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Electric Lawn Care: The Challenge
#1
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
I didn't think it was crazy.
Last summer, my wife and I bought a house in the country. There's about 0.8 acre of actual lawn, with some rough area, gardens and other space.
It's our first house and we came from an apartment, so we weren't bringing any outdoor tools with us. When we toured the house, the seller had an entire shed full of gas-burning machines for taming the property.
All of our new neighbors have large lots and many gas powered machines. In fact I almost never see electric gear around the area.
So maybe this is a Quixotic challenge?
We have a Robomow RS 630 which handles most of the actual lawn mowing. Later we added a Greenworks 40v 19" walk-behind mower to better handle certain areas. We also have a DeWalt 40V string trimmer.
I didn't really expect any of these choices to be a big deal, but after living here for a bit over a year we've now had about a half dozen random people pull off the road to ask questions about this gear while I'm just trying to get it done.
It all seemed obvious though- why mess with a gas engine unless I could not get enough power out of an electric solution? So far, only the snowthrower is gas powered. I just couldn't find an electric one big enough for this driveway, though I do have the Greenworks 40v electric shovel for light clearing.
Anyway nice to have found the forum, looking forward to exchanging tips and stories over the winter so we can act like we know what we're doing come summer!
Last summer, my wife and I bought a house in the country. There's about 0.8 acre of actual lawn, with some rough area, gardens and other space.
It's our first house and we came from an apartment, so we weren't bringing any outdoor tools with us. When we toured the house, the seller had an entire shed full of gas-burning machines for taming the property.
All of our new neighbors have large lots and many gas powered machines. In fact I almost never see electric gear around the area.
So maybe this is a Quixotic challenge?
We have a Robomow RS 630 which handles most of the actual lawn mowing. Later we added a Greenworks 40v 19" walk-behind mower to better handle certain areas. We also have a DeWalt 40V string trimmer.
I didn't really expect any of these choices to be a big deal, but after living here for a bit over a year we've now had about a half dozen random people pull off the road to ask questions about this gear while I'm just trying to get it done.
It all seemed obvious though- why mess with a gas engine unless I could not get enough power out of an electric solution? So far, only the snowthrower is gas powered. I just couldn't find an electric one big enough for this driveway, though I do have the Greenworks 40v electric shovel for light clearing.
Anyway nice to have found the forum, looking forward to exchanging tips and stories over the winter so we can act like we know what we're doing come summer!
#2
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
Winter mode
We got a little snow last night. It wasn't worth clearing the driveway with the big gas blower, but I cleared part of it with a greenworks electric shovel. Fast little thing!
After that a bit of path-clearing with the blower and cleanup was quick. I'm thrilled that I did it all without burning gas!
We got a little snow last night. It wasn't worth clearing the driveway with the big gas blower, but I cleared part of it with a greenworks electric shovel. Fast little thing!
After that a bit of path-clearing with the blower and cleanup was quick. I'm thrilled that I did it all without burning gas!
#3
L
liz27
L
liz27
It is important to realize that appropriate care of your electric lawnmower will result in better working of the machine. As a result, you will spend less money on changing the dysfunctional mower parts. Robomow RS 630 is a great tool. I am working with Robomow's RS 612.
#6
B
bertsmobile1
And so were the robo vacs for our house when they first came out.
If you get the full design life out of it then it will be cheaper in the long run than a petrol powered mower.
It is also better for your lawn as it cuts the grass every day and deposits the clippings back into the grass where they belong.
I for one gave up the mowing thing a long while back.
We put prostrate bushes in the front yard under the trees.
The rear yard is 1/3 veggie garden ( no dig ) 1/3 ornamental garden with the last 1/3 lawn to make a fire break around the house and some where to hang the washing over.
Careful choice of planting means the garden can be left untouched for weeks at a time and not look neglected.
OTOH I fix mowers for time poor customers who also work 60 hr + weeks then try to maintian 5+ acres of manicured lawns & close clipped hedges which most of the time look trash.
