Even with the addition of chickens, it's holding up well, but I've noticed that they've managed to unearth it in several places. I'm holding fast with my decision not to concrete over the wire, though, preferring instead to put some small stones on top that the mower can roll safely over instead.
The reason for this is that if you cement the wire in, and it breaks, it's going to be hard to find the place where the break occurs, using the usual approach to repair a perimeter wire.
Repair Kits
First off, I've found a perimeter wire repair kit that has all the bits you'd need to carry out this essential maintenance:- cable (5m);
- pegs (x10);
- 'proper' cable connectors (look like four of the 3M ones).
While this is a great value package, it leaves one aspect out: locating the break in the wire.
Regulars at the blog will know that I have a tried and tested method for finding perimeter wire breaks, but if Santa is kind this year, I may well have an automated alternative.
It's from genisys, maker of replacement blades and other accessories, and promises to take the pain out of finding the break.
Fair warning: I have no idea how effective it is, yet. I also don't immediately see how it works, but it looks similar to others that I've seen with a tone generator and detector.
An example is this one from Paradise Robotics (link goes to instructions PDF) and confirmed my initial idea that it works pretty much in the same way that the manual search and fix works, except that you don't need to unearth your cable!
Also, the single review on Amazon indicates that the instructions are less than perfect; the initial opening line of the Paradise Robotics instructions would seem to confirm this: "Please follow these instructions because you may find the instructions in the manual confusing."
The Cable Fracture Search Device comes in on Amazon at under £30 and as long as Santa feels generous, you'll get a review of it in the New Year. If you can't wait, click the link, and stop by here to let us know how you get on!
Fair warning: I have no idea how effective it is, yet. I also don't immediately see how it works, but it looks similar to others that I've seen with a tone generator and detector.
An example is this one from Paradise Robotics (link goes to instructions PDF) and confirmed my initial idea that it works pretty much in the same way that the manual search and fix works, except that you don't need to unearth your cable!
Also, the single review on Amazon indicates that the instructions are less than perfect; the initial opening line of the Paradise Robotics instructions would seem to confirm this: "Please follow these instructions because you may find the instructions in the manual confusing."
The Cable Fracture Search Device comes in on Amazon at under £30 and as long as Santa feels generous, you'll get a review of it in the New Year. If you can't wait, click the link, and stop by here to let us know how you get on!
Blade Kits
Blades are always good to have around: certainly in my garden with all those protruding anti-chicken stones, falling branches, and so on, blades get broken quite frequently.Following the manufacturers advice to the letter, I usually replace all three blades and screws at once to avoid unbalancing the spinning mechanism. Now, this might be overkill, but I've had 5+ years service thus far with nary a problem.
So, I was looking for some replacements recently, and happened upon a great deal over at Amazon UK: 30 blades for under £8.
Then I looked at the promo pictures.
At the bottom was the one you see over there on the right. Now, I'm not being funny but I'm not sure the advertiser necessarily understands what kind of mower the blades are for!
Unless, of course, you know any different, I'd say that the mower in the picture doesn't use the blades being advertised.
Again, subject to Santa's generosity, I'll provide a full review of these relatively cheap replacement blades in the New Year.
For a quick price comparison: Titans are about £14 for a pack of 12, and last year I did a full blade price analysis which still looks more or less right when compared to today's market. So, 30 for £8 is almost unbelievably cheap.
Other Robot Mower Accessories
From the low end to the high end, now: the traditional big ticket item of the season is the robot mower shelter. Typically, the branded ones are pretty pricey -- somewhere around the £130-£200 mark -- and aftermarket no-brand shelters from £50-£75.That was the last time I looked (link goes to full comparison), and things haven't moved on much.
With that said, let's go from cheap to expensive...
Wiltec have a couple on Amazon, the one pictured here is the basic-looking than the one I'd originally selected, but has four stars rather than two.
What I like about this robot mower shelter is that it's easy to modify: the reviews mention a few hacks that have been required to allow access to the cables via the back, for example.
They're both £90 or thereabouts, and made in Germany, which seems to be the place to go for aftermarket robotic mower accessories.
Next up is the Turefans Shelter for Robotic Mower, which regular readers will find looks familiar.
I believe that it comes as a flat-pack, which for under £50 isn't much of a surprise.
One thing I like is that it provides easy access to the back (and wires) of the mower docking station. What I like less is that it leaves the back and sides exposed to the elements.
The manufacturers advice for the R40Li (1200R) doesn't mention a need to protect the electrics, but in my opinion it's always better to do so.
Subsequently, my home-made shelter looks more like the Wiltec one above. Being wood, though, it's starting to suffer. Being home-made, it's also starting to fall apart!
Which brings me to the final robot mower shelter, from German maker LED Design Shop.
It's actually called a Robot Lawn Garage, a suitably upmarket sounding moniker for a £200 shelter.
They're available in 2 sizes, and as in the photo, three colours: black, white and transparent.
The material appears to be some kind of high impact acrylic, with, according to the description, a 30 year guarantee.
Here again, my only real issue is getting to the back of the mower, where the connectors are. The base unit will fit under the shelter, and the rear panel doesn't quite touch the ground, leaving space for the wires to trail out of the back.
However, if you ever want to get at the base unit, once the shelter is installed (to clean the contacts for example), it'll be pretty tricky.
Compared with, for example, the Sileno City shelter from Gardena (pictured), which flips up like a toilet seat (forgive the analogy), most of these shelters seem to be missing a trick.When you'e paying sub-£50 that's forgivable, but not if you have to part with almost £200. Perhaps just a hinged door at the back, or a slide-off roof could be the answer.
Any budding designers out there, take note!
Anyway, I'm not going to rely on Santa to drop one of these in my stocking; I'll be on the hunt into the New Year to see if I can pick up a bargain in the sales. Failing that, I'll be back out in the garage trying to cobble up my own shelter come Springtime.
Happy Holidays!
