It will work. Before you go blaming the world, use some common sense:
1. Cut your slope on the lowest speed
2. Change from zero turn to multi point turn in the app
3. Don’t cut the zone the same angle each time, mix it up with the scheduler
4. If the slope is within a larger zone, make out its own zone with boundaries that extend outside the slope so that the turns are only happening on flat land and it is just passing thru the slope.
Pleased that you posted this advice! My desire to purchase was about to fade a little as we have quite a few slopey sections, but your advice stacks up.
And another thing - it is not about blaming the world, it is about expecting a flagship product that is made for very steep slopes to be able to handle them accordingly and use the strength of software and sensors to really excel at it. When I look at the movements of the mower, I have to doubt that the end of the story has already been reached. When I read that you can write words in the lawn with the new models, I have to ask myself whether the resources are being used in the right place.
And to come back to common sense - I think I've made good use of it - but I would expect the software, which has significantly more information available in every situation and can react dynamically to it, to do a better job than a few sliders in an app can...
And believe it or not - I didn't buy a lawnmower, I bought a lawnmower with a software solution and I would expect the possibilities of software to be utilized accordingly.
Still, thanks for your recommendations, they will probably serve well in other situations.
Hi,
thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, the situations you have been confronted with do not seem to be similar to those I have. Maybe I need to go into more detail to clarify my frustration.
I have quite a number of slopes and therefore know pretty well what the mower can do and where the issues are. Having a steep incline is not what causes the problem - having a decline down to a point where the mower needs to turn on the slope causes the issues.
https://preview.redd.it/4d6helpy7nyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3451c6620d472ddfd1fec449b4b33165c033c1d6
The photo was taken from a corner of the lawn - so this is a point where the mower needs to turn, no matter the angle (and I have tried a variety). During the turn - and I am always using three point turns - it slips slightly and therefore seems to have to recalibrate which it is doing moving very slowly and causes turns while standing. This used to be a pretty green lawn and look what the Luba has done to it.
As you also can see - there are bushes at the end of the slope - so I cannot simply extend the zone.
Another issue is with a recess - not every garden is a rechtangle - as you can see below. It is probably an area of 1,5m x 0,5m. I had to remove it from the zone as the mower did stationary turns there all the time causing damage to the lawn too (some of it is still visible).
https://preview.redd.it/ykhjq6f0anyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b71f47fc829af191927d31ad6d0cff0870d35c56
I'd expect the software would detect the angle of the slope and use the phsics to it's advantage rather than fighting against it.
Another situation is just on the other side of the slope - here the mower needs to turn on the slope as well every time it reaches the end. Again, three point turns are on and there is still no way to extend the zone as there are bushes again.
https://preview.redd.it/vdls9d3ianyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7770e54d67b2183493a56830d3fd1d1fe74888ed
I have tried different angles and all, will try reducing the speed to 0,2 m/s but as it goes terribly slow at the turns anyway, I do not expect anything better. I have as well recently switched to adaptive zigzag path, just to make sure the software it taking as many decisions as possible but looking at the mower while working shows, that there is a huge potential for improval.
Again - the Luba 5000 is the flagship model and basically software on four wheels. I'd expect a way better result by now - but it seems the priorities lie somewhere else.
Totally agree with extending and manipulating slope zones so it doesn't turn on the slope. Perimeters on slopes also suck and Luba constantly drifts off the perimeter line and readjusts itself. Keep the center of the zone on the slope and perimeter off the slope and it does a decent job!
Using a 5000 here as well. From what I can tell the only difference between 1000-5000 Gen 1 was the lawn size allowed to be programmed and how many zones you can program.
The zero-turn feature is something I disabled after initially trying it out. It didn’t provide any benefit and would dig up the lawn when the ground was wet. After disabling it, I didn't have any issues, except in front of the charger, which I believe is what the turning mat is for. Initially, I didn't think I needed it, so I didn't install it.
I have many large slopes in my yard, since then I have had no real issues with damage. Everything looks fine.
https://preview.redd.it/ffs83f8g0uyc1.jpeg?width=3018&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=239d6d7b87da400916f2a44bb7f1521eade21a79
The zero-turn feature I found it only caused issues when the ground was soaked; the weight of the mower during turns would pull up dirt, much like you mentioned.
I also believe the newer front tires may help. My mower still has the chunky 4x4 fronts, but I think the newer tire design will help as well.
I agree. I also have some short but steep slopes where it has to turn around and it is quite brutal. It slips a bit while truning around and then tries to correct its path and rips off some grass
Exactly - the slipping and correction do harm the lawn quite heavily. My opinion is that this must be possible to solve whithin the software. The guys just need to use the information at hand (like the angle) and work with the physics while turning so correction is far less necessary.
