Buyers Guide Robot Mowers on Sport Pitches answers leading questions posted by sport turf professionals to main robot mower dealer GroundTech. Commonly asked questions such as costs of robots, charging times and theft and much more in this insightful blog.
What are the range of cutting /charge times typically of a Robotic mower suitable for cutting of a full-sized football pitch and a cricket outfield of 2 ha?
For 2 ha you could see one of our mowers do this in approximately 18hrs however this is all subject to the mower you decide to go with, mowers are now specifically designed for areas, i.e. there is a mower on the market that is cheaper however will take 56hrs to do the area. It all depends on the working hours that the mower has available.
For example, the mower below the mower will only work at night at a school so a bigger capacity mower is required to cover the area.
light blue is staying time, green is mower and dark blue is charging time
Most robotic mowers you would see cutting times of 2hrs with an hour charge time, this is all done automatically without human intervention.
What are the main benefits for a club to considering a robotic mower ?
· More frequent cutting improves grass quality by improving sward density, controlling broadleaf weeds.
· Quiet operation in sensitive site areas
· Groundsman valuable time can be used on more skilled tasks.
· Reduction in CO2 emissions by up to 90%
· Cost saving generally when cap ex, labour and fuel is all considered.
What sites and locations will not benefit from having a robot mower?
Generally, there is a mower on the market for all applications, however, sometimes there will need to be a blend of mowers, for example large open areas combined with a small intricate area would normally mean a blend of mower sizes and sometimes brand. Tree canopies can cause challenges for most mowers but in the sports pitch environment this isn’t a problem.
How do they stay within required boundaries?
Robotic mowers are now cable free for any large format, this is done but having a base station and then controlled via GPS RTK, plotting the areas once completed is there stored on the mower to cm accuracy.
Are replacement parts reliable and ease to fit and source ?
The parts for the mowers are in stock and we do offer a routine maintenance contract which involves winter servicing, call outs for repairs, warranty on the batteries, if there are issues with the mowers, we can always swap it out for another due to all mapping and data stored online.
What are is the lifespan of machines and batteries considerations across the range of machines?
Generally, we advise on a 5 year write off period on commercial mowers, some mowers are still going strong after 8 years, the batteries have been a stumbling block for some as they have concerns about longevity, we however haven’t had to replace a battery yet.
What are the purchase and running costs verses a typical three/five-unit triple mower?
For a mower that will mow 1.5Ha £7.5k 4.5ha you are looking at cap ex of circa £18k and 7.5Ha £27k, this is all subject to the site.
Generally, when running a cost comparison, the mowers are costing £5.5k per annum including maintenance packages, blades and 4g on an area of 4.5Ha vs a triple mower per annum of £14k based on 2 cuts per week.
What are servicing/maintenance costs and blade sharpening costs annually in owning a robotic mower?
For ourselves to maintain the mower, including server, 4g data fees and winter servicing the approximate annual cost is £1600
Waterlogged and muddy soft conditions, how do robots mowers cope?
Waterlogged is no good for the mowers but this would be a button on the app to keep the mower home for the period the ground is under water, muddy and soft conditions are no problem. However due to the low ground pressure of the mowers, they have been cutting where tractor and gangs and triple mowers wouldn’t even try in the past.
I believe grants are possible for machines via the football foundation, are you aware of this and have any more information?
Yes, this is correct, as the mowers are proven to improve the playing surface, they are funded by the FA through the pitch power improvement program, this is 75% of the funds needed and the rest we offer over 2 years 0% for clubs to help with cash flow.
What power requirements are needed to charge robots Mowers?
Only 2 outside 13amp sockets are required, 1 for the charger and 1 for the baestation, the mower can be situated in most places on site as long as there is a 3m wide opening for the mower to enter the site.
In regards to a support contract, how does this work and what sort of returns policy is there?
Warranty and returns vary per brand, what we offer at GroundTech is a 2-week trial period to make sure that the customer is happy with the product, all this requires the installation fee to be paid for the engineer’s time. Other than that, it is a no obligation trial.
Is it possible to adjust the height of the cut on a robotic mower?
Yes, this is all done from the app and now mowers can cut from 16mm + which is ideal for golf fairways, people we find get hung up on cut height, with conventional mowers.
The cut height is never consistent due to undulations in the surface and also the height is only at the height straight after cutting, robotic mowers by cutting 3 to 4 times per week do keep the height uniform.
If you get a flush of growth at any points of the year via temperatures or fertiliser application will machines handle the extra length of grass?
That’s one of the biggest advantages of the machines, they maintain the cut height so the grass never gets out of control, clippings are then also minimum as the mower is taking millimetres off at a time.
What are the consideration in terms of theft of machines and are they an insurable item?
Because the machines are tracked on the app through GPS this is no different to a vehicle being stolen, the location can always be seen, they are insurable no different to conventional mowers and they are alarmed if lifted.
Where do you store the robot when on charge?
They are left on site all the time apart from winter servicing and storage. Whilst on site they remain on charge in there designated charge dock, in a designated location when machines are not at work.
Blade renewal, how do they stand in terms of up to lifespan and cutting regimes?
If the mower is working on a 24/7 basis, we recommend changing blades every 4- 6 week in the growing season, a cost of blades is approximately £30 per set.
Can tree affect the GPS?
Tree canopies will affect the signal, generally robotic mowers don’t work very well under trees, however the Kress product does this well now and as time advances this will improve.
What are the buying or lease options and does that include servicing?
Yes, at GroundTech we can offer outright purchase with a maintenance agreement on top or we can do a fully maintained lease option, this is all dependent on the customer.
Can they work in rain and do they work overnight?
Absolutely, this is one of the main benefits on the mowers, working any time of day/night to suit the customer.
What are the main user market and is there potential to increase into the amenity market, is that the aim of robotic mower manufacturers?
Main users of the mowers from GroundTechs customer base are Schools, Sports Clubs and Contractors. I believe this is because of night working, quality and also the challenges with skilled labour being lacking in the industry at present.
Quality of cut compared to a rotary type machine?
I have attached an STRI report below vs Cylinder.
How do you programme a robotic mower, can you do from a mobile or tablet device?
Yes, height of cut, working times/percentages and areas are all controlled from an ios or android phone/tablet or a desktop browser. The initial installation is also completed with the phone but on site.
Are there any plans ahead to design a machine that can collect clippings, to improve surface hygiene and possible bring into play the professional market?
I am not aware from the manufacturers that there is any plan to bring a collector machine to the market, reason for this I believe is because there are minimal clippings and also if there was to be a collector machine this would then need the clippings emptying which isn’t practical.
Is there any chance of a cylinder version or any other innovations/tweaks planned, if you can tell?
Never say never but with the cylinder unit being so heavy compared to the cutting heads of the rotary system on robots at the moment I don’t think this will happen at this stage. It may be that GPS is added to current cylinder mowers however would you want to leave a mower of that size, weight etc unattended?
Robot Mowers on Sport Pitches FAQ’s compiled my Brian and Marcus Glover for the TurfCareBlog Community
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