But what the heck, they keep breaking things, I keep fixing them & that keeps food on the table ( if it ever rains again ).
B
bertsmobile1
OMG, that Robomower is $2,500.
And so were the robo vacs for our house when they first came out.
If you get the full design life out of it then it will be cheaper in the long run than a petrol powered mower.
It is also better for your lawn as it cuts the grass every day and deposits the clippings back into the grass where they belong.
I for one gave up the mowing thing a long while back.
We put prostrate bushes in the front yard under the trees.
The rear yard is 1/3 veggie garden ( no dig ) 1/3 ornamental garden with the last 1/3 lawn to make a fire break around the house and some where to hang the washing over.
Careful choice of planting means the garden can be left untouched for weeks at a time and not look neglected.
OTOH I fix mowers for time poor customers who also work 60 hr + weeks then try to maintian 5+ acres of manicured lawns & close clipped hedges which most of the time look trash.
But what the heck, they keep breaking things, I keep fixing them & that keeps food on the table ( if it ever rains again ).
#7
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
My back of the envelope math says that it needs to last about 6 years to be cheaper than the lowest bid I got for having somebody else do the whole yard. That does take into account the need for a new battery at the 3-year mark and seasonal upkeep. I think it's likely that there will be a better unit available for the same, less, or maybe even much less after this one has run out.
A gas powered riding mower is probably a cheaper proposition overall, but somebody has to ride it, maintain it, store it, and put up with the noise & fumes. I don't mind paying a few bucks extra to minimize my exposure a little sooner than everyone else in the grand scheme of things.
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
And so were the robo vacs for our house when they first came out.
If you get the full design life out of it then it will be cheaper in the long run than a petrol powered mower.
My back of the envelope math says that it needs to last about 6 years to be cheaper than the lowest bid I got for having somebody else do the whole yard. That does take into account the need for a new battery at the 3-year mark and seasonal upkeep. I think it's likely that there will be a better unit available for the same, less, or maybe even much less after this one has run out.
A gas powered riding mower is probably a cheaper proposition overall, but somebody has to ride it, maintain it, store it, and put up with the noise & fumes. I don't mind paying a few bucks extra to minimize my exposure a little sooner than everyone else in the grand scheme of things.
#8
R
RogerMower
R
RogerMower
Nice to read your post about Robomow RS630 SwitcheDon Quixote . I'm considering buying one myself but wonder if it's the right one. It's not a cheap robot but it do sound to be a nice machine. You have a 0,8 acre lawn and according to reviews https://robot-lawnmowers.com/robomow-rs630-review the recommended size of lawn is 0.37 acre. My lawn is about 0,5 acre. With your 0.8 acre do you think my lawn is too big for this Robomow? What is your experience with Robomow RS 630?
Greetings
Roger
Greetings
Roger
#9
Boobala
You and the other guy's with these "robotic-mowers", are gonna die an early death from sittin on your arse, gettin obese, and no exercise, get with it you guys, live longer, be stronger !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:
Boobala
Nice to read your post about Robomow RS630 SwitcheDon Quixote . I'm considering buying one myself but wonder if it's the right one. It's not a cheap robot but it do sound to be a nice machine. You have a 0,8 acre lawn and according to reviews https://robot-lawnmowers.com/robomow-rs630-review the recommended size of lawn is 0.37 acre. My lawn is about 0,5 acre. With your 0.8 acre do you think my lawn is too big for this Robomow? What is your experience with Robomow RS 630?
