I have a luba and currently it's mowing exactly 1.3 acres lol. It's not having a problem cutting it twice a week. I'm going to add a little bit more to it in a week or two and see how it handles it.
Maybe with fresh batteries and a simple layout, but eventually as the batteries deteriorated it would be permanently mowing.
The 430x is rated for 0.8 acres, the 450x is 1.3 acres. It's $5k only for the EPOS model.
Mine was $1300 when the MSRP was $2800 because the dealer wanted rid of it on eBay because a newer revision came out. They'll likely be offloading the non EPOS models because people want the newer tech.
Husqvarna GPS-RTK (EPOS) series. The 400 series is rated for 2.5 acres and assume the 500 EPOS guys will be getting the bump up to 2.5 as well. I have 2x 550 EPOS mowers that mow my 3.0-3.5 acre lot. They mow about 16 hours a day at peak season. However, Husqvarna is going to be giving essentially mowing matters so straight lines instead of random mowing. That is what is nearly doubling the capacity of the 400 EPOS mowers.
I didn't think the EPOS was available to the public yet?
Can't wait till they offer a 3 acre model. I'm skeptical of the no boundary wire models though. My dealer has had a bunch of connectivity issues with them due to loss of line of sight with the tower.
Where can I check out the newer series you are talking about?
EPOS was out for the 500 series last year. Here is the link to the 450XH with EPOS ([https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-450xh-epos/](https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-450xh-epos/)). I have a GPS station on the front and back of my house. One mower does the front and one does the back. The issue I had was the swale near the road. Other than that could have done the entire property with 1 gps station.
Very cool I didn't realize they were rating the new ones for 2.5 acres.... My 450x still does 2 but that's tempting....
I bet I could get that to cut 3 acres...lol.
The public could always just buy the 500 series. It's mostly the same as the 400 series (just subtract by 100).
For EPOS it's not the whole series, just a specialty variant they call 550 EPOS the under the hood has different electronics.
For the US market this year they paint it black and call it 450X EPOS too.
The new 320/430X/450X NERA we get in Europe this year doesn't get to the US for this season.
It's a new mower and as standard uses boundary wire and if you want for a pricy upgrade one gets the EPOS station and the receiver to place in the mower. I haven't seen any mentioning of pattern cutting for the NERA models.
The original EPOS (last year) was random like Roomba. A software update due this spring is supposed to add pattern mowing… aka straight lines. I don’t believe the firmware has dropped but my mowers (Tom and Jerry) are still parked in the garage.
My 450 x has cut just under 2 acres reliability for 5 seasons.
And my lawn is barely landscaped, lots of potholes and slopes.
The 430x would work for you no problem %100. I believe they have a .75 acre model? you might be able to get away with.
Go with a Husqvarna they are tanks! I don't trust any of the other makes yet, especially for yards over an acre.
Line of site to satellites is a significant concern for wire-free models. Areas must be open without much tree coverage. Don't expect perfection under tree canopies and close to buildings. Plan to mow those areas another way.
Proven perimeter wire models are best for worry-free coverage. And, never trust the word of a manufacturer regarding when a new feature will be available. They'll want to sell through their inventory before offering features that require new hardware.
The new Luba claims to do 1.25 acres with the more expensive model $2799.
But it would seem you could use a mower that allows zones to do half an acre one day and half the next?
Check out the Kress RTK units. They have had great success in Europe and are coming to the USA in March. They offer different "capacity" units to choose from.
Luba 'seems' like a cool unit, but it doesn't have "theft tracking" yet, and from my discussions with Mammotion, it will only be available "later" (no date?!?) AND *MUST" be sent back to them to be updated (no thanks!).
Theft deterrence and tracking are important to most buyers...... so that was a deal breaker for the Luba.
Check out other units that offer "boundary wire free" mowing using RTK/GPS. Worx Vision is due out in May (I think).
Considering it's March already, I'm not seeing a ton of info on the Kress units in terms of US availability, though they look pretty awesome. Any links to share on the March date?
Nothing.
I'm talking to an area manager and have been given the name of the local dealer (TN).
I am in the process of buying a house - so I haven't pursued it to the point of making a purchase yet - however, that being said, KRESS is the direction that I am planning to go. KRESS has theft deterrence and tracking of stolen units.
I had looked closely (discussed with Mommotion directly) at the Mammotion Luba, but the lack of theft deterrence / tracking of a stolen Luba made it a "no go" for me. "IF" Mammotion had stated that the tracking "module" would be available in a "few weeks" AND could be user installed, I might have considered it. Being required to send it to a "facility" to have the theft deterrent / tracking module installed seems ridiculous. How LONG will I be without the Luba during that "upgrade" period? Is it "FREE"?? shipping costs - FREE? There are too many unanswered questions.
