Robotic lawnmowers are one of the best gardening tools to come out in the last few years and are ideal for those who want to spend less time on household chores. These robotic lawnmowers are designed to roll around your garden, cutting the top of the grass as it grows, so you don’t have to walk back and forth with a traditional lawnmower.
However, how effectively these devices do their job varies from model to model. Unlike robot vacuums, you can’t force them to find boundaries on their own and bounce off your grassy boundaries; They both require a boundary line around your lawn to prevent them from wandering around and cutting down the plants you want to keep.
So, there are some factors to consider before purchasing a robotic lawn mower, and below we will go over some of the most important considerations. Plus, you’ll find a list of our favorite robotic lawnmowers, each of which have been extensively tested in our own gardens.
Mechanically, most robotic lawn mowers are remarkably similar. In your garden, they look a bit like a car, about the size of an upside-down washbasin, with two large wheels for motion control and a stand or two for added stability. They typically cut grass with sharp steel blades, much like the razor blades you’ll find attached to a rotating disc on the underside of a lawnmower body.
Unfortunately, you can’t just place a robotic lawnmower in the middle of your lawn and expect it to know where to mow. All robotic lawnmowers require a docking station that they can return to to recharge their batteries. It is located at the edge of the lawn and should be within reach of the external power source as it is always on and ready to charge the mower.
You will also need to mark boundary lines around the edges of the area that the robot will mow. It is typically powered by a coil, both ends of which are connected to a charging station and have a low voltage that the mower uses to determine when to stop and turn around. You can bury this wire or nail it down and it will end up buried in the grass.
Most robotic lawnmowers require you to set a scheduled mowing time, which can be done on the mower itself or using an app.
Since the basic design is essentially the same, differences in price usually indicate whether the mowers have additional features and the size of lawn they can cover.
Boundary lines are their only reference point and they will move around your garden for a period of time or until they need to return to the base station to recharge.
Post time: Jan-25-2024