Greetings
Roger
You and the other guy's with these "robotic-mowers", are gonna die an early death from sittin on your arse, gettin obese, and no exercise, get with it you guys, live longer, be stronger !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:
#10
MowerMike
Yeah, unlike all you guys with your electric start riding mowers who get plenty of exercise. :laughing:
MowerMike
You and the other guy's with these "robotic-mowers", are gonna die an early death from sittin on your arse, gettin obese, and no exercise, get with it you guys, live longer, be stronger !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:
Yeah, unlike all you guys with your electric start riding mowers who get plenty of exercise. :laughing:
#11
Boobala
We're fit and trim cause we HAVE to RUN to the frig for more beers when we get a pass close to house ... and we ALWAYS run for fuel can's and we run to catch the wifey, (once in a bue-moon) we run up & down the stairs in fact we run a lot, so I'm gonna quit runnin my mouth ...... :laughing:..:laughing:
Boobala
Yeah, unlike all you guys with your electric start riding mowers who get plenty of exercise. :laughing:
We're fit and trim cause we HAVE to RUN to the frig for more beers when we get a pass close to house ... and we ALWAYS run for fuel can's and we run to catch the wifey, (once in a bue-moon) we run up & down the stairs in fact we run a lot, so I'm gonna quit runnin my mouth ...... :laughing:..:laughing:
#12
willys55
willys55
I thought we rode the riding mowers to save our energy for riding the little lady later
#13
Boobala
DON'T tell em EVERYTHING, Doc !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:
Boobala
I thought we rode the riding mowers to save our energy for riding the little lady later
DON'T tell em EVERYTHING, Doc !! .. :laughing:..:laughing:
#14
primerbulb120
primerbulb120
I have an electric start ZTR, and it cuts down the time I spend on each yard to the point that I spend longer trimming edging and blowing than I do mowing it.
#15
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
I would say that I am pushing the edge of what this thing can do in terms of mowed area, and in hindsight I might have done better with two smaller units.
The key issue that troubled us last season was timing. Because it is a relatively small and slow device, it needs to spend most of its time mowing to keep up with my lawn. During the summer it is allowed to go out and mow whenever it wants to in the daytime hours, 7 days a week. Obviously it needs to spend time charging up at its base in between mows, and it's close to a 50/50 split of mow time vs. charge time. Therefore it spends half of every day actively mowing.
So far so good. Where this breaks down is wet weather. The mower (like many manned mowers) doesn't cut wet grass very well and it rapidly clogs with mulch paste. I have it programmed to stop mowing at night when the grass is full of dew, and it has a rain sensor to keep it from mowing during rain. Those factors keep the deck clean and reduce the need for cleaning.
The problem is that my climate simply has too many rainy hours per week, which limits the overall effectiveness of the mower. My neighbors with their large riding rigs have an advantage here- their machines have the speed to do their whole lawn in less than 2 hours, so they just hold for a good dry hour or two and get it done in one shot. I didn't account for this when planning, so I had to adapt elsewhere.
It's taken me a couple of paragraphs to describe this situation here, so this kind of limitation can't really get explained in the brochure/website/sales pitch. If I had known about it, I might have bought two smaller ones to let them work in parallel during dry hours. I may yet add a second machine in the future, but for now my solution is to occasionally mow some myself with my electric walk-behind mower. I use the app to program the robot to temporarily ignore one section of the yard and then mow that myself. It isn't total automation, but it is considerably easier than doing the whole yard myself. Once I get to the dry half of the summer, I let the robot do it all.
I realize you're already probably mentally juggling a lot while considering a device like this, and this is another degree of complication to throw in, but I would say that the lesson is to take note of how many "good mowing hours" there are in an average week where you live. That is a vague standard, but it's fine- just imagine yourself mowing it. If you wouldn't do it under current conditions, the robot shouldn't either. What time does the dew burn off? How often does it rain? Give it some thought.
Regarding the machine itself, it is fantastic hardware. The materials quality and engineering is really top-notch. Smart people built it to last outdoors. The software isn't wonderful by modern standards, but it works well enough and they are actively improving it. Support has been phenomenal, the few times I needed it.
tl;dr: This mower is 100% capable of keeping up with 0.8 acres in a drier climate than mine. I'm sure it would also be fine on a smaller yard in the mid-atlantic region.
