 600km.

joebre

So two phone calls today to local suppliers and failed to get a call back from either.
Found a price for the 315X @ €2,360. I don' think it includes any installation kit but I need to talk to somebody to confirm.
https://www.atkins.ie/garden-machinery/mowers/robot-mowers/husqvarna-automower-315x-hvam315x
I have found links to all referenced EU sites but I haven't contacted any of them yet.
Would welcome opinions on the Smart App and whether the all weather housing is worth the extra ?

insular1

septicsac wrote: »

I have the Husky 450x and have electric fences up in different places during the year, including crossing guide wires etc and never had any interference at all, mine are buried maybe that makes a difference?

Possibly could. I have no real evidence that it was the electric fence except the clicking on the AM radio and the fact it worked when I moved the wire away from it. It probably could have been a loose connection or something else that corrected itself when I move the wire. I might try it again closer to the wire and if it's still not working get the neighbor to switch off the electric fence and see if it works. Now that it's working I'm gonna give it a few weeks at least before I go near it again😂

glog

joebre wrote: »

So two phone calls today to local suppliers and failed to get a call back from either.
Found a price for the 315X @ €2,360. I don' think it includes any installation kit but I need to talk to somebody to confirm.
https://www.atkins.ie/garden-machinery/mowers/robot-mowers/husqvarna-automower-315x-hvam315x
I have found links to all referenced EU sites but I haven't contacted any of them yet.
Would welcome opinions on the Smart App and whether the all weather housing is worth the extra ?

I find the Smart App very handy. It adds to the whole automated experience.
Don't know much about the houses.

315X here is € 1,738.00

Pros:
Its cheaper by about €600, you get 3 years extended warranty, so 5 years in total.
First 2 years is European warranty so you can bring it to your local dealer.
Further 3 years, with them being based in Germany, not sure how this would pan out.

Cons:
No local dealer to call for support.
Takes about 5 days to arrive from payment - which has to be an online bank transfer.

Some might prefer to spend the money in Ireland, particularly in the current climate.

bauney

Hi all, question about automower and small patches of reseeded grass. I got carried away try to clean up some bad areas of thatch grass and saw it was riddled with leather jackets. So ended up having to put down 5/6 minor patches of compost and grass seed. Patch size are around 6 inches in diameter in the same area of lawn.

No sign of grass yet due to temperature but will the mower affect the new patches of growth? Or will the grass come up regardless. Hope the latter

Lurching

glog wrote: »

I find the Smart App very handy. It adds to the whole automated experience.
Don't know much about the houses.

315X here is € 1,738.00

Pros:
Its cheaper by about €600, you get 3 years extended warranty, so 5 years in total.
First 2 years is European warranty so you can bring it to your local dealer.
Further 3 years, with them being based in Germany, not sure how this would pan out.

Cons:
No local dealer to call for support.
Takes about 5 days to arrive from payment - which has to be an online bank transfer.

Some might prefer to spend the money in Ireland, particularly in the current climate.

Seconded on Roboexpert.
Add €40 shipping (says "free shipping in Germany" on their website, so have to contact them for a quote to ship here). Arrived within 4 days of order going through.

Regarding a house: Mine has been in the garden all of 5 days now and it's already got a coating of bird crap. I'm thinking of ordering a cover now.

Installation isn't difficult, just a bit time consuming.

Dr4gul4

bauney wrote: »

Hi all, question about automower and small patches of reseeded grass. I got carried away try to clean up some bad areas of thatch grass and saw it was riddled with leather jackets. So ended up having to put down 5/6 minor patches of compost and grass seed. Patch size are around 6 inches in diameter in the same area of lawn.

No sign of grass yet due to temperature but will the mower affect the new patches of growth? Or will the grass come up regardless. Hope the latter

No real effect to worry about, i've done the same over the past year or two, give that grass seed time to establish .. simple as, dont be afraid to water it of course !

bauney

Dr4gul4 wrote: »

No real effect to worry about, i've done the same over the past year or two, give that grass seed time to establish .. simple as, dont be afraid to water it of course !

Thanks for that. I always overlook the importance of watering new seeds. I think its because I live in the west and never think we could have lack of it (which is exact what we have now these days)

Baoithin66

KCross wrote: »

No experience with the Stiga but I suspect it will struggle with loose stones/gravel. If its any way deep at all the wheels will spin into it and stop.

I'd suggest you just try it, if it doesn't work just get the fake grass then.

Hi how do you find the Stiga? I see a local dealer has started selling them and they seem good value compared to husqvarna

paulbok

Have any of you using a mower for a while now, had a problem with couch/ twitch grass on your lawns?
My main lawn area has a fair amount of it established since it was re-seeded and short of killing it all and reseeding again, there isn't much I can do about it.

It tends to die off on well grazed pastures so I'm hoping regular trimming by an auto mower will encourage it to f3ck off.

Tilikum17

Lurching wrote: »

Seconded on Roboexpert.
Add €40 shipping (says "free shipping in Germany" on their website, so have to contact them for a quote to ship here). Arrived within 4 days of order going through.

