Yet Another Cycling Forum
Random Musings => Miscellany => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: citoyen on 02 June, 2019, 05:03:50 pm
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We have two large expanses of lawn and neither the time nor the inclination to look after them* so I’m seriously considering investing in a robot mower - possibly two, one for the front lawn and one for the rear.
Anyone in yacf land have one? Any advice or recommendations? Any pitfalls I should be aware of?
I haven’t researched the subject in any depth yet, so I am a complete noob on this subject.
*apart from anything else, it’s time that could be better spent on the bike.
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Electric sheep instead?
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I have considered getting a sheep (or goat) but I don't know how the dog would take to it. Also that would also require the front garden to be fenced in.
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I think your front lawn would need some sort of boundary to stop the mower straying (or being rustled).
Says he who know nothing either.
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You can built your own!
http://deepsouthrobotics.com/2017/03/30/hello-world/
https://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/awesome-community-project-lwn-with-navio2-running-ros
At least that's what I would do :D
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I have considered getting a sheep (or goat) but I don't know how the dog would take to it. Also that would also require the front garden to be fenced in.
As you’re essentially talking about an agricultural version of a Roomba and you have a dog you may want to read this https://www.boredpanda.com/robot-vacuum-cleaner-spreads-dog-shit-everywhere/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic ;D
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My friend has what was a paddock at the back of their house that they have turned into a garden. He was mowing it with a lawn tractor and a gang mower but the gang mower needed lots of work and he got a robot mower instead.
I think there are wires buried round the perimeter of the lawn to define the robots range. Its self charging and just comes out of its own accord and seems to mow in random patterns (obviously they aren't as it does the whole paddock but they certainly aren't straight up and down).
It does an amazing job but it wasn't cheap. It cost several thousand pounds I believe. It didn't come from B&Q or a garden centre the guys a farmer so I suspect he got it from an agricultural machinery dealer.
If you want I can find out what make it was.
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I have considered getting a sheep (or goat) but I don't know how the dog would take to it. Also that would also require the front garden to be fenced in.
As you’re essentially talking about an agricultural version of a Roomba and you have a dog you may want to read this https://www.boredpanda.com/robot-vacuum-cleaner-spreads-dog-shit-everywhere/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic ;D
That is truly horrifying! ;D
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I think there are wires buried round the perimeter of the lawn to define the robots range. Its self charging and just comes out of its own accord
Yes, I’ve read about the wires - it would be interesting to know how easy they are to install and/or move if necessary.
The coming out of its own accord thing is the principal attraction of a robot mower*. Not sure I want to pay several thousands for one though - I’ve seen them for as little as £300, though I presume it’s a case of you get what you pay for, and garden size/complexity will be a factor (we have slopes in our garden so I’d need to know it could cope with those, which I suspect the cheaper ones couldn’t).
If you want I can find out what make it was.
It would certainly be worth knowing good brands to investigate, even if I don’t go for the top of the range!
*I’m currently using a Flymo that does a really shit job - I’m sure it would do a better job if I had the time to get out there twice a week, rather than once every couple of weeks...
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You can built your own!
http://deepsouthrobotics.com/2017/03/30/hello-world/
https://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/awesome-community-project-lwn-with-navio2-running-ros
At least that's what I would do :D
“we do not recommend that you build your own robot unless you are willing to take full responsibility for ensuring that your robot does not harm anyone.”
Probably best for everyone that I don’t go down that route!
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Yes, I’ve read about the wires - it would be interesting to know how easy they are to install and/or move if necessary.
The coming out of its own accord thing is the principal attraction of a robot mower*. Not sure I want to pay several thousands for one though - I’ve seen them for as little as £300, though I presume it’s a case of you get what you pay for, and garden size/complexity will be a factor (we have slopes in our garden so I’d need to know it could cope with those, which I suspect the cheaper ones couldn’t).
If you want I can find out what make it was.
It would certainly be worth knowing good brands to investigate, even if I don’t go for the top of the range!
His paddock has a quite steep bank in it and it copes fine. I'll find out the make and how hard it was to setup the thing.
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I have considered getting a sheep (or goat) but I don't know how the dog would take to it. Also that would also require the front garden to be fenced in.
As you’re essentially talking about an agricultural version of a Roomba and you have a dog you may want to read this https://www.boredpanda.com/robot-vacuum-cleaner-spreads-dog-shit-everywhere/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic ;D
That is truly horrifying! ;D
Well as it's fairly obvious that I can't contribute helpfully to this thread the least I can do is to try to be entertaining.
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I don't own one but I have seen them being used in big gardens in Belgium. They do a pretty terrific job to be fair.
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Geese? Difficult to keep off the beds, though. We only let ours onto the lawn in winter time, when the grass in the paddock is short.
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Geese? Difficult to keep off the beds, though. We only let ours onto the lawn in winter time, when the grass in the paddock is short.
Have you seen how much shit they leave behind?
