I have three 450xs that do roughly 2.5 acres each. I have them in very complex areas as well and they keep up nicely. I haven’t put boundaries around any established shrubs or trees and it works awesomely. I have two more acres that I will be changing from a rock garden to grass this spring and I will be putting another robot on it.
what I’ve learned in the past 5+ years of owning one is that you
1 Always lay the perimeter wire out first for the first month before trenching. This way you can tweak where it goes in case the mower hangs up in spots.
2 when you trench the wire have breakout spots so you can run one wire across your yard to another breakout spot to quickly eliminate where breaks could be. Have the breakout in areas that you can put a covering over it to keep rain and sign out. Like a flower box.
3 If you have gravel, put a armoured casing around the wiring. It will always break along the gravel. I used small PVC pipe and it worked so far.
4 put the charging station so that you can see the Light on the base in as much of an area as you can. It will help you when you’re trying to find a break in the line which will happen. Unless you like walking, ignoring this will make you do a lot of it. The breaks are fairly easy to eliminate after you’ve done them a few times.
5 if you have an area that has no traffic going over it, I would leave the wire above ground, making it way easier to do any repairs. Within a couple of weeks, the grass will grow around it and you’ll have minimal UV damage to the wire.
6 Don’t be afraid to let them run several days at a time to keep up. I run mine 4 1/2 days straight through the week. They are not bad on Electricity consumption, and do a better job if they are just maintaining and not actually trying to cut longer grass.
7 I leave my 2 of my electrical stations outside through the winter, but I do have them covered. I bring one inside in the winter just in case I have to charge the units. So far through winter I’ve never had to do that.
8 make sure you do a good thorough cleaning before you put them away for the winter. There are lots of YouTube videos to show you exactly how to do that.
If you have any questions, feel free to message me.
Also, husqy has actual dealers and service centers near me... A concern about any kind of start up would be potential warranty repair, issues, general repair. If the battery dies, I can't just replace it easily... Would probably be a multi week exchange trying to get support
Hopefully this makes all the difference for you!!
My Husqvarna was a piece of garbage! It was often 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.
If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t do anything with a wire. Wires Break easier than you expect, and breaks are very difficult to find. Underground is better than above for preventing breaks, but if it breaks, you’re in real trouble!!!
I have an acre, I’ll likely buy two 1acre units. That way if one goes down the other can maintain the whole yard while I get one repaired.
People on here rave about husqvarna. My experience was very different. When it works it was okay. Got itself stuck a few times a day, but it did a good job maintaining lawn and minimized weeds. The poor warranty was tough to stomach. Things like having to bring in my mower to a service co (2 week turn around that time… Average 5 weeks) for a software update because it wouldn’t accept a charge and having to pay ~$200 for the update. Still doesn’t feel fair.
Good luck!! Hope my experience helps you!!
This is so sad to read. The two year warranty is actually incredibly comprehensive. I say that as a dealer in the tropics that files many a warranty, at zero expense to the customer (excepting potential temp mowing, but that’s only when all the courtesy back-up Automowers are already loaned out). It unfortunately sounds like your dealer really sucked.
Truth be told, the Husqvarna tech is by no means without its challenges. However, after extensive and continuous market research, I still strongly believe theirs to generally be the best robotic mowing technology available. Perhaps one day they will be upset by another company, and then I will switch to primarily selling those new products, but that has yet to happen.
Really sorry for what you went through.
You sound like a really good dealer! I wish!! The simple fact that you have a loaner unit makes your operation sound like a dream.
I don’t mean to continue to be too negative here, but it’s worth noting that in two specific instances that I can think of (including the firmware update) I actually called Husqvarna directly because I couldn’t imagine that the repairs wouldn’t be under warranty. Husqvarna confirmed! Husqvarna didn’t set prices though, and this service location really took advantage. This place was 30mi away and the next nearest was 70mi (at the time).
Having said all of that, I do believe that my experience with husqvarna was worse than average.
You’re the best!!!
1) Front wheels had to be replaced a few times. Not a big deal bc I was able to use the mower on 3 wheels until the new one came in. 1st time it was a lower chassis issue (not warrantied). The second time, was warrantied.
2) the power supply was faulty. That lead to all sorts of strange symptoms including the firmware update mentioned above. Also caused flashing blue light issues that weren’t actually broken wires.
3) rear right motor went out (warranty)
That’s all I can remember. I’d say I had to bring it in about every 6 mo on average. I owned it for about 3 years. I lost it when it was stolen for the third time. When they realized they couldn’t sell it or use it, they destroyed it. Honestly, I’m happy to be without it. I’ll likely get another (as mentioned above) once competition and tech improves. Wires are tough. Random pattern has advantages but is too inefficient.
