How do I maintain a robotic lawn mower?
Imagine it’s mid-July, the sun is shining and the beaches of Northern Michigan are calling your name. You start packing up your cooler and towels to head to one of our beautiful freshwater beaches.
You open your garage and realize your lawn has somehow turned into a scene out of Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, it is time to put away those towels and get out your lawn mower.
If you want to spend less time outdoors this summer working on maintaining your landscape, a robotic lawn mower could be the solution. Robotic lawn mowers like the Husqvarna Automowers, give you back your time by consistently mowing your grass, helping it to look its’ best 24/7. But is it really that easy?
Let’s explore how to take care of a robotic mower to see if it is the right investment for you.
Cleaning
Just like any piece of outdoor equipment, robotic lawn mowers require regular cleaning to ensure optimal performance. Regular cleaning of the charging station and mower can help provide a longer life for your mower as well. Cleaning your mower is easy. We recommend following these steps:
- Turn off your mower and put on protective gloves.
- Turn your mower upside down and use your hands to remove chunks of grass clippings.
- Use a brush to remove clippings from additional parts of the mower like the skid plate, wheels, and body. Turn the mower back over to shake off any additional grass clippings.
- After brushing, inspect the charging plates, body panels, and rest of the machine. If needed use a mild soap solution and damp cloth to clean the chassis.
- If you’d like, use shine spray to polish the plastic.
- To clean the charging station, disconnect power and clean out any grass, leaves or twigs that may be blocking your mower from docking fully. If needed use a damp cloth to wipe the surface.
Remember, not all units can be cleaned with running water, like a garden hose! Be sure to double-check this before using running water. Never use a high-pressure washer to clean the mower or the charging station.
Husqvarna sells a cleaning and maintenance kit that includes brushes, screwdrivers, abrasive pads, a towel, and a bottle of Automower Care & Shine spray to make your plastic shiny again. It is recommended that you have your mower professionally cleaned at least once a season.
Perform Firmware Updates
Husqvarna sometimes releases new firmware updates for your robotic lawn mower. These updates can provide solutions for performance or security issues that may occur or they can add a new function. Firmware data is stored inside your robotic lawn mower, providing it with instructions that allow it to perform its’ basic tasks and functions.
Some models allow you to easily update the firmware yourself, using the FOTA (firmware over the air) technology. However, not all models are equipped with this feature. If you have a model that doesn’t support FOTA, you need to bring your mower to your local dealer so they can update the firmware.
If you choose not to update your firmware, your mower will continue working effectively, however, it will not give you access to any new enhancements. If the update is a security feature, updates are mandatory and will be installed automatically if you have a model with FOTA technology.
When purchasing your robotic lawn mower, ask if the team has any additional service packages that include updating your firmware for you.
Change Blades
Just like traditional lawn mowers, Husqvarna Automowers need their blades changed. Blades must be sharp to cut grass, and when they aren’t can leave a wound on the plant that welcomes in disease. Depending on the type of blade you select and the size of your lawn, they need to be changed anywhere from every three weeks to every 4 months (once a season). Talk with your dealer about the blade options and which would be the best fit for decreased maintenance.
If you plan to change the blades yourself, follow these easy steps:
- Turn off the main switch, put on protective gloves, and turn over the lawn mower.
- Rotate the skid plate so that its hole aligns with the screw for the blade and unscrew the blade.
- Pry apart the skid plate and blade disc to remove the blade and screw.
- Clean out any dirt you may see as you go.
- Screw in the new blade tight with a new screw. Always replace the screw at the same time as the blade.
- Check to see the blades are spinning freely and flip your mower back over.
Many lawn care teams offer packages that include blade changes.
Winter Storage
When it comes time to store your robotic mower for the winter months, remember to perform a general inspection, clean, and change blades so your mower is ready to go next season. Store your mower and the charging station indoors in a dry environment above freezing point. The wheels should be level touching the ground during storage unless you have purchased an Automower Wall Hanger from Husqvarna.
Most models do not require charging when stored, but be sure the mower is fully charged before you turn it off. When purchasing, ask the dealer if your model needs to be charged during winter storage. This information can also be found in your operator’s manual.
Deciding if a Robotic Lawn Mower is Right for You
Overall robotic lawn mowers need very similar maintenance as that of regular walk behind lawn mowers. When compared to traditional lawn mowers, robotic mowers require much less time and effort overall. If the maintenance portion of a robotic lawn mower seems like too much, it is a task that you can pay your lawn care company to handle. At Green Team, we offer three different packages that you can add on to help you get the most out of your robotic lawn mower.
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