Good luck!
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
Nice to read your post about Robomow RS630 SwitcheDon Quixote . I'm considering buying one myself but wonder if it's the right one. It's not a cheap robot but it do sound to be a nice machine. You have a 0,8 acre lawn and according to reviews https://robot-lawnmowers.com/robomow-rs630-review the recommended size of lawn is 0.37 acre. My lawn is about 0,5 acre. With your 0.8 acre do you think my lawn is too big for this Robomow? What is your experience with Robomow RS 630?
I would say that I am pushing the edge of what this thing can do in terms of mowed area, and in hindsight I might have done better with two smaller units.
The key issue that troubled us last season was timing. Because it is a relatively small and slow device, it needs to spend most of its time mowing to keep up with my lawn. During the summer it is allowed to go out and mow whenever it wants to in the daytime hours, 7 days a week. Obviously it needs to spend time charging up at its base in between mows, and it's close to a 50/50 split of mow time vs. charge time. Therefore it spends half of every day actively mowing.
So far so good. Where this breaks down is wet weather. The mower (like many manned mowers) doesn't cut wet grass very well and it rapidly clogs with mulch paste. I have it programmed to stop mowing at night when the grass is full of dew, and it has a rain sensor to keep it from mowing during rain. Those factors keep the deck clean and reduce the need for cleaning.
The problem is that my climate simply has too many rainy hours per week, which limits the overall effectiveness of the mower. My neighbors with their large riding rigs have an advantage here- their machines have the speed to do their whole lawn in less than 2 hours, so they just hold for a good dry hour or two and get it done in one shot. I didn't account for this when planning, so I had to adapt elsewhere.
It's taken me a couple of paragraphs to describe this situation here, so this kind of limitation can't really get explained in the brochure/website/sales pitch. If I had known about it, I might have bought two smaller ones to let them work in parallel during dry hours. I may yet add a second machine in the future, but for now my solution is to occasionally mow some myself with my electric walk-behind mower. I use the app to program the robot to temporarily ignore one section of the yard and then mow that myself. It isn't total automation, but it is considerably easier than doing the whole yard myself. Once I get to the dry half of the summer, I let the robot do it all.
I realize you're already probably mentally juggling a lot while considering a device like this, and this is another degree of complication to throw in, but I would say that the lesson is to take note of how many "good mowing hours" there are in an average week where you live. That is a vague standard, but it's fine- just imagine yourself mowing it. If you wouldn't do it under current conditions, the robot shouldn't either. What time does the dew burn off? How often does it rain? Give it some thought.
Regarding the machine itself, it is fantastic hardware. The materials quality and engineering is really top-notch. Smart people built it to last outdoors. The software isn't wonderful by modern standards, but it works well enough and they are actively improving it. Support has been phenomenal, the few times I needed it.
tl;dr: This mower is 100% capable of keeping up with 0.8 acres in a drier climate than mine. I'm sure it would also be fine on a smaller yard in the mid-atlantic region.
Good luck!
#16
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
Just bumping with a seasonal update- 3rd summer season for this electric lawn.
The robot is doing well. It did not need any repairs coming out of last season.
A little bit of sod repair and soil remediation was required of the lawn itself- I had some damage from voles, and after getting rid of them I had to plug some holes before turning the robot loose.
As expected I had to hand-mow a bit right at the start of the season just to keep up with the crazy early growth, but now the robot seems to be keeping up with the whole thing.
The walk-behind Greenworks mower needed an adjustment in the safety switch cable tension and I sharpened the blade, but apart from that it started the season without drama. I can tell that this mower isn't aging as well as some of my other gear. I do wish there were sturdier options on the market.
My Dewalt string trimmer went straight into service as well. I've been using a thicker .080 line in it and I'm thinking about going back to .066. I don't seem to be using any less string with the thick stuff, but I can tell the speed dropped a bit with the heavier weight.
The robot is doing well. It did not need any repairs coming out of last season.