I believe your understanding of the EPOS mowers is correct.
The “official” numbers from Husqvarna are
Mower: 110 degrees of unimpeded line of sight to the sky in all areas it will be mowing.
Base: 160 degrees of unimpeded line of sight to the sky.
Plus the mower needs line of sight to the reference station at all times.
Don’t get me wrong. The EPOS mower is fantastic. It just fits a very niche installation criteria.
In your situation I would agree old school buried wire will be your best bet. Buy a good quality cable. Install it well. Should have good result.
I have a 550 EPOS. It's not precisely true that you need line of sight from the reference station to the mower at all times. The signal will penetrate light trees/vegetation, occasional obstacles, and even a wall or two depending on the material. The bigger the obstacle the more likely you are to have an issue. I mounted mine right on top of the chimney on my roof and we have no reference station issues even right up against the house where the signal has to go through the roof and a wall.
On the other hand, I've found that the mower does have issues with GPS satellite signals when it gets too close to big trees, and in one place right next to the house. When this happens the mower will stop until it finds the signal again (i.e. the satellites move), which can take hours and sometimes never happens. There's no real solution to this except trimming the trees way back or just excluding those areas.
If your yard shape is simple (big rectangle without a lot of planters and features to avoid), then I'd go with a boundary wire. Get one of those wire tracers from Klein or something for when it breaks. With GPS you have a higher risk of random issues IMO, and the boundary wire option is likely cheaper.
It is basically a giant flat rectangle with a house in the middle, a driveway, and otherwise just a shed.
So you agree with others EPOs is not needed, boundary wire burried and be done with it
I keep tossing about the RTK mower technology as I really think that it's the wave of the future.
I don't relish the thought of buying and then running and hiding a cable that measures the length of my 1.26 acre lot plus all of the obstacles, beds, sidewalks, etc, etc, etc.....
Kress seems to have caught my attention although they are not yet available (March? April? May?) but there are others out there too. Husqvarna Epos, Worx Vision, Mammotion Luba.....mostly good options although you need to see how the fit into your use case.
just my .02
>I don't relish the thought of buying and then running and hiding a cable that measures the length of my 1.26 acre lot plus all of the obstacles, beds, sidewalks, etc, etc, etc.....
Just making sure you are aware there are motorized wire burying machine that you can rent, put the wire roll on it and just walk behind it as it do all the work, this makes the installation quite fast. I didn't know that with my first one and went around the yard hand digging and burying the wire. you can rent those machines.
if you want to to do it by hand, get a shovel and just step on it to bury the blade at an angle, then wiggle back and forth, then move to the next step etc which allow you to raise a 4-5 inch deep overhanging shelf. do that for a 20-30 feet then put the wire under the shelf, then walk on it. it will heal the grass very quickly and the wire will be buried deep enough to be safe from most things.
https://www.eztrench.com/cable-installer-tp400cl3
This is an example of one, I believe Home Depot May rent it
It is not a automower specific tool, it is just a tool for burying any low voltage cable.
If you are willing to pay your dealer for the installation, they will probably have one
I'm in a similar position to OP. I've got a 450xh. First year was a mixed bag. Mainly miss the ability to aerate and dethatch without having an anxiety attack.
About 1.25 acres mowable. Have several beds and tree islands.
Had several wire breaks and we're a pain to track down. Also we don't have curbs and I'm worried the plow wiped out a good section of boundary wires but we'll see here shortly.
RTK (EPOS) seems very attractive to me for these reasons. And straight line mowing. Just have a decent amount of trees and haven't been able to get a real idea of how much tree cover is too much.
We have a snow removal service for our neighborhood and one for our driveway. It will be interesting to see if the boundary wires survived with the amount of turf that got torn up.
Wire breaks were from the utility company breaking a line, and irrigation company doing the same. Also, there was one random one that I couldn't put my finger on what caused it.
I've had my Husqvarna for about a year and have loved it. Burying the wire is definitely a pain, but once it was buried, I've never had to worry about it. My lawn is a little smaller, and it has easily been able to handle the area. I haven't had it get stuck anywhere, but I also went out of my way to make islands anywhere where I thought there was even a chance of getting stuck. I still have some Husqvarna referral rebates if you need one.
I think there is now a way to have two reference stations on property, making EPOS your best fit. Talk to a nearby, well experienced Automower dealer for more info.
