What to ask before you buy an autonomous mower
An autonomous mower buying questions checklist from the honest side: planning figures, mowing slope, wet ground, blade swaps and a measured trial first.
What questions should you ask before buying an autonomous mower?
Ask for planning figures not peak figures, the mowing slope not the climbing slope, what happens on wet ground and when positioning drops, and who swaps a blade on a Tuesday. Then ask for a measured trial against your own contract heights before any money changes hands.
A buyer's checklist, from the honest side of the counter. If you are evaluating any autonomous mowing system, ours included, these are the questions that separate a working setup from an expensive lesson.
Ask for planning figures, not peak figures.
Every machine has a brochure number achieved on perfect ground. Ask what the supplier plans real sites around. If the two numbers are the same, be suspicious.
Separate climbing from mowing.
A slope a machine can climb and a slope it can properly mow are different specifications. Get the mowing figure in writing.
Ask what happens when positioning drops.
The right answer involves riding through short dropouts and then stopping. The wrong answer is anything that sounds like the machine keeps going regardless.
Ask the wet ground question.
Any supplier who claims their machine handles waterlogged ground has not put a 300 kilogram machine on saturated turf. The honest answer is mapping wet zones out and waiting for the dry.
Ask who swaps a blade on a Tuesday.
Parts on site, tool-free changeovers your own crew can do, and a stated turnaround for anything bigger. A machine that waits two weeks for parts is a schedule cascade waiting to happen.
Ask who owns the running of it.
Coverage tracking, scheduling, catching problems early, parts ahead of need. If the answer is your already stretched crew, the machine will quietly become nobody's job.
Ask for a measured trial against your own contract heights.
Defined zones, real numbers, a written report. A supplier confident in their machine will sell you the proof. One who is not will sell you the machine.
Common questions
What's the difference between a planning figure and a peak figure?
The peak is a brochure number from perfect ground. For a commercial-grade RTK mower we plan on about eight acres (three hectares) a day, and a supplier quoting the peak as the plan should be asked why.
Why separate climbing slope from mowing slope?
Because they're different specifications. The machine class we work with climbs 42 degrees but has a proven mowing slope of 30 degrees, and a quote that blends the two hides the real figure.
Does an autonomous mower handle wet ground?
No. A 300 kilogram machine on saturated turf ruts it. Wet zones get mapped out and the machine waits for the dry.
Does the machine have fire or spark detection?
No. Fire is managed operationally: no-go zones on gravel margins, careful charging siting, and no charging on total fire ban days. Ask any supplier the same question and expect a straight answer.
Where is the machine up to on certification?
Certification is in progress, with documents to follow. Any supplier who answers that question with a single word should be asked to show the paperwork instead.
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AutoAcre is an autonomous mowing operator based in the Northern Rivers, NSW, focused on solar-farm and commercial vegetation management. ben@autoacre.com.au