A little bit of sod repair and soil remediation was required of the lawn itself- I had some damage from voles, and after getting rid of them I had to plug some holes before turning the robot loose.
As expected I had to hand-mow a bit right at the start of the season just to keep up with the crazy early growth, but now the robot seems to be keeping up with the whole thing.
The walk-behind Greenworks mower needed an adjustment in the safety switch cable tension and I sharpened the blade, but apart from that it started the season without drama. I can tell that this mower isn't aging as well as some of my other gear. I do wish there were sturdier options on the market.
My Dewalt string trimmer went straight into service as well. I've been using a thicker .080 line in it and I'm thinking about going back to .066. I don't seem to be using any less string with the thick stuff, but I can tell the speed dropped a bit with the heavier weight.
#17
B
broo
B
broo
Interesting.
While I do not want an automatic mower since I do enjoy handling the mower myself, I really do see potential in electrification of these tools. When I bought my walk behind, there were a lot of electric mowers available. Back then, I still had my lawn tractor and I had a lot of ground to cover with my walk behind since the tractor couldn't reach easily, so I bought a gas powered one.
Then later, my tractor quit. I bought a Zero Turn riding mower (I love operating this machine !) and while bigger than my former tractor, its agility allows it to reach many places that were out of reach before. As a result, I use my walk behind a lot less. So much less that NOW it would make sense to get an electric one. That will happen, but not before I wear out my gas powered one. Since I try to care as best as possible for my stuff, I may have this mower for many years still, despite how cheaply built it feels.
Much like cars. My next commuter will be electric, but not before I wear out my current gas powered car. It's a small car so MPGs are great. It's now 13 years old. I won't buy electric unless this one is totaled or suffers catastrophic failure. While electric is perfectly logical for a commuter, it would take quite a while to earn back the buying price.
While I do not want an automatic mower since I do enjoy handling the mower myself, I really do see potential in electrification of these tools. When I bought my walk behind, there were a lot of electric mowers available. Back then, I still had my lawn tractor and I had a lot of ground to cover with my walk behind since the tractor couldn't reach easily, so I bought a gas powered one.
Then later, my tractor quit. I bought a Zero Turn riding mower (I love operating this machine !) and while bigger than my former tractor, its agility allows it to reach many places that were out of reach before. As a result, I use my walk behind a lot less. So much less that NOW it would make sense to get an electric one. That will happen, but not before I wear out my gas powered one. Since I try to care as best as possible for my stuff, I may have this mower for many years still, despite how cheaply built it feels.
Much like cars. My next commuter will be electric, but not before I wear out my current gas powered car. It's a small car so MPGs are great. It's now 13 years old. I won't buy electric unless this one is totaled or suffers catastrophic failure. While electric is perfectly logical for a commuter, it would take quite a while to earn back the buying price.
#18
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
I think a lot of it is down to timing.
If we had bought the house just a few years earlier, I would have wound up with more gas powered gear.
If we were to buy it a few years into the future? I'd probably have different electric stuff than I have now.
In my case it's just that we switched from apartment living with nothing beyond a window box to a large suburban property with lawn, gardens, flower beds and other landscaping in 2016. By then, there were some useful electric outdoor power equipment options.
S
SwitcheDon Quixote
Much like cars. My next commuter will be electric, but not before I wear out my current gas powered car. It's a small car so MPGs are great. It's now 13 years old. I won't buy electric unless this one is totaled or suffers catastrophic failure. While electric is perfectly logical for a commuter, it would take quite a while to earn back the buying price.
I think a lot of it is down to timing.
If we had bought the house just a few years earlier, I would have wound up with more gas powered gear.
If we were to buy it a few years into the future? I'd probably have different electric stuff than I have now.
In my case it's just that we switched from apartment living with nothing beyond a window box to a large suburban property with lawn, gardens, flower beds and other landscaping in 2016. By then, there were some useful electric outdoor power equipment options.