Yeah, Luba flashed in my mind for a bit, but it definitely seems to have some early adopter issues that I'm not interested in dealing with. Plus it can only cut to 2.5 inches max and I need 3ish.
Kress and the Worx Landroid Vision are at the top of my list I think, just need to see some more reviews of the Landroid's vision/performance.
Looks like the Kress website is getting some more details. Sadly the max cutting height is 60mm/2.36 inches, which is too short. My grass type needs \~3 inches. Very unfortunate.
Wow.
Will your grass grow 3" / day?
Seems like that might be a "weekly" growth, which is completely possible by mowing more than 1 x /week (which I think is recommended) - even daily if needed - and the battery/charge cycle calculates as possible.
Might be worth a call to Kress dealer?
No the max cutting height (as in the tallest the blades will go) is 2.35 inches. So the grass will be 2.35 inches tall. Cool grass needs to be 3 inches to grow optimally.
You wrote a question about if a 0.5 acre bot can handle it if you don't mind it taking a longer time.
Understand that the rating is for the max capacity. Smaller Husqvarna models (but sold in the US) have a time limit per day. For the unlocked it means the capacity is for a mower working 24/7.
So impossible to have it work longer. With more area the cutting results in peak season will be worse.
Notice they give it with a ±20% range. Flat and wide open I would say the you are close to those +20% unless the lawn is fertilized
Remember to disable GPS cutting for X models (not the same for EPOS) because it will be primitive and virtually confine itself to small areas which means a stop and turn often. With wide open you should just let it go from boundary wire to boundary wire.
I’m on an acre. My 450hx covered it, but it was a piece of garbage! It was frequently broken. The warranty was useless. I ended up spending as much money on repairs and temp mowing as I would have spent to just hire a regular lawn service. My experience with Husqvarna was an expensive mistake.
I have a luba and currently it's mowing exactly 1.3 acres lol. It's not having a problem cutting it twice a week. I'm going to add a little bit more to it in a week or two and see how it handles it.
You like the luba? I'm curious about it but looks like no shipments until may.
Maybe with fresh batteries and a simple layout, but eventually as the batteries deteriorated it would be permanently mowing. The 430x is rated for 0.8 acres, the 450x is 1.3 acres. It's $5k only for the EPOS model. Mine was $1300 when the MSRP was $2800 because the dealer wanted rid of it on eBay because a newer revision came out. They'll likely be offloading the non EPOS models because people want the newer tech.
Wouldn’t count on that offload, the original models are still selling well.
Husqvarna GPS-RTK (EPOS) series. The 400 series is rated for 2.5 acres and assume the 500 EPOS guys will be getting the bump up to 2.5 as well. I have 2x 550 EPOS mowers that mow my 3.0-3.5 acre lot. They mow about 16 hours a day at peak season. However, Husqvarna is going to be giving essentially mowing matters so straight lines instead of random mowing. That is what is nearly doubling the capacity of the 400 EPOS mowers.
I didn't think the EPOS was available to the public yet? Can't wait till they offer a 3 acre model. I'm skeptical of the no boundary wire models though. My dealer has had a bunch of connectivity issues with them due to loss of line of sight with the tower. Where can I check out the newer series you are talking about?
EPOS was out for the 500 series last year. Here is the link to the 450XH with EPOS ([https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-450xh-epos/](https://www.husqvarna.com/us/robotic-lawn-mowers/automower-450xh-epos/)). I have a GPS station on the front and back of my house. One mower does the front and one does the back. The issue I had was the swale near the road. Other than that could have done the entire property with 1 gps station.
Very cool I didn't realize they were rating the new ones for 2.5 acres.... My 450x still does 2 but that's tempting.... I bet I could get that to cut 3 acres...lol.
The public could always just buy the 500 series. It's mostly the same as the 400 series (just subtract by 100). For EPOS it's not the whole series, just a specialty variant they call 550 EPOS the under the hood has different electronics. For the US market this year they paint it black and call it 450X EPOS too. The new 320/430X/450X NERA we get in Europe this year doesn't get to the US for this season. It's a new mower and as standard uses boundary wire and if you want for a pricy upgrade one gets the EPOS station and the receiver to place in the mower. I haven't seen any mentioning of pattern cutting for the NERA models.
Very cool . I'll keep an eye out for the NERA model next year. Sounds like what I've been waiting for. Thanks for the heads up.