Regarding a house: Mine has been in the garden all of 5 days now and it's already got a coating of bird crap. I'm thinking of ordering a cover now.

Installation isn't difficult, just a bit time consuming.

Are there any lads out there that would install in for you?

glog

Tilikum17 wrote: »

Are there any lads out there that would install in for you?

Yes - there are.

joebre

Mailed RoboExpert in Germany today and they rang me back.
They also gave me a link to their UK site.
http://www.roboexpert.uk/
Prices are identical to the German site but you can read in English.

balcan

The co-op are doing half price on the gardena 1000m2 set, down from €1600 to 800, Ordered Thurs and delivered yesterday for €25, I know it's not the latest model but all I want is it to cut the lawn, comes with a hub, water valve control and outside sensor that monitors light, temperature and soil moisture and communication from mower via their app, In the process of installing wiring.

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Lawnmowers/Robotic-Lawnmowers/Gardena-Smart-Sileno-1000m2-Robotic-Lawnmower--Set-1776770

Tilikum17

glog wrote: »

Yes - there are.

lovely

Naos

Is there any issues in taking back up the perimeter wires?

At the moment, garden is a basic rectangle but I will be adding to it over the next few months, however no decision yet on how we want it to look.

Is it worth putting down the perimeter wire while we tip away at the garden and adjust as we go?

KCross

Naos wrote: »

Is there any issues in taking back up the perimeter wires?

It’s just a pain in the hole to do it and if you are making alot of changes it might require you to make many cuts and connections in the wire which isn’t ideal either as each one of those becomes a weak point for a signal break.

It depends on what kind of changes you are going to make really. For instance, adding a tree might require no change as the mower can bump against it and turn around and carry on. No perimeter wire changes for that.

If you are changing the actual perimeter then that’s a different story.

Naos

KCross wrote: »

It’s just a pain in the hole to do it and if you are making alot of changes it might require you to make many cuts and connections in the wire which isn’t ideal either as each one of those becomes a weak point for a signal break.

It depends on what kind of changes you are going to make really. For instance, adding a tree might require no change as the mower can bump against it and turn around and carry on. No perimeter wire changes for that.

If you are changing the actual perimeter then that’s a different story.

Cheer KCross.

Well we do plan to put in some raised beds in the future etc. Believe me, I wish I knew how it was going to look but really at this stage we don't know.

I suppose I could always set out the max perimeter in terms of the full rectangle and then bring it in as I adjust the garden?

Lurching

Naos wrote: »

Cheer KCross.

Well we do plan to put in some raised beds in the future etc. Believe me, I wish I knew how it was going to look but really at this stage we don't know.

I suppose I could always set out the max perimeter in terms of the full rectangle and then bring it in as I adjust the garden?

Worst case scenario is that you might need a new install kit if the garden changes that much (as you may damage the cable pulling the pegs out). Or you could find a similar cable online for a lot less....
It doesn't take that long to install the cable - a few hours.

If I were you, and was mad keen to get one, I'd go for it, set up the perimeter as needed now, then wait until the rest of the garden is complete and lift the whole perimeter wire and start again.

Bungusbeefcake

Hi All, has anyone used these guys before? https://maai-robot.com/ - Actually looking at trustpilot reviews in NL for these guys looks really bad. Anyone any contact with these guys: https://www.verdefacile.eu/

Also would anyone have a recommendation for online shops for an Ambrogio L350i Elite? I'm possibly looking to get this and the costs between Ireland and the website above vary wildly. If you have recommendations for shops, I would really appreciate it.

Bungusbeefcake

Also, has anyone heard of Toadi....www.toadi.com. I particularly like the video of it going through the field and the capability to work 1.2 acres without any boundary wires.
I expect you have to programme it on the app or something.

Pat o Mahoney

Can I replace the battery on 430X myself?

eyeball kid

Bungusbeefcake wrote: »

Also, has anyone heard of Toadi....www.toadi.com. I particularly like the video of it going through the field and the capability to work 1.2 acres without any boundary wires.
I expect you have to programme it on the app or something.

Don't know why but I found their video very creepy. Who's wants your robot lawnmower sending you pictures of delivery guys and kids and also calling you 'Dad'. :eek:

KCross

Pat o Mahoney wrote: »

Can I replace the battery on 430X myself?

Yes, quite easy.

Its a plug 'n play type thing. Sourcing the right battery at a reasonable price is the hard bit!

Do you need a new battery? I'd be surprised if 430x's are already needing battery replacements?

Cyrus

Bungusbeefcake wrote: »

Also, has anyone heard of Toadi....www.toadi.com. I particularly like the video of it going through the field and the capability to work 1.2 acres without any boundary wires.
I expect you have to programme it on the app or something.

im surprised it has taken this long to be honest

most of the tech is there in robot vacuums

KCross

Cyrus wrote: »

im surprised it has taken this long to be honest

most of the tech is there in robot vacuums

I suppose there is a bit of a difference between a "cheap" vacuum falling off a step and a €3k mower sinking in the swimming pool!