Robot lawn mowers

retiredandskint

Has anyone got one, used one or have any advice?

Although it's not a large lawn I'm finding it increasingly difficult to mow it and wondered whether it made economic sense to buy one as opposed to getting someone in to mow it.

My mower has just died so I need to buy a new one anyway.

peter_the_piper

With the electronics inside I would imagine the repair costs could be quite frightening.

retiredandskint

peter_the_piper wrote: »

With the electronics inside I would imagine the repair costs could be quite frightening.

The Bosch one has a five year guarantee.

Justagardener

I have only seen them working. They do quite a good job from what I've seen. There are some downsides....no stripes, not being able to cut into corners and small wheel marks all over the lawn where it's been motoring around but they do keep the grass at a good level all summer...you would have to make sure there was no debris on the lawn like fallen sticks etc and go round after a dog if you had one! They do seem expensive though but if your lawn is small you might get away with around £500. Battery mowers and cordless tools are really impressive now and cheap. With no servicing costs and easy to use etc it might be worth looking at those.

retiredandskint

Justagardener wrote: »

I have only seen them working. They do quite a good job from what I've seen. There are some downsides....no stripes, not being able to cut into corners and small wheel marks all over the lawn where it's been motoring around but they do keep the grass at a good level all summer...you would have to make sure there was no debris on the lawn like fallen sticks etc and go round after a dog if you had one! They do seem expensive though but if your lawn is small you might get away with around £500. Battery mowers and cordless tools are really impressive now and cheap. With no servicing costs and easy to use etc it might be worth looking at those.

I'm not bothered about stripes and dog free. My main concerns are I'm a full time carer for my husband, who has dementia and I suffer with arthritis. I'm just looking for an easy option that will keep the garden tidy with minimum effort.

My only other thought was removing the grass altogether or artificial grass.

Silvertabby

Next door neighbour has had a Husqvarna for at least 5 years. Can't remember him saying that it had ever broken down, but it wasn't a cheap machine.

He fitted it himself (wire buried around the edge of the lawn to stop the machine from wandering off into the wild blue yonder) and it took him and his son most of the day. I'm assuming that OP will have to include the cost of setting up in her costings.

Will also have to factor in the cost of an external power source, if one doesn't already exist.

Is it any good? Well, put it this way - he still goes over the lawn with a conventional mower from time to time in the main growing season.

Would a friendly neighbour (or two) not be willing to help out?

retiredandskint

Thanks Silvertabby I'm not sure how I thought robot worked but didn't think about the setup.

Neighbour has offered the services of her 17 year old son but I don't like asking for help. Stupid, I know, but I hate being dependent or relying on others.

I think I need to give this some thought. It just seemed a robot mower would be ideal.

DaftyDuck

Leaving my enthusiasm for gardening aside, making use of a willing 17 year-old might be of more rounded use. If he is half-willing, the cost of a robot lawn mower goes a long way towards driving lessons and a Sony Walkman (I assume them to still be the desired item )

A willing teen can water hanging baskets, weed a flowerbed, even wash a window. Oh, and not all teens are mercenary to the core; a few like to help out...

retiredandskint

You're right Daffy duck and to be fair he cleared and removed all the soil from my raised veg beds last year when I couldn't cope with them.

Savvy_Sue

I was going to suggest a gardener too: a willing 17 year old sounds ideal!

My gardener cut the grass on Thursday for the first time, but she does so much more than that. She says she has two sorts of client: people without the time / inclination, and people without the ability.

Paying someone for a service isn't being dependent or reliant on them. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

fishybusiness

I have two customers with willing robots, both Husqvarna's.

Cut is ok, nothing to write home about, keeps the grass looking tidy.

Edges will need trimming now and then as the robot follows a sunken wire, which accounts for the width of the robot body, they can't get right to the edge.

Wet bumpy gardens seem to cause problems, they can slide and get stuck - they send out a distress signal to a mobile phone.

I've been told all terrain wheels can be fitted to prevent this.

They have 'nickability', lock them up at night!