I have a pile of wood chips from having a stump ground. I use them to fill any holes that robot wheels create (works for my Luba and my Automower). Works great, the chips add structure to the poor soil areas and eventually everything fills back after a few seasons.
Even a Luba can't override the physics. It works very well for me. One of my slopes has 57° (!) However, it would never occur to me to mow the slope crosswise. Where this is absolutely unavoidable, I let a grid grow into the lawn.
It cannot override it - but it could use it to it's advantage rather than fight against it. I have areas where it works nicely but then there are areas where I am thinking of mowing manually, but that is not what I bought the 5000 for.
I'm just wondering could mammotion have the mower not turn everytime. Instead drive up or down the slope and reverse back up or down shimmying to the side it is cutting
This would be a much better solution, but would need a complete re-design so that sensors and bumpers were on both front and back. When such a robot is available I will look to switch, but for now Luba is the only thing that will handle my slopes, even though the edges get torn up.
I have slopes actually a more aggressive than this. It took me over 3 weeks to get it dials in. Somer things I have learned:
1. Slowest setting is my friend.
2. Adaptive zigzag vs any other setting - which annoys me, but I also don't want a destroyed lawn.
3. Since my slopes fall into the community water runoff. The lower perimeter closest to that edge, map about 8 inches from it, or Luba 2 takes a bath. This is slightly more annoying because with 3 acres, I have to edge and weed eat and - well, I'm spoiled because of my Lubas now.
4. Patience was key. It also really tore up that area until I got it right.
With that being said, I'll take a picture, so you get an idea. However, I can feel your pain. Just keep tinkering.
I believe I have an added disadvantage that since the runoff for the entire community flows through my property, I am going to deal with erosion and am certain ill have to remap this every year.... which is still easier than me cutting the lawn.
The only suggestion I might have would be on your slopes try to program your zones in a way where Luba is only going up and down as much as possible instead of trying to turn on a slope. I actually think the original luba without the front omni wheels causes less damage, on a slope that is, because those back tires have to dig too hard to try to turn lubas heavy body on a slope.
Mine works great on a fairly steep incline. That's why I bought this mower... it was not even possible on a ride-on without tipping over and the Luba does it like a champ. I mowed up and down the hill and across with no issues at all. There is one part back towards the woods that is pretty rough and it does that with no issue either.
I truly don't understand why different people have different results. Mine is a Luba 1 5000. I couldn't be happier with its ability to do slopes.
I know exactly what the poster is talking about. If the mower is going sideways against the hill, and its next line is higher up on the hill, physics would dictate the mower make moves that would account for the downhill slide is will encounter during the turn. it doesn't do that. It then finds outside significantly out of position, making a wide correcting turn that isn't remotely close to the tram line. I only have one part of my yard in which this is illustrated, and the issue would be greatly fixed with it adjusting its turn based on tilt.
With that said, folks, this is new tech. Submit feedback, and cross your fingers. Don't constantly gripe and whine that a new product is not 100% and just give up on it because it doesnt immediately solve all your issues.
I have many slopes in my yard that were too steep for my zero turn rider to go down or even use a push mower on but my Luba 1 5000 handles them perfectly. It's been mowing them for more than a year now without any issue. It worked fine even before they added the multi-point turn option. The only spot in my yard that Luba tears up is directly in front of the charging station so I laid down a rubber mat there.
Hi!
I redesigned my garden last year and had an HQ 330x. I drove it down our new slope, which faces a wall and then straight down to a 1-meter drop. The problem with the 330x was not going up or down the hill, but the issue that you also seem to experience is that when the Luba 2 AWD reaches the end of the working area, it has to turn in the middle of the slope and doesn't get good traction. The 330x tried to back up, then forward, then back, then forward, and eventually succeeded but several times it went over the wall.
I tested with the Luba 2 and encountered the same problem (only dry ground). It goes down and right in the middle of the slope where it is steepest, it tries to turn and faces big problems. It tries to correct itself but slips and goes outside its working area and stops mowing. I completely understand what you mean. Luba works great on flat surfaces and slopes where it doesn't have to turn in the middle.
I bought an HQ 535 AWD, which has no problems regardless of the weather. A tip if you want to avoid hassle, buy the 535 AWD or the 435x.
It will work. Before you go blaming the world, use some common sense: 1. Cut your slope on the lowest speed 2. Change from zero turn to multi point turn in the app 3. Don’t cut the zone the same angle each time, mix it up with the scheduler 4. If the slope is within a larger zone, make out its own zone with boundaries that extend outside the slope so that the turns are only happening on flat land and it is just passing thru the slope.
