My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

bigdawg wrote: »

Apologies if this has been asked before. I did look through the thread but couldn't see too many references to it.

The questions refers to lifespan of these automowers before they need to be replaced. Forget maintenance and blade replacement and routine stuff but if you could just state the mower you bought and how long you had it before you had to replace it, that would be great. Or if you still own it, state the name of the machine and how long you've had it.

My concern would be shelling out €4-5k to buy and install and then having to do it all again in 5 years time.

Cheers all.

Husqvarna 430x and this is it's 5th season cutting, bought new in 2015

KCross wrote: »

I take your 2015 and raise you a 2014 on its 7th season and original battery!

Thats great, how many charge cycles and runtime have you on the clock now?

I finally got my Ambrogio L350i Elite in and running over the weekend. Very happy with how it's handling the grass so far. The manual says grass should be a max of 1cm higher than the setting....needless to say with the current rate of grass growth and even though I cut it last week, it probably 2-3 cm higher, but it doesn't seem to be having any issues at all.

Now, for insurance. I checked with my home insurance and Aviva Ireland don't cover it and I only renewed a few months ago(even though Aviva UK are one of the only ones who do an unlimited level of insurance on Robot Mowers in the UK). So who are people using to insure theirs? Or are people not insuring them at all?

Thanks

Bungusbeefcake wrote: »

I finally got my Ambrogio L350i Elite in and running over the weekend. Very happy with how it's handling the grass so far. The manual says grass should be a max of 1cm higher than the setting....needless to say with the current rate of grass growth and even though I cut it last week, it probably 2-3 cm higher, but it doesn't seem to be having any issues at all.

Now, for insurance. I checked with my home insurance and Aviva Ireland don't cover it and I only renewed a few months ago(even though Aviva UK are one of the only ones who do an unlimited level of insurance on Robot Mowers in the UK). So who are people using to insure theirs? Or are people not insuring them at all?

Thanks

I had mine insured with itsforwomen for first 2 years at extra 60 Euro. AIG were their underwriters, but would not cover automowers if you go direct to them.
Last year they wanted way more so switched to Zurich, who were very reasonable.
I asked several other companies, who did not want to know once it was not locked in. Aviva advertise to cover garden furniture etc up to around 3000 euro, but wont touch the automower, despite fact it had alarm etc where as outdoor furniture had none.

bigdawg wrote: »

Apologies if this has been asked before. I did look through the thread but couldn't see too many references to it.

The questions refers to lifespan of these automowers before they need to be replaced. Forget maintenance and blade replacement and routine stuff but if you could just state the mower you bought and how long you had it before you had to replace it, that would be great. Or if you still own it, state the name of the machine and how long you've had it.

My concern would be shelling out €4-5k to buy and install and then having to do it all again in 5 years time.

Cheers all.

I have the 450x since May 2017. I've had to have both wheel motors replaced (under warranty) due to a known issue which has been resolved in the newer motors. Other than that its been going great. Battery seems to be as good as ever with 862 charge cycles in its life time.

murfler wrote: »

Only 862 cycles in 3.5 cutting seaaons?? That seems low, I have my 430x since April this year and I already have 435 charge cycles..i understand the 450 covers more ground in a cycle but it still seems very low

Works out roughly 10 battery cycles per week on your machine, presuming you are cutting 6 months of the year...

Josieg wrote: »

Thats what the app is saying anyway and if your calculations are right thats roughly the number of charges it would go through in a week. The 450x battery has a capacity of 10.4 ah which is twice that of the 430x i think. The lawn is about .75 acre. Also i live in north Leitrim at about 800ft above sea level so the growing season is shorter than other parts of the country!

Maybe I have mine out way to much, would be interesting to see other peoples stats? I have 2,200 szmtr of grass, 430x running from 6am to 6pm 7 days a week..

padraig.od wrote: »

My 430x has developed a problem whereby when the machine is cutting, it is a loud screeching noise. Sounds like metal on metal, so likely an issue with the cutting plate?

Any ideas on how I could resolve/troubleshoot this before engaging with a dealer?

I’ve had that. There are two bearings in the cutting disc. They most likely need replacing.

Easy DIY job if you are any way handy. The bearings are only a few euro to buy. You need to replace them as a pair.

Without seeing/hearing it, that’s my guess.

padraig.od wrote: »

Nice one, thanks. Did you need to buy online or did you pick them up in a local hardware shop?

Online, here is the link to the actual item...
https://shop.mower24.de/epages/62046560.sf/sec47598ad29a/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62046560/Products/AM-535075703

Be sure to buy 2 as they get replaced as a pair. Considering the price I'd actually buy 4 and have them handy for the next time as they are a wearing part so you will need to replace them again at some point.

There is a good diagram on that page also showing where they fit and how its dismantled... basic tools is all thats required.

For the price its worth a shot before you go the dealer route.
Another way to tell is to spin the skid plate. It should spin freely and keep spinning on its own. If it sounds rough or if it stops quickly after the spin its probably those bearings.

KCross wrote: »

Online, here is the link to the actual item...
https://shop.mower24.de/epages/62046560.sf/sec47598ad29a/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62046560/Products/AM-535075703

Be sure to buy 2 as they get replaced as a pair. Considering the price I'd actually buy 4 and have them handy for the next time as they are a wearing part so you will need to replace them again at some point.

There is a good diagram on that page also showing where they fit and how its dismantled... basic tools is all thats required.

For the price its worth a shot before you go the dealer route.
Another way to tell is to spin the skid plate. It should spin freely and keep spinning on its own. If it sounds rough or if it stops quickly after the spin its probably those bearings.

Thanks, I'll order that this afternoon. Is it safe to run the machine until the replacement part gets here or should I park it up?

KCross wrote: »

Im a bit hesistant to give you that advice from my keyboard, just in case its not the same issue.

Fair enough, thanks for your help:)

Just had a robotic lawnmower installed and very happy with it.
My question is around insurance; has anyone been able to get their machine covered on the house insurance, or from another source? My own insurer will give me cover but only to a value equal to c. 20% of the replacement cost.
Apologies if this has been answered before but too many posts to read through.

bluenose1956 wrote: »

My question is around insurance; has anyone been able to get their machine covered on the house insurance, or from another source? My own insurer will give me cover but only to a value equal to c. 20% of the replacement cost.
Apologies if this has been answered before but too many posts to read through.

Has anyone got their automower covered under house insurance or other option?

New to this but wondering if you could help me. Don't realy want to buy a ride on due to storage etc. Our front lawn is split into 2 sections, seperated by the driveway as you can see from the picture. What are my options given that the lawnmower cant go across the driveway?

Water John wrote: »

The classic problem. What size is each lawn?

One is 220m sq and the other one is 280m sq