Husqvarna Automower 115H Robotic Lawn Mower Review

Husqvarna Automower sets the standard for entry-level robotic lawn mowers

If you're considering a robotic lawn mower, you're not alone. They're growing in popularity in the U.S., and about a quarter of lawnmowers in Europe are now robotic. Husqvarna has one of the deepest, most advanced production lines available. We installed a Husqvarna Automower 115H in my yard to see what you can expect from their entry level line.

advantage

• Price includes professional installation
• Guidewire provides better full-field coverage than other entry-level designs
• Cuts up to 3.6 inches high
• Simple add-based command and schedule adjustments
• run in the rain
• Handles slopes up to 30%

shortcoming

• Does not support GPS
• no mobile or wifi connection

Install

I contacted Jesse from Choo Choo Lawn Equipment in Plant City, FL about our Husqvarna Automower 115H installation. You can install it yourself, but work with a dealer to get the best setup from their perspective and vision. They also have a wire embedding machine to make your installation even cleaner.

The 115H uses a guide wire, which poses some limitations. Ideally, you mount it on the side of the house so you can run the wire through as long an area as possible. Upgraded models have two or more wires that you can run in different directions from your backyard.

During installation, you will need to set up mowing areas (up to 3). These are just the distances the mower travels down the wire from the charging station before it starts mowing. I set mine to 9, 30 and 55 meters.

Because the 115H doesn't have a GPS map, it relies on an algorithm to bounce around your yard. This makes it difficult for the mower to find its way in narrow hallways. A guide wire is the way to get it through, but it's not always possible.

kenWe mapped out a pretty radical setup to see what a lawnmower could be used for, including narrow hallways without wires, an island, and cross walkways.

schedule

With any robotic lawn mower, the goal is to keep your lawn looking new every day. The Husqvarna Automower 115H uses 3 razor blade mowers and is not designed to cut 2 or 3 inches of grass during weekly maintenance mowing. One big change from normal cutting is that the mower runs daily instead of weekly.

I mowed my lawn 2 days before we installed the Automower and it covers about 95% of the lawn every 2 days. With that in mind, I let it mow on a 16 hour schedule the first week to keep the lawn under control. After that, I use the app to set it up for 12 hour daily maintenance.

It takes about an hour to charge the mower, which gives it about an hour of cutting time. When you set your schedule, remember that you're actually mowing half the time. In my ~0.2 acre yard, 6 hours of felling per day seems to be the right balance.

You can run the mower all day, every day if you want. Remember that batteries have a limited lifespan, and setting a schedule can help you extend battery life. The expected life of the battery in this model is 2500 cycles. If we do a little math, my 6 charge cycles per day would put the battery in well over a year of drain.

Actually, I'll be getting more, since it's the height of our growing season. As we head into fall and winter, I'll be postponing some plans. For areas outside of Florida that have legal winters, you can bring your lawn mower in most of the year.

to cut

I have bahia grass which gives me a lot of flexibility in how high to cut. For varieties like Floratam and other St. Augustine varieties, you will need to cut 3 inches or 3.5 inches to keep it healthy. If your lawn needs to be cut higher, pay close attention to the reach of your robotic mower. The Husqvarna Automower 115H cuts grass from 2" to 3.6", perfect for Florida lawns. Many robotic lawnmowers won't mow that high.

When the lawn mower is working, it runs quietly around your yard, making a gentle ticking sound as it cuts off the grass tips. That's the sound you want to hear. If the grass gets too tall, it can be difficult for the mower to mow effectively because it doesn't have the deck and suction of a traditional mower to pull the grass up.

For safety, the cutting strip is not the full width of the mower, leaving a few inches between the edge and the blade. This is one of the reasons you still need to use a line trimmer on borders.

One big difference with cutting is that there is zero suction. The 115H rolls over twigs, leaves and mulch without picking them up and dulling the blade quickly. For softscape borders, it lets you move the border line a little closer to cut more grass.

When the battery charge drops to 20%, the mower looks for the wires and finds its own way back to the charger.

expect

Owning a robotic lawn mower isn't a completely hands-off experience once installed, especially with an entry-level model like our Husqvarna Automower 115H. Here are some things we learned that you should know before pulling the trigger.

Ownership or Adoption?

Once we were done installing, my kids decided to name our 115H. Our family refers to "Harvey" and talks about him as if he were a kid doing yard chores. Welcome to the family, Harvey. Now get to work!

If you don't know your neighbors, you will

Thanks to Harvey, I've met a lot of neighbors since I moved in. People on bikes stopped in front yards to watch him, kids excitedly pointed at their parents and yelled, and dogs didn't know what to do other than move to the other side of the street. Well, most of them anyway. My neighbor's 12 week old fluffball didn't know he was unusual and loved chasing Harvey around the yard.

Seriously, this thing starts a conversation and builds a relationship.

narrow corridors and closed barriers

Even without the guide wire, Harvey was walking through my narrow corridors more often than I expected, but not staying on top of the cut as often as he should. About once a week I pick him up and put him in that area and usually need to pick him up to move him back.

Part of it is a corridor, and part of it is up against some close-range obstacles. I have a comm box close enough to the driveway that Harvey can squeeze between the driveways and it looks like Austin Powers is trying to get that electric cart out. After struggling to change his angle, he thought he was trapped and awaited rescue.

low clearance

Since the Husqvarna Automower 115H bumps and adjusts, you don't need to create an island around every obstacle. My pergola and fireplace are a great example. However, the edge of the fire pit was just wide enough for Harvey to sneak in and get stuck. He had some surface scratches which required salvage when they occurred.

when it rains it mows the grass

We're at the point where we have the threat of rain every day of the year, and the 115H can keep going, even in a downpour.

The biggest risk is around the charging base. The connection does not need to be kept completely dry, but the installation usually places the connection close to the runoff from the roof. A quick search for "robot mower garage" will give you all sorts of inspiration for building your own garage. You can also buy pre-made.

Sooner or later, you'll wrap

Whether you bury wires or not, eventually you'll have breakages that need repairing. The easiest way to deal with it is to call your local dealer/installer and have them service it for you. It's quite possible to handle it yourself, though. The kit includes extra connectors for servicing if needed.

For the record, I haven't disconnected yet.

other notices

• Audible elevator alarm to deter theft (PIN off/reset)
• Bluetooth application communication (no wifi/mobile communication)
• height adjustment dial
• Handles slopes up to 30%

price

The 115H is $1599.95, but more importantly—Husqvarna offers free professional installation. I highly recommend going that route.

There are other robotic lawnmowers that cost less. You install many of them yourself. Stihl's smaller iMow is slightly less, but you'll pay $700 for setup. Between price, design and included installation, the Husqvarna Automower 115H is the best value for money we've seen among entry-level robotic lawn mowers.

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the bottom line

The Husqvarna Automower 115H is an excellent entry-level robotic lawn mower that works best on simple lawns up to 0.4 acres. If you have many obstacles and/or narrow corridors, GPS or multi-wire models will be more effective. This model's price includes installation service, has a solid design, and is our best choice for testing robotic lawn mower waters.