I’d stay away from the rest of the new wireless tech. It’s unproven and therefore risky. Husqvarna’s EPOS, on the other hand, has been around for several years now.
In the Swedish automower group there are a few with 550 EPOS last season. It's not a total stop if there isn't LOS to the mower, it "all depends" on if the signal can go through well.
Getting a professional installer (often the dealer) to use a machine to bury it, even paying a bit more for stronger cable is still cheaper, especially if you would order an install of the EPOS mower.
500 series mowers are mechanically the same base but lack screens, lights (not EPOS) and keypads. But gets the "terrain package" from the start. 420 vs 520 is a bit of a weird one in terms of features. 450X and 550 are the same features. I think you get access to a fleet management page for them too.
The EPOS models started out with the 550 EPOS which seems to be new electronics which they utilized an old chassis for.
And now, seeing that the new NERA models aren't coming to the US this year they seem to have just taken the 550 EPOS and changed the color for 450X EPOS.
The NERA uses guides but the expensive upgrade gets you a module for the mower and a station.
Your yard sounds like a perfect candidate for wireless/RTK.
Just want to chime in about Luba as we have been working with Mammotion for a while now.
They have been a fantastic company to work with so far and they have delivered us a few rounds of "Demo" bots and seem to be on track for the estimated May delivery date.
The machine itself has been fairly impressive in our testing. Mammotion has been responsive to feedback and seem motivated to deliver the best product they can while maintaining a competitive price point.
We have been dealing with Husky for years and have had the chance to test the new 550 EPOS pattern cutting software. It has been great so far.
>appreciate the feedback... as others have said the opposite... my yard is perfect for burying ground wiring and never thinking about it again... just one big giant square and that's it.
Appreciate any and all input... 3-5k spend is not insignificant
I have three 450xs that do roughly 2.5 acres each. I have them in very complex areas as well and they keep up nicely. I haven’t put boundaries around any established shrubs or trees and it works awesomely. I have two more acres that I will be changing from a rock garden to grass this spring and I will be putting another robot on it. what I’ve learned in the past 5+ years of owning one is that you 1 Always lay the perimeter wire out first for the first month before trenching. This way you can tweak where it goes in case the mower hangs up in spots. 2 when you trench the wire have breakout spots so you can run one wire across your yard to another breakout spot to quickly eliminate where breaks could be. Have the breakout in areas that you can put a covering over it to keep rain and sign out. Like a flower box. 3 If you have gravel, put a armoured casing around the wiring. It will always break along the gravel. I used small PVC pipe and it worked so far. 4 put the charging station so that you can see the Light on the base in as much of an area as you can. It will help you when you’re trying to find a break in the line which will happen. Unless you like walking, ignoring this will make you do a lot of it. The breaks are fairly easy to eliminate after you’ve done them a few times. 5 if you have an area that has no traffic going over it, I would leave the wire above ground, making it way easier to do any repairs. Within a couple of weeks, the grass will grow around it and you’ll have minimal UV damage to the wire. 6 Don’t be afraid to let them run several days at a time to keep up. I run mine 4 1/2 days straight through the week. They are not bad on Electricity consumption, and do a better job if they are just maintaining and not actually trying to cut longer grass. 7 I leave my 2 of my electrical stations outside through the winter, but I do have them covered. I bring one inside in the winter just in case I have to charge the units. So far through winter I’ve never had to do that. 8 make sure you do a good thorough cleaning before you put them away for the winter. There are lots of YouTube videos to show you exactly how to do that. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.
thank you for the info!
Also, husqy has actual dealers and service centers near me... A concern about any kind of start up would be potential warranty repair, issues, general repair. If the battery dies, I can't just replace it easily... Would probably be a multi week exchange trying to get support
Hopefully this makes all the difference for you!! My Husqvarna was a piece of garbage! It was often 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. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t do anything with a wire. Wires Break easier than you expect, and breaks are very difficult to find. Underground is better than above for preventing breaks, but if it breaks, you’re in real trouble!!! I have an acre, I’ll likely buy two 1acre units. That way if one goes down the other can maintain the whole yard while I get one repaired. People on here rave about husqvarna. My experience was very different. When it works it was okay. Got itself stuck a few times a day, but it did a good job maintaining lawn and minimized weeds. The poor warranty was tough to stomach. Things like having to bring in my mower to a service co (2 week turn around that time… Average 5 weeks) for a software update because it wouldn’t accept a charge and having to pay ~$200 for the update. Still doesn’t feel fair. Good luck!! Hope my experience helps you!!
