Robot lawn mowers are not the gadgets you might think they are. The robot lawn mowers on the market today are serious mowing machines. Not only do they do a great job mowing, they keep your lawn mowed.
Do you care about the environment? If you care in the slightest, you are already using a mulching lawn mower vs. bagging your grass clippings. However, since you don’t have much time to mow, the length of your grass overwhelms your mower. Long clippings and large clumps remain on your grass. They turn brown and kill the grass underneath. Is it possible to be environmental yet still have a great looking lawn?
The answer is yes. Electric robotic lawn mowers are the answer. Since they run on batteries, there is no gas, oil or pollution. All-electric, robot lawn mowers reduce global warming. Are you aware traditional lawn mowers and riding lawn mowers pollute 10 times more than cars?
Robotic lawn mowers maintain a consistent grass height by mowing more often. They obey the 1/3 rule of grass cutting. That is, only one third of the height of your grass should be cut at each mowing. This is the healthiest way to mow your lawn. Experts also agree that the random mowing pattern used by robotic lawn mowers is the best pattern for keeping grass healthy and avoiding permanent lawn mower tracks.
Many electric robot lawn mowers are self-recharging. That is, they recharge themselves in a charging station that stays outside. This enables the robot to mow as often as it needs to in order to keep the lawn mowed. The batteries last anywhere from 3-7 hours, depending on the model chosen. The recharge time is 2-3 hours. This is plenty of time for the robotic lawn mower to mow the lawn in a random fashion and get all of the missed spots on its own.
Electric robot lawn mowers can mow by themselves with no intervention from you, or you may prefer to be present while the robot mows the lawn. Robot lawn mowers can be set-up to mow one section at a time. In this configuration, you set the robot lawn mower down, click a few buttons and off he goes to mow the designated section. Then you can move him to the next section for more mowing and so on. Choosing this method enables one to purchase a less expensive robot for a larger yard, saving money.
Now that you are intrigued, you will want to understand more about how a robot lawn mower works. As mentioned above, some models have a charging station that sits outside. The robot has a control panel in which you can set the days and times the robot can come out to mow. There is a wire that goes all the way around the edges of the property and around any flower beds or troublesome tree roots. The wire can be staked down (recommended) or buried up to four inches. The robot comes out when scheduled and goes back to the charging station whenever it needs to recharge or if it is scheduled to go back. Many robot lawn mowers include a rain sensor that will send the robot back to the charging station during a rain storm.
There are three main brands of robotic lawn mowers that have been shipping for many years. These are Lawnbott, Robomow and Husqvarna Automower. Lawnbott is manufactured in Italy by Zucchetti. Lawnbott is available under the name Ambrogio all over Europe. Lawnbott’s US importer is Kyodo America or KA for short. The Automower is distributed by Authorized Husqvarna dealers and is manufactured in Sweden. Robomow, also known as Robomower, is made in Israel by Friendly Robotics. Robomower’s US importer is Systems Trading Corporation, or STC.
Lawnbott and Robomower are the main US consumer robot lawn mower brands. Lawnbott is available through a group of authorized dealers (most are online) and a handful of smaller hardware stores. Robomower is available through many online retailers. The Automower from Husqvarna is mainly promoted through dealers rather than on the internet and is not available as widely as Lawnbott and Robomower.
Belrobotics is the first commercial robotic lawn mower brand to become available in the US. Belrobotics also sells a robot that picks up golf balls. It comes with a lift station that places balls in a bin. Soon, a new robot lawn mower will become available specifically for putting greens. It is designed to mow in perfectly straight lines to golf course manager’s greens specifications. This new robot is from Precision Path. It is not clear what Precision Path’s marketing plan is since this have not been publicly disclosed.
In light of the green movement, the recent gas price escalation, people’s desire to save time and business’s desire to optimize labor costs, robotic lawn mowers are here to stay.
Source by Gail Jones