Robot Lawnmowers Pros and Cons

Robot Lawnmowers are the latest technology in lawn care and a great way to cut down on manual maintenance.  But what are the reasons for and against getting yourself an automatic mower?

Pros

• Healthy, perfectly cut lawn
• More free time
• Low running costs
• Lots of different models & features available
• Automated
• Minimal maintenance
• No damage to the ground
• No extra costs need on fertilisers etc
• Quiet Operation
• Mulch leaves
• Grass clippings are that small they don’t be seen or carried on shoes
• Less weeds
• Kills and eliminates moss
• Self-charging
• Simple operation
• No grass tipping or dumping
• Anti-Theft

Cons

• Strimming (4-6”) around the edges & borders
• Don’t expect to go on holiday and return to the mower still operating
• First cut needs to be carried out with a conventional mower
• Weather dependant come October large amounts of rainfall can lead to small amounts of muddy tracks so from October onwards till the end of growth conventional mowers can be expected to be needed.
• Will need a to adjust programs according to growth levels
• Prone to the occasional stopping
• Adjustments to your lawn may be required (wet areas, areas of sticking etc)
• Wire can easily be cut in the ground need to be mindful
• Changes and adjustments to your lawn like planting trees and flower beds etc aren’t advisable so make sure your happy your lawn is complete prior to installation
• Require yearly service
• Parts can be needed more regular than you might think like (blades, wheels, wheel motors etc)
• Machines and parts can be expensive
• Callout costs for wire breaks or reprogramming etc
• Sticks and branches can jam and stop the mower
• Small level of confidence in technology is a must and required
• Always have to keep a backup mower for first cut end of season and when repair work has to be carried out to the robot (this can be 1-3 weeks depending on the work required availability of parts etc)
• Don’t have too high of expectations they are great pieces of kit, but you’ll still need to do work in your lawn like strimming, lifting sticks and branches, mower sticking in places, coming out of the boundary etc.
• Must keep all electrical appliances like transformers etc securely waterproofed
• Robots will need to be cleaned on a weekly basis to ensure smooth operation though this is very simple and easy to carry out
• Don’t work or operate in narrow areas roughly 5m of space between boundary wires is recommended
• Cost of an electrician to take power to the ideal charging location