NoFap Day 47/365 - Automower Shenanigans

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[@windman95]

Stunning

[@maggotexplores2738]

I liked how the cows were staring, I wonder what they are thinking. Thanks for sharing part of what you are up to in your new job❤

[@indiesorcerer]

Seen a couple of these in Finland as well.. only reason I’m not getting one is that I let big parts of my lawn grow wild flowers through the summer for the bees, so I can only mow the whole lawn in late autumn / early spring a few times. Fun to see what you’re up to, thanks for the update!

[@PathOfTheYotopian]

The automowers are quite customizable. It's possible to program them to only mow specific areas so if you want to leave part of your garden to "grow wild" and only mow certain sections, it's very straightforward to do. On my block, I also leave a few sections to grow wild, plus there's a few native weeds which are great to leave growing. I guess in cooler climates mowing and maintaining the lawn is less of an issue, and for a shorter time of the year. Here unless we're in a severe drought, in summer it is necessary to mow the grass (and weeds) every 4-5 days, otherwise it easily gets out of hand. Maintaining the lawn almost becomes a full-time job from November to March, so I totally get why many people are going for the automowers.

[@windman95]

You look like a photo model straight out of a fashion magazine.

[@maggotexplores2738]

Totally agree

[@MikeV8652]

Thank you for the fascinating report. I don't know exactly what I expected, but I'm surprised that it's quiet. What is to prevent theft of such machines? It seems that it would be easy for anyone to pick it up and take it away. I also wonder about the rechargeable batteries. I bought a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner some years ago and got very little use out of it, because the rechargeable batteries didn't last long and were ridiculously expensive. That home is certainly in a beautiful place to live!

[@PathOfTheYotopian]

Yes, the mowers are very quiet and battery powered with an electric motor to operate the blades. The blades are small and sharp, gently cutting the grass into fine clippings small enough so that they don't have to be collected and without damaging the roots (similar in concept to a grazing animal). They are powered by electric motor and it's easy to change them when necessary. The batteries on these units also perform quite well. New units last around 8 hours on a single charge before going back to recharge (takes 30-45 mins to charge to full before the unit mows for another cycle). The first automowers here were sold around 3 years ago and still last half a day before needing to recharge. Once set up it does it all automatically so batteries. The biggest challenge of course will be safely recycling and/or disposing of the batteries and other components at the end of their life (as is the case with many electronics) Regarding theft, there are a few security mechanisms installed. If the mower is picked up while operating it will automatically be shut down and disabled. A code needs to be put into to enable it again. Being connected to gps and mobile networks users can track their location live. If the mower gets more than a certain distance away from the charging station (customisable), an alarm will go off and the user will automatically be spent intermittent status updates on its location. Theoretically, while it would be easy for anyone to walk up and take the mower, without the other equipment, the owner's phone, and knowing the code, having the mower in its own is essentially useless. Luckily around this region we haven't needed to worry much about theft. Many people still leave their houses and cars unlocked.

[@MikeV8652]

@@PathOfTheYotopian Thanks for the thorough explanation. I suppose I didn't state very well the problem with the Roomba batteries. When I said that they didn't last very long, I didn't mean that they wouldn't do plenty of work on a charge, but rather that they too soon lost their ability to recharge and had to be replaced. I think that the whole scam was to sell the machines cheaply and then charge through the nose for batteries (as with printer ink cartridges, camera film, electric toothbrush heads, video game cartridges, etc.). In marketing, it's called the "razor and blades business model."

[@PathOfTheYotopian]

​@@MikeV8652 Yeah I get what you mean with that. For my birthday earlier in the year I was given a small rechargeable vacuum cleaner to clean the caravan (Aldi store brand) and after only a few months use it doesn't even hold charge long enough for the short time to vacuum the caravan. Thankfully other products such as the Husqvarna Automowers, and Goal Zero Power Station I use for power in the caravan have much better long-term battery performance

[@MikeV8652]

@@PathOfTheYotopian One can only hope. I know that it can be done. I've had some other rechargeable things that worked well for years. On the other hand, I'm constantly amused at people who buy rechargeable products for use in and around homes where real electricity is readily available.