Before I get around to that, my ongoing DIY projects have meant that, at the very least, I've had to move some wire so that I could install some decking.
Moving the Perimeter Wire
Why not just leave the wire there and let the mower bump up against the fence?This question was from my wife, and it's a good one. The thought had occurred to me, too, but then I remembered the palaver I had to go through to replace the suspension rubbers (see my Damper Picture and Repair Instructions) and decided to try and preserve them a little longer.
I spun the mower onto its back over the weekend, and noted when I tried to unscrew one of the rubbers that it was twisting and flaking, so it looks like it's on the way out as it is, so probably best not to take any chances.
Of course, I couldn't find the wire, since I never did buy that wire detector for perimeter wire I promised myself, so after a bit of trial and error (okay, I could have just let loose the mower and noted where it turned around, but I didn't think of that), I finally located the cable and started digging.
Naturally, I cut through it by accident, despite taking as much care as I could.
As I was moving the wire, which meant shortening its path, a point occurred to me.
Adding Coils of Wire to Improve Repairs
I could have chopped off the excess wire and thrown it away. However, instead I wound it around the pegs; not all of it, just a couple turns here and there.Why?
Not for any strange electrical reason. Simply this: when I next cut through the wire, as will surely happen, at least I'll have enough slack to make a decent fist of the repair.
There's nothing worse when you're trying to repair a cut wire than the ends not meeting, no matter how hard you tug them. This simple tip, winding around every other peg, means that you should always have wire available.
I can't believe I didn't think of it before; but I didn't. And, you might not have. So, I'm sharing it to help you out; let me know if it was helpful at all in the comments below.
You have a wonderfully useful web site here. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI have a question around the capacity of robotic lawn mowers to mow areas larger than they specify.
Are they like robotic hovers and return to their charging station when flat and then just continue the job from where they left off?
My garden has 4 interconnected ( concrete pathways) sections but, if you count all of them the area is quite large. Given that,I can run a long ( very long) perimeter wire to include than all ... In a perfect world, the lawn mower would do what it could and when flat, return to recharge and continue.
Do you know if they do that?
Thank you. Keep safe.
Prem
So...
DeleteUsually garden mowers based on perimeter wires have a guide wire that helps them find their way back to base. It's also used if you want (periodically) to start mowing from a more distant point - to finish a job if the mower ran out of power, for example.
However, on mine, there can be only 1 guide wire, which won't help you if you have 4 areas to mow. On the other hand, you could install a small rotary switch and multiple guide wires, using the rotary switch to select an 'area' to be mowed.
I will try this idea out when I get a moment, as it may prove useful for others and will make a good technical blog post!
(see https://robotic-lawn-mower.blogspot.com/2016/11/robot-lawn-mower-perimeter-wire-tips.html if you still have questions...)
Stay Safe & Well, everyone!