Battery powered alternatives to a riding mower?

AV8R_87

AV8R_87

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Has anyone used a robo lawn mower or other form of electric non-push mower to deal with a 1-2 acre lot?
Looking at an option for the gas mower that would make sense from a time and money perspective.
 
I have good experience with the Husqvarna automower. This model needed the lightly buried lines around the yard but wasn't hard. It was awesome and almost worth it just for the entertainment. Our lot is just a bit too hilly and convoluted with very narrow pathways between sections for it to work out all the time every time. About once every week or two I'd have to find it and bring it back to the charger. Or carry it to the top lawn cause it hadn't been there in a while. It did also tear up the edges in the steepest sections trying to turn around. We had bought it used for a good price as a trial run. In the end we had to choose between upgrading to one of the 4x4 units or hire a lawn service. I travel a lot for work and my wife chose the lawn service. Sold it for more than we had bought it for.

We really were just asking too much of it with the way our lawns are and the hillside we're on. But any "normal" yard I highly suggest it. And this was all at least a handful of years ago. Safe to assume they've gotten better I think there are even some with no edge wires required.
 
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Adventure said:
I have good experience with the Husqvarna automower. This model needed the lightly buried lines around the yard but wasn't hard. It was awesome and almost worth it just for the entertainment. Our lot is just a bit too hilly and convoluted with very narrow pathways between sections for it to work out all the time every time. About once every week or two I'd have to find it and bring it back to the charger. Or carry it to the top lawn cause it hadn't been there in a while. It did also tear up the edges in the steepest sections trying to turn around. We had bought it used for a good price as a trial run. In the end we had to choose between upgrading to one of the 4x4 units or hire a lawn service. I travel a lot for work and my wife chose the lawn service. Sold it for more than we had bought it for.

We really were just asking too much of it with the way our lawns are and the hillside we're on. But any "normal" yard I highly suggest it. And this was all at least a handful of years ago. Safe to assume they've gotten better I think there are even some with no edge wires required.
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I've been interested in something like that- I don't really enjoy mowing the lawn. But the yard around our house is such an obstacle course of hills/rocks/trees in addition to about half the backyard being a steep slope that the riding mower struggles to get enough traction to climb that I've got strong doubts about any sort of robomower being able to handle it.
 
The AWD versions could handle any slope. And actually the regular one works too, it just tears up the grass when it turns around. It’s differential steering with the tires on just one end of all the weight to swing up the hill. So in the steep areas it ends up eventually looking like a cattle path inside a fence.
 
AvNavCom said:
The guy asks for a lawn mower recommendation, and you try to sell him the fastest way to go bankrupt?
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Curious why you would think it would make him bankrupt to go electric?

I haven't done a deep dive, but in what I've read so far, long term you are MUCH better off going electric. (Apparently the same with cars, I'm just holding out to hear more about the solid state batteries that are starting to hit the market.)
 
M20K said:
Curious why you would think it would make him bankrupt to go electric?

I haven't done a deep dive, but in what I've read so far, long term you are MUCH better off going electric. (Apparently the same with cars, I'm just holding out to hear more about the solid state batteries that are starting to hit the market.)
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The post was referring to the recommended purchase of a horse. Specifically an organic horse. Not an electric horse.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
The post was referring to the recommended purchase of a horse.
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HA! Now that would then be a VERY TRUE statement!!!

Hmm... but if he got goats, he could then rent them out to other people with large spaces they need cleared out. I think there is a guy that has a contract with the city to do some areas where the hills are a little too steep for any kind of mower, and that would then make it very labor intensive ($$$$$$) to keep it clear. So he puts up temporary fence and lets the goats go at it for a couple of days.
 
M20K said:
HA! Now that would then be a VERY TRUE statement!!!

Hmm... but if he got goats, he could then rent them out to other people with large spaces they need cleared out. I think there is a guy that has a contract with the city to do some areas where the hills are a little too steep for any kind of mower, and that would then make it very labor intensive ($$$$$$) to keep it clear. So he puts up temporary fence and lets the goats go at it for a couple of days.
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I want goats.
 
Some TV guy bought a farm and decided to buy sheep to take care of the lawn and save money. Didn't go that well, but made for good TV.
 
I've been eyeing the Yarbo, for its ability to not only cut grass but also blow snow and do other things.
 
Looks like 5k starting price, more if you want it to be a snow blower as well.
 
AV8R_87 said:
Looks like 5k starting price, more if you want it to be a snow blower as well.
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For my size yard and driveway, that's cheap. The alternative for mowing only that I've been looking at is about 50% more than that.
 
I'm very interested in this. I have about 3 acres that I live 6 hours away from and would love an automatic setup that keeps it mowed. I can get to it a couple times per season to change blades and clean it and it's not that big of a deal if it dies and has to wait for me to rescue it, as long as it's not doing that every other week.
 
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