5 Essential robotic lawn mower maintenance tips

Robot lawn mowers are very low maintenance, especially when compared to conventional mowers and are less like to malfunction. Typically, you can maintain them yourself rather than needing to call in an expert. That said, you should be aware of a few robotic lawn mower maintenance tips.

 

Ideally, you should change the blades twice per mowing season. When you come to change them, it’s worth washing down the underside of your robot mower to keep things looking good.

 

As part of your annual robotic lawn mower maintenance, you should lubricate the wheels, check the cutting height, and remove any debris that’s got stuck.

 

Before storing your robomower inside for winter, give it a thorough clean and recharge the battery. Doing these will ensure it’s ready to go, once spring comes.

 

Every few years, you’ll want to replace the battery to ensure you get the best operational time from the unit. You might get a little shock (pun intended) at the cost of a new battery, but it should improve efficiency.

 

Following these simple robotic lawn mower maintenance tips will ensure your unit will last longer and perform better. Let’s explore these tips in more detail.

 

 

Why is it important to keep your robotic lawn mower clean?

Cleaning can help prevent grass clipping build-up around the wheels, cutting mechanism, and other moving parts. Leaving these patches for too long might reduce your device’s mobility and cutting performance.

 

Not to mention they can cause unnecessary wear on your robot, which shortens the lifespan of various parts. So a clean robomower is a happy one that will work at its best to maintain your lawn.

 

Thankfully, it’s simple to clean a robot lawn mower, and you don’t need any special tools. You need is a damp cloth and a handheld brush with coarse bristles. Before cleaning, it’s best to remove the blades and wear protective gloves.

 

You can also use a vacuum cleaner to remove any grass build-up, which is far easier than using a brush or your hands.

 

 

Basic robotic lawn mower cleaning tips

The basics of cleaning your robot lawnmower include following the steps below.

1. Turn off the master switch on your device to prevent the cutting blades from switching on accidentally. Often, this switch is located at the rear below the casing, or beneath the control panel. Otherwise, study the manual
2. Once off, turn your robot upside down and place it on a tidy, soft surface such as your lawn
3. Use a coarsely bristled brush, remove grass clippings from the underside of the machine. Pay attention to the cutting mechanism and wheels as these are places clippings tend to collect the most
4. Consider using a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle attachment to remove clippings from hard-to-reach spots or use a garden hose
5. Dislodge any leftover clippings with a flat-bladed screwdriver
6. After thoroughly cleaning, turn your unit over to allow any remaining loose debris to fall out of the chassis
7. Turn over your device again. Next, clean the chassis using a damp cloth
8. When you’ve finished, use the same damp cloth to wipe away any dirt from the outer casing.

 

 

 

 

Why should you replace the blades and when?

Over time, blades become blunt. And while that might be obvious, it might have been years since you changed the blades on your mower. So it’s advice you probably need to hear!

 

Yes, your robomower will continue to cut your lawn with blunt blades, but you’re asking it to work harder for a lesser result. So, changing blades will help your robotic mower cut better and faster while improving its longevity.

 

It’s also worth pointing out that blunt blades can snap off, damaging your lawn, and creating potential harm to you, your family and pets.

 

What makes talking about blades tricky is some types of grass you will wear them down faster than on other types. So, there are no hard and fast rules, even if the instruction manual says otherwise. 

 

You might find that you can sharpen blades yourself. Otherwise, the cost will be worth it as you’ll see an improvement.

 

 

How to replace the blades on your robot lawn mower

How often you need to change the blades depends on your model.

 

There are two categories of robotic lawn mower blades:

• Rotating razor blades: These blades are much smaller and are attached to a rotating disc. You need to change them more often, roughly after every eight weeks or so.
• Individually mounted blades: Lasting longer, these offer a more powerful and precise cut. They need replacing once per season.

 

Changing the blades of a robot lawnmower is easy. Usually, you need to prepare the interchangeable blades, screws, and a screwdriver. As the new blades will be very sharp, you should wear protective gloves.

 

How to replace blade discs

• Turn off the main switch on your robot
• Unscrew the blunt blades
• Use a hard brush to clean the areas underneath
• Attach your new blades
• Check if you can tighten the blades easily. If you’re having a hard time turning or the blades are not turning at all, you’ve mounted them incorrectly.

 

How to replace Robomow blades

• Turn off the main switch of your unit
• Put the blade clamp provided on the two holes. Move it in the holes somewhat offset to the hooks. Next, turn the blade clamp to press the hooks together with it
• Use a brush with stiff bristles to clean the area underneath (if necessary)
• Press the new blade on and lock it into place.

 

How to replace blades with star-shaped serrations

• Turned off the main switch
• With a screwdriver, loosen the screws. You’ll find the screws of these blades in the middle part
• Clean the area underneath using a brush with stiff bristles (if necessary)
• Place your new blade on top 
• Fasten the screws and tighten them well.

 

 

 

 

Should I replace the battery?

The average lifespan of a lithium-ion rechargeable battery is roughly 2 to 6 years. Battery life will vary from one brand to the next. And while you can leave your robot mower’s battery to die before replacing it, you should consider changing it every few years.

 

Consider changing your robot’s battery once its maximum charge capacity is below 75%. Most smart mowers display where the battery charge level is, If your model works with an app, you can typically view this data there as well.

 

 

How to maintain your charging station

Another thing on your list of robot lawn mower maintenance is the charging station. It’s worth giving this a complete overhaul once a year. You also might want to clean it regularly using a damp cloth and brush. During the winter, you might want to cover or bring it inside.

 

Along with these basic maintenance jobs, you should also take care of the charging contacts.

• Use a damp cloth to remove all dirt from the contacts, and then wipe them dry.
• Check if the charging contacts have any corrosion. They will have a greenish shimmer if they’re corroded. Sand them lightly with sandpaper if necessary to remove this.

 

 

Why winter storage is important

One robotic lawn mower maintenance tip often overlooked is winter storage. Firstly, you want to protect your investment from the elements to ensure longevity. 

 

Over the winter months, there’s little new grass to cut. So, storing it safely inside is a must. The downside of storing it inside for months is the battery will lose its charge. Batteries also discharge much faster in colder temperatures.

 

When getting your machine ready to store, charge your mower’s battery. It doesn’t need to be fully charged, 70% is enough. Next, turn on winter mode and remove the charging station. Next, turn your robotic mower off and clean it. Store it in a dry, frost-free and well-ventilated area.

 

You don’t have to move the charging station inside as they are designed to live outdoors (but do check the manual), but you might prefer to. If you choose to leave it out, disconnect the power supply and cover the charging contacts.

 

 

 

 

Essential robotic lawn mower maintenance tips

Overall, robotic lawn mowers are very low maintenance. However, they do require some. Just to recap, here are our top robotic lawn mower maintenance tips:

• Clean regularly
• Replace cutting blades when needed
• Replace rechargeable battery when it seems almost dead;
• Unplug the power supply connected to the charging station during winter
• When storing the robot mower, charge it, turn off, clean it, and place in dry indoor conditions, and avoid leaving in freezing temperatures.

 

By following these tips, your robomower will last longer and perform better.