I wanted to take some time to explain the reason for purchasing a Mowrator for the maintenance of my lawn. I have tried many different methods for cutting my grass and have not been happy with many of them. So, I wanted to see if there were alternatives available so I could still enjoy the maintenance of taking care of my yard, while minimizing the discomfort and exhaustion of maintaining 1/3 acre of complex lawn cutting. Listed below is an explanation of the process that I went through to finally come up that spurred on my decision to purchase a Mowrator.
Here is a list of bullet points for why I looked for lawn maintenance alternatives:
I wanted to try to get away from the noise generated by the combustion engine of a standard lawn mower in addition to the exhaust odor.
Each week that I would cut grass it would take me one or two days to recover from shoulder and hip pain.
I have a complex yard and as listed above it is 1/3 of an acre and that is a lot to cut once a week from April to October. It can take 3+ hours to cut and trim my lawn.
Bagging grass got to be a heavy and repetitive chore which added to the aforementioned shoulder and hip pain.
Alternatives for lawn maintenance (pros and cons)
1st I tried purchasing a self-propelled combustion engine lawn mower and found it still to be difficult to maneuver.
I tried purchasing a combustion engine lawn tractor. The tractor has big tires and mashes down grass. Also, the deck tilts and makes for an uneven cut for the grass when going around corners.
I tried hiring youth from our neighborhood to cut the grass but I found that the attention to detail was not great.
We hired a lawn maintenance company to cut the grass. They were expensive.
I was going to purchase an electric self-propelled mower, and then I stumbled on to electric robot mowers.
Electric robot mowers
Electric Robot mowers were very nice in theory. You set up cutting perimeters and a cutting direction and program it to cut your lawn while at work, spending time with your family or sleeping. Most are relatively silent while cutting. Some of the reviews that I read online (I research a lot) said that the mowers would get stuck in complex areas of the yard, they would lose connection while cutting and there was potential for the mower to be stolen.
Since most of those mowers use razor blades to cut the grass and they work best when cutting around ¼ inch of grass at a time, making the grass needing to be cut every one or two days. The battery will have to be charged many times, causing early wear to the battery.
When receiving the Mowrator 2WD I knew that it was solidly built due to the weight of the box. It has a 21” cut so that adds to the bulk of the box. It was packaged well, and nothing was damaged due to shipping. Due to its weight, getting it out of the box could be a two-person job. The assembly was quite easy and Mowrator supplied the tools needed in addition to easy-to-understand directions. The battery is substantial in size, but easy to tote. It came with a reasonable charge, but I still charged it the rest of the way. The charger is quite heavy duty with a fan for cooling and has a CE certification for health, safety, and environmental protection. Additionally, it has RoHS compliant components (restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances). I also noticed that while the battery is in the mower there are fans to ensure that the battery stays properly cool during use. All of this is ultimately good for the health and safety of the consumer.
The remote control is designed by a team with extensive experience in drone technology, particularly from DJI (popular drone manufacturer). FYI: The founder of Mowrator, was a former DJI team leader with eight years of experience in pioneering drone technology. The controls are easy to understand and designed for ease of use. I found that while standing behind the Mowrator it is very easy to steer. What can take a moment is steering while the Mowrator is traveling towards you as the controls for turning are the opposite. You can maneuver as fast or slow as you are comfortable with. It also has a cruise control button in addition to right and left U-turn buttons to make maneuvering easier. Because Mowrator is remote-controlled it is easier to get under low-hanging trees and close to large bushes. Now I have only used it a couple of times since we are at the end of the grass cutting season, but I am already getting familiar with the controls.
I am overall very happy with my purchase of the Mowrator S1 2WD. While it does cost more than a standard mower, I can still enjoy taking care of my lawn without the pains that would normally come with pushing a mower around. Plus, I am popular with my neighbors and family when I offer to cut their grass for them. It is that much fun!