My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

Shaunoc · 28-09-2019 7:10pm

blackbox wrote: »

Just moved into a house with very steep slopes in the garden. Has anyone got a Husqvarna AWD mower? Are they on sale in Ireland yet?

did a check online and there is an Irish company selling 435X AWD - but 5K!
i've never heard of the company before, so cannot recommend either way

Alfie1 · 28-09-2019 8:39pm

Atkins Cork are also selling the 435 X AWD https://www.atkins.ie/husqvarna-automower-550-8868.html rated for a maximum incline 70% / 35°

Helpful & friendly staff, recommended.

muckyba · 06-10-2019 8:53am

Hi all,

A friend is experiencing alot of issues with water ingress to the psu of his 450x, he has just purchased his 3rd power unit in 18 months.
Has tried protecting it in drybox etc but still got water inside. His site is quite exposed and doesnt really have any area with decent natural protection where the power unit can be located. Any recommendations on what works best to protect your power units from water?

Thanks.

Shaunoc · 06-10-2019 10:29am

muckyba wrote:

A friend is experiencing alot of issues with water ingress to the psu of his 450x, he has just purchased his 3rd power unit in 18 months. Has tried protecting it in drybox

A better drybox that stays dry ðŸ˜
Or move it indoors and cable out

KCross · 07-10-2019 11:35am

muckyba wrote: »

A friend is experiencing alot of issues with water ingress to the psu of his 450x, he has just purchased his 3rd power unit in 18 months.

Is he leaving it lying on the ground exposed to rain?
Its meant to be off the ground and shielded from rain.

muckyba wrote: »

Has tried protecting it in drybox etc but still got water inside.

A drybox that let water in!

As shaun said, get a better drybox!

The PSU is not rated for outdoor use so ideally you should put it indoors and run the wire out to the docking station.

From the manual(bold is mine)...

- The transformer must be placed where it is well ventilated and is not exposed to direct sunlight. The transformer must be placed under a roof.
- It is recommended to use an earth fault-breaker when connecting the transformer to the wall socket.
- The transformer must be mounted on a vertical surface, such as a wall or a fence.

I'd also highlight the second point about the earth fault breaker. The PSU is not at all robust. They blow quite easily in my experience and need protection from power spikes and weather. Get it indoors if at all possible. If not, build something around it.

SchrodingersCat · 07-10-2019 8:38pm

Satellite robotic lawn mowing by Husqvarna – This is how it works

See how easily you create and change virtual boundaries for work areas and stay-out zones with Husqvarna EPOS Technology – a satellite-based solution for professional robotic mowing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMTf4ecOvKE

Shaunoc · 07-10-2019 9:37pm

SchrodingersCat wrote: »

Satellite robotic lawn mowing by Husqvarna – This is how it works

See how easily you create and change virtual boundaries for work areas and stay-out zones with Husqvarna EPOS Technology – a satellite-based solution for professional robotic mowing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMTf4ecOvKE

seems just for the professional range..? or domestic with a little add on to older models (wishful thinking)

anyho, its class and that with AWD opens it up to so many

SchrodingersCat · 07-10-2019 9:57pm

Yea, it looks like the professional range alright. Hopefully it wont take long to come down to the commercial models. I know a few people who cannot lay down a boundary cable and/or have large distances between garden plots that this could suit better.

morgana · 08-10-2019 1:28pm

I recently installed a Yard Force SA600H and am quite impressed with the little machine. After about 17 days my grass looks better than ever and it copes well with wet grass and bumpy & uneven ground.
I am wondering about winter storage. The manual just details what to do but not when and what in particular the charging station can withstand. As its a German make, their winters are much colder so I am wondering if I can leave the charging station out (it already has a little garage to protect it from the elements) in typical Irish winter condition (occasional frosty nights, no prolonged frost) ?

KCross · 08-10-2019 1:35pm

morgana wrote: »

I am wondering about winter storage. The manual just details what to do but not when and what in particular the charging station can withstand.

Once the grass stops growing, bring it in. It will be better for the battery to have it at room temp and reduce the risk of it being robbed. Nothing to gain by leaving it out in bad weather.

Water John · 08-10-2019 4:15pm

The problem for most electric/electronic things is not the cold, it's the damp weather. Hence Ireland is a difficult environment for any outdoor/mobile equipment. This includes modern agri machinery and can be a PITA.

morgana · 08-10-2019 5:15pm

Fair enough. In she will come

Technophobe · 09-10-2019 1:52pm

morgana wrote: »

I recently installed a Yard Force SA600H and am quite impressed with the little machine. After about 17 days my grass looks better than ever and it copes well with wet grass and bumpy & uneven ground.
I am wondering about winter storage. The manual just details what to do but not when and what in particular the charging station can withstand. As its a German make, their winters are much colder so I am wondering if I can leave the charging station out (it already has a little garage to protect it from the elements) in typical Irish winter condition (occasional frosty nights, no prolonged frost) ?

Looks very cheap... How has it worked or you and have you been using it to cut a big area ? Any problems with it?

morgana · 18-10-2019 12:09am

I only have it up and running for about 3 weeks, no issues except for little tweaks. Rain sensor works, it goes out and does its job. Cut area is about 200 sqm, I am planning to enlarge it a bit next year. The grass now looks better than ever and I only have it on the highest setting (6 cm) to give the wire a chance to bed in before cutting it shorter.

KCross · 18-10-2019 9:31am

morgana wrote: »

I only have it up and running for about 3 weeks, no issues except for little tweaks. Rain sensor works, it goes out and does its job.

Whats the deal with that. Does it immediately come back to the docking station if it starts raining and once it stops it goes out again? Is that it?

morgana · 18-10-2019 9:52am

It takes a fair bit of rain to send it back. It will then wait for 2 hours before it goes out again (and if its still raining it stays in (or in my case, it goes out and comes back as it sits in its own house) providing it is still in an active mowing window (preset mowing time).

Shaunoc · 18-10-2019 10:30am

That takes fair processing power for the poor ol onboard chip to deal with Irish summers

richardw001 · 20-10-2019 8:34am

quick question ? - when do people put them away for the winter ? - Im debating cleaning mine and putting it away now (doesnt seem to be much growth - and the lawn is getting a bit muddy)

Shaunoc · 20-10-2019 9:19am

Nothing wrong with bringing it back out for a few days in November or whenever needed. Your flexible friend

k mac · 22-10-2019 11:57am

richardw001 wrote: »

quick question ? - when do people put them away for the winter ? - Im debating cleaning mine and putting it away now (doesnt seem to be much growth - and the lawn is getting a bit muddy)

I have mine cut back in hours out and just out 3 days Monday, Wednesday and Friday, have also raised it to level 6 or 7. Will probably bring it in in the next week or so dependent on the weather

Dr4gul4 · 22-10-2019 3:47pm

k mac wrote: »

I have mine cut back in hours out and just out 3 days Monday, Wednesday and Friday, have also raised it to level 6 or 7. Will probably bring it in in the next week or so dependent on the weather

Jaysus why is everybody lifting the height

I'm cutting a t 5 not a hope im changing it, the weather timer is active, and he cuts when he wants.

The grass is still growing , I can see from at area near my percolation ( yes yes, "rich soil up there " ) A touch of a ground frost the last few nights, which has me thinking about building him a wee house finally, but other wise, happy enough to mow away from 10 am to 4 pm .. as he wishes

Gareth Keenan · 22-10-2019 7:43pm

I passed through Trinity College today and there's a robo mower working away besiide the Arts Block

bobbyss · 26-10-2019 7:07pm

How do you clean blades in petrol mower? Too heavy to lift up.

wexfordman2 · 28-10-2019 1:09pm

bobbyss wrote: »

How do you clean blades in petrol mower? Too heavy to lift up.

Easy,

You sell your petrol mower, and buy a robot mower.

whippet · 31-10-2019 1:38pm

I've my automower now for three seasons but this summer it has just stopped a couple of times with the 'low battery' warning and I had to pop it back in to the base station - it happened about 3 or 4 times and I can't think of why .. the guide and loops signals are fine and it wasn't stuck anywhere !

KCross · 31-10-2019 1:55pm

whippet wrote: »

I've my automower now for three seasons but this summer it has just stopped a couple of times with the 'low battery' warning and I had to pop it back in to the base station - it happened about 3 or 4 times and I can't think of why .. the guide and loops signals are fine and it wasn't stuck anywhere !

If it cant find its way back to the docking station in a timely manner that will happen.

So a few possibilities....

- battery isnt in good condition and is on the way out. Its a bit like a phone where it could be at 10% and then all of a sudden its 0% and it shuts down.... that could be happening to the mower and its then not getting back to the docking station in time.... you'd have to get the battery tested at a dealer.

- another possibility is that the find charging station settings are wrong. They are in the menus where you get to decide how many minutes it spends looking for the charging station.

It has 3 ways that it uses to find the docking station and it cycles through those.
1) Random pattern for X mins
2) If random doesnt work it looks for a guide wire for Y mins
3) If it cant find a guide wire it follows the boundary wire which can take a long time in a large lawn so could easily shutdown in that case.

What settings do you have for those items in the menu and where did it shutdown.... is it randomly in the middle of the lawn or is it at a boundary each time or is it on the guide wire. That might give some clues as to whats up.

Also, is it still under warranty. If it is I'd be getting the battery checked before the warranty expires. The battery is €150+ I think.

NurseBridie · 04-11-2019 10:20am

whippet wrote: »

I've my automower now for three seasons but this summer it has just stopped a couple of times with the 'low battery' warning and I had to pop it back in to the base station - it happened about 3 or 4 times and I can't think of why .. the guide and loops signals are fine and it wasn't stuck anywhere !

I had this problem, changed battery and everything fine for a few months, then recently it stopped and the motherboard is gone in the mower, also there was a lot of damp in mower as if somebody washed it which did not happen. Currently with dealer who can't understand why the water has got into it.

KCross · 04-11-2019 12:55pm

NurseBridie wrote: »

I had this problem, changed battery and everything fine for a few months, then recently it stopped and the motherboard is gone in the mower, also there was a lot of damp in mower as if somebody washed it which did not happen. Currently with dealer who can't understand why the water has got into it.

My guess on that is that the dealer didnt seal it up properly when they changed the battery... i'd say he knows it but is slow to put his hand up!

staples7 · 06-11-2019 2:30pm

Quick question to the seasoned lads - Did you service the automower after its first cutting period? I keep it relatively clean with regular blade changes. it a had a software upgrade in july (Purchased in March.

Im thinking its not needed but appreciate any feedback?

KCross · 06-11-2019 2:41pm

I would do it for the first year to get the latest software and let them run diagnostics on it.
After that, not so much, as long as its not having issues doing the job.

My autonomous lawn mower thread/blog

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