5 ms·

There are a couple of remote lawnmowers on the market. I'm surprised given what we can do with AI that they are not in wider use. I think I might have kept my h

There are a couple of remote lawnmowers on the market. I'm surprised given what we can do with AI that they are not in wider use. I think I might have kept my house with a small yard if I could have just turned on the iMow and let it go.

H1Supreme 4y ago
> I'm surprised given what we can do with AI that they are not in wider use. If your yard has any relatively steep parts, they fail. I was 100% ready to buy one, only to discover I would still be mowing 30-40% of my yard by hand. I suspect there's a reason most of the demos are on completely flat yards.
- matt_attack 4y ago
  Let me introduce you to RC slope mowers: http://www.rcmowersusa.com/ http://www.rcmowersusa.com/
  - schemescape 4y ago
    How much does something like that cost?
    - akovaski 4y ago
      Following one of the dealer links, looks like it is about $60,000 for a new one. https://www.bobcatofyork.com/default.asp?page=xInventoryDetail&id=9159421&p=2&s=Year&d=D&vt=commercial%20mowing&fr=xAllInventory https://www.bobcatofyork.com/default.asp?page=xInventoryDeta...
      - matt_attack 4y ago
        The cost varies by cut width (44" is quite a bit cheaper) but yeah, it's very commercial oriented. It's intended for people who need to mow difficult slopes day in and day out. I'm not aware of really anything capable intended for homeowners besides a good ol' push mower.
        HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
        There are homeowner-class track mowers that are designed for steep slopes. Our property is pretty hilly so I keep telling myself that when my Husqvarna riding mower finally dies (it's only 16 years old) I'll buy an electric one. Unfortunately that Kawasaki motor just keeps on going and I keep repairing everything else.
        matt_attack 4y ago
        What models? I'm curious because my father is looking for a hill mower and most tracked ones I can find don't actually say their max slope which makes me think it's about the usual 15-20 degrees. Being tracked only really solves the traction part of the equation so they aren't necessarily any better at navigating slopes safely than a wheeled mower.
        HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
        The neighbor who had one recently moved, but I think it was an Altoz. I thought the same thing about tracks: only solves the issue of traction/ground pressure, but for whatever reason they're supposed to be better on slopes. My (wheeled) mower sometimes slips or gets stuck on a particular area on my property because I often don't have enough traction to mow up & down the slope if the ground is not extremely dry: grass is enough to cause slip. And sidehilling causes the upper wheels to lose traction. Perhaps the increased "bite" of the treads compensates for this? Dunno.
duxup 4y ago
They seem really limited at this point. It seems to be out that outdoors is surprisingly inconsistent / has a lot more exceptions than indoors. And even those that use small blades still have a fairly high bar safety wise to overcome. An early model years ago was able to tip over and keep running before it was recalled ... not the kind of thing you want sitting out on your lawn or the sidewalk.
- wowokay 4y ago
  That is true, it is frustrating that times have changed to the point where innovation in this scale is hampered under the guise of safety.
ape4 4y ago
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment-Lawn-Mowers-Robotic-Lawn-Mowers/N-5yc1vZc5at https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment...
bradley_taunt 4y ago
I have 1.2 acres and run the Husqvarna 450X on my property. The boundary and guide wires were embedded into the lawn itself. Been running this mower for 5 summers now and little to no issues. Blades need to be changed every 2-3 months depending on conditions. Overall it has saved me probably hundreds of hours on manual mowing.

H1Supreme 4y ago

> I'm surprised given what we can do with AI that they are not in wider use. If your yard has any relatively steep parts, they fail. I was 100% ready to buy one, only to discover I would still be mowing 30-40% of my yard by hand. I suspect there's a reason most of the demos are on completely flat yards.

matt_attack 4y ago
Let me introduce you to RC slope mowers: http://www.rcmowersusa.com/ http://www.rcmowersusa.com/
- schemescape 4y ago
  How much does something like that cost?
  - akovaski 4y ago
    Following one of the dealer links, looks like it is about $60,000 for a new one. https://www.bobcatofyork.com/default.asp?page=xInventoryDetail&id=9159421&p=2&s=Year&d=D&vt=commercial%20mowing&fr=xAllInventory https://www.bobcatofyork.com/default.asp?page=xInventoryDeta...
    - matt_attack 4y ago
      The cost varies by cut width (44" is quite a bit cheaper) but yeah, it's very commercial oriented. It's intended for people who need to mow difficult slopes day in and day out. I'm not aware of really anything capable intended for homeowners besides a good ol' push mower.
      - HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
        There are homeowner-class track mowers that are designed for steep slopes. Our property is pretty hilly so I keep telling myself that when my Husqvarna riding mower finally dies (it's only 16 years old) I'll buy an electric one. Unfortunately that Kawasaki motor just keeps on going and I keep repairing everything else.
        matt_attack 4y ago
        What models? I'm curious because my father is looking for a hill mower and most tracked ones I can find don't actually say their max slope which makes me think it's about the usual 15-20 degrees. Being tracked only really solves the traction part of the equation so they aren't necessarily any better at navigating slopes safely than a wheeled mower.
        HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
        The neighbor who had one recently moved, but I think it was an Altoz. I thought the same thing about tracks: only solves the issue of traction/ground pressure, but for whatever reason they're supposed to be better on slopes. My (wheeled) mower sometimes slips or gets stuck on a particular area on my property because I often don't have enough traction to mow up & down the slope if the ground is not extremely dry: grass is enough to cause slip. And sidehilling causes the upper wheels to lose traction. Perhaps the increased "bite" of the treads compensates for this? Dunno.

duxup 4y ago

They seem really limited at this point. It seems to be out that outdoors is surprisingly inconsistent / has a lot more exceptions than indoors. And even those that use small blades still have a fairly high bar safety wise to overcome. An early model years ago was able to tip over and keep running before it was recalled ... not the kind of thing you want sitting out on your lawn or the sidewalk.

wowokay 4y ago
That is true, it is frustrating that times have changed to the point where innovation in this scale is hampered under the guise of safety.

ape4 4y ago

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment-Lawn-Mowers-Robotic-Lawn-Mowers/N-5yc1vZc5at https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment...

bradley_taunt 4y ago

I have 1.2 acres and run the Husqvarna 450X on my property. The boundary and guide wires were embedded into the lawn itself. Been running this mower for 5 summers now and little to no issues. Blades need to be changed every 2-3 months depending on conditions. Overall it has saved me probably hundreds of hours on manual mowing.