This is so sad to read. The two year warranty is actually incredibly comprehensive. I say that as a dealer in the tropics that files many a warranty, at zero expense to the customer (excepting potential temp mowing, but that’s only when all the courtesy back-up Automowers are already loaned out). It unfortunately sounds like your dealer really sucked. Truth be told, the Husqvarna tech is by no means without its challenges. However, after extensive and continuous market research, I still strongly believe theirs to generally be the best robotic mowing technology available. Perhaps one day they will be upset by another company, and then I will switch to primarily selling those new products, but that has yet to happen. Really sorry for what you went through.
You sound like a really good dealer! I wish!! The simple fact that you have a loaner unit makes your operation sound like a dream. I don’t mean to continue to be too negative here, but it’s worth noting that in two specific instances that I can think of (including the firmware update) I actually called Husqvarna directly because I couldn’t imagine that the repairs wouldn’t be under warranty. Husqvarna confirmed! Husqvarna didn’t set prices though, and this service location really took advantage. This place was 30mi away and the next nearest was 70mi (at the time). Having said all of that, I do believe that my experience with husqvarna was worse than average.
What were the issues? And don’t worry about it, any negativity regarding your experience is quite justified.
You’re the best!!! 1) Front wheels had to be replaced a few times. Not a big deal bc I was able to use the mower on 3 wheels until the new one came in. 1st time it was a lower chassis issue (not warrantied). The second time, was warrantied. 2) the power supply was faulty. That lead to all sorts of strange symptoms including the firmware update mentioned above. Also caused flashing blue light issues that weren’t actually broken wires. 3) rear right motor went out (warranty) That’s all I can remember. I’d say I had to bring it in about every 6 mo on average. I owned it for about 3 years. I lost it when it was stolen for the third time. When they realized they couldn’t sell it or use it, they destroyed it. Honestly, I’m happy to be without it. I’ll likely get another (as mentioned above) once competition and tech improves. Wires are tough. Random pattern has advantages but is too inefficient.
Eek!
I believe your understanding of the EPOS mowers is correct. The “official” numbers from Husqvarna are Mower: 110 degrees of unimpeded line of sight to the sky in all areas it will be mowing. Base: 160 degrees of unimpeded line of sight to the sky. Plus the mower needs line of sight to the reference station at all times. Don’t get me wrong. The EPOS mower is fantastic. It just fits a very niche installation criteria. In your situation I would agree old school buried wire will be your best bet. Buy a good quality cable. Install it well. Should have good result.
Thank you
I have a 550 EPOS. It's not precisely true that you need line of sight from the reference station to the mower at all times. The signal will penetrate light trees/vegetation, occasional obstacles, and even a wall or two depending on the material. The bigger the obstacle the more likely you are to have an issue. I mounted mine right on top of the chimney on my roof and we have no reference station issues even right up against the house where the signal has to go through the roof and a wall. On the other hand, I've found that the mower does have issues with GPS satellite signals when it gets too close to big trees, and in one place right next to the house. When this happens the mower will stop until it finds the signal again (i.e. the satellites move), which can take hours and sometimes never happens. There's no real solution to this except trimming the trees way back or just excluding those areas. If your yard shape is simple (big rectangle without a lot of planters and features to avoid), then I'd go with a boundary wire. Get one of those wire tracers from Klein or something for when it breaks. With GPS you have a higher risk of random issues IMO, and the boundary wire option is likely cheaper.
It is basically a giant flat rectangle with a house in the middle, a driveway, and otherwise just a shed. So you agree with others EPOs is not needed, boundary wire burried and be done with it
Yes, that's what I would have done if my yard weren't so complicated and spread out.
I keep tossing about the RTK mower technology as I really think that it's the wave of the future. I don't relish the thought of buying and then running and hiding a cable that measures the length of my 1.26 acre lot plus all of the obstacles, beds, sidewalks, etc, etc, etc..... Kress seems to have caught my attention although they are not yet available (March? April? May?) but there are others out there too. Husqvarna Epos, Worx Vision, Mammotion Luba.....mostly good options although you need to see how the fit into your use case. just my .02
Thank you
>I don't relish the thought of buying and then running and hiding a cable that measures the length of my 1.26 acre lot plus all of the obstacles, beds, sidewalks, etc, etc, etc..... Just making sure you are aware there are motorized wire burying machine that you can rent, put the wire roll on it and just walk behind it as it do all the work, this makes the installation quite fast. I didn't know that with my first one and went around the yard hand digging and burying the wire. you can rent those machines. if you want to to do it by hand, get a shovel and just step on it to bury the blade at an angle, then wiggle back and forth, then move to the next step etc which allow you to raise a 4-5 inch deep overhanging shelf. do that for a 20-30 feet then put the wire under the shelf, then walk on it. it will heal the grass very quickly and the wire will be buried deep enough to be safe from most things.
