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| Robotic Lawn Mower Comparison
Guide: The Best Mower |
The first question that we get usually
is "Which mower is the best?"
What you really need to know is:
Which mower is best for YOU! |
| Deciding on the best mower is basically
a logical decision process. They are all quality products.
Lot size, the shape of the grass areas, the number and severity
of grades and the existence of barriers such as fences all
play a part in selecting a robotic lawn mower. In some cases,
two different mower models have been put on the same property
due to unusual requirements. In most cases installs are easy.
If yours turns out to be a tough one, we can help you get
it right. |
| Lot Size |
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This is the best place to start. Sizing
a robotic lawn mower to your lawn is fairly basic. First
you need to know how much ground you are dealing with an
then subtracting the areas that will not be mowed such as
the house area, driveway, flower beds, pools and so on.
Square footage
to acreage equivalents (approximate):
(all are approximate to make calculation easier and a true
acre = 43,560 square feet)
1/4 Acre = 11,000 square feet
1/3 Acre = 15,000 square feet
1/2 Acre = 22,000 square feet
2/3 Acre =29,000 square feet
3/4 Acre = 33,000 square feet
1 Acre = 44,000 square feet
If you know your property size, choose
it from the above. In many cases, choosing one "size"
lower (on the list) will represent the actual grass area
and will get you close enough. Remember: It is always better
to purchase a mower slightly oversized to ensure that it
will do a satisfactory job.
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| Shapes and Obstacles |
| Odd shapes are normally not a problem
unless they are extreme. Narrow areas are more of a concern
as well as the number of obstacles. A lawn comprised of many
small grass paths is not robot friendly nor is a large grove
of trees. These areas can be excluded if you want since you
can choose the area where the mower travels. Long narrow areas
of less than 3-7 feet (depending on model) or areas exceeding
the robots specifications may still have to be maintained
manually. If this represents a small percentage of the lawn
area, at least your robot can do the rest. A robot works best
on a typical lawn with a scattering of trees and bushes. If
you have "island" beds in the inner area of you
lawn or a pool, you can keep the mower out of these areas
by placing a loop of perimeter wire around them. This will
also keep the mower out of your flowers. If you have a dog
that likes to dig holes, the mowers will not work well for
you since you will be constantly having to rescue it. Raised
tree roots should either be graded in or excluded from the
mowing area using the perimeter wire. As a mower travels towards
a tree it can "bottom out" as the root rises near
the trunk. |
| Hills and Grades |
| Do you have a good number of hills or
are they steep? This can affect the area that can be maintained
since more energy is required to climb the hills. As you can
see in the graphic below, grades can be checked with a bubble
level, a piece of wood and a tape measure. |
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| Note: The wired perimeter border should
never occur across a downgrade of more that 10 degrees. If
this is exceeded, the mower may slide across the wire when
trying to reverse itself and stop with an error. |
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OK, now that you have an idea of
what works and what won't, we can move on to the mowers
themselves.
You Can:
Scroll Down to choose by lot size and characteristics
Click Here For
a Lawnbott Robomower Cost Comparison
BigMow is
in a league of its own at 3 to 5+ Acres Capacity.
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| Select a Mower By Lawn Size and Characteristics |
| If you do not have
fence or walls separating grass areas, don't mind maintaining
some areas manually or have enough grass area on either side
of an obstacle to use two mowers: |
|
Example 1
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Example 2
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| Example 1 depicts a lawn where the
mower can freely move to all areas. If you have small
separated areas or steep hills, they may need to be
maintained by you with a traditional mower. |
Example 2 depicts a lawn where two
mowers are used as independent systems. Your lawn area
Vs cost would decide if this is a viable option. |
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Under 15 degrees grade maximum:
(use above method to check your grade)
1/4 to 1/2 Acre
Lawnbott LB2110 (automatically starts
mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB2150 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Robomow RM-200 (best for 1/5 acre or less or
a few separate smaller areas)
Robomower
RM-400 (best for 1/4 acre, automatically starts
mowing by schedule)
Robomower RL-850 (best for 1/3 acre or less or
a few separate smaller areas)
Robomower
RL-1000 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Up to 27 degrees grade maximum:
(use above method to check your grade)
1/4 to 1/2 Acre
Lawnbott
LB2150 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB3210 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB3250 ( automatically starts mowing by schedule)
1/4 to 3/4 Acre
Lawnbott
LB3210 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB3250 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB3500 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
1/2 to 1 Acre
Lawnbott
3250 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
Lawnbott
LB3500 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
1 to 13/4+ Acre
Lawnbott
LB3550 (automatically starts mowing by schedule)
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If you have barriers that a
robot cannot pass, like a fence or wall separating grass
areas and you don't want to maintain anything manually:
Note: Fences that are more ornamental
than for security can be cut to allow the mowers to pass
under while following their perimeter wires. Paved surfaces
can be crossed by placing wires in expansion joints or scoring
the surface, placing the wire and securing with a suitable
caulk. This will allow them to behave like those in examples
1 and 4. Please contact us for more information.
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Example 3
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Example 4
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| Example 3 depicts a multi-zone lawn
where one mower is used to maintain all of the areas,
each on a different day. If the total area of zones
2 and 3 are small enough, they can both the mowed on
the same day. A Lawnbott must run daily or semi-daily.
It would not be a good choice here unless the other
zones were very small. |
Example 4 depicts a lawn where zones
separated by a barrier are linked via a gateway in the
perimeter wire. In some cases where the lawn does not
have barriers, this tactic can also be used to allow
the mower to reach a separate zone via a path or to
improve coverage. |
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Under 15 degrees slope: (use above
method to check your grade)
1/4 Acre and
under with barriers:
Robomow
RM-200 (best for 1/5 acre or less or a few
separate smaller areas)
Robomower
RM-400 (best for 1/4 acre, automatically
starts mowing by schedule)
1/4 to 2/5 Acre with
barriers:
Robomower
RL-850 (best for 1/3 acre or less or a few separate
smaller areas)
If you have separate areas, you simply drive the mower to
them using the standard manual controller, activate the
perimeter wire signal and press go.
Robomower
RL-1000
Runs one area automatically and can be run in additional
areas like the RL-850 above.
1/2 to 1 Acre with barriers:
Robomower
RL-1000 (two units, one for each area)
Lawnbott
LB2110 (two units, one for each area)
Lawnbott
LB2150 (two units, one for each area)
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Up to 27 degrees
grade maximum: (use above method
to check your grade)
1/2 to 2+ Acre with
barriers:
LawnBott
- Click the link to see all models. (two or more units,
one for each area). |
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| To sum things up: |
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The layout samples above are for reference. We realize
that your lawn may differ quite a bit from those shown and
would be happy to advise you as we have for so many others
in the past.
Help us to help you:
We utilize a number of online aerial photo sources for reference
when a reasonably clear image is available. Click a link
below to find the best image available. If you find a suitable
view, please let us know.
MSN Maps (usually
the best)
Google
Maps (if street view is available, this can sometimes
give as a view of grades)
Google Earth
(usually good but requires a software download)
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| The Probotics Advantage.
Click
to Learn More.. |
Questions?
The call is on us! Toll Free: 866-392-3766 |