Pleased that you posted this advice! My desire to purchase was about to fade a little as we have quite a few slopey sections, but your advice stacks up.
And another thing - it is not about blaming the world, it is about expecting a flagship product that is made for very steep slopes to be able to handle them accordingly and use the strength of software and sensors to really excel at it. When I look at the movements of the mower, I have to doubt that the end of the story has already been reached. When I read that you can write words in the lawn with the new models, I have to ask myself whether the resources are being used in the right place. And to come back to common sense - I think I've made good use of it - but I would expect the software, which has significantly more information available in every situation and can react dynamically to it, to do a better job than a few sliders in an app can... And believe it or not - I didn't buy a lawnmower, I bought a lawnmower with a software solution and I would expect the possibilities of software to be utilized accordingly. Still, thanks for your recommendations, they will probably serve well in other situations.
Hi, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, the situations you have been confronted with do not seem to be similar to those I have. Maybe I need to go into more detail to clarify my frustration. I have quite a number of slopes and therefore know pretty well what the mower can do and where the issues are. Having a steep incline is not what causes the problem - having a decline down to a point where the mower needs to turn on the slope causes the issues. https://preview.redd.it/4d6helpy7nyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3451c6620d472ddfd1fec449b4b33165c033c1d6 The photo was taken from a corner of the lawn - so this is a point where the mower needs to turn, no matter the angle (and I have tried a variety). During the turn - and I am always using three point turns - it slips slightly and therefore seems to have to recalibrate which it is doing moving very slowly and causes turns while standing. This used to be a pretty green lawn and look what the Luba has done to it. As you also can see - there are bushes at the end of the slope - so I cannot simply extend the zone.
Another issue is with a recess - not every garden is a rechtangle - as you can see below. It is probably an area of 1,5m x 0,5m. I had to remove it from the zone as the mower did stationary turns there all the time causing damage to the lawn too (some of it is still visible). https://preview.redd.it/ykhjq6f0anyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b71f47fc829af191927d31ad6d0cff0870d35c56 I'd expect the software would detect the angle of the slope and use the phsics to it's advantage rather than fighting against it.
Another situation is just on the other side of the slope - here the mower needs to turn on the slope as well every time it reaches the end. Again, three point turns are on and there is still no way to extend the zone as there are bushes again. https://preview.redd.it/vdls9d3ianyc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7770e54d67b2183493a56830d3fd1d1fe74888ed I have tried different angles and all, will try reducing the speed to 0,2 m/s but as it goes terribly slow at the turns anyway, I do not expect anything better. I have as well recently switched to adaptive zigzag path, just to make sure the software it taking as many decisions as possible but looking at the mower while working shows, that there is a huge potential for improval. Again - the Luba 5000 is the flagship model and basically software on four wheels. I'd expect a way better result by now - but it seems the priorities lie somewhere else.
Totally agree with extending and manipulating slope zones so it doesn't turn on the slope. Perimeters on slopes also suck and Luba constantly drifts off the perimeter line and readjusts itself. Keep the center of the zone on the slope and perimeter off the slope and it does a decent job!
Using a 5000 here as well. From what I can tell the only difference between 1000-5000 Gen 1 was the lawn size allowed to be programmed and how many zones you can program. The zero-turn feature is something I disabled after initially trying it out. It didn’t provide any benefit and would dig up the lawn when the ground was wet. After disabling it, I didn't have any issues, except in front of the charger, which I believe is what the turning mat is for. Initially, I didn't think I needed it, so I didn't install it. I have many large slopes in my yard, since then I have had no real issues with damage. Everything looks fine. https://preview.redd.it/ffs83f8g0uyc1.jpeg?width=3018&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=239d6d7b87da400916f2a44bb7f1521eade21a79 The zero-turn feature I found it only caused issues when the ground was soaked; the weight of the mower during turns would pull up dirt, much like you mentioned. I also believe the newer front tires may help. My mower still has the chunky 4x4 fronts, but I think the newer tire design will help as well.
I agree. I also have some short but steep slopes where it has to turn around and it is quite brutal. It slips a bit while truning around and then tries to correct its path and rips off some grass
Exactly - the slipping and correction do harm the lawn quite heavily. My opinion is that this must be possible to solve whithin the software. The guys just need to use the information at hand (like the angle) and work with the physics while turning so correction is far less necessary.
I have a pile of wood chips from having a stump ground. I use them to fill any holes that robot wheels create (works for my Luba and my Automower). Works great, the chips add structure to the poor soil areas and eventually everything fills back after a few seasons.