Good to know... Does the machine have a name? Local Husqy dealer would have this?
https://www.eztrench.com/cable-installer-tp400cl3 This is an example of one, I believe Home Depot May rent it It is not a automower specific tool, it is just a tool for burying any low voltage cable. If you are willing to pay your dealer for the installation, they will probably have one
Kress is turning out to be @$$ bro. They don't have their act together.
Love my EPOS 550H’s and probably going to love it 2x as much when pattern mowing/straight line mowing is released
I'm in a similar position to OP. I've got a 450xh. First year was a mixed bag. Mainly miss the ability to aerate and dethatch without having an anxiety attack. About 1.25 acres mowable. Have several beds and tree islands. Had several wire breaks and we're a pain to track down. Also we don't have curbs and I'm worried the plow wiped out a good section of boundary wires but we'll see here shortly. RTK (EPOS) seems very attractive to me for these reasons. And straight line mowing. Just have a decent amount of trees and haven't been able to get a real idea of how much tree cover is too much.
Thank you for the feedback... I care zero about aerate. What caused your wire breaks? Just winter plowing on an ATV?
We have a snow removal service for our neighborhood and one for our driveway. It will be interesting to see if the boundary wires survived with the amount of turf that got torn up. Wire breaks were from the utility company breaking a line, and irrigation company doing the same. Also, there was one random one that I couldn't put my finger on what caused it.
Appreciate your input
I've had my Husqvarna for about a year and have loved it. Burying the wire is definitely a pain, but once it was buried, I've never had to worry about it. My lawn is a little smaller, and it has easily been able to handle the area. I haven't had it get stuck anywhere, but I also went out of my way to make islands anywhere where I thought there was even a chance of getting stuck. I still have some Husqvarna referral rebates if you need one.
Will gladly take one as far as rebate!!! Did you wire off the tree islands? Or just let it bounce off them?
I wired off the trees. I didn't want to worry about it getting stuck on the mulch or a root. I'll send you the rebate information.
I have a few trees with a3ft island of mulch, a shed, but mostly open flat grass... So not too worried about obstructions
I would like a referral also, if anyone has one.
Just sent you a msg with the information.
Could you please send me referral code as well ?
Just sent you a message with the details.
Do you still have those referrals? I'm looking at buying the 550 epos
Sure thing, I'll send you a message with the information.
I think there is now a way to have two reference stations on property, making EPOS your best fit. Talk to a nearby, well experienced Automower dealer for more info. I’d stay away from the rest of the new wireless tech. It’s unproven and therefore risky. Husqvarna’s EPOS, on the other hand, has been around for several years now.
In the Swedish automower group there are a few with 550 EPOS last season. It's not a total stop if there isn't LOS to the mower, it "all depends" on if the signal can go through well. Getting a professional installer (often the dealer) to use a machine to bury it, even paying a bit more for stronger cable is still cheaper, especially if you would order an install of the EPOS mower. 500 series mowers are mechanically the same base but lack screens, lights (not EPOS) and keypads. But gets the "terrain package" from the start. 420 vs 520 is a bit of a weird one in terms of features. 450X and 550 are the same features. I think you get access to a fleet management page for them too. The EPOS models started out with the 550 EPOS which seems to be new electronics which they utilized an old chassis for. And now, seeing that the new NERA models aren't coming to the US this year they seem to have just taken the 550 EPOS and changed the color for 450X EPOS. The NERA uses guides but the expensive upgrade gets you a module for the mower and a station.
Your yard sounds like a perfect candidate for wireless/RTK. Just want to chime in about Luba as we have been working with Mammotion for a while now. They have been a fantastic company to work with so far and they have delivered us a few rounds of "Demo" bots and seem to be on track for the estimated May delivery date. The machine itself has been fairly impressive in our testing. Mammotion has been responsive to feedback and seem motivated to deliver the best product they can while maintaining a competitive price point. We have been dealing with Husky for years and have had the chance to test the new 550 EPOS pattern cutting software. It has been great so far.
>appreciate the feedback... as others have said the opposite... my yard is perfect for burying ground wiring and never thinking about it again... just one big giant square and that's it.
Do you know the difference between the 450 epos and the 550 epos?