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Geese? Difficult to keep off the beds, though. We only let ours onto the lawn in winter time, when the grass in the paddock is short.
Have you seen how much shit they leave behind?
For anyone who goes swimming in the ponds on Hampstead Heath, if they're not actually afloat, they are walking around with 100 year old goose shit between their toes.
Mmmmm....
ETA - The above are a precis of the words of the late Barry Mason.
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We looked at getting one as a thru-the-window companion for our Roomba, but having seen just how much £££ lawn-roombas are, we decided against it; buying me beer and a hover-mower was MUCH cheaper.
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We have two large expanses of lawn and neither the time nor the inclination to look after them
GAMI.
Seriously. Contract a local grass-cutting company to come in every other week or whatever.
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If we had a great BFO lawn I'd totally be having goats.
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Seriously. Contract a local grass-cutting company to come in every other week or whatever.
If we had someone coming in often enough to keep it all tidy, it would work out a fair bit more expensive than a robot mower.
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Seriously. Contract a local grass-cutting company to come in every other week or whatever.
If we had someone coming in often enough to keep it all tidy, it would work out a fair bit more expensive than a robot mower.
There is an audaxer of my acquaintance, notp, who is a gardener by profession. He says the lawn mowing he does he charges virtually nothing for. That's not just a tradesman's complaint, he's happy to charge enough for other services. However, I think the reason he charges very little for lawns is because most people who don't mow their own are old people living alone for whom it's almost a social service; the chat is as important as the lawn. So even if you were in the area, you might get charged full commercial whack. ;)
Anyway, I think if it were my garden, I'd maybe keep just one lawn mown and let the other one grow. Call it a meadow if you need to justify it.
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I used to charge approx £12/hour as a youngerun doing lawns (own mower supplied), which now I think about it was annoyingly close to what I often make on deliveroo now. Though at least I don't have to commit to hours with clients, reschedule for rain, and so on any more. And spend the time and energy getting to the premises (never more than a few streets away, but still...).
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More than one homestead on our very new estate (it was pasture, four years ago) has opted for astro-turf. Y'know, it doesn't look that bad!
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A friend of mine retired early (fireman). He does gardening jobs for extra cash. He mows the grass for all the pubs in about a five mile radius (that's only about 4) and they pay him in pub meals and beer. I don't think he and his wife have paid for a Sunday roast for about five years.
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It cost several thousand pounds I believe. It didn't come from B&Q or a garden centre the guys a farmer so I suspect he got it from an agricultural machinery dealer.
Something along these lines?
Robo mowers (https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/garden-machinery/lawn-mowers/automowers/robotic-lawn-mowers.html?p=1)
Cost range from £500 to £15,000, though the most expensive model does come with a lovely body kit and some rather snazzy wheels (oh and of secondary importance it can manage gardens of nearly 5 acres) ;D
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I'd get a mulch mower (which is basically a mower with a plug for the grass outlet and maybe twin blades). Then rethink how often and where you mow. When I first started mowing my grass it would take me four hours (and I'd have the clippings to get rid of).
Now I mow paths and leave the rest, the bees love clover and butterflies and there are other wild flowers as well. I've got the mowing down to 45 mins a week (and no clippings to worry about). Once a year I do the whole lot.
It's worth spending a chunk of money on a good mower, but it'll still be cheaper than a robot.
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I'd get a mulch mower
That would undoubtedly save time on emptying the clippings, but you have to mow more often, so swings and roundabouts. A robot mulches the clippings and won’t complain about going out 3 or 4 times a week.
We’ve tried the wild flower meadow thing. We ended up with a jungle of ugly weeds.
I’m pretty sold on the idea of getting a robot, mostly just want the thoughts of anyone who has one on how to choose the right one, and the pitfalls of ownership.
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It cost several thousand pounds I believe. It didn't come from B&Q or a garden centre the guys a farmer so I suspect he got it from an agricultural machinery dealer.
Something along these lines?
Robo mowers (https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/garden-machinery/lawn-mowers/automowers/robotic-lawn-mowers.html?p=1)
Cost range from £500 to £15,000, though the most expensive model does come with a lovely body kit and some rather snazzy wheels (oh and of secondary importance it can manage gardens of nearly 5 acres) ;D
Some awesome looking bits of kit there. The capacity isn’t necessarily of secondary importance - our garden is too big for the cheapest mowers on that site.
I guess features like rain sensors are the difference between mowers that are truly autonomous and ones that require some manual intervention.
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There's no reason why you couldn't dress up your cats in WW2 flying helmets and goggles, sit the cats on the robots* and recreate the Battle of Britain.
*I concede this bit could be time-consuming.
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Friends have one which does a great job - trundles around day and night (it's got a little headlamp), and goes to bed when it rains.
Their lawn is immaculate (think croquet lawn)
We thought about it, but we have a very lumpy grass area (moles, voles and rabbits)
The main reason we did not take it seriously, was I think it would get stolen within a month.
We live in a remote rural area, but everything has to be locked up.