Honesty 29 July 2026 4 min read

Eight acres a day. Not twelve.

Autonomous mowing capacity, honestly: plan on about eight acres a day, not the twelve on the spec sheet. Why the gap exists and what to ask any supplier.

How many acres a day can an autonomous mower really mow?

Plan on about eight acres (3 hectares) a day. The spec sheet says twelve, but that is a best-day figure on short grass and firm ground, not one you can build a schedule on.

The spec sheet for our machine says it can mow up to twelve acres a day. We tell clients eight.

Worth explaining why, because the gap between those two numbers is where most autonomous mowing projects go wrong.

Twelve acres is a peak figure. Short grass, firm ground, a simple site, no obstacles, the machine running flat out all day. Real ground is not like that. Dense summer grass slows the cut. Rutted paddocks slow the travel. Panel rows and tree lines mean turning, and turning is time. On the ground we work, eight acres a day is what you can actually plan around. Some days it does more. You do not build a schedule on your best day.

Same story with slopes. The machine is climb-rated to 42 degrees on spike tyres, and that number is real, it will get up a steep bank. But climbing a slope and mowing one are different jobs. Proven mowing performance is 30 degrees on firm ground. We quote the second number, because that is the one your site plan depends on.

And the honest limits list does not stop there. Close-in work around posts and tight structures is not fully solved, the machine handles the bulk and a person handles the fiddly edges. Waterlogged ground is out entirely, no autonomous mower belongs on it. These are not things we mention after the contract. They are things we lead with.

The machine platform we run has done its proving overseas, overnight unmanned mowing on 30 degree golf slopes in Korea, dam embankments in Japan. Australian solar ground is the next test, and we would rather arrive with numbers you can hold us to.

If a supplier only ever gives you their best-day figures, ask what their planning figures are. If they are the same number, that tells you something.

Common questions

Why does the spec sheet say twelve acres a day?

Twelve is a peak figure. Short grass, firm ground, no obstacles, the machine running flat out all day. Real ground has dense grass, ruts and turning, and that is where the other four acres go.

What slope can an autonomous mower actually mow?

Proven mowing performance is 30 degrees on firm ground. The machine is climb-rated to 42 degrees on spike tyres, but climbing a bank and mowing one are different jobs, so 30 is the number to plan on.

Does the machine mow right up to posts and edges?

Not all of it. Close-in work around posts and structures is about 60 to 70 percent autonomous, and a person handles the rest. We say that up front rather than after the contract.

Can an autonomous mower work on wet ground?

No. Waterlogged ground gets mapped out of the run, not driven through. No autonomous mower belongs on it.

What should I ask a supplier about capacity?

Ask for their planning figure, not their best-day figure. If the two numbers are the same, they have not run on real ground yet.