How do the Mowers work?
We’re always happy to tell you all about our robotic mowers and here are a few videos that address some common questions.
Green. Quiet. Reliable.
When most people think of a lawn mowing service, they think of a crew that drags a trailer to their (or their neighbor’s) house every couple of weeks, pulling out a couple of large zero turns and using backpack blowers to push clippings out into the street, almost always at dinnertime.
Solawna is here to change that. We provide mowing services by using robotic mowers that are battery powered, autonomous, and connected to our monitoring network to alert us of any issues. The mowers are 20-40 pounds and cut a swath of grass up to about 10 inches by using a razor sharp blade optimized for mowing grass.
Our robots live on your lawn and mow daily at your preferred time, providing an even cut 7 days a week, even in the rain. Your lawn has never been greener.
The mowers run at ~59-68 decibels. That’s quieter than most conversations, letting them run at night without disturbing you or your neighbors.
Our mowers use batteries, GPS, and guide wires to direct themselves around the lawn and have multiple safety sensors to avoid objects or shut off if they sense tampering. Robots never show up late or skip your lawn in a busy week.
Do the Mowers work?
While not widely used in the US, robotic mowers have been available for around 15 years in Europe with multiple improvements in the technology over the past 5 years as battery capacity and computing intelligence has improved.
Solawna uses Husqvarna Automowers for most installations. These mowers can handle up to around 1.1 acres of lawn with a single mower, slopes up to 35 degrees, and can cut grass to a constant height of 0.3″-4.5″. They utilize a wire buried in the ground for guidance and to keep them in your yard, which will be installed by our team before your first mow.
Robotic mowers are not capable of putting lines in the grass, cleaning up pet droppings, or mulching leaves. They can’t traverse standing water or go through a fence without a gate or opening.
What’s the process for getting a RObotic Mower?
Pre-Installation
Prior to an installation, our team will work with you to understand the needs of your yard and your preference for how the mower will care for your lawn.
We will take an initial look at your yard with satellite imagery but will also typically need a visit to your house to verify charging station location and available outlets, any potential areas of concerns, and review any proposed modifications that may help the mower better serve your lawn. We also will have any underground hazards marked before we begin an install.
Installation
Installations are typically completed in 1 day by our team. During an installation we will deliver your mower, install the charging station, and bury the boundary and guide wire the mower will use for reference.
If your grass is particularly high, or your yard or layout require multiple modifications, we may schedule your install across a couple of days to complete the work.
Before we leave we will verify your mower is running and go over some basic handling info with you.
Mowing
For the first 4-6 weeks after installation, the mower will be getting familiar with your lawn. We expect to be out a couple of times to support any trouble spots the mower may find, and we may need to update the mower’s schedule to ensure the grass is getting cut evenly while not overmowing.
After those initial weeks, the mower will run autonomously based on the schedule, stopping only if it encounters an issue that trips the safety sensors. We will be out multiple times in the season to change the blades, clean and check on the mower.
Questions?
You probably still have some more questions on how our robots work and whether this is right for your lawn. See FAQs or click below.
Even more about the Robotic Mowers…
The mowers cycle through cutting and charging cycles, typically in a 1 hour cutting, 1 hour charging rotation, and they automatically return to the station when they need charging. They have a stop button on the top of each mower that can be pressed at any time to cease operations. If lifted or turned over, it shuts off immediately. If it bumps into something, its sensors redirect the mower to back up and redirect. The mowers have GPS to understand mowing patterns and to vary the mowing pattern, as well as sensors that detect if the grass has started growing more slowly, reducing cutting times.
All our mowers come with a charging station, which needs to be level to avoid docking issues and plugged into an outdoor outlet. Solar options are available as well. The mower docks for charging and remains there when not scheduled to run.
The wires used for the boundaries and guides are either buried underground or staked to the ground if we need to stay above electrical lines or other hazards. When the mower is operating, a radio signal transmits across this boundary and guide wire to aid in navigation. While some options are starting to emerge that don’t require these wires, they are still the most reliable installation for robotic mowers that aren’t in an open field.