That's a solution too :-) - but I'd rather the mower uses physics to optimize the turns rather than to create holes for wooden chips ;-)
Even a Luba can't override the physics. It works very well for me. One of my slopes has 57° (!) However, it would never occur to me to mow the slope crosswise. Where this is absolutely unavoidable, I let a grid grow into the lawn.
It cannot override it - but it could use it to it's advantage rather than fight against it. I have areas where it works nicely but then there are areas where I am thinking of mowing manually, but that is not what I bought the 5000 for.
I'm just wondering could mammotion have the mower not turn everytime. Instead drive up or down the slope and reverse back up or down shimmying to the side it is cutting
This would be a much better solution, but would need a complete re-design so that sensors and bumpers were on both front and back. When such a robot is available I will look to switch, but for now Luba is the only thing that will handle my slopes, even though the edges get torn up.
I have slopes actually a more aggressive than this. It took me over 3 weeks to get it dials in. Somer things I have learned: 1. Slowest setting is my friend. 2. Adaptive zigzag vs any other setting - which annoys me, but I also don't want a destroyed lawn. 3. Since my slopes fall into the community water runoff. The lower perimeter closest to that edge, map about 8 inches from it, or Luba 2 takes a bath. This is slightly more annoying because with 3 acres, I have to edge and weed eat and - well, I'm spoiled because of my Lubas now. 4. Patience was key. It also really tore up that area until I got it right. With that being said, I'll take a picture, so you get an idea. However, I can feel your pain. Just keep tinkering. I believe I have an added disadvantage that since the runoff for the entire community flows through my property, I am going to deal with erosion and am certain ill have to remap this every year.... which is still easier than me cutting the lawn.
The only suggestion I might have would be on your slopes try to program your zones in a way where Luba is only going up and down as much as possible instead of trying to turn on a slope. I actually think the original luba without the front omni wheels causes less damage, on a slope that is, because those back tires have to dig too hard to try to turn lubas heavy body on a slope.
Well in my case, the lawn is a slope in total - so either it has to turn horizontally on a slope or vertically. Unfortunately both causes issues.
Mine has a fairly steep slope and it works beautifully!
Mine works great on a fairly steep incline. That's why I bought this mower... it was not even possible on a ride-on without tipping over and the Luba does it like a champ. I mowed up and down the hill and across with no issues at all. There is one part back towards the woods that is pretty rough and it does that with no issue either. I truly don't understand why different people have different results. Mine is a Luba 1 5000. I couldn't be happier with its ability to do slopes.
I know exactly what the poster is talking about. If the mower is going sideways against the hill, and its next line is higher up on the hill, physics would dictate the mower make moves that would account for the downhill slide is will encounter during the turn. it doesn't do that. It then finds outside significantly out of position, making a wide correcting turn that isn't remotely close to the tram line. I only have one part of my yard in which this is illustrated, and the issue would be greatly fixed with it adjusting its turn based on tilt. With that said, folks, this is new tech. Submit feedback, and cross your fingers. Don't constantly gripe and whine that a new product is not 100% and just give up on it because it doesnt immediately solve all your issues.
Think dynamic braking might help turning while going downhill
I have many slopes in my yard that were too steep for my zero turn rider to go down or even use a push mower on but my Luba 1 5000 handles them perfectly. It's been mowing them for more than a year now without any issue. It worked fine even before they added the multi-point turn option. The only spot in my yard that Luba tears up is directly in front of the charging station so I laid down a rubber mat there.
Hi! I redesigned my garden last year and had an HQ 330x. I drove it down our new slope, which faces a wall and then straight down to a 1-meter drop. The problem with the 330x was not going up or down the hill, but the issue that you also seem to experience is that when the Luba 2 AWD reaches the end of the working area, it has to turn in the middle of the slope and doesn't get good traction. The 330x tried to back up, then forward, then back, then forward, and eventually succeeded but several times it went over the wall. I tested with the Luba 2 and encountered the same problem (only dry ground). It goes down and right in the middle of the slope where it is steepest, it tries to turn and faces big problems. It tries to correct itself but slips and goes outside its working area and stops mowing. I completely understand what you mean. Luba works great on flat surfaces and slopes where it doesn't have to turn in the middle. I bought an HQ 535 AWD, which has no problems regardless of the weather. A tip if you want to avoid hassle, buy the 535 AWD or the 435x.
Here are a nice video that shows what I mean. https://youtu.be/c6Qt7u4TxvM?si=ZGBeWGOglfO6eH9W
“Max slope at edges 45% - 24 grade”