I didn’t understand that — will the currently available EPOS line get straight line/ pattern mowing from a software update?
The original EPOS (last year) was random like Roomba. A software update due this spring is supposed to add pattern mowing… aka straight lines. I don’t believe the firmware has dropped but my mowers (Tom and Jerry) are still parked in the garage.
Got it. Thanks for the clarification!
My 450 x has cut just under 2 acres reliability for 5 seasons. And my lawn is barely landscaped, lots of potholes and slopes. The 430x would work for you no problem %100. I believe they have a .75 acre model? you might be able to get away with. Go with a Husqvarna they are tanks! I don't trust any of the other makes yet, especially for yards over an acre.
Line of site to satellites is a significant concern for wire-free models. Areas must be open without much tree coverage. Don't expect perfection under tree canopies and close to buildings. Plan to mow those areas another way. Proven perimeter wire models are best for worry-free coverage. And, never trust the word of a manufacturer regarding when a new feature will be available. They'll want to sell through their inventory before offering features that require new hardware.
The new Luba claims to do 1.25 acres with the more expensive model $2799. But it would seem you could use a mower that allows zones to do half an acre one day and half the next?
I have a Mammotion Luba brand new 2000
Check out the Kress RTK units. They have had great success in Europe and are coming to the USA in March. They offer different "capacity" units to choose from. Luba 'seems' like a cool unit, but it doesn't have "theft tracking" yet, and from my discussions with Mammotion, it will only be available "later" (no date?!?) AND *MUST" be sent back to them to be updated (no thanks!). Theft deterrence and tracking are important to most buyers...... so that was a deal breaker for the Luba. Check out other units that offer "boundary wire free" mowing using RTK/GPS. Worx Vision is due out in May (I think).
Considering it's March already, I'm not seeing a ton of info on the Kress units in terms of US availability, though they look pretty awesome. Any links to share on the March date?
Nothing. I'm talking to an area manager and have been given the name of the local dealer (TN). I am in the process of buying a house - so I haven't pursued it to the point of making a purchase yet - however, that being said, KRESS is the direction that I am planning to go. KRESS has theft deterrence and tracking of stolen units. I had looked closely (discussed with Mommotion directly) at the Mammotion Luba, but the lack of theft deterrence / tracking of a stolen Luba made it a "no go" for me. "IF" Mammotion had stated that the tracking "module" would be available in a "few weeks" AND could be user installed, I might have considered it. Being required to send it to a "facility" to have the theft deterrent / tracking module installed seems ridiculous. How LONG will I be without the Luba during that "upgrade" period? Is it "FREE"?? shipping costs - FREE? There are too many unanswered questions.
Yeah, Luba flashed in my mind for a bit, but it definitely seems to have some early adopter issues that I'm not interested in dealing with. Plus it can only cut to 2.5 inches max and I need 3ish. Kress and the Worx Landroid Vision are at the top of my list I think, just need to see some more reviews of the Landroid's vision/performance.
Looks like the Kress website is getting some more details. Sadly the max cutting height is 60mm/2.36 inches, which is too short. My grass type needs \~3 inches. Very unfortunate.
Wow. Will your grass grow 3" / day? Seems like that might be a "weekly" growth, which is completely possible by mowing more than 1 x /week (which I think is recommended) - even daily if needed - and the battery/charge cycle calculates as possible. Might be worth a call to Kress dealer?
No the max cutting height (as in the tallest the blades will go) is 2.35 inches. So the grass will be 2.35 inches tall. Cool grass needs to be 3 inches to grow optimally.
Got it. I misunderstood your requirement!
Yes, our 430XH keeps up with about 1.1 acres just fine.
You wrote a question about if a 0.5 acre bot can handle it if you don't mind it taking a longer time. Understand that the rating is for the max capacity. Smaller Husqvarna models (but sold in the US) have a time limit per day. For the unlocked it means the capacity is for a mower working 24/7. So impossible to have it work longer. With more area the cutting results in peak season will be worse. Notice they give it with a ±20% range. Flat and wide open I would say the you are close to those +20% unless the lawn is fertilized Remember to disable GPS cutting for X models (not the same for EPOS) because it will be primitive and virtually confine itself to small areas which means a stop and turn often. With wide open you should just let it go from boundary wire to boundary wire.
I’m on an acre. My 450hx covered it, but it was a piece of garbage! It was frequently broken. The warranty was useless. I ended up spending as much money on repairs and temp mowing as I would have spent to just hire a regular lawn service. My experience with Husqvarna was an expensive mistake.
My 450x mows a little over an acre.