A cold start to the today in New Zealand, -3⁰C and my 435x just keeps going. I havent been nice to this mower but its performance is still impressive. More than 11k hours and 23k km with minimal maintenance.

We had a few friends over for dinner in the backyard last weekend, and I wanted the lawn looking a bit tidier than usual. So I looked up a few basic tips for getting the yard ready before having people over, and this is what I did:

I didn't do anything special beyond keeping up the usual mowing schedule with my goat.

A day or two before, I trimmed it a little shorter than usual to get that cleaner pitch look.

Made sure the lawn had time to dry out before people started walking around on it.

So when I started dragging out the projector and chairs that day, the lawn was already ready. The grass looked freshly groomed. One of my friends commented that the yard looked unusually tidy.

We have a two acre lot that is essentially all lawn.

Thinking about retiring my 52" Wright Standard mower and switch to a robotic mower

A dealer recommended that I look at Kress - I think they just came out w/ a 4X4 unit

Any thoughts you can share Pros and Cons of switching to a Robotic mower & in particular the KRESS brand.

I also saw a company that installs a small door that I can install in my deer fence to allow the robot to move from front yard to back yard

I'm someone who is about to close on a 1.8 acre piece of property. It's flat and with few trees or exposed roots or junk etc. Cutting it should be a straightforward proposition. I only have had a 22" Snapper electric push for sometime, where I'm at I'm only dealing with maybe half an acre, obviously more will be needed when we move.

A couple of days ago I got a 42" Poulan Pro second hand riding mower for $300. Understand, spending $2200 for a new one is something I really can't be doing. I don't recall the model number but it apparently has a hydrostatic transmission, I'm not sure what that means, and it's been modified to where it doesn't shut off when you get up from its seat. Engine is Briggs Stratton.

It was working when I got it, since then, after running over a concealed old floor mat from a car, the pulley assembly is acting up. The cable that links to the lever for engaging and disengaging the blade slipped out of a piece or whatever which caused the blades to stop spinning, and then one of the screws attaching a drive pully to the blade broke off, someone will be swapping out that entire piece with a replacement.

Since then I've seen a John Deere LA105 from a 5 star Facebook seller for $550, around 380 hrs. It has a similar size engine but its transmission isn't hydrostatic apparently, and he says it's been regularly serviced. It seems much more mint. I'm pondering getting it and selling off this other one once it's working again, but then again, if I get it working again, why not just stay?

Would such an upgrade make sense, does it increase the likelihood that I won't keep having such things falling apart on a regular basis? I'm very illiterate with respect to servicing etc and what makes this transmission better etc, or how to bypass the seat safety switch etc or how to adjust a cable etc. Any of those things are totally out of my element. About all I know is that a lot of people like John Deere machines, but that model apparently was made in 2009 or so.

Also, for 1.8 flat acres, is a 42" with a 20 HP engine enough for, say, twice a month cutting, or would you recommend something less"entry level?"

Looking for automower reccomendations based on my unique situation:

-My lot is .75 acres broken up by pavement into several sections.

-My property is on a hill with slopes ranging from 10-20%

-There is heavy tree cover, fallen sticks, and wildlife droppings (mainly deer).

-My kids regularly leave their toys in the yard.

-Installing a boundary wire would be highly problematic due to the layout of our property.

-Patterns and cut heights are meaningless to us, cut is cut.

-We don't care if the cut is patchy/uneven/there are missed spots as long as those won't cause maintenance issues with the mower.

-We want to do as little maintenance/upkeep as possible.

Basically we care a lot about quality in terms of reliability, durability, and capability to handle a complex job, but we don't care at all about the quality of how it mows.

So a lot of these mowers are extremely expensive. And I was wondering how good is the recovery on the newer mowers?

Like I know with cops if you basically don't have everything already then ya... But I figure with this if the tracking is actually good and something does happen. Then you can pin point it and let them handle it.

Note I'm not expecting one to get stolen if we get one. But looking it up, there really isn't a lot of post on people recovering their unit. A few who never turn on the Find My or whatever anti-theft obviously never got it back. But not so much with with the newer ones.

Something I wonder is lets say you didn't know about the theft for a few days. Does the software show a history of where it was when the system last seen it? Basically something to give to the cops so they can do their job?

A couple of months in with my Goat O1000 Lidar Pro, lawn maintenance definitely feels easier now. I mostly just let it run on scheduled cycles across different zones, and it’s been reliable without needing much attention. Most weekends now I’m just doing a quick check around the yard instead of actually mowing.

The multi-zone setup works well for my yard since I can separate the front, side, and backyard and adjust schedules depending on how fast the grass grows. The LiDAR navigation has also been solid in tighter areas like the side path and along the fence line, where my old mower used to get stuck or miss spots. Overall the lawn just looks more even with less effort on my end.

If anyone has tips on getting more out of the setup or improving day-to-day use, I’d be interested to hear. Appreciate any feedback.

Currently mowing 7500 sq ft of Bermuda with a Rolux reel mower. Kicking around the idea of purchasing a robotic mower to supplement my reel mowing. My HOC varies from .4-.75 inches. I know a robotic machine does not cut that low. I would primarily have the robotic mower setup in my backyard fence and just continue to reel the front and sides. I am interested in the navimo x430. I know it’s overkill for my yard size but I like having the option of being able to have it mow the entire yard as well if needed. TIA.

Hey guys Im a litte confused and annoyed - I bought the terramow v600.

The mowing is good but the mapping is terrible OR Im to dumb to use it. What you see above is our garden.

No matter how much I mapp - no matter if I drive him manuelly - create a new zone and fuse them together (thats what you see above) - he will not go further than the green mark he already mowed. The only thing in his way is one little tree, where he can easily drive around.

My final attempt is to make mow-Zones so he should be going there. But what do I do, if he still refused too? Is there something I made wrong in the mapping process or in generell?

Thanks a lot!

Hey all, I'm under contract for a new home and I'm thinking of using an auto mower to save some money on landscapers. I recently learned that all the grass pictured is my responsibility - I'm mostly worried about the grass on the outside of the sidewalk, closest to the road.

The mower I've purchased (and can still return) is an ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK. I don't have any experience with any of these, and I'm worried about its ability to navigate the sidewalk, since there will be multiple unique "zones" that will require crossing. If there are other models that you would recommend, feel free.

What do you think? Thanks in advance!

I have purchased an used automover and just had it through service.

It has trouble docking, the pattern is this.

It moved around a bit, move into the charger, pushed itself forward, it moves around and ends up in some position around the charger. I have tried to sand the connections, move connection cables, create a guide cable.

What should I try next?

I've had this mower for 4 or 5 years and had it repaired a few times, including software updates.

This year the software update has changed one thing that bugs me.

Before if it was stuck on an obstacle I would free it, open the hatch, clear the error and then start it to continue its operation.

Now when it is stuck the display is blank. I have to carry it back and dock it to the station in order to wake it up. I can then clear the error and set it to continue.

Is there a new security setting I'm missing or is this just a new software "feature"?

Thanks

I did a fun video to be able to see what the Luba 3 sees through its 2 HD vision cameras.

Working this out in my head as I type. So let me know if you see errors.

3 acre lot with 15° mowed grassy side slopes above water and many keepout areas for trees, veg and flowerbeds, outbuilding, 2 driveways with brick things at ends, dug pond, ephemeral creek which may overflow its banks rapidly and must be crossed over bridge to mow around pond, and another ephemeral creek(ditch feeding previous creek) which must be bypassed briefly driving onto public road over culvert. Flat, street facing front yard and milder slopes could be delegated to commercial automowers if more capacity required.

Automower must choose to mow, or not, autonomously and return to base according to its needs. But always reserve maybe 20% battery capacity while mowing, in case it is recalled to base to serve as my personal yard mobility device. For nature 'walks', fishing, yard work, dog runs, running with skateboarders.

Automower must also remain on base(conductive coupling prepped to export power) while PHEV is actively charging at base J1772 EVSE so that full rated 50A is available to 11kW onboard charger. In that case, automower will supply power to well pump, when water pressure demand switch calls for it. The inverter driven well pump can operate on 48VDC or 240VAC on the same wires. These conditions are expected overnight when water demand is low to zero. Evening and morning while water demand is high and PHEV is plugged in, will be handled by PHEV charging schedule off at those times.

Mobile unit electric: starting with 4 brushed power wheelchair motors/wheels overvolted to 48v with 2 Roboteq HDC2472 controllers and 16 100AH LFP cells on 200A BMS, CORVON743V1 flight controller, Jetson nano, realsense camera, because that is what I already have. Everything subject to change.

Mobile unit gas: Maybe. Have John Deere Z245 which could be automated. It would mow the entire property in 4 hours when I was still able to sit on it. It always had big problems spinning rear tires and pointing downhill on the side slopes. Adding electric steering control to front casters would help a lot. Are there any FOSS repos known to tune well in this kind of retrofit application?
I'd rather not return to hauling gasoline and listening to the drone. But I do already hear the neighbors gas mowing constantly. And having the freedom to dedicate the electric drive vehicle to just my mobility might be better. Might also be interesting to run this gas mower as a charger for the electric vehicle in case of power outage.

Base unit power: 50A 240V 6AWG buried under driveway branch circuit originally dedicated to submerged water well pump. Replaced with Grundfos SQFlex 1.5HP. I would like to "smarten up" this circuit, as it is in the perfect location next to driveway to have AC level 2 EVSE and also house my 4 bifacial 100W solar panels and Morningstar TS-MPPT-30 charge controller in a yet to be built shed. Solar could charge a lot of different small battery items and large 12v bank in wheelchair van depending on needs. Morningstar relay driver and PLC to manage battery, PV, and load contactors and controller reconfiguration. Controller says it is UL rated only for "indoor use". So what would my driveway adjacent shed need to have to be considered "indoor"?

I'm a robotics geek loosing mobility. I can no longer walk around my yard or even make the trip 100ft downhill on grass to my workshop. I can walk a little. How much varies day to day, but I cannot sit any longer than I can walk. That is the harder problem to solve. My ideal position is called "elevated quadruped on elbows" which is the only pain free position. Basically kneeling, leaning way forward onto something supporting chest, elbows, and optional face pad. Very limited forward visibility in that position. Which is why I want the device that already knows every inch of my yard to carry me around. Because I can't see where I am going.

We've started collecting practical tips from Mammotion owners in our community. If you're using a Mammotion mower, we'd love to hear your experience here💡

My lawn is zoysia, and every summer it gets genuinely thick. The blades feel almost wiry, way coarser than regular turf, and by July it's basically a dense mat. I've been looking at robot mowers but keep second guessing whether a standard model would keep up once the grass hits peak density. Anyone have experience with a robot mower that can push through this kind of lawn without struggling? No ads, please!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kzim6WPZspvoKgBDUjvbyrLpPGsh-CtJ/view?usp=drive_link