Robotic Lawn Mower

A robotic lawn mower what a great idea to take the leg work out of mowing – literally! I have heard that owners tend to treat them like they are real by naming them. “Michael” can be out the back mowing the lawn while you enjoy a well deserved rest with your feet up on the deck railing and a cold beer in your hand. Or maybe you could be swinging in a hammock – hammocks a great for a good lie down in the sunshine on a lazy Saturday afternoon while “Julian” mows the yard. A robotic lawn mower is the perfect way to mow the lawn and not have to do it – how very appealing and almost fun!

My next door neighbor Ray has a robotic lawn mower named “Ted” and he and “Ted” spend many happy hours outside looking after what has become a pristine lawn. Ray says that Ted has changed his life. BT (before Ted) Ray’s wife used to nag him loudly all the time to mow the garden, its true we used to hear her through our kitchen window. Ray hates mowing and would do anything to get out of it. One day after a particularly huge fight over their overgrown back yard, Ray came home with “Ted” the robotic lawn mower and he says that life at his house has never been so peaceful.

So after watching Ray and “Ted” I came up with the idea that I would like a robotic lawn mower too, I don’t particularly enjoy mowing so I sat with Ray one day in his yard and as we watched “Ted” do his thing he gave me the rundown on robotic lawn mowers and what to look for when purchasing one.

Tips for “Teds”:

Sloping areas can be a bit challenging and you need a robotic lawn mower with a capacity that is able to cope with the slope and size of your yard – it is recommended that buy a robotic lawn mower with a bit more capacity than you think you will need to give it the edge and maximize the life of the robotic lawn mower;

• Check the maximum cutting height of the robotic mower that you are interested in buying as it varies from model to model, ideally it is supposed to be at least 3 inches in hot weather;
• What sort of wheels does it have? If you buy a robotic lawn mower with spiked wheels for better traction it will be able to navigate sloped areas better;
• What sort of batteries is best for a robotic lawn mower? Lithium-ion batters make the robotic lawn mower lighter and will tend to last up to five years. Lead-acid batteries have been attributed to helping a robotic lawn mower deal well with tough grass by giving it the extra weight. Your choice here will depend on your lawn type and even your budget – the cheaper models tend to have lead-acid batteries;
• Potholes are not “Ted’s” best friend, a robotic lawn mower can get stuck in a pothole or ditch so it’s best to fill them in before you start it mowing;
• Apparently it has been reported that power surges from lightening can damage a robotic lawn mower. Ray confided in me that “Ted” was actually version two the first had been “fried” one night during a thunderstorm and he had replaced it without telling his wife. Mark two has a surge protector to stop it from happening again;
• “Ted” is fabulous but he does struggle with the edges, the human doesn’t get out of the gardening completely the edges need trimming with a little human touch;
• A robotic mower mows at 60 feet per minute which gives even the slowest person a chance to get out of its way;
• With very little chance of kicking up stones or other objects, a robotic lawn mower is very safe to use they also use bump sensors to detect any objects that may be in their way;
• The batteries of a robotic lawn mower can be charged by household power for most models and they are usually sold with a docking station that plugs straight in;
• For most robotic lawn mower models you need to install a wire perimeter around the cutting and the robotic lawn mower will stay within this area. These wires do not have to be above ground they can be buried a few inches below the surface;
• You can throw away the earmuffs that you used to use when using a regular mower when you purchase a robotic lawn mower, they are very quiet when they operate and even tuck themselves into their docking station to recharge when they are finished with the mowing;
• Most robotic mowers are mulching mowers – the clippings they leave behind act as a natural fertilizer, there is no need to clean up grass after them;
• Apart from people who hate mowing a robotic mower is fantastic for people who are unable to mow such as people with a disability and the elderly.

Well that’s it, that’s what you need to know before you buy a robotic lawn mower. Now armed with my handy list from Ray I’m off to the shop now to buy my new robotic mower. Now what will I name him…James? Cedric? Stephen? Derek? Or maybe it will be a her Jezabel? Kimberlee? Or even